5 Best Beaches in Phuket

Thursday, April 14, 2016 Sightseeing and Landmarks by admin

Thailand is amazing.

True fact!

If you’re an experienced traveller you’d probably want to go explore most adventurous and famous Thai sides, like diving, kick boxing camps, jungle trips, cooking classes, etc.

Me too!

And I am so gonna write about all the above in my later blog posts.

But when I first arrived on the island and saw its gorgeous beaches I couldn’t help but start my exploration with a tour around the best beaches in Phuket.

It appeared to be quite a diverse journey you know.

Various sources offer different Phuket beach ratings but I bet each of you would have their own favourites. It took me a whole day – from sunrise to sunset – to go through all the spots planned.

And here comes tip #1 for beach crawlers:

 

Make sure you have plenty of sunscreen and aloe vera balsam with you!

If your trip includes sunbathing or swimming between 12 and 4 pm (as it definitely should) be very cautious about sunburns.

My natural skin tone isn’t that pale and I was reckless enough to trust an SFP30 sunblock spray. SFP50 must have been a minimum! And don’t forget to re-apply it regularly according to the instructions on your product’s package.

Thai sun is very tricky!

I warned you.

So let’s try to find this best beach in Phuket together!

I started my trip from the most Northern and closest to the local airport Mai Khao beach, moved along west coast and eventually descended to the very Southern peak of Phuket island – Phromthep Cape – to watch one of the most picturesque sunsets in my life!

Yeah, beaches are not only about sea, sand and sun (and sex for some of us:) It’s so much more.

So here’s my list:

Best beaches in Phuket

Mai Khao beach

The beach itself is pretty nice but nothing special.

But here is the best part:

The biggest surprise is hidden in its most southern corner. If you move along the beach past various hotels and villa resorts you will find yourselves right by the fence of the Phuket International Airport.

It won’t take you more than 5 min to see an airplane landing right at the beach!

Kidding.

Of course it’s landing to the airstrip which starts immediately behind the fence. But it does feel like you can grab the plane by the chassis and make it land right on the waterfront.

Just watch this!

It’s not my arm. Don’t worry! Phuket haven’t caused any changes to my appearance. Or body hair. Yet.

Love planes and aviation? This one is destined to become your favourite spot on the island!

Banana beach

My next stop is an absolute winner in my personal ranking of best beaches in Phuket.

Snuggled somewhere in between Naithon and Layan beaches, it used to be a very secret spot that seemed so illusionary and dreamy…

but secrets are never long-lived and somehow it got so popular recently that I won’t be surprised if you meet your high school mates down there.

So Tip #2 is:

 

Come to Banana beach early in the morning while tourists are having their Continental Breakfasts and haven’t flooded this peaceful beach yet.

This one actually works with any other beach.

If you don’t follow your GPS you probably will miss the beach as it’s hidden at the foot of a steep jungle hill. Look for a small blue sign nailed on a tree – it indicates the entrance to the beach.

 

So what’s the whole deal with this Banana beach you wonder?

Surprisingly enough, it’s not about bananas.

It’s all about the atmosphere though. The vibe of this beach is wild and welcoming at the same time. You don’t want to leave it!

All you have to do is find a cozy spot and sit quietly there enjoying the view of the magnificent azure waters of the bay, a couple of authentic wooden longboats, a fishermen crew knitting their nets on the soft white sand.

Banana easily wins in the category Phuket best beaches for meditation and reflection.

You can also have a great snorkeling experience here unless you’re travelling during the low season when it’s too windy and waves can be too dangerous.

Kamala beach

As I moved further down my route I couldn’t help but stop by Kamala Bakery famous for their delicious breakfast sets, pleasant staff and convenient location – right on the main road close to the southern exit from Kamala district.

You absolutely can’t miss it!

It was kind of a late breakfast but it got me very energized.

Pondering on my cup of coffee after the breakfast I came up with tip #3. It’s for coffee lovers mostly and it goes like this:

 

Don’t try to find descent coffee in Phuket!

Waste of time. They simply don’t know how to make a good coffee drink here.

