Going to Phuket and tangled up in the beaches? Or is it not the first time you have decided to go to the island and want to try a new place? Let's find out where is the best place to relax in Phuket.
What is the best beach in Phuket? As always, it is impossible to give an unambiguous answer - everything is so subjective. After all, privacy is important for someone, while nightlife is important for someone. Therefore, we will give a brief description of each and tell whom it is more suitable for.
We have rested in Phuket many times and visited all the beaches of the island. All information in this review is based on our personal experience. For each beach, we wrote a review and took a photo.
NB: Description for high season only! Things will be different in the rainy season.
All Phuket beaches on the map
Patong (Patong Beach)
This is one of the most popular places to relax in Phuket. Patong is multifaceted: reckless party-goers, quiet introverts, families with children, and romantic couples come here. How do they all get along? It's simple: everyone finds their own corner.
Most tourists in the reviews consider it the best beach in Phuket. Those who appreciate the comfort and accessibility of the benefits of civilization, and also love the nightlife, come here. We ourselves have lived there three times. If you want peace and quiet, choose another resort or hotel away from the noisy center.
The infrastructure of the resort is very developed. There are many markets, there is a large shopping center "Jangceylon" with a Big C hypermarket, cafes, restaurants and makashnits at every step. Countless hotels, guesthouses and resorts.
Patong is quite clean - it is cleaned every day. Powdery white sand and turquoise calm water, a gentle entrance, there is a lot of shade on the shore. There are no secluded places, but you can go where there are fewer people.
Karon Beach
Karon seemed to us like a mini-Patong: there are also a lot of people, developed infrastructure, there is some kind of nightlife. Most of the rest are Russians, especially with children. Karon is the second most popular after Patong. There are many tourists among the tourists who consider it to be the best beach in Phuket. Suitable for everyone, except for lovers of solitude.
Karon is long and wide. There is very little shade, you need to rent a sunbed and an umbrella. The sand is similar to Patong - fine and squeaky - but not so light. The water is clear when there are no waves. The entrance to the sea is shallow, but the sea is deep. There are rip currents, so be careful. Supervise children while bathing.
Kata Beach
Kata is almost the same as Karon. They even merged in our memories. There are also many Russians, similar sand, an island in the sea. Only along the coast is the hotel stretched, which is why there are only two exits to Kata Beach - in the north and south. Accordingly, there are almost no cafes and restaurants on the shore. Suitable for couples with children, because the entrance to the sea is shallow, and the depth increases gradually.
Kata Noi Beach
A very nice little beach with picturesque stones on the sides. I remembered it for the heavenly water and the pacifying atmosphere. Quiet, there are not many people. Of the minuses - there is almost no shadow, you will have to rent an umbrella. We would call Kata Noi one of the best beaches in Phuket for a relaxing and romantic getaway, as well as families with children.
The infrastructure is almost undeveloped: there are few shops, cafes and hotels. But all this is in Katya - it's easy to get there. There are expensive and beautiful hotels on the shore.
Nai Harn Beach
We believe that this is one of the best beaches in Phuket for a relaxing, but not far from civilization vacation. It was chosen by Russians (as, indeed, almost all the beaches of the island) and families with children.
Fine clean sand, gentle entrance, no waves. There is little shadow, but there are umbrellas. There is a minimum infrastructure: toilet and shower, restaurants, cafes and makashniki. The nature is picturesque, with beautiful views of the green hills. People come here specially from other places. The bike parking is large. Nearby there is a lake with a temple and a shady park, windmills with an observation deck.
Find out about the best excursions in Phuket.
Ao Sane Beach
This is a tiny but extremely cute boulder beach near Nai Harn - a short bike ride past the Naiharn On The Rock Hotel. There is a restaurant where you can rent snorkeling and diving equipment, and a hotel. There are sun loungers and umbrellas. Nice place to stay in Phuket!
Yanui (Ya Nui Beach)
We really liked it here! Almost idyllic landscapes, few people. The shadow is thick, but it is not enough. Yanui attracted us with the purest water, in which colorful fish swim, a sandy isthmus and a rocky rock-peninsula, where you can climb - which we did. The best beach where you can relax in Phuket, for those who are tired of the hectic pace of life.
The only negative is that there are few areas in the sea where there are no stones. Children usually flop there. At low tide, stones are exposed and fish swim in the backwaters. Have coral slippers.
From the infrastructure - a couple of restaurants across the road, inland - hotels. There are kayak and snorkeling equipment rentals.
Independent travelers we advise you to look for hotels on the Rumguru service. He will help you find the lowest price. Not sure how to use it? Read on for tips on how to book a cheap hotel.
Rawai and Chalong
These are technical beaches, you don't swim on them. Very dirty and smelly. But here is cheap accommodation and food, which many longsters use: they rent a house with a bike and go to other beaches.
