http://blogs.1stopphuket.com lifestyling it on the Andaman coast Fri, 12 Mar 2010 05:07:44 +0000 http://backend.userland.com/rss092 en Phuket is Thailand's largest island, located approximately 862 kilometres south of Bangkok. Often referred to as the pearl of the Andaman, or the pearl of the south, Phuket is an island of  limestone cliffs, white beaches, tranquil broad bays and tropical in-land forests, which make it one of Thailand’s most ... http://blogs.1stopphuket.com/2010/03/11/phuket-overview/ Visitors to Phuket often get the wrong idea about the island by staying in the popular tourist hubs of Patong and Karon. Although these areas have their undoubted charms with great nightlife and an assortment of bustling bars and restaurants, I've personally become a little tired with their brashness. So it ... http://blogs.1stopphuket.com/2010/03/08/calm-days-in-kamala/ Lock up your daughters because the sailors are coming to town. I’ve just heard that next week Phuket will see an influx of US Navy sailors. Three warships are set to anchor of Phuket’s coast as the young men hit dry land for shore leave. The use of Phuket for ... http://blogs.1stopphuket.com/2010/02/28/ello-sailors/ A warning has been issued by Phuket police about a possible increase in crime due to the crippling economic downturn. Both tourists and locals have been advised not to hang bags from the handlebars of their motorcycles or leave things in the front baskets, as petty crime is set to increase ... http://blogs.1stopphuket.com/2010/02/22/desperate-times-leads-to-desperate-measures/ So it’s finally here. This Saturday night will play host to the first official Patong beach party.  The funds from the parties, which have been designed to match the success of the Full Moon Parties on Koh Phangnan, will go towards some sort of charity which aims to help tourists ‘in ... http://blogs.1stopphuket.com/2010/02/11/first-patong-beach-party/ Just when you think that there can’t possibly be anymore ‘farangs’ in Phuket, the news comes that tourism is set to increase even more here. Apparently, and unbeknown to me, Phuket and Thailand as a whole have been experience a bit of a slump in visitor numbers recently. The latest air passenger ... http://blogs.1stopphuket.com/2010/02/03/tourism-slump-over-damn-it/ I know that sometimes driving in Phuket can be a pretty hairy experience, but I have to admit that news of a road rage killing shocked even me. Road rage is pretty common in hectic places such as London and Rome, but who would have thought that driving on Phuket’s coastal ... http://blogs.1stopphuket.com/2010/01/29/an-unlikely-place-for-road-rage/ Ever been ripped off by a tuk-tuk driver after a night out when you’re too drunk to know better? Well those days might be over. Phuket Governor Wichai Praisa-ngob this week said that a trial of metered tuk-tuks could be rolled out in Karon and Kata this year. The move comes as ... http://blogs.1stopphuket.com/2010/01/20/any-chance-of-a-cheap-ride/ As a writer, it’s part of the profession to enjoy a drink or two on the weekends, but now a new development on Patong Beach is making me consider a change in career altogether. A company known as the European Bartenderschool (EBS) have spread their wings a little farther than Europe ... http://blogs.1stopphuket.com/2010/01/15/a-sobering-thought/ Apparently, much to my upset, I have missed English supermodel Kate Moss strutting her stuff on a Phuket beach this week. Despite  reports from my friends and family of torrential snow and gale force winds in London - where the super model normally resides - she was apparently shivering over here, as ... http://blogs.1stopphuket.com/2010/01/07/to-cold-for-kate/