22 March 2008

Krabi - Karon Beach

Karon Beach, featuring a long stretch of squeaky white sand, is less hectic than Patong but still offers a full range of facilities, dining and activities. While it's a fast-growing area, Karon is spread out and rarely feels crowded.

Karon is concentrated around three main areas: The Karon Plaza area on the south end features a number of budget guesthouses, restaurants and bars. The side sois are worth exploring, particularly the one that leads to a small art community, where some budding Thai painters have built a complex of huts, pubs and art galleries in which they live and work. Nearby, on the beach road leading to Kata, is the football stadium, which hosts both local and international sporting events.

Karon Beach

The sprawling grounds of Thavorn Palm Beach Resort and the Hilton Phuket Arcadia Resort and Spa dominate much of the central part of Karon. Just north of these is Aroona Plaza. Aroona, which opened a few years ago, houses a range of handicraft shops, good restaurants and cafes, a few bars and a hotel modeled on the Sino-Portuguese architecture of Old Phuket. The wide beachside avenue is ideal for taking an evening stroll and doing some shopping.

The north end features Karon Circle, with its sculptures of workers commemorating Phuket's tin-mining and agricultural past.

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