Phuket Nightlife

Thanks to streets filled with go-go bars and tourist traps, Phuket's main beach gets compared to seedy Pattaya. But it’s recently moved upmarket and toward family tourism, and the long, sandy beach – Phuket's most developed – is quite scenic. Plus, this is the place to come when you need a serious nightlife fix.

Though bordering on kitsch, this cultural theme park gets thumbs up from most visitors – shopping at the Festival Village, sampling local specialties, and catching a Vegas-style elephant show are good time wasters, especially when kids are in tow.

Sexy brasserie where global yachters and local residents mingle in elegant, high-ceilinged surrounds. Enjoy strong cocktails, good wines and fat cigars.

This very adult bar lures the rich and the beautiful with breathtaking views over jungle-clad hills and the Andaman Sea. Beautiful rattan lounge chairs, posh cushions and lots of wood accents evoke an African safari resort and make up for the off-the-path location. Sunday’s BBQ Buffet is famous for free beer and sangria.

The island's most stylish lounge is the perfect spot to throw back a couple martinis. Expect dressed-down local fashionistas, low-key lounge music and prices even lower than in Bangkok.

Massive club with styled-up locals and visiting jeunesse dorée who cut loose on the disco's packed dance floor and in the sexy purple and green bar. Expect good drinks, low prices and a mainstream mix of house music and ’80s classics.