Less hectic than Patong, Karon is a family friendly and couples place where sundowners, seafood dinners and classical Thai dinner/dances are the main attractions. Low key and casual, beer bars are limited to a small area and there are no discos but if you need more action, Patong is just north - 10 minutes drive over the hill. 

If you want to strike a balance between rowdy and relaxed, Karon is a good bet. It attracts enough foreigners to support the beer bars but it's not the party Mecca that Patong is. The variety of atmosphere is a big bonus since in Karon you can be in a relaxed pub and not even notice the more raunchy beer bars only ten metres away. Going from sedate to scandalous and back again without moving more than half a block is the nightlife equivalent of a good sauna: get heated up and sweaty, go cool down and then come back for more.

Drinking

The good news about Karon nightlife is that most of the bars are fairly close together, but not right on top of one another. This makes for good pub crawling, but without too much 'Battle of the Bands' action. The bad news is that, after a few places, you'll notice that it's all pretty much the same! This isn't terrible, however, since for a big night out you'll probably be heading just over the hill to Patong anyway. Karon's nightlife is mainly centred on Luang Poh Chuan Road and, to a lesser extent, the Aroona Karon complex. Both of these areas have enough pubs and girlie bars to keep locals happy and Luang Poh Chuan has a couple of more upscale and trendy watering holes for the urbanites among you.

Luang Poh Chuan Road is Karon's version of Bangla Road in Patong, with a bar soi at either end, similar to places like Patong's Soi Gonzo or Soi Crocodile, but on a smaller scale (and lacking the ladyboy stage). At the western end (closer to the beach) is an L-shaped soi with Black Cat at the angle. Other bars in the area include Nan's, Hot Shot and Winner. There's also a side street with a few shops and restaurants here. Almost all of these bars have pool tables, which make for an amusing distraction while you are getting chatted up by the girls (‘where you flom?'). At the far end there's another bar soi with a little more lascivious feel. The places here all have names like Amazon, Bikini Bar and Easy Bar. Go figure.

For something other than simple beer bars, try out Karma Lounge, on the easterly corner of the road, Karma Lounge is a trendy looking place with occasional live music. Culture lovers will go for Nakonai Art Plaza, a bohemian little colony with a coffee house and bar attached. Diagonally opposite Karma Lounge is the aptly-named Farang Bar (farang is Thai for westerner). In the middle of Luang Poh Chuan is a short cul-de-sac known as Bangla Plaza. While nothing like its Patong equivalent, this area does have Harry's Steakhouse, a popular restaurant, as well as Sanook Sports Bar.