Phuket is a shopaholic's paradise! The island has a great variety of shopping, from bustling open-air village food markets, noisy night markets, street stalls and local shops to western style department stores and upmarket specialist shops. With traditional handicrafts, beautifully designed clothing, jewellery, antiques, housewares and much more to choose from, the only thing you'll regret about shopping in Phuket is that you didn't bring a bigger suitcase!
Phuket has a great variety of Thai handicrafts, some of which come from other parts of Thailand and some which are regional specialities. Intricate filigree leather pictures, items made from coconuts and sea shells, bronze and lacquerware and ceramics are just some of the items produced. Some have been created by craftsmen whose skills have been handed down for generations while others are produced in factories using the latest in advanced technology and quality control. You really need to see for yourself...
Ceramics
The makers of Thailand's distinctive Celadon ceramics use a centuries-old technique to create beautiful works in jade green, brown or cobalt blue. Bowls, tiles, teapots, vases and other items can be found in boutiques attached to major hotels and department stores. A local company, Ceramics of Phuket, produces original ceramics made from Phuket clay in absolutely stunning designs. Many of their ceramics are made to order and you'll find their products on the tables and in the rooms of Phuket's top resorts and restaurants. Their showroom is 5 minutes outside of Phuket City on the road to Kathu (Vichitsongkram Rd).
Benjarong is another ceramic style unique to Thailand, usually formed into a round pot with a lid with rich colours and intricate patterns. More modern styles of this craft, which was once exclusively for the use of the Royal family, are found on plates, cups or ornamental pieces. Most souvenir and houseware shops have Benjarong items for sale.
For large earthenware jars, pottery and other ceramics including the blue and white Chinese styles, check out some of the garden shops or department stores around the island.
Bronzeware
Bronze artwork in Thailand dates back to ancient times. Hindu deities, Thai dancers, elephants, bowls, cutlery and more are beautifully rendered using a blend of traditional and modern techniques. Many lovely items from spoons to large sculptures can be found at a bargain in Phuket's boutiques and department stores.
Pewterware
Pewterware, an alloy of tin with a touch of lead, adds a classy decorative touch to any home. The silvery sheen of pewter is both subtle and longlasting, requiring a minimum of care. Anything from sturdy cutlery to large bowls or mugs with intricate engraved details are sold at most souvenir and gift shops.
Lacquerware
A specialty of northern Thailand, neighbouring Burma, and now Vietnam, a wide range of contemporary and antique lacquerware can be bought in shops on Phuket Island. You can find the distinctive gold and black household objects such as trinket boxes, trays and chopsticks originate from Chiang Mai, Thailand (Try Andaman Trade Centre on Srisoontorn Rd, Thalang, Tel: 076 272 304).
Some shops also carry the antique matte red cylinder picnic boxes and covers inlaid with black and/or green detail that are characteristic of Burma's lacquerware industry. More recently, the creatively coloured and decorated trays, bowls and homeware originating from Vietnam have also become available in Phuket - all of these items make an ideal, lightweight collector's item or gift.
Nielloware
One of Thailand's more unique handicrafts, nielloware is a traditional craft of the southern province of Nakorn Si Thammarat and therefore a good buy in nearby Phuket. Nielloware is the art of applying etched designs made from an alloy of lead, silver, copper and sulfur, onto silver or gold receptacles. Items ranging from coffee and tea sets to fittings for handbags and buttons are available in shops around the island.
Phuket Shopping Malls: Central Festival, Tesco Lotus, Big C
Visitors to the kingdom often arrive with empty suitcases and leave with full ones. Clothes, cameras, jewelry, timepieces, DVD's, computer games, sports equipment, silk, handbags, gold, gems, and even furniture are some of the items snapped up by hungry foreign shoppers and taken home. Thai authorities encourage this by refunding VAT at the airport and by giving out 'foreign discounts' and even without these benefits and the many discounts offered by department stores on name brands, starting prices are much lower than in the West.
Everyone knows that fake goods, although against the law, are more than available here. Sure you can get a shiny new 'Rolex' for a few bucks but just don't try swimming while wearing it. And after a few hot washes and spins maybe the alligator will look a little faded on your 'Lacoste' shirt but what about the real McCoy? How does a bottle of Calvin Klein stand up price-wise against the same product in the West? The answer is very well indeed. Department stores in Phuket are superbly stocked when it comes to foreign goods and most have 'Summer' and 'Winter' sales that offer up to 30% off the original price, leaving the foreign shopper in a win-win situation. Here are a few pointers for shopping in Phuket.