Kamala Beach
Kamala Beach is conventionally divided into three parts. In the south, up to the bridge, the road runs close to the sea. Tough things are going on there: boats, a lot of garbage, the water is dirty and no one is bathing. There are several restaurants.
All tourists are concentrated in the center and in the north, across the river: there are umbrellas and sun loungers, cafes, food hawkers. There are many people. The sand is cleaned here, the water is also clean. There are surf waves, but in general the sea is quite calm (but out of season, according to tourists, it is stormy and dangerous).
The resort is comfortable for recreation and living: there is a calm beach, and more or less developed infrastructure, and civilized Patong nearby. Suitable for almost all categories of vacationers.
Surin Beach
Nice beach with fine yellow sand and very clear water. Rocky capes along the edges form a cozy cove. There are few shadows, but there are umbrellas. Quiet and peaceful. Suitable for everyone, except for lovers of nightlife.
The sand is clean, but it gets muddy closer to the road. The "promenade" itself is terrible and shocked us: mud, puddles, debris. Infrastructure is minimal, but there is everything you need: cheap food (food court across the road), toilet and shower, bike parking.
Bang Tao Beach
Giant beach in Phuket, the second longest after Mai Khao - it stretches for about 7 km. Ban Tao is suitable for a relaxing family vacation - it seemed to us one of the most deserted. A casuarin grove with palms grows almost along the entire coast, so there is a shadow, but in the afternoon it almost disappears.
In the south there is a well-developed infrastructure: sun loungers, water activities, cafes and shops. There are many hotels, clubs, bars. The sand is clean, the water is calm, but suspended. The center and the north are much less populated and developed. The central region is the most beautiful, well-groomed and respectable: there is a lagoon formed by a network of lakes. There are many expensive hotels and resorts around the lagoon. The north is almost deserted, but there are villas.
I really did not like the area next to the Green Leaf restaurant (outside the beach, where there is parking) - such a dump! Pigs and chickens rummage in it. There is an unbearable stench.
Banana Beach
Small, beautiful and lost - that's how we would describe it. Banana Beach is not popular, there are very few people. Suitable for lovers of solitude - it is peaceful and cozy there. This is one of the best places to relax in Phuket!
There is no infrastructure, except for one cafe. There is little shade from the palm trees, and almost all shady areas are covered with mats and umbrellas. The descent to the beach is steep through the jungle.There is no parking - everyone leaves their bikes and cars at the top, on the side of the road.
The sand is mostly yellow, but there are splashes of gray. Boulders are scattered along the beach. In the northern part there are stones, where tourists go for snorkeling.
Nai Thon Beach
Naithon Beach at the beginning of the high season (mid-December) appeared before us completely deserted and serene. Small waves were rhythmically running in, a lonely yacht swayed in the sea, a black dog phlegmatically ran along the yellow sand. Rare vacationers hid under trees and palms. There was a feeling of frozen time and some kind of compacted space.
We were surprised when we read in the reviews that this is a fairly popular beach in Phuket and there are many tourists there. One of the best places to relax in Phuket, for couples with children and those who want a carefree vacation in peace and quiet. There is almost no entertainment here, as well as nightlife.
The sand is quite clean, the water is calm and clear. But there is a lot of debris under the trees, including those left by humans. Infrastructure is poorly developed: few hotels and restaurants, a couple of shops and massage parlors.
Nai Yang Beach
We liked Nai Yang for its casuarin grove - it is part of the national park. Its length is only about 2 km, but it smoothly turns into Mai Kao. It is unusually quiet here: there are practically no people, there are few sun beds and umbrellas. Across the road, there are hotels, shops, makers, bars, cafes and restaurants.
Nai Yang is located near the airport - about 1 km. The sand is clean, so is the water. There are seashells. The coral reef is exposed at low tide. Locals often hang out on the beach: they have picnics, walk at low tide and watch the sunset.
Mai Khao Beach
This is the very famous beach with planes! You feel a childish delight when such a colossus flies over you. Mai Khao is very long (about 10 km) and is located near the airport. Suitable for lovers of retirement and admiration. You can take long walks alone. Casuarin trees grow along the coast, but there is no shade in the afternoon.
We were on the beach almost alone - occasionally someone came to take pictures with the planes or just walked by.
The sand is yellow, the sea is quite clean, but rough. Lesha tried to swim, but the depth begins immediately and because of the waves it is impossible to swim. Be careful.
Where is the best place to relax in Phuket
Our opinion: Phuket beaches are good, cool, beautiful - but rather boring and monotonous. There are no such catchy ones here as Rush Wem with starfish in Fukuoka, Monkey Beach in Penang, where robber monkeys run, or Paradise Beach in the Philippines, where there is truly a paradise. Nevertheless, among the beaches of Phuket, we have identified the best ones for relaxation:
- Kata noi for some water like in the Maldives;
- Nai Harn beyond the sea, lake and shady park;
- Yanui behind a picturesque rocky peninsula, hills and palm trees;
- Mai Kao for low-flying aircraft.
