The Ibiza Brand on Kamala Beach
Café Del Mar Phuket sits at the northern end of Kamala Beach, right next to Intercontinental Phuket and Novotel Kamala. The club opens at 11 am and runs until 2 am, with a pool, beach beds, tapas, wood-fired pizzas and a signature Ibiza sound that gets louder as the night goes on. It is one of the most established beach clubs on the island and a big name in Phuket nightlife. I have been coming here since it opened and seen it change through every trend the island has thrown at it.
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Location and Setting
The club is tucked away at the quiet end of Kamala Beach, behind the trees on the edge of the sand. You would not guess how busy it can get from the road. In the daytime it looks almost empty. By sunset the place fills up fast, and on Saturday nights it runs at full capacity.
Like most beach clubs on the island, Café Del Mar is not on the beach itself. Phuket rules have tightened over the years, and clubs now sit on the tree line behind the sand. You still get the view and the sea breeze from the loungers on the front row, just not the toes-in-sand feeling of older Ibiza or Bali clubs.
Atmosphere
The design is all wood, straw roof and warm orange tones. A swimming pool sits behind the main bar, with beach beds lined up along the side. The covered bar area can get hot in the afternoon because the sea breeze does not reach it. The best spots are the front loungers and the sofas closer to the sand.
Café Del Mar is compact. The land is not huge, and everything is packed in tight. When the club fills up, the free sofas disappear fast, and your neighbours sit close. This is part of the beach club format now, and it works when the music is good and the crowd is in a party mood.
The crowd skews young, with a mix of tourists and expats. Service is friendly, and the waitresses handle the pace well on busy nights.
Food and Drinks
The menu covers tapas, sandwiches, salads, pasta, wood-fired pizzas and a sushi selection. Pizzas range from classic Marinara to a Wagyu beef with truffle cream. The kitchen serves à la carte from 4 pm to 11 pm. The drinks list is long, with cocktails, craft beer, spirits and wine by the glass or bottle.
Food is solid beach club fare. Nothing changes the game, but it holds up when you have been swimming and drinking all afternoon. The pizzas are the safest order in my experience.
Day Beds and Loungers
Loungers and double beds work on a minimum spend system. You do not pay to rent the bed. Instead, you commit to a minimum food and drink spend over the day. Single loungers and double beds have different minimums. This is standard practice across Phuket beach clubs now.
If you come as a couple and plan to eat lunch, drink through the afternoon and stay for sunset, the minimum is easy to reach. If you only want a quick swim and a beer, the free sofas and bar seats are the better option. The front row double beds go first on weekends, so booking ahead is worth it in high season.
Music and Sunset
The sound system is what you expect from a Café Del Mar. Daytime is chill-out and deep house. The tempo picks up through late afternoon, and by sunset the DJ is in full flow. On weekends the music goes louder and later, and the atmosphere shifts from beach club to proper party.
Kamala Beach faces west, so sunsets here are very good when the sky is clear. The stretch of sand in front of the club gives you an open view with no buildings in the way. This is one of the better sunset spots in northern Phuket, and the club knows it.
More Photos of Café Del Mar Phuket
Insider Tips
- Come for sunset, not for lunch. The club wakes up around 4 pm. Before that, it feels half-empty, and the covered bar area gets hot.
- Book a front-row bed in high season. Saturday sunsets and full moon weekends are the busiest, and walk-ins get the back rows.
- Kamala Beach is long and quiet. Walk 10 minutes south on the sand before or after the club and you get a different side of the beach that most Café Del Mar guests never see.
- Parking is limited. Use the drop-off at Intercontinental or park at Novotel Kamala and walk through.
- If you are staying in Patong, the drive is about 15 minutes over the hill. A private transfer back after midnight is easier than finding a taxi on the way out.
- The pool is for club guests only and gets busy in the afternoon. Go in early if you want a proper swim.
Café Del Mar Phuket Through the Years
Café Del Mar Phuket opened in 2017 on the northern end of Kamala Beach, bringing the famous Ibiza brand to the west coast of the island. It was not the first Café Del Mar in Thailand, as Hua Hin had opened a few years earlier, but Phuket was the one that made noise. At the time, Catch Beach Club on Bang Tao was the reference for the beach club format on the island, and Café Del Mar raised the bar with a stronger music identity and a proper Ibiza sound.
The club went through the usual island cycles. The 2014 beach cleanup that forced all sunbeds off the sand had already reshaped how beach clubs operated, and Café Del Mar was built from day one around a pool and a raised deck behind the tree line, not on the sand itself.
The Covid years hit Phuket beach clubs hard. Café Del Mar closed for long stretches between 2020 and 2021. It reopened with the Sandbox programme in July 2021 and has been running since. New competitors have opened along the west coast, with Carpe Diem in Bang Tao, Fuga in Patong and floating clubs like Yona, but Café Del Mar still holds its spot as the Kamala anchor and one of the most recognised names on the island.
Café Del Mar Info
Location: Kamala Beach
Address: 118/19 Moo3, Kamala Beach, Kathu District, Phuket 83150
Open: 11 am – 2 am
Phone: 061 359 5500
Facebook: click here
Café Del Mar Phuket Map
Get the directions on your phone: https://goo.gl/maps/NrKov8ZNRmUtWY3Q6
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