Central Phuket Festival
The first place to look is Central Phuket Festival. If you are coming from Patong, Central lies on your left, before the main crossroads, just outside Phuket Town.
Central has free underground parking in case you have wheels but if you arrive by tuk tuk or bus it's simple to alight outside and use the main entrance. There are many satellite shops in Central but the logical place to start bargain hunting is Central Department store itself.
The Central Department Store
Thailand uses the American way of floor labeling, in that the ground floor is the 'first' and the first floor the 'second' so in Central's 'first' floor you will be greeted with the sight of perhaps 20 or so perfume, cologne and cosmetic counters. These feature Natalie, Chanel, Dior, Revlon, Etude, L'Oreal, Calvin Klein, Bvlgari, Clarins, L'occitane among many others. Prices are substantially lower than in the West and these are the real products, not fakes.
Moving on through the store there is a watch section featuring Oris, Tag heuer, Longines, Frederique Constant, Swatch, and Maurice Lacroix. Taking the Maurice Lacroix PT6117 as an example - it retails for 52,400 baht here but after discounts you will be paying 31,440 baht. Quite a hefty discount, all in all, considering the original price is lower than in the West. Take the receipt and the purchased article to the VAT desk at the airport and yet another 7% comes off. For the present, however, you will not be able to buy a Rolex or a Cartier in Phuket - you'll have to go to Bangkok for that.
On this floor you will come across gold and silverware manufactured in Belgium along with a pearls counter, shoes by Elle, St James, Charles & Keith, and Rococco; there are handbags galore as well as Parker and Sheaffer pens, sunglasses by the usual suspects - Evita Peroni, Guy Laroche, Magi, Carrera, Adidas and Raybans - here there doesn't appear to be great bargains (4,000-6,000 baht for many Raybans models) but they're still a little cheaper than back home.
On the same floor you will find Thai silk scarves, hats, handbags and even a souvenir King's Cup Yachting Regatta silk scarf. There is also a Jim Thompson silkware outlet that is worth a look through.
Downstairs features a generous children's store with toys, clothes and accessories, bedding (try getting a king-size mattress on the plane with you…) and household goods. On the top floor expect to see lots of clothing outlets such as Billabong, Camel Active, Ripcurl and a Marks & Spencers shop within the shop. There are also travel bags and suitcases in which you can cram your newly bought purchases and a book-DVD-magazine-CD shop where you can buy a CD of Western Music for 399 baht and DVD movies for 499 baht; almost half the price of the same items in the West.
The Mall Area at Central Festival
Returning to the first floor (ground level for the Brits) and going out into the three-level mall there are a cluster of gold and jewelry shops and clothing outlets such as Timberland, Lacoste, Guess, Esprit, Camel Active, Hush Puppies, Levis, The Body Shop, Yves Rocher, a Warner Brothers shop. There is also a 'Tops' supermarket where, between the hours of 00:11 and 14:00 and 17:00 and 22:00 (closing time) you can get spirits such as Gordon's gin and Johnny Walker whiskey at bargain prices but don't expect good wine to go for less here as this is a product that is heavily taxed in Thailand. Just why wine is taxed so much and spirits aren't is one of the vagaries of Thai government policy. Tops supermarket also has a 'tax invoice' desk for you to fill out your claim.
One floor up and you're in the company of such distinguished persona as Nike, Lee, Boots, Better Vision (spectacles are a real bargain in Thailand), St James & Trend, a Manchester United shop and a curious side corridor named 'Island Tourist Center' which consists of banks, banks, more banks and ATM machines.
On the third floor of Central Festival shopping mall there is a huge Supersports outlet which features bargains in every area. Just peeping in there was a 30% discount on Nike products and the shop even featured discounted ATVs at US $1,000!
Up here, the fast food gets faster with pizza parlours, Black Canyon Coffee, and ice cream outlet and - what's this? Popcorn? Yes, there's the SFX Coliseum Multiplex where non-shoppers can hang out and watch one of the six movies showing while their counterparts explore the perfume counters and the watch displays downstairs.
Did you know?
In Thailand the law states that alcohol can only be sold in shops from 11:00 till 14:00 and from 17:00 until midnight. This applies to all stores so do not expect to nip out to the 7-Eleven or Tesco and buy a few beers mid-afternoon. Of course, you may order alcohol in bars and restaurants anytime and - strangely enough - you can buy in bulk (a case of wine or whisky) at anytime of day but if you enjoy An afternoon holiday tipple it's best to stock up first.
Jungceylon (Patong Beach)
Jungceylon is a monster of a shopping centre. It contains just about everything that shoppers could conceivably need and is a must-do if you're a bargain hunter. Situated on Rat-U-Thit Rd. diagonally opposite the eastern end of Soi Bangla, you simply can't miss it. The two main stores in the complex are Robinson and Carrefour. The almost 200 other stores in this new shopping heaven sell brand name clothes, spectacles, sunglasses, colognes and perfumes, shoes, DVD-CD-VCD's, computer games, electrical goods, pewter, gold and silver, sportswear and goods amongst myriad other items. . (Read more...)
Big C Supercenter Big C Phuket
Just 300 metres north of Central on the Bypass Rd is another shopping mall called Big C. The western-facing outside car park (there is also underground parking here) is the site of quite a few clothes stalls and several stalls selling car accessories as well as decorative household goods. Once inside there is an extensive range of mobile phone shops, opticians, VCD and DVD outlets and the supermarket itself - with a counter to obtain your VAT refund slip. Quality is lower here than at Central but then so are the prices. The main attraction of Big C lies downstairs where the electronic shops shine with the latest in palm pilots, computers, TV's of all sizes and makes, and stall after stall after stall selling mobile phones and mobile phone accessories. There's also an extensive shoe shop and a good bookstore, as well as a play area for kids and a food court. Oh, and if you're looking for air-brushed motorcycle helmets you'll find them down there. On the top floor there's little of interest except a bowling alley.
Index Living Mall (Household & Furniture)
Another 300 metres further north is the Index Living Mall, a place that majors in chic household goods. There are home theatre systems, artwork, bedding, kitchenware and even a few clothes outlets but the main part of the mall deals in high quality items such as pans, rugs and the like. In case you get the munchies while shopping there's a rather incongruous food outlet right by the cashiers.
Tesco Lotus
Further up the road on the right-hand side at the next intersection stands Tesco-Lotus. This mall was the first major modern shopping centre in Phuket and it has goods of a higher quality than Big C - indeed many visitors come from Patong buy Tesco's colourful beach shirts and shorts. Tesco-Lotus also has a decent liquor/wine outlet but don't forget those 'closing times'! It's basically a supermarket with a decent toys department and a pretty good electronics section. Tesco-Lotus mall also features perennials such as McDonalds, Boots, a good electronics shop, lots of fast food and more ATMs than you can shake a credit card at.
Upstairs in the food court the amount of decibels hurled at shoppers trying to lunch is almost unbelievable. Even Patong's Rock City can't beat the music coming out of the CD/DVD outlet, an 'Entertainment Center' with at least five games going at full blast, no less that two different flatscreen movies going at the same time, a 'Guitar Hero' game by the escalator and - on top of this cacophony the store girl makes tinny announcements over the tannoy. Perhaps the one redeeming feature here is the 'ball room' - a fun activity for small children; just remember to bring earplugs.
Ocean Bangla (Patong Beach)
Patong has Two Ocean department stores. Perhaps the most singular aspect of these shops is that they are in the form of a department store but really have the content of a bazaar. Three-storey Ocean on Bangla Rd. is a riot of colours and products ranging from costume jewelry to funny hats to name brand shirts and trousers. The ground, or 'first' floor is crammed with clothing and is surrounded by boutiques selling just about anything that tickles your fancy from camera tripods to ipods. Prices are 'negotiable' here so bargain hard to get the asking price down as it will be set at an unrealistic level. There are some attractive Thai handicrafts in the form of pewter and china and those looking for a new high-powered rifle scope or night binoculars shouldn't be disappointed. Upstairs you will find name brand clothes in stalls that appear to be built on top of each other as well as a small toy section. On the 'third' floor there is a large sports outlet and a bowling alley as well as a dimly lit snack and beer bar. In the basement there is a supermarket with reasonable (for Patong) prices.
Ocean Patong (Patong Beach)
The other Ocean - on the southern part of Patong's Beach Rd. - is a similar setup with slightly different goods for sale. Here on the ground floor there are name brands such as Nautica and Lee, Ecco and Cerutti, handmade carpets, costume jewelry, video games, nieloware, pewter and mobile phone accessories. One floor up and you're surrounded by name brand underwear, swimwear, DVD's and VCD's (mostly in Thai), binoculars, air guns, wireless computer mice, and calculators. Go up to the next floor and you're in the sports section which is, in turn, next to tourist souvenirs such as jade Buddhas and other jade accessories which stand next to a music display featuring cheap guitars and strings as well as suitcases, pens, colouring books and wallets. If there's method to this madness then it escapes most Western minds but it certainly puts a lot of fun into shopping in Patong.
http://www.ceramicsofphuket.com
http://www.phuket.com
