Chillva Market
Chillva Market Phuket Town
Often overlooked here in Phuket by Tourist.
For a long time, I have ridden pasted Chillva market and each time I have said to myself I really must stop and take a look around.
Well a few days ago I was in the area with my wife Nat ' Yaowarat Rd' which is where this particular market is located, looking at a restaurant for a possible video review to go onto my YouTube channel and after leaving the restaurant we were making our way back home and noticed that the market was open and given the current situation ' Early Post coronavirus pandemic ' plus the fact there aren't too many larger markets open at the moment, we decided to stop and take a peek boy, Am I ever glad I did! At first glance from the road, the market is pretty unassuming but don't let that fool you
After passing through the temperature checkpoint and receiving a little heart-shaped sticker just to verify you have, you are then greeted with all sorts of small vendors selling from open-aired stalls. The items offered for sale can only be described as an eclectic mix of Clothing, Footwear, Accessories, Trinkets, Souvenirs, Perfumes and Homemade goods, the list just goes on and on.
But that's just the beginning, as you move further into the market you enter the area that holds the more traditional market stalls with your large vendors and more serious sellers who are very much a normal part of markets around Thailand. Some of these stalls in this area resemble small boutique shops rather than a market stall and the variety of goods on offer is impressive.
There are actually two different styles of the market that take places here at Chillva, Mondays and Tuesdays 5pm onwards see's the second-hand market which of course includes lots of the vendors selling second-hand goods, Once again it offers a very wide choice for those of you who like recycling. Wednesday and Saturday see the traditional fee market as shown above. As you continue to explore the market you will come to the food area, for me, this is one of my favourite parts of any Thai market just simply because of the choice that's normally on offer.When I know I'm going to a market I tend to try and hold out and not eat beforehand as I know there is always something delectable to be had and Chillva is no exception with its very impressive food area including actual proper restaurant but personally, I love walking, browsing and eating, however, if you prefer to sit there's also a seating area towards the back that happens to be very pretty as well.
The choices of foods at Thai markets is just staggering, not only will you find Thai foods but also foreign and European dishes from all over the world, Japanese, Korean, American and English plus lots lots more.For those of you who are worried about food hygiene regarding food preparation and cooking etc, I say this, honestly, some of the best foods you will find is at both the Thai markets and on the street 'Thai street food' not to mention value for money.Generally, Thai's are very proud of their food, with great care being taken over both cooking and preparation, you get to see everything unlike restaurants, who knows what goes on behind closed doors in some establishments and it can be fascinating to watch how they prepare some of the dishes.
Something that I haven't mentioned yet is just what great value some of the Thai markets are.The prices, well honestly I really don't know how they can do it, during my visit I purchased three T-Shirt each T-Shirt was just 100 baht! Yes, that right 100BAHT!!! Before you say 'I bet they were rubbish quality' It's actually the opposite and I came away very pleased with my purchases.However, a word of caution not all market's here in Thailand offers such great value, what I have found over the years is tourist markets or markets that receive a lot of tourism are not always the best value and you really need to hunt out markets like this one which the locals tend to use more, that's where you find your real bargains. So if you're coming to Thailand then I would say take a look at the markets here even if you don't buy anything, which honestly id be surprised if you didn't, It's still great fun strolling around on a warm evening taking in this unique atmosphere.
Chillva Market is a real Gem not to be missed 😁.