The World's Most Popular Holiday Destinations on Phuket

A Wonderful View of Kata Beach

Phuket is the largest and best known of all the islands in Thailand. Depending on your taste, Phuket offers either peaceful settings or wild times. This mixture of lifestyles attracts visitors from all over the world.

Phuket is bordered in the north and the east by the province of Phang-nga while the Andaman Sea is to the south and the west. Despite being an island, it is still possible to drive here by using the Sarasin Bridge, which links Phang-nga with Phuket.

Phuket offers numerous tourist marine sites such as islands, beaches, bays and caves along its coastline and surrounding areas. Each site is never left lonely and deserted as it is always greeted by a steady flow of travelers.

This island is world class, listed as one of the outstanding holiday destinations for its seaside scenic view, fine beaches, green seawater and vibrant coral reefs. Given all its qualities, there is no hesitation or any doubt that this paradise island is regarded as “The Pearl of Andaman”. Millions of visitors flow to this island every year just for one reason, to ecstatically scrutinize this pearl.

To fully enjoy the island, prepare your trip well as this island has many attractions alluring you and the most important thing to do is check the weather before making any departure otherwise the hotel room will only be the place you will be during the rains. The best months to kiss this “pearl” are from November through April, the rain-free season with a sunny sky.

Phuket Travel in Thailand

The so-called pearl of the south is today unrecognizable from just a few decades ago. As property prices soared, many locals sold up to national and international hotels and many of the most beautiful beaches are now host to scores of them, along with restaurants, bars, travel agents, massage parlors and the usual other suspects.

For the budget traveler, the days of grass huts on the beach are largely gone and simple seafood feasts have been replaced by KFC, Starbucks and Pizza Hut. Phuket is an expensive place, with lodging, eating and transport all far costlier than elsewhere in Thailand. You can minimize this by eating on the street and drinking less (or diligently chasing happy hours) but if you really want to spend some time here, you'll need to adjust your budget. Dishes of pad thai for 100B are not unusual here.

And you can't avoid the disgraceful public transport here, where the spineless authorities refuse to crackdown on the tuk tuk mafia, meaning public buses only run between Phuket town and the beaches, but not between beaches. This makes interbeach travel very expensive and a good reason to hire a motorbike or car. Its worth spending a night in historical Phuket town and then heading to one of the low-key beaches where budget spots can still be found. Once you're in the water, who really cares whether they're paying 500B or 50,000B for their bed? Phuket was hit by the Boxing Day Tsunami, with Kamala, Patong, Bang Tao and Naiyang the worst hit. Reconstruction in most areas is progressing rapidly.

Highlights Phuket Travel in Thailand

Haad Patong (Patong Beach)
Haad Patong: located about fifteen kilometers from town is the nine-kilometer stretch of beach called Patong, Phuket’s most popular and prettiest beach, offers visitors various kinds of water sports to enjoy in clear waters along its crescent bay, scuba diving, to go deep down to say “Hi” to the beautiful coral reefs. This beach is most developed with all tourist facilities from hotels, restaurants, shopping centers and its vibrant nightlife filled with endless bars and pubs. The atmosphere here is similar to Pattaya

Patong Beach is maybe more famous for its nightlife than the 2-kilometer beach that runs the entire length of Patong. Nightlife is centered on two main areas Bangla Road and Paradise Complex, with Bangla Road being predominantly straight and Paradise Complex being predominantly gay

On December 26, 2004, Patong Beach along with many other areas along the western coast of Phuket and Thailand were struck by a tsunami caused by the 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake. The wave caused a great deal of destruction to the waterfront of the beach although the destruction was not nearly as bad as nearby in Khao Lak. It took probably less than 6 months to rebuild 80% of what was destroyed and 1 year after you could hardly not see any traces of destruction caused by the Tsunami.

Haad Kata (Kata Beach)
Haad Kata is located about seventeen kilometers from town and is comprised of Ao Kata Yai and Ao Kata Noi. There are many different types of coral and rock to be found here. Like Patong, there are several hotels, resorts and restaurants of all different price ranges. It’s a scenic gem of the island and still retains a peaceful and a natural atmosphere, the reason why many five-star hotel operators select this place for their locations.


View of Kata Noi Bay, Kata Yai Bay and Karon bay. Over the next hill is Patong Bay with its famous nightlife, shops, big hotels and sweeping stretch of sand. Viewed from the Promthep Cape viewpoint.

Ao Kata Noi (Kata Noi Bay) - this cozy bay is found at the end of a dead-end road, just a few minutes' drive over the hill from Kata beach. There's not much to do in Kata Noi, which is precisely the point of coming here. Relax, take a walk along the soft sands, snorkel or swim. It's long been a popular spot for surfers in the monsoon season of May-October, though swimming can be dangerous during this period. The popular Kata Viewpoint, offering a stunning vista across the three bays of Karon, Kata and Kata Noi, is only a 5-minute drive along a winding road towards Nai Harn.

