Sangchai Beach
Sangchai Beach is a small, quiet beach on Phuket’s southern tip, right between Rawai and Promthep Cape. It’s only about 190 metres long, but that’s part of the appeal.
Hidden Phuket
Best Hidden Beaches and Local Places in Phuket
Here is our collection of the most hidden beaches and local places in Phuket. They are not secret to the locals, but travellers often don’t have the time to explore such a rich island. We explored Phuket for almost 30 years, and surprisingly, we still discover little gems We are happy to share them with you… well, most of them ;)
Bar No Name in Patong Beach
Bar No Name is a small local spot hidden at the north end of Patong Beach, just below the Novotel Phuket Resort. It’s the kind of place you’d walk right past if you didn’t know it was there.
Phra Aram Sakhonkhet Mansion
Phra Aram Sakhonkhet Mansion is a historic Sino-Portuguese building located in Phuket Old Town. Its beautifully renovated white exterior distinguishes it and represents an important part of Phuket’s architectural heritage.
Shhh – Secret Bar in Phuket Town
We’ve uncovered ‘Shhh’, one of Phuket’s most intriguing nightlife experiences hidden in the heart of Old Town, right on Thalang Road, where the famous Sunday Walking Street Market is held.
Kluay Mai Thai Restaurant
We heard about Kluay Mai Thai from local chefs and Michelin‑starred friends, so we booked, pre‑ordered, and drove to Chalong. The GPS ended in a quiet lane where a small Thai house sat behind trees.
Black Pearl Art & Bar
Black Pearl Art & Bar is one of those places you wouldn’t find unless someone told you about it. We saw it while riding along the scenic road above Kata Noi Beach—the same road where people stop for sunset drinks at After Beach Bar, Baan Chong View, or The Sundeck.
Friendship Beach Phuket
Friendship Beach lies on the southeast coast of Phuket along Chalong Bay, just north of Rawai Beach. We recently revisited this little-known spot because it’s such a different experience from the island’s more popular beaches.
Koh Maphrao – Coconut Island
Koh Maphrao, commonly known as Coconut Island, is just a short boat ride from Phuket’s east coast and is a little-known, quiet retreat that has remained under the radar for decades. Despite its proximity to popular seafood restaurants, this island has only recently begun attracting attention with the opening of its first hotels.
Promthep Beach
Promthep Beach is tiny, almost impossible to access and therefore not well known; we don’t even know if it has a name, so we call it Promthep Beach because it hides on one side of the famous Promthep Cape in the very south of Phuket.
Heeowhat Beach
Heeowhat Beach is quite large, with tall trees near Cape Panwa on the east coast of Phuket. It is home to the Pullman Panwa Phuket Resort, but because the beach is very wide and shallow, it is not a swimming beach, just great for walks in a peaceful atmosphere.
Makham Beach
Makham Beach is one of the island’s least-known beaches, hidden near Cape Panwa when driving from Phuket Town. The beach is lovely to walk on, but the sea is not as blue as other tourist beaches on the East Coast.
Siam Beach
Siam Beach on the west coast of Phuket is so small and hard to reach via stairs that it is not worth going there; we list it here because it is considered a beach, good for snorkelling.
Yae Beach
Yae Beach is not fantastic, but we wanted to see it since it is hard to find. It’s on a cape between Patong and Kamala, and you won’t see much there, just a small hut selling drinks when it’s open.
Ratsada Mansion behind the Thavorn Museum
Another example of a beautiful mansion abandoned in Phuket, probably beyond repair. We walked around this area a hundred times without ever noticing it, but once you do, its beauty is striking. It has no known name, so we called it Ratsada Mansion as it is located at the back of Ratsada Road, behind the weird ‘Thavorn Museum’ where the very first Phuket Shopping Center used to be.
Luang Amnart Nararak Mansion
Luang Amnat Nararak’s Mansion was built around 1925-1926. This grand mansion showcases an extravagant use of frescoes, a typical feature of Sino-Portuguese architecture. The Chinese believe that bats symbolize good fortune and longevity, which is why bats are a recurring motif in the mansion’s decoration. The mansion has undergone several renovations, the most recent being in 1957, but the main structure remains unchanged. This two-storey mansion features a front porch adjoining the driveway, and its polygonal side wings include small balconies.
Kathu Museum
What used to be a very rundown house by the side of the road in Kathu is now transformed into a small and half-abandoned lovely museum about Phuket Food. It used to be part of the large beer storage warehouse.
Limpanon Mansion
Limpanon Mansion, is an abandoned old Phuket family house built more than 100 years ago. It is hidden at the intersection of Yaowarat Road and Phang Nga Road and is probably the most mysterious and least-known ancient mansion in Phuket. For a long time, the door of the ‘tunnel’ leading to this mansion was opened, but it has been locked for years now, and probably too many people have tried to sneak in.
Chair Cafe Old Town
Chair Cafe Old Town is a coffee shop and a good casual restaurant on Yaowarat Road. It is nice to stop for a break while you explore the streets of Phuket Town. In addition to the nice setting and food, Chair Cafe Phuket Town has a delightful little secret for those of you who like hidden places.
