Kathu

Kathu was the centre of Phuket’s tin industry, and the valley’s lakes are flooded workings. The Chinese labour that came for the mines brought the traditions behind the Vegetarian Festival, which remains one of Thailand’s most striking annual events.

Patong, meanwhile, was a plantation bay until backpackers arrived in the 1970s. Its growth since has been rapid, dense and largely unplanned — the opposite of the master-planned north.

Three bays in quick succession: Patong, wide and busy; Kalim, rocky and elevated; Kamala, broad and family-friendly. All west-facing, all subject to monsoon surf and currents from May to October, and all with sunsets that explain a good deal of the island’s property market.

Patong carries the greatest range on the island outside Phuket Town, along with its only concentrated nightlife. Kalim’s coast road holds several of the area’s best restaurants, and Kamala and the valley cover local Thai cooking at local prices.

Patong has a full mall and comprehensive services; the valley sits ten minutes from the island’s largest shopping centres. Practically speaking, this district is very well supplied.

International school options sit in and around Patong and within reach of the valley, with more towards Phuket Town. The major private hospitals are fifteen to thirty minutes from most of the district. Patong is walkable; everywhere else needs a car, and the hill roads demand a capable one.