Haad Karon (Karon Beach)
Karon Beach is located on the popular west coast of Phuket south of Patong Beach and north of Kata beach.

Karon Beach, featuring a long stretch of white sand, is quieter than Patong but still offers a full range of amenities, dining and activities. Karon is spread out and rarely feels crowded.

The three main areas of Karon are the Plaza area on the south end featuring a number of budget guesthouses, restaurants and bars. The side streets are worth exploring, particularly the one that leads to a small art community, where Thai painters have built a complex of huts, pubs and art galleries in which they live and work. Nearby, on the beach road leading to Kata, is the football stadium, which hosts both local and international sporting events. Just north of these is Aroona Plaza. Aroona, which opened a few years ago, houses a range of handicraft shops, good restaurants and cafes, a few bars and a hotel modeled on the Sino-Portuguese architecture of Old Phuket. The wide beachside avenue is ideal for taking an evening stroll and doing some shopping.

The north end features Karon Circle, with its sculptures of workers commemorating Phuket's tin-mining and agricultural past.

Haad Rawai (Rawai Beach)
Haad Rawai: located about seventeen kilometers from town, Haad Rawai has beautiful seaside streets and is where many of the islanders live. Many restaurants and bungalows, shell handicraft shops, and good waters for swimming and snorkeling on the reefs offshore. From here, you can hire boats to Koh He.

Laem Phrom Thep (Prom thep Cape)
Laem Phrom Thep: is the recognized landmark of Phuket. Its steep cliff turns this cape as a favored spot for glorious sunsets and the splendor of Phuket’s waters. Many photos are taken here for everlasting memories of this wonderful place. Located only two kilometers from Haad Rawai, there are several souvenir shops where you can buy gifts for your loved ones.

Haad Nai Harn (Nai Harn Beach)
Haad Nai Harn: is next to the Laem Phrom Thep, about eighteen kilometers from town. This is a peaceful area with un-crowded white-sand beaches, big waves in December, clean, safe and pretty. Two hotels recommendation are Le Meridien and less expensive Nai Harn Resort.

One of the loveliest beaches in Phuket, Nai Harn is relatively undeveloped thanks to the Samnak Song Nai Harn monastery which occupies a large portion of the beachfront land. At its northern is Le Meridien Phuket Yacht Club which has a few bars and restaurants just before it, but generally the area is quiet. Behind the beach is a lagoon where there are some up-market housing developments and a few good bars and restaurants.

During the dry season, the sea here is great for swimming. However, the waves during the rainy season can be quite big with strong currents. Check the swimming conditions. This is probably the best spot for surfing around. Phuket although few surfers make it this far-out.

Haad Surin (Surin Beach)
Haad Surin: located twenty-four kilometers from town, has beautiful beaches and scenery, but swimming is forbidden because of the dangerous rip tides. Many visitors rent boats from here to take them to nearby islands like Koh RachaYai, Koh Taphao, and Koh Sire.

Haad Kalama (Kamala Beach)
Kamala Beach: This well-enclosed bay and fishing village surrounded by forested hills is one of the most beautiful beaches in Phuket. Tranquil and calm, the pretty white sands of Kamala beckon most people by day, but if you're seeking more than sunbathing on a perfect beach, there are other options. Hire a long-tail boat and go snorkeling at the north end of the beach, explore the neighboring beaches of Laem Sing or Surin, or take an island tour. Many Beach in Phuket.

Haad Nai Thon (Nai Thon Beach)
Located about fifteen kilometers south of the airport, Nai Thon is fairly undeveloped and is a nice quiet place to bask in the sun or swim. It is quiet, there are a few sun beds available for rent. There are also a few small restaurants that serve fresh seafood and local dishes.

Nai Thon is part of the Sirinath Marine National Park, which also includes Mai Kao and Nai Yang. The area was declared a national park in 1981 to protect the Olive Ridley Sea Turtles that lay their eggs here from November to February.

Part of the reason Nai Thon has managed to remain peaceful is that it is isolated. The road leading to the beach winds through jungle and rubber plantations as well as over a few hills. There are a few places to stay, including some bungalows and guesthouses.

Haad Nai Yang (Nai Yang Beach)
Nai Yang beach is on the north west side of Phuket. Nai Yang beach is very popular with the local Thai's, despite being near the airport, the noise of the planes doesn't seem to spoil the tranquil, serene atmosphere.

Chalong Bay (Ao Chalong)
It's impossible to list all of Phuket’s numerous beach areas here but a few of the more well-known ones include Chalong Bay, Phuket’s principal boat anchorage and the center of the island’s yachting businesses.

Map of Phuket