Phuket Business: Boat Avenue, Villa Market opens in Cherng Talay

PHUKET: It’s been too long – residents of Laguna Phuket, Cherng Talay and Bang Tao, who had been travelling all the way to Tesco Thalang to do most of their shopping, were forced to undertake expeditions to the well-stocked markets in the south of the island to buy hard-to-find imported goods. But with the grand opening of the Boat Avenue outdoor shopping center on December 20, those days are officially over.

The opening featured a suitably large, family-style gathering with music and dance performances, an abundance of food, fire works and a lucky draw. And the fact that the central attraction of the new shopping district – Villa Supermarket, was already full of shoppers on the very day of the grand opening, proves it to be a much needed addition to the local shopping scene.

Christmas shopping was easier last year for residents of the neighborhoods in the vicinity of Bang Tao and Laguna beaches. Villa tends to be one of the best stocked supermarkets in Thailand, making the preparation of all these dishes we love and miss, a much easier task.

But Villa Market isn’t the only thing that will attract locals and tourists to the new shopping venue. Located in a prime spot on the Cherng Talay T-junction, a few hundred meters away from the gates of Phuket Laguna, the colorful container mall surrounding the market is pleasing to the eye and offers a vast choice to shoppers looking for fashion items, sports equipment, furniture and souvenirs.

There is no lack of parking spots and what’s arguably even more important – safe walking space. To make the experience of shopping at Boat Avenue even more pleasant, there are cafes and a beauty clinic waiting for those in need of relaxation.

And there’s more to come. A bank, a Chinese restaurant – these and more will find their new home in Boat Avenue in the next few months. “This is just the beginning” announced Boon Yongsakul, Deputy Managing Director of the Boat Development Company, from the stage during the grand opening event.

— Maciek Klimowicz