
Where to eat, drink and sleep in Chalong bay
Ao Chalong Phuket
Ao Chalong (Chalong bay) lacks a nice beach so it’s not the place for a beach vacation. A lot of boat charters depart from Chalong so it can be good for a night or two if you are transiting. It’s also where a lot of dive boats depart from.
Here are some suggestions for eating, drinking and sleeping in Chalong.
Chalong bay hotels
- We like the Pier 42, a stylish boutique hotel with a small pool within a stones throw of the pier. It has a nice little cafe for coffee in the morning.
- Orange Pier Guesthouse. Right by the pier, the seaview rooms look out to the bay. There is a 7Eleven below. A little noisy in the mornings as all the tourist buses arrive to drop off day trippers.
- Chalong Sea Breeze which has good clean rooms at around 1,000 baht per night.
Chalong facilities
Chalong bay is Phuket’s dive shop hub so if you need to buy a mask and snorkel or rash vest for snorkeling you’ll find it here.
There is a 7 Eleven under the Orange Pier guesthouse for all your essentials and a couple of ATM’s. Motorbike taxi’s can also be hired from this area.
If you walk up Sunrise road to the roundabout (referred to at Chalong circle or Hayaek Chalong) an turn right you will find banks, more shops and a local market.
Chalong bay restaurants
- Kan Eang @ Pier for dining next to the bay.
- Happy Days does western food. Good burgers and the Sunday roast is very popular.
- Agli Amichi’s on soi Jaofa 39 for the best pizza.
There are several options for cheap Thai eats along soi sunrise (the road from Chalong circle to the pier). The small shop next to Aquamaster does a large plate of Khao Pad gung (shrimp fried rice) for 100 baht.
Or on the main Chao Fa East road next to SCB bank is a little alley with a few tables where you can get an excellent Khao Man Gai (chicken on rice) in the morning (they often sell out by lunchtime.
Chalong bay bars
Plenty to choose from here. In the early evening we like the Lighthouse or the Tamarind bar. Both look out over the bay.
Sunrise Road has it’s fair share of beer bars, most of which have sprung up over the last 5 years (15 years ago Sunrise road was a dirt track). Which one is best depends on which night you go in but the ATM bar is consistently a fun and friendly place.