Chalong

Located on the southeast coast of Phuket Island, Chalong covers a large area. Although Wat Chalong temple is famous in the area, there is no real town centre. It’s an ideal location for expats as there are several international schools and shopping centers. It’s also where most tourists take boats at the pier for daily tours and diving excursions.

Things to do in Chalong

• Wat Chalong

Wat Chalong Temple is one of the most imposing and prestigious sites in Phuket, located 3 kilometers from the Chalong roundabout.

• The docks

Chalong’s two long piers are the starting points for trips to nearby islands, including Coral Island and Racha Island. Many dive boats are moored here, but parking can be difficult, especially during the morning and evening rush hours when buses drop off and pick up tourists.

From Chalong Harbour, you can sail to almost all the islands around Phuket. However, the most popular destinations include the islands of : Koh Phi Phi and Koh Lanta, accessible by speed boat, with a change of boat at Phi Phi to get to Koh Lanta by ferry.

For Coral Island (Koh Hae), it is possible to take a speed boat or a long tail.

Koh Racha is one of the most popular islands south of Phuket, with daily departures to Patok Bay (taking about 35 minutes by speed boat or long tail, at a cost of about THB 1200 per person.)

• The Chalong Bay Rum distillery

Chalong Bay Rum is a success due to various factors such as the use of quality ingredients, a rigorous production process, attractive packaging and effective marketing, as well as the passion of a small dedicated team. The brand prides itself on using only sugar cane grown in Thailand, without the use of chemical fertilisers, and hand-harvested by local farmers to produce 100% pure cane juice.

There is no doubt that the two liveliest places to have fun and meet people are the Tamarind Bar and the Chalong Bay Bar-Restaurant, both located on the waterfront, to the left of the pier. In addition, the main street is home to around 15 bars, which are more or less lively depending on the season.

Many schools are present in Chalong such as :

• Lighthouse International School Phuket

The school is located in a natural environment and offers small class sizes, dynamic learning methods and native English-speaking teachers. It follows the Canadian curriculum and offers a Canadian high school diploma, issued by the Alberta government. It is ideal for expatriate children.

• BCIS Phuket International School

BCIS Phuket differs from other schools on the island in that it offers a choice of two different curricula: the Cambridge programme and the French programme. As a school accredited by Cambridge Assessment International Education, the French Ministry of Education and the Thai Ministry of Education, BCIS Phuket offers a world-class and innovative education to students from 18 months to 18 years of age. In addition, its state-of-the-art campus helps to provide an exceptional learning environment. It too is highly recommended for expatriate children.