Though they do have some Arabica field as far as I know. Will check it out later and let you know what’s going on there.

So if you really care deeply for your favourite drug – bring some beans and all the equipment with you and do it all by yourself. Or spend your Phuket time with shitty coffee served with a warm smile of the waiter.

There’s also a wide range of fine dining spots on the island, including a three Michelin star restaurant, for those who put gastronomy on the list of priorities when traveling.

Now:

Let’s back to the beach. Kamala is a very relaxed zone as it’s attached to a Muslim village. So not many noisy bars and night action going on in the area. And probably that’s why it’s so popular for settlement among long term visitors.

Kamala beach is often included in various listings of best beaches in Phuket for its authenticity not touched by big tourist crowds.

The walkway goes along the entire beach and every meter of its 2-kilometer length is packed with small shops and restaurants, and a couple of hotels.

If you want to do some of the classical swimming-sunbathing program you can always find the type of setting you prefer – from soft flour-like sand under palms to pebbles surrounded by pine trees.

In spite of the fact that hotels normally have their own piece of territory with umbrellas at the beach don’t be shy if you find a spot here – it’s not restricted for hotel guests only.

For parasailing enthusiasts Kamala must become favourite as it’s quite a long beach with diverse green trees line set between two forest hills and a parachute sail offers amazing views.

Now:

Let’s see what you guys think about elephant trekking.

I’ve got to admit that I have very mixed feelings about it myself. But I’ve overheard that Pang Chang Kamala is especially famous for their ‘human’ treatment of elephants so I decided to give it a try.

And I never regretted it!

Local staff showed such a great level of dedication that I was sure that animals got proper care here.

Looks pretty happy, huh?

The ride itself was so much fun! The guides kept making jokes and entertaining you all the time while keeping an eye on you when you’re on the bare elephant’s back.

Walking through a jungle trek with a great Andaman sea view got me speechless and aroused loads of unforgettable emotions!

Next to Kamala is Patong beach.

Cited by many sources as Best beach in Phuket to me it’s just a big crowd of people who want to take beautiful beach pictures stalked by Thai people who want to sell them something.

Not exactly my type of activity.

So I just moved along a few miles further and stopped by the next spot:

Kata Noi beach

Accessible through a dead end road Kata Noi beach gives you a feeling of being exclusive right away. The sign with directions to the beach itself says ‘Nice and quiet’ which is totally true.

Most of the beach line is stretched along fancy 5 star resorts but it’s anyway available to public, like all beaches in Phuket.

I would recommend this beach for jet ski lovers as it never gets crowded here so you can enjoy your ride without traffic or fear of cutting off some random swimmer’s head.

Looking for a perfect setting for a photo session? I’m none of a model myself but I when a friend joined me for an afternoon swim – we couldn’t help ourselves but take loooots of pictures at the picturesque stones and soft white sand.

We had so much fun too!

Nai Harn beach

It’s also the most popular bay for anchoring boats during the high season. So watching the boats is one of the main attractions here spiced up by the scenic jungle hills surrounding the bay.

It’s widely known as the best beach in Phuket among long-stay visitors.

I couldn’t figure out why…

Before I plunged into bright turquoise water and had some fun in its warm gentle waves. After a long day on the road that’s exactly what I needed!

Tip #4

Don’t forget to enjoy the sunset at Phromthep Cape.

We had to make this entire trip only to find that Phuket best beach is set almost at the very end of Phuket also known as Phromthep Cape.

It’s the most southern part of the island, basically a rocky promontory opened up to a great space and expanse of water.

Only a bunch of small islands like Racha Yai and Racha Noi, Koh Kaew Yai, and Koh Mun discompose the infinity of Andaman Sea.

Sunset time is magical time. Of course. But…

You know what’s even more magical here?

A Buddhist shrine with thousands of elephant figurines of all sizes. The shrine’s magic in disguise is that you can make a wish standing here and it’s guaranteed to come true.

And when it does you’re supposed to come back and bring an elephant figurine as a sign of gratitude.

And I should say the number of elephants is impressive enough to make that damn wish and wanna come back soon!