Chalong Bay

Chalong Bay is a centre point for southern Phuket with Kata, Karon, Rawai and Phuket Town all within an eleven kilometre radius. The impressive pier at Chalong stretches for 720 metres into the bay where dozens of boats leave daily for scuba diving trips and day tours to the nearby islands. Chalong is a hub of boating activity with many classic yachts moored here in this calm and sheltered bay.

There is a large parking area at the entrance to the pier and a tourist information shop where you can book trips to the out-lying islands and Phi Phi.

The very narrow strip of beach and the busy boating traffic makes Chalong unsuitable for swimming or sunbathing, however there are several bars/restaurants overlooking the bay that make for a pleasant afternoon watching – as Otis Redding sang – “the ships roll in, then watch them roll away again.”

The short street leading from Chalong Circle to the pier, Sunrise Road, is lined with small bars, restaurants, guest houses, tour agents and dive shops. At the end of the road sits the spacious Kan Eang restaurant with excellent views over the bay.

Just off Chalong Circle, on the road to the airport, is the HomePro Village and Villa Market; HomePro has everything you need for decorating and furnishing your villa or apartment and the Villa super market has a wide variety of western food goods that are otherwise hard to find on Phuket.

On the road leading to Kata and Karon there is the Tudor style building, The Green Man Pub and Restaurant, very popular with expats from all over the world.

For the avid sailors there are many places to gather and swap yachting tales, chief among them is the Ao Chalong Yacht Club that keeps sailors abreast of what’s happening locally and organize regular sailing races.