The prettiest beaches in Phuket

Phuket is one of Thailand’s most popular islands. It is a popular destination for both tourists and those who spend their winter in Thailand. The family of Agne, one of the founders of “Travel 4 kids”, has travelled extensively and even lived in Phuket for more than two months. Agne tells us which are the most beautiful beaches in Phuket, where to have fun and what to avoid.

The prettiest beaches in Phuket – our experience

Phuket was our first stop when we arrived in Thailand for the winter. We flew to Phuket because it was the only place that opened its doors to tourists after a strict quarantine and a complete shutdown of the borders. When Thailand opened after the quarantine, it had strict rules. You could arrive in Phuket or Samui Island, spend two weeks in a hotel, undergo a series of COVID-19 tests, and then, after two weeks, you could travel anywhere in Thailand.

Phuket was just a stopover for us for two weeks, and we planned to leave immediately after the two-week quarantine. But we liked Phuket so much that we stayed longer. Why did we like Phuket? We found lots of beautiful places, lots of delicious food and of course beautiful beaches. We can safely say that the most beautiful beaches in Phuket would definitely be in the TOP10 of the most beautiful beaches in Thailand.

The prettiest beaches in Phuket

Phuket surprised us with the beauty of its beaches in every sense. We didn’t expect them to be so beautiful and ideal for children – palm trees, golden sand, shallow shore, no big waves. And there are plenty of beaches in Phuket. You just have to choose which one you want to go to. Here are our 10 favourite beaches and the ones we didn’t like.

Surin beach

For us, the most beautiful beach in Phuket. The clear azure-blue water is stunningly beautiful, the shore is flat, and there are plenty of fish to see and snorkelling to be done at the edges of the beach. There are many cafes and food vendors all along the beach. Such a perfect beach, as I call it, ‘out of the bounty commercials’.

Kata Noi

Kata Noi is smaller and further away slightly from its brother Kata Yai. Much of Kata Noi’s beach is occupied by a luxury hotel, but there are also public spaces. Kata Noi’s beach has perfect sand and a flat shore. Ideal with children.

Ao Sane (Jungle beach)

Stony beach, but our favourite after Surin and Kata Noi beach. Very secluded, visible from Nai Harn beach and seemingly only accessible by boat. But we’ll let you in on a secret – it’s not. To reach it, you have to drive past the entrance of the Nai Harn Beach Hotel and its grounds until you reach the road. Although rocky and full of coral, it is very secluded. There are two parts – the second part is reached after passing through the rocks. Corals right next to the shore, a perfect spot for surface diving. Very few people. In the next part you will be almost 100% alone. There is a very cosy café.

Nai Harn

A beach in the south of the island. Very popular with locals and tourists alike. Very clear water and flat shore. Not very crowded, you can easily find a place in the shade with your child. The shore is shallow and the water is clear.

Ya Nui

The beach in front of Nai Harn. Very small, perfect for children. Clear water, shallow shore, bordered by hills on both sides, so the kids won’t get far. Canoes, goggles for diving available for hire. There are several cafés nearby. The road to this beach is unrealistically beautiful. Nearby is Phrom Thep Cape, one of the most beautiful viewpoints in Phuket.

Kamala beach

A beach near Surin. It’s also a very nice and shallow shore with plenty of shade. There are also cafés. We really liked to have picnics on Kalama beach. We used to bring food from the market and have dinner on this beach.

Kata Yai

Kata Yai is a larger and more popular beach close to Kata Noi.

Mai Khao

The beach is best known for being next to the airport and the planes that land over it. You can literally stand and almost touch a plane with your hand as the landing strip is only a few kilometres away. Locals even warn about the sound of planes, especially when visiting with small children. So this place is not only a very quiet beach, but also a place where airplane and good photo shot lovers gather.

Freedom beach

Accessible only by boat and in high season. Of course there is a steep cliff drop, but the road is closed for safety reasons. A beach of truly perfect beauty. For this reason, it is not very crowded. And the views are worthy of the most beautiful photographs. Palm trees, clear water, golden sand.

JB Sunset Beach

I don’t know what it’s called exactly, but we found this place quite by accident. A little further away from Patong beach there is a small section of beach bordered by hills. It’s not very crowded, but it’s a very nice place to swim.

Other beaches in Phuket

The beaches of the islands near Phuket are accessible by boat. There are many excursions to the various islands, but if you want to visit them on your own, head to Rawai beach. There are probably the largest number of “taxi boats” that will take you to the islands. Just be sure to negotiate the price. Check out – Coral island, Racha island, Bon island, Khai island.

Beaches in Phuket we didn’t like

We would not recommend Patong beach for living or spending time with children. Although lots of activities, canoe rentals, jet skis, full of cafes. However, what we disliked most was that it felt like you were in Palanga. Always offering to buy something, ice cream, toys, various services, sometimes even intrusive. Very noisy, lots of people. Although during the quarantine period there were hardly any people and the beach was nice, this is just an exception, because normally it is a beach that is really unpleasant to visit.

We didn’t like either Kata or Karon beaches either. One of the reasons for this was the very large Russian population. There are both Russian food cafés and loud Russian music. Also, Kata and Karon beaches remind us personally of the Lithuanian seaside. Kata and Karon beaches are separated by a road from all the hotels and cafés. There is also no shade, no opportunities for surface diving and you have to cross the street to get to the café.

Please note that the beaches in the eastern part of Phuket Island are not very suitable for swimming. Rawai is a popular enough resort, mostly for those spending the winter or living longer in Thailand without a bathing beach of their own.

Read about our first trip to Thailand with a child in the article Travelling to Thailand with children.

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