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Phuket / Beaches
Phueket Beaches
 Phuket has many beautiful beaches with the best located all along the west coast. Each beach has its own character, from quiet coves to long stretches of white sand with lots of action and activities. Larger beach resorts like Patong, really come to life at night. While others, like Nai Yang offer quiet havens away from the crowds. In between, there are places like Kamala - only 15 minutes by car from Patong, yet far enough for some peaceful relaxation.
Karon Beach
The beach has few resorts. Club Med which dominates the centre, has effectively saved the beach from high rise development. There are also some good small guesthouses and boutique style hotels which provide gourmet food and some of the best wine cellars on the island, like The Boathouse Inn and Marina Cottage. The south end of Kata is also a popular spot for Phuket's growing community of monsoon season surfers. Each September, the Quicksilver Surfing Contest is held here with local and international amateur surfers riding the waves.
Kata Noi, its smaller cousin further south, is quieter and more sedate. The Kata Thani is the main resort hotel and dominates a wide area of the beach. There are a few small guest houses, plenty of little restaurants and boutiques. It's a place with not too much action, but close enough to pop into Kata's main area if you fancy shopping or a night out.
Patong is the island's oldest and most developed tourist area, with a wide range of accommodation from simple guesthouses to luxury international hotels.
The 3,000 metre crescent shaped beach provides lots of space for windsurfing, hobie cat sailing, jet-ski rides, para-scending or swimming. Hire a local longtail boat and go fishing or take a snorkelling trip around the headlands.
If you simply want to soak up the sun, it's a great place to watch the joggers, hawkers, walkers, shell collectors, and local people. At sunset, visitors can often be seen joining the locals in a game of football or Takraw - an Asian game played with a rattan ball. A great place to meet people and have fun.
Nightlife in Patong is the most vibrant in Phuket. Pubs, go-go bars, discos, markets, and a few exotic sights, all within easy walking distance. On Soi Bangla in the centre, the renowned Katoeys (lady-boys) strut their stuff while further along, you can see the extraordinary spectacle of a Thai boxing match.
 There are pubs with excellent live music, bars with local entertainers and huge choice of very good restaurants. Sit on a stool in the street with a bowl of noodles, watching the world go by, or dine in a beautifully decorated, air-conditioned, restaurant? Japanese, Thai, German, Italian, French, Swedish, Pub Grub, Pizza, McDonalds or KFC? It's a tough choice!
Out for a stroll? Look for bargains in the street markets along Rat-U-Thit Rd or along the main Beach Rd every evening. Shops are open until late, so there's no need to rush. Besides, you can always come back tomorrow..
Nai Harn Beach on the southern end of Phuket, is one of the island's most beautiful locations but has very little accommodation. Only a few bungalow complexes and two hotels - The Phuket Yacht Club and a newly opened resort, although more is gradually coming on line. Nightlife tends to be very quiet with more action down in nearby Rawai. However, there are a few restaurants, which attract locals from all over the island, notably Don's cafe, Mimmi's and The Wall for their great food, style and ambiance.
Rawai
On the other side of the cape from Nai Harn, Rawai beach has been on the Thai tourist map for years, long before foreign tourists were a common sight. The Rawai area is famous for the Laem Promthep viewpoint, which gives a virtual 360 degree panoramic view over the southern half of Phuket and the outlying islands. It's especially popular at sunset with the Thai and Asian tourist trails.
Rawai beach is not a beach for swimming, as it's very shallow but locals and visitors go there to eat freshly barbecued seafood in the open air restaurants that line the beach. Under the casuarina trees, with the views of the islands and great seafood, Rawai provides a great early evening dinner venue.
During the day this is also an excellent starting point for a trip to the outlying islands of Ko Hae (Coral Island) Ko Lone and Ko Racha/Raya. Longtail boats and speedboats can be rented from the beach daily.
Surin Beach
 A popular weekend spot, especially with the locals. Along the beach is a picnic area shaded by casuarina pine trees. If picnics don't appeal, there are lots of beachside restaurants serving local food and a few bars. Apart from the nearby Chedi Resort and the exclusive Amanpuri, there's not too much accommodation, just a few small guest houses. Within walking distance of the Chedi resort are some good restaurants serving Italian and International food.
Surin is a magnificent long uncluttered beach but in low season, care must be taken when swimming as surf can be rough and tides strong.
 Pansea Beach
Small and exclusive - the small cove at the northern end is reserved for the ultra-luxurious Amanpuri resort - haunt of megastars and celebs - the only access to Pansea Beach is through the hotel grounds.
Laem Sing Beach
A pocket sized beach on the winding coastal road between Kamala and Surin, Laem Sing can only be reached by walking down a rough rocky track from the road above. Despite it's size and location, it has become hugely popular with tourists in high season. In low season it's quiet and lovely but the sea can be a bit rough. The snorkelling, directly off the beach, is excellent and the restaurants run by a couple of local families in high season, have great local food - which is why it's busy......
Kamala
 Formerly a quiet, fishing village, Kamala has expanded rapidly during the last few years but still retains its village atmosphere and a scenic, unspoiled beach. Fisherman can still be seen launching their boats and casting their nets daily and local life still goes on much as it did before.
There are no huge international resorts around the beach area. Instead, Kamala has lots of small guest houses with a few hotels nestling in seclusion higher up among the trees on the headland, a few minutes walk to Kamala's sandy white beach. In the area behind the beach, accommodation, shops and Internet cafes are beginning to emerge, as Kamala's expat and tourist population increases.
Nightlife is quiet with a few bars like The Club and some good beach restaurants, but it doesn't need to be action packed - Patong - is literally 10 minutes drive down the coast! However, one of Kamala's big evening attractions, is Phuket FantaSea, an amazing Las Vegas style cultural show, complete with pyrotechnics, lasers, elephants and acrobatics. Well worth seeing!
Kamala is more a place to relax, enjoy good food, watch the fishermen, visit the market and chat to the locals. There are some great places to stay on Kamala. See our Hotel Recommendations for a couple of great places to stay on Kamala, and dining pages for info on where to find some great eats.
Karon: Only 10 minutes south of Patong Beach is the long stretch of unspoiled sand which forms Karon Beach. A good choice for accommodation, especially for families, Karon is fairly quiet and relaxed with some good local restaurants. Nightlife is limited to a few bars, but Patong is close if you want a night out. As development on Karon is fairly spread out, and because of the size the beach, it's rarely crowded. During May to October swimming can be dangerous here because of strong undertows, so do observe the warning flags.
 
Just 5 minutes south of Karon, you'll find Kata Beach - a wide curving bay with rocky headlands where local fishermen can still be seen casting their lines. Kata village, close to the beach retains a cosy atmosphere with clusters of restaurants, bars, and small resorts. Nightlife is low key compared to Patong, but there are some good music bars and local shopping.
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