Factory Bar, Kitchen and Blog

As promised in our last blog, today’s segment is going to focus a little more on some of the best bars and clubs in Patong and various other locations in Phuket, the different atmospheres, music, and people they supply, and which features makes each club unique and different in its own way.

1) Seduction Beach Club & Disco – Although you may think we are biased as this is one of the clubs we are associated with, it truly is the most visited, biggest, and best club in Patong. Catering fully to foreigners with its modern design, multi levels, and playing mostly house music and hip hop, Seduction has something for everyone. Its first level is designed like a hippie beach hut more for the relaxed crowd playing all the hottest hip hop and R’n’B tunes. The Second floor is aimed more for the crazy party goes looking to dance the night away as international Djs spin seductive house and trance. For the posh sophisticated crowd, Seduction also has BLOW, the only open air VIP lounge in Patong with special events and DJs of its own.

2) Factory Bar & Kitchen – Number 2 on our list is Factory Bar & Kitchen. Open from 5pm-3am if you’re looking for head start on the evening and want to get the party started early, Factory Bar is a great place to do some pre-drinking! One of the few, if not the only, nightclub/bar (also catering to foreigners) which begins in the afternoon as a relaxed open air atmosphere where friends or family can come enjoy a few fruity cocktails while tasting the delicious Italian pizzas Factory Bar & Kitchen is so well known for. As the night goes on and the Dj starts spinning (around 10pm), Factory slowly transforms into one of the best bars in Phuket, as the music gets louder and the dance floor fills. Already the biggest bar in Phuket, come high season, Factory will have its second level complete and ready for action!

3) Famous Nightclub – Number 3 on our list is one of the few other Patong nightclubs catering to mostly foreigners though they also have a bit of a Thai twist. A bit harder to find as it is somewhat off the path of the busy Bangla Road, it’s still just around the corner near the back end of Jungceylon shopping center which is Patong’s biggest mall. There are two choices when visiting Famous, the downstairs nightclub featuring international djs, various events and themed parties and poll dancing girls as well as their rooftop open air pool club for more of a relaxing evening with plush red velvet booths and soothing music. Although this is one of our favorites, we must add that this high season the nightclub was closed. We are unsure if this will continue throughout the upcoming seasons.

4) Hollywood Disco – If you’re looking for a traditional Thai nightlife experience while still sticking to the nightclub vibe, this is the place to go! With a few resident Djs playing the hot top 40’s and other international favorites, Hollywood is a must visit. From our experience, Hollywood is more of an after party place, as it is Thai owned and stays open much later than other clubs in the area. If you’re not dismayed by Thai girls often looking for a date, and are just looking for a place to keep the party going in true Patong style, then Hollywood is a fun option.

5) Tiger Disco – Tiger is another predominantly Thai club right in the heart of Bangla Road in Patong. We have included this on our list as many people come to Thailand without getting the full Thai experience. There are a select number of bars and clubs which although are mainly Thai and it may be more difficult to meet people, are definitely worth visiting. Tiger is a well known name here in Patong with bars and clubs popping up all over the place. Sporting traditional bar games like “connect 4” and “Hammer the nail” out in front of the bar and a more club like experience as you venture inside with huge paper mache walls and sculptures, it is worth stopping in for a drink or two. We also recently discovered that if your party includes 5 or more Thai girls upon arrival they give you a free bottle of alcohol! So if you’re feeling frisky, find a few Thai friends and make a night of it!

A big part of the attraction to Patong’s vibrant nightlife is of course, the ladyboys.   The term ladyboy, or kathoey, is used to describe a male-to-female transgender person or an effeminate gay male in Thailand.  Patong’s most well known area to view and have a photo taken with a ladyboy is Soi Crocodile off Bangla Road.  Soi Crocodile is a small road about halfway down Bangla filled with dozens of small beer bars and saturated with ladyboys dressed in their best cabaret costumes drawing in curious bystanders from off the street to drink and watch the show.  Every evening as soon as the sun goes down, the heels come out, the feather filled headdresses and sequined gowns are put on, and the dancing begins.  Throughout the evening you may see 15-20 different ladyboys on a small stage in the center of the street dancing the night away looking for tips and sometimes a bit more…

After you’ve walked around for an hour or so, had a few drinks here and there and stopped to watch the ladyboys, Factory is a great place to finish off the rest of your evenings free of ladyboys and the creepy old men trying to take them home for the evening.  Often during your strolls down Bangla Road, you’ll find some of our promoters trying to hand you flyers.  ALWAYS TAKE THEM!  It’s through our hard working promoters that you will find great deals on drinks, even FREE drinks, on any given evening.  It can be quite intimidating and sometimes annoying the first time you walk down Bangla Road with all of the vendors and promoters trying to give or sell you something and that is why you must learn when and when not, to stop and talk and understand that it is all part of the nightlife here in Patong.  Factory Bar, voted the Best Bar in Patong, is a great, non threatening place similar to what you are used to back home where you can enjoy the company of people just like you soaking up what Patong has to offer.

Phuket has not always been renowned for its club scene.  It wasn’t until the past few years that Phuket’s nightlife began to evolve.  While it has always been saturated with small (mostly Thai) bars and some nightclubs here and there, it wasn’t until recently that Phuket grew to become home of some of the best nightclubs and best bars in Thailand.  Factory Bar is located directly on the corner of Bangla Road and Rat-u-thit Road (Phuket’s party central), and is currently the biggest bar in Phuket.  Catering mostly to foreigners and tourists from all over the world, it has quickly made a name for itself since it’s opening in 2010.  Considered one of the few international bars/clubs in Phuket and being the biggest bar in Phuket, there is never a dull moment at Factory Bar as you’re surrounded by different people from all over the world!

Soi Bangla, Bangla Road, or most commonly known as “Bangla” is the heart of the bar/club scene on the island.  Also referred to by outsiders as “the walking street”, Bangla’s raunchy pulsating nightlife never fails to attract curious visitors every evening with its hundreds of flashing neon lights, go go girls dancing in the street, lady boy cabaret shows, karaoke bars, gentlemen’s clubs, bars and nightclubs.  Throw in a few dozen suit, cigarette, and ping pong show vendors along with massage ladys and tuk tuks (taxis) looking for their next fare, your eyes won’t know where to turn!

Amongst this vibrant nightlife there are probably in and around a hundred bars, pubs, go go bars if not directly on Bangla Road, then somewhere on the neighboring sois (streets).  Like most travel destinations dedicated to their nightlife, Patong awakens and becomes more alive as the sun goes down.  As soon as the last ray of light hits the beach, the metal doors are raised, the chairs are set outside, the music is pumped up, and the various daytime vendors call it a night.

Most of Bangla’s bars and pubs are considered “beer bars”, or small open air bars directly open to the public walking along the street where you will find about 10 or so ladies biding for your attention by enticing you to play games like connect four or hammer the nail.  Of course these bars are a great place to hang out for a beer or two, but If you’re looking for something a bit nicer where you can mingle and dance with people who are not two seconds from falling off their bar stool, then Factory Bar is the place to be.  A great feature to Factory Bar, is the fact that it is the biggest bar in patong,  soon to open it’s second level over looking the dance floor, and it is all open air.  This way you get the best of both worlds…  Earlier in the evening you can sit back relax and watch the festivities down below on Bangla Road, and as the night picks up and the DJ starts spinning Factory Bar instantly transforms itself into one of the best nightclubs on the Island!