Boat Avenue, Phuket: Friday Market, Restaurants, Supermarkets and Everything Else You Need

Boat Avenue is the reason living in Bang Tao and Cherng Talay is easy. It is a low-rise open-air strip of restaurants, cafés and shops on the road between the Laguna estate and Cherng Talay village, with the Villa Market supermarket at its heart, the Porto de Phuket mall next door, and the Friday night market every week from 4 p.m. Ten minutes from every villa we manage, it is where guests end up for breakfast on day one and for dinner most evenings. Here is what is there and how to use it.

The Friday market

The Fun Friday Avenue Market runs every Friday from 4 p.m. to around 10 p.m. on the lawn and lanes of Boat Avenue. It is closer to a European open-air festival than a Thai night market: food stalls from the area's restaurants, craft and clothing stalls, wine and cocktails by the glass, live acoustic sets on a small stage, and a lawn where children run while parents eat. Arrive around 5:30 for the light and the shortest food queues; parking fills by seven, so a Grab is easier than driving. It is the single evening to plan the week around if you are here for one.

Where to eat

The restaurants change a little every season, but these are the fixtures our guests keep going back to:

• Bake. The café everyone knows: pastries, artisan bread, a big all-day menu, good coffee, and the half chicken with roast potatoes as the house dish. Busy at breakfast, and the unofficial office for the area's remote workers.
• Little Paris. A French bistro with air-conditioning and a proper wine list; popular with residents for dinner.
• Daily Dose Café, in Cherng Talay a few minutes away, for international comfort food with a Thai accent.
• Wine Connection in Porto de Phuket for European dishes, cheese boards and the widest wine selection on the coast.
• The Thai places on the village side of the road for the cheapest and often best plates of the week: a pad kra pao or a bowl of khao soi for 80 to 150 baht.

Our restaurant and beach club guide has the fuller list for the whole Bang Tao area, and delivery from most of them reaches the villas through the Grab app.

Supermarkets and shops

• Villa Market, at Boat Avenue itself: the expat supermarket, open long hours, with imported cheese, wine, bread, baby supplies and everything a villa kitchen needs, at prices close to Europe.
• Tops Food Hall at Porto de Phuket, the open-air Central mall next door: a bigger range, fresh fish and meat counters, and a good Thai section. Porto also has clothing, homeware and phone shops, a Boots pharmacy and cafés.
• Lotus Cherng Talay, on the main road towards the beach: the budget supermarket for water by the case, snacks, sunscreen and pool toys.
• Cherng Talay fresh market, mornings in the village: fruit, vegetables, herbs and grilled chicken for a fraction of supermarket prices.

Pharmacies are at Porto de Phuket and along the Cherng Talay road, and pharmacists here can dispense many medicines that need a prescription at home; bring the packaging of anything you take.

Everything else

Massage and nail salons line the avenue and the lanes behind it; a one-hour Thai massage is 350 to 500 baht. Gyms with day and week passes are within five minutes. Laundry shops in the village charge 40 to 60 baht a kilo. Car and scooter rental desks sit along the main road. ATMs are at Villa Market and Porto de Phuket. If you need a doctor, the clinics on the Cherng Talay road handle small things and Bangkok Hospital Phuket in town handles everything else, 40 minutes away.

Getting there

Boat Avenue is ten minutes from the villas in Cherng Talay and Layan by Grab (80 to 150 baht) and 35 minutes from the airport. The Smart Bus from the airport stops at Cherng Talay School and Lotus Cherng Talay nearby. Parking is free and tight on Friday evenings.

Frequently asked questions

What day is the Boat Avenue market?

Friday, from 4 p.m. to about 10 p.m., every week. It is known as the Fun Friday Avenue Market.

Is there a supermarket at Boat Avenue?

Yes. Villa Market is at Boat Avenue itself and Tops Food Hall is in Porto de Phuket next door. Lotus Cherng Talay, on the main road, is the budget option.

Where is Boat Avenue in Phuket?

In Cherng Talay on the north-west coast, on the road between the Laguna resort estate and Cherng Talay village, about ten minutes from Bang Tao beach and 35 minutes from the airport.

Is Boat Avenue good for families?

Yes. The Friday market has a lawn for children, the cafés are relaxed, and Villa Market and the pharmacies at Porto de Phuket stock everything a family needs.

How much is a Grab from Bang Tao to Boat Avenue?

About 80 to 150 baht for hops within the Bang Tao and Cherng Talay area.