Suan Luang Park - King Rama IX Park

I would recommend taking a motorcycle taxi from Robinson from the heart of Phuket Town centre. It will take about a 5-10 min ride and will cost a maximum of 40 Thai Baht. Tell the taxi motorcyclist "Suan Luang" (pronounced: Suu-wan Lu-wang). And as you should always do in Thailand, negotiate the price of the ride with the taxi motorcyclist before the ride. If you prefer to walk to the park, this can also be done. Using Robinson Department Store on the corner of Tilok Uthit 1 Rd as a starting point, head towards Ong Sim Phai Rd. Walk straight down this road til it turns into Kra Rd. Continue forward down this direction, where the road name will change again from Kra Rd. to Phun Phon Rd. At the end of Phun Phon Rd, there will be a traffic light where the road splits. Just follow the bend to the left, where the road name changes to 'Bangkok Rd.' Going down Bangkok Rd., about halfway, you should see a nightclub called "Jammin" on the opposite side of the road (on your right hand side). This you can use as a check-point to make sure you are heading down the right direction. Continuing on down Bangkok Rd., at the first traffic light intersection, turn left on to Chao Fa (East) Rd. Go down this road for about 5-10 minutes or until you reach the first 7-11 store (a 24-hour mini-mart). Here, you will see an overhead bridge. Cross this bridge and voila, that is the park! Talking the "walking" option with the directions given will take about 20 minutes at an easy pace. Cross street: Chao Fa East Road

Cruisiest spot: From the front of the park, walk along the track to the back where a path runs off the track. You will see a huge playground on your left-hand side. The surrounding areas around the playground - with the playground included - are very cruisy. Here, the areas are not too dark and not too lit, which makes it more safe. Another cruisy spot in the park is in the surrounding areas near the volleyball and basketball courts. It is quite dark at this spot, however so I would recommend only venturing here if you feel confident of your surroundings. When the park closes at 10pm, most of the cruising can be found at the back of the park (the park side close to Chao Fa West Rd). At the back, there are 2 main cruisy spots: 1) the large carpark on the side and 2) the roundabout area just over the bridge.

The park is officially open from 5 am to 10 pm. These hours, however, are mainly for motorists as cars and motorbikes are allowed in the park during these hours. However, outside these times, "gates" or low-barriers close the entrances so that motor vehicles are not permitted, but people on foot are very welcomed to still enter the park. These low-barrier gates are designed in a way to allow people on foot to enter but not vehicles. Best times: The best times for cruising would be between 7pm to about 10pm. After 10pm when the park closes, you may get a few guys still lingering in the park. However, most of the cruising goes on in the outskirts of the park. You can pick up on the outskirts, and continue on inside the park. Dates open: All year

Sunset today · Sunrise tomorrow

After 10pm, the park closes and it can get quite dangerous. Please do not take this lightly as I unfortunately have experienced two thefts there on two differect occasions. My tip would be if you are going to the park and wish to stay past 10 pm, DO NOT BRING ANY VALUABLES. Leave at home your mobile phone, MP3 player, whatever jewellery you might normally wear, and just bring with you your home key, some rubber, hand towels, shorts, a shirt and your sneakers.

Nudity: The park is large and if you can find an area that is private enough, you may strip down. Walking naked in public whilst cruising however is not recommended.