Soi Romanee: Old Phuket Town’s Ex-Red Light District

Pastel stained Sino-Portuguese shop-houses, elaborate Chinese shrines, golden Thai temples and Sino-Colonial decaying mansions color the streets of Old Phuket Town.

This history rich pocket of the city traces back to Phuket’s tin mining boom. Nowadays, it’s a busy commercial center of cafés, restaurants, stores and tiny printing shops lit at night by Chinese lanterns glowing crimson between arches and shuttered doorways.

Soi Romanee, a lane of vibrant renovated buildings in the heart of Old Town, was the red light district for Chinese laborers working in the tin mines. Now, it’s mostly home to mixed Thai-Chinese families with a splattering of guesthouses and cafés.

This entry was posted on January 23, 2013 by loca4motion. It was filed under Thailand and was tagged with architecture, asia, old town phuket, photography, phuket, phuket old town, phuket town, sino-colonial architecture, sino-portuguese architecture, soi romanee, thailand, travel.

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21 responses

1cruzdelsur

Nice to see your art again. luck
Cruz

January 23, 2013 at 7:31 am

Reply
- loca4motion
  
  Muchas gracias Cruz! Espero que estés bien!
  
  January 23, 2013 at 9:51 am
  
  Reply
  - 1cruzdelsur
    
    Tú también. Veo que sigues tus planes. Todo bien¡
    
    January 23, 2013 at 10:23 am
  - loca4motion
    
    Gracias! Sí por fin pero extraño Guatemala también.
    
    January 23, 2013 at 10:25 am
  - 1cruzdelsur
    
    Sí es real lationamerica tiene una mezcla de sabores culturales y su gente siempre es amigable. Te deseo suerte y estamos en contacto. Algún día vendrás por aquí, nunca se sabe¡¡¡
    
    January 23, 2013 at 10:29 am
  - loca4motion
    
    Sí, es la verdad. Tailandia es completamente otra cultura! Muchísimas gracias y nunca sabes!
    
    January 23, 2013 at 10:44 am
thirdeyemom

Gorgeous Lucy! I so want to visit you there!! B

January 24, 2013 at 2:37 pm

Reply
- loca4motion
  
  I hope so Nicole! It’s not beautiful everywhere like Antigua though and of course the culture is completely different from the Latin one.
  
  January 24, 2013 at 9:04 pm
  
  Reply
  - thirdeyemom
    
    Someday I will have to check it out. Is there where you are living now, in Old Phuket Town? Is it in Phuket?
    
    January 26, 2013 at 4:28 pm
  - loca4motion
    
    I’m just staying here temporarily Nicole. Old Phuket Town is a small network of streets in Phuket Town which is the main town on Phuket. I hope I stay in Phuket and you come visit some day! I’ll show you around just like in Antigua!
    
    I’m leaving for central Thailand in a week to spend Chinese New Year in the town I lived in for my first 3 years in Thailand. They have the biggest celebrations there due to the huge Chinese/Thai population. Of course I’m going to see my friends there but timing it for Chinese NY too!
    
    January 26, 2013 at 10:03 pm
  - thirdeyemom
    
    How wonderful Lucy! I can’t wait to see your pictures from there and of the celebration! 🙂
    
    January 29, 2013 at 1:29 pm
  - loca4motion
    
    Thanks Nicole! It should be very colorful and noisy! 🙂
    
    January 29, 2013 at 10:09 pm
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Paula

Beautiful pics!

August 2, 2013 at 2:50 pm

Reply
- loca4motion
  
  Thanks Paula! It was fun showing you around yesterday!
  
  August 2, 2013 at 6:40 pm
  
  Reply