Start with the part most Patong guides leave out. Jungceylon has no shoe repair counter and no luggage repair desk. The mall directory lists retailers, not menders. If a flip-flop strap has pulled through, or a suitcase wheel has sheared off somewhere between the airport and your hotel, dedicated shoe repair shops are very limited in Patong. So finding a new one seems like a better option.

That is a workable outcome three days into a holiday. The shops that matter are grouped across two zones of one mall, a short walk from Patong Beach, and all of them are open from 11:00 AM to 10:00 PM every day. This guide is arranged by what broke rather than by shop type, so you can go to one floor and be finished.

The flip-flop strap pulled through

It is the most common footwear problem. Once the plug has torn through the sole, you can just simply throw your sandals away. 

Getting a new pair of sandals at Havaianas, located on the ground floor of The Jungle Zone. Rubber flip-flops are the direct like-for-like replacement, and they are the sensible choice if the rest of your trip is beach, pool and a wet pavement between the two. Sizing runs to the brand's own scale rather than EU numbers, so try a pair on instead of asking for your usual size.

If the broken pair was a dressier sandal and you want something closer to a shoe, skip ahead to the next section.

Your walking shoes

For a split sole, a collapsed heel or a broken buckle on a proper shoe, The Botanica Zone is the place to go. Three footwear shops are on its ground floor: Skechers, Crocs and Birkenstock.

The choice comes down to what the rest of your trip needs. Crocs and Birkenstock both solve the open-shoe problem, which matters in the rainy months when a closed leather shoe takes a full day to dry out. Skechers is the closed walking shoe option, and the more practical one if you have day trips or a lot of pavement ahead.

All three are within a minute of each other, so it is realistic to try all three before deciding. That is the main argument for walking to The Botanica Zone rather than buying the first pair you see on a Patong street stall.

The suitcase split

Damaged luggage is the harder problem, because a case with a cracked shell or a sheared wheel cannot be taped back into airline condition.

Samsonite is on the ground floor of The Botanica Zone, a short walk from the shoe shops above, and it is the mall's specialist for hard-shell cases. Two more luggage shops are in The Jungle Zone, both on the second floor: HQ Luggage and The Travel Store. Being on the same floor of the same zone, they are easy to compare in one trip, and they widen the price range considerably.

Two things you need to check before you make a purchase. First, measure what you actually need. A broken large case does not always need replacing with another large case, and a cabin-size bag plus the original shell taped shut for the hold is sometimes enough to get home. Second, if you are flying within a day or two, check your airline's cabin dimensions before paying, because they vary between the carriers flying out of Phuket.

A day bag rather than a suitcase

A torn shoulder strap or a split tote is a smaller problem with a wider choice.

Naraya is on the ground floor of The Jungle Zone. It is a Thai brand, its fabric bags sit at the lower end of the price range, and it is the most likely place in the mall to replace an everyday tote without spending much. It is also the more interesting souvenir of the two options here.

Charles & Keith is on the ground floor of The Botanica Zone, and it is the one to go to if the bag that broke was a structured handbag and you want something that looks the same.

Before you pay

Collect the Tourist Privilege Card in The Bay Zone first. It is valid only at shops displaying the Tourist Privilege sticker, and each shop sets its own offer, so it is worth two minutes to pick up before you start rather than after you have paid.

Plan the walk by floor. Ground floor of The Jungle Zone for flip-flops and fabric bags. Second floor of The Jungle Zone for luggage. Ground floor of The Botanica Zone for shoes, hard-shell cases and handbags. Doing it in that order means one lap instead of three.

Jungceylon is open from 11:00 AM to 10:00 PM every day, which is late enough to deal with a broken sandal after a day out, and early enough that a same-day problem the morning of a flight is tight but possible.