Good Vibes P-Town
Post Views: 6,114 Bar – Old Phuket Town Good Vibes P-Town is a friendly gathering spot found on Yaowarat Road in the Phuket Old Town… Read More »Good Vibes P-Town
Cape Panwa Beach ⛱️
Cape Panwa Beach is a superb private beach located on the southeast coast of Phuket Island, only accessible by the lucky guests of the Cape Panwa Hotel. The beach is a superb crescent of soft white sand, surrounded by green hills, coconut trees, and beautiful flame trees.
Wat Charoen Samanakij (Wat Lang San) วัดเจริญสมณกิจ
Wat Charoen Samanakij, also known as Wat Lang San, is a beautiful and serene temple nestled on the slopes of Toh Sae Hill in Phuket Town, behind the old Phuket Prison which has since moved to the north of the island. It is a relatively new temple, having been built in 2012, but it has quickly become a popular destination for both locals and tourists alike.
Bandara Villas Phuket
Bandara Villas Phuket is a luxurious boutique resort located on the secluded Ao Yon Beach, in the Cape Panwa area, southeast of Phuket. Built on a steep hillside facing the sea, the hotel is known for its stunning ocean views from superb modern rooms with floor-to-ceiling windows over private infinity pools.
Flamingo Beach Front Cafe – Ao Yon Beach
Flamingo Beach Front Cafe is a superb beachside restaurant and bar located on the hidden Ao Yon Beach, southwest of Phuket. Its unique location right on the beach offers stunning views of the turquoise waters and soft sand.
Hilltop Cafe by Sinae Phuket
Hilltop Cafe by Sinae Phuket is an unusual and unexpected version of the famous Seattle-based coffee shop, perched at the top of Sinae Hotel on Koh Siray, an island located east of Phuket Town and connected to Phuket by a bridge so short that it never felt like an island.
Chopol’s Plantation Bar and Restaurant
Chopol’s Plantation is a fantastic bar and Thai restaurant hidden high above the beautiful Kata Noi Beach. The place is hard to find because you have to spot a tiny road on the side of the main road that leads to the popular Karon View Point.
Laem Sai Cup
Laem Sai Cup is another little cafe hidden on the hills of Kata Beach, overlooking the Andaman Sea. The cafe consists of several terraces made of bamboo connected by narrow staircases leading all the way to boulders in the sea.
A Blanket & A Pillow
A Blanket & A Pillow is another little gem hidden in the trees above the rocky shores of Kata Beach. A Blanket & A Pillow consists of several bamboo terraces connected by uneven staircases. Customers sit in colourful bean bags or the Thai way: around a small round table on a small woven carpet.
Green Heart Garden Kata Beach
Green Heart Garden is a superb hidden restaurant perched high on the hills above Kata Beach and blessed with incredible panoramic views of the Andaman Sea.
Inthanin Naithon Restaurant
Inthanin Naithon is a tiny restaurant hidden on the soft sands of the beautiful Naithon Beach, near Phuket International Airport. The place is hard to find, but it is worth the effort.
Krua Pai Lin Restaurant
Post Views: 6,547 A local restaurant near Kathu Waterfalls Krua Pai Lin Restaurant (Sapphire) is a good and real local restaurant just before reaching the… Read More »Krua Pai Lin Restaurant
Akoya Star Lounge at V Villas Phuket
Akoya Star Lounge is an upmarket rooftop bar and tapas at V Villas Phuket by MGallery in Ao Yon Beach, a secluded cove in the southeast of Phuket. The place is new and packed every evening with Instagram and selfie lovers, so you need to book before going.
Coconuts Café Phuket
Coconuts Café is a lovely little bakery and restaurant hidden in a small lane of Chalong, in the south of Phuket Island. The coffee shop is a tiny house on stilts, with a garden surrounded by a vast green natural landscape and immense coconut trees.
Baan Ar Jor House Museum
Baan Ar Jor is a hotel, a restaurant and a museum with a long history that started in 1936. This house has always been one of the most mysterious old mansions of Phuket, standing lonely near Mai Khao Beach in the north of Phuket.
The Cove Phuket
The Cove Phuket is a lovely little hideaway nestled in Ao Yon Beach near Panwa, a beautiful part of Phuket where very few tourists set foot. This small open-air restaurant and bungalow resort is blessed with a beautiful seaside view
Baba Nest
Baba Nest at Sri Panwa Hotel is the ultimate rooftop bar in Phuket. It is built high above Phuket Aquarium on the remote Cape Panwa, southeast of Phuket Island. It’s far, hard to find, and hard to book, as you can expect a two-week waiting list to get a reservation, but it’s worth it.
Kin-Kub-Ei Restaurant
Kin-Kub-Ei Restaurant is a hidden gem serving delicious southern dishes cooked by Khun Tubtim with her family recipes and served in a beautiful garden near the main road to Bangtao Beach.
Patong Sunset View Restaurant
Patong Sunset View Restaurant is a great spot to end the day with a nice dinner or even just a drink while enjoying one of Phuket’s famous sunsets. The restaurant is relatively small, but the terrace can welcome quite a few guests, and everything is very affordable.
Little Tiger Phuket Restaurant
Post Views: 21,026 Little Tiger Restaurant Little Tiger is a small and hidden restaurant with a superb view, perched on a hillside of Merlin Beach… Read More »Little Tiger Phuket Restaurant
Karon Noi Beach ⛱️
Karon Noi Beach, sometimes also called ‘Relax Beach”