Phuket Island washes the Andaman Sea, near the western coastline of Thailand. It is the largest Thai island and the eponymous province of Thailand. Most of its income comes from tourism, so it’s not surprising that the island is known primarily for its resorts and beaches. That’s why in this article we will talk about the best beaches in Phuket. There are plenty of them here, unlike best beaches in Pattaya.
Particular attention should be paid to safety when swimming in Thai waters – in addition to jellyfish and urchins, you may face dangerous reverse currents in Thailand, sometimes capable of taking away into the sea, even a trained swimmer.
Patong Beach
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Patong Beach in Phuket is the heart of the island, and the qualities that have won it popularity have also been the cause of many complaints. It is large, crowded, noisy and colorful. And yet people flock here like flies to honey. The main reasons for the success of Patong Beach among tourists are two: beauty and safe night entertainment. Everything else – stores, restaurants, cafes, spas and so on are just the cherry on the cake.
Patong Beach stretches 2 to 3 kilometers in length, and the biggest crowds are in its central part. And don’t think that you will be able to park your car near the beach, even a bicycle will not be easy to squeeze in anywhere. The northern part of Patong Beach is particularly pleasant and less crowded. Fewer people, there’s a place to park, lots of food stalls and clear blue water.
Near to the beach is, Phuket’s famous Bangla Road, where you can find unforgettable sex entertainment. So if you flew to Thailand for sex tourism, first of all we recommend you to visit this street, but better avoid thai trannies. But if you have a liking for them, welcome to the grand the Simon Cabaret Show.
The sea on the southern edge of Patong Beach, near the bridge, is not always clear, but under the bridge there are often fishermen from the village (fishing in Thailand) sitting under the bridge, catching fish the old fashioned way, which is worth a good photo. In any place you can rent sun loungers with umbrellas, try your hand at sailing or ride a jet ski.
Near the beach you can book a room at one of the most cheapest hotels in Phuket with decent quality service: Andaman House, The Yim Siam Hotel and Mochic Nanai.
Nai Harn Beach
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Very clean Nai Harn Beach in Phuket, nestled in a small cove between overgrown hills of greenery. Recreation on it is more relaxed than on the beaches of the west coast of the island. The place has everything: eateries, hotels, stores, and yet, this beach has the feeling of a tropical paradise. Not far from the beach in the water column are mesmerizing coral reefs and exotic sea creatures, which you can admire while doing diving in Phuket.
Nai Harn Beach is very large, with soft fine sand and clear bright blue water. The bay is quite crowded, but not so crowded that you have to, as they say, “rub your butts”. All along the shoreline, the beach is lined with lounge chairs in two rows, never fully occupied.
Between the beach and the lake, across the street from the shore, stands a modest and low-key temple that has recently been expanded. The lake behind the beach, once natural, is now a huge concrete pond where you can rent a boat to take the kids for a ride.
Kata Beach
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After Patong, Kata Beach on Phuket Island is visited by the largest number of tourists of any beach on the island. This wide strip of coastline, studded with white sand and blue sea, becomes especially beautiful during sunset. The selection of restaurants, stores, hotels, and nightclubs is huge. Kata Beach is famous as a great place for family vacation in Thailand.
The beach has three main parts:
- northern;
- central;
- south.
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The central part is the oldest. It is bustling with life even at night, with nightclubs, bars and restaurants. The southern part of Kata Beach is framed by two large hotels, this area is young and is constantly being built up with new stores and restaurants, but they operate mostly during the day. On the north side stands a small temple of Kata. By the way, tourists found this beach to be one of the best beaches in Thailand.
There’s a dinosaur theme park near Kata Beach that has a mini golf course and its own volcano. And a couple of kilometers away you can see the the Big Buddha Statue in Phuket, next to which there is an observation deck that offers a great view of the beachfront area.
Karon Beach
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The second longest beach is Karon Beach in Phuket. On this beach vacationers can enjoy an unusually wide strip of white sand and a good selection of nightclubs and restaurants. This beach is considered the cleanest and most beautiful beach in Phuket. That being said, there are never too many visitors to Karon Beach, which is a bonus, though it does have some of the highest prices in Phuket, which of course is a drawback.
Karon Beach is famous for its cleanliness, including the exceptionally white sand that makes a distinctive creaking sound underfoot. The clean sea is quite shallow near the shore, which attracts families with children here (read more about the peculiarities of vacation with children in Phuket). But it is only if there are no waves, but the waves are often here. The most favorable time to visit Karon beach – from December to January. Sun loungers are paid, you can also rent equipment for surfing.
For those tired of the sweltering heat, you can relax in the nearby Dino Park. It’s a park where you can admire dinosaurs, play miniature golf and try Thai and European cuisine.
Kata Noi Beach
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If you want to not only relax close to Kata Beach, but avoid its crowds, stop at the small, picturesque bay of Kata Noi Phuket Island. It’s a wide strip of white sand with clear water during peak season, and because it’s away from the beaten tourist trails, this beach is quite quiet.
No other than the two resort hotels on Kata Noi Beach, there’s almost nothing here except Thai massage parlors, a convenience store and a few pubs geared toward Phuket hotels residents. The northern part of the beach is often frequented by surfers, as the waves there are awesome. In the dead season the waves on Kata Noi beach become especially high, so it is more difficult to surf. The hotel guests are given free sun beds, others will have to pay 200 baht for a pair of sun beds and an umbrella, which is the standard price for Phuket.
Surin Beach
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The popularity of Surin Beach in Phuket is well justified – there are an abundance of cafes and restaurants along the spacious beach with wonderful sand and clear warm water. Perhaps it’s even too popular, because in some places the beach chairs stand in four or five rows. But the sea and sand here are so wonderful that despite the crowds, it is still one of the best beaches on Phuket. Swimming in the calm sea is very pleasant, although the jet skis are sometimes annoying.
The Surin Beach has facilities for water sports, including snorkeling and surfing. There’s a store where you can rent the necessary equipment. Restaurants, stores, spas and bars line the beach.
. Naturally, this is not all the beaches of Phuket Island, in this article we have described only the most popular and favorite by tourists. I recommend you to ride your bike (read about the peculiarities of bike rental in Phuket) and try each of the above beaches for your taste.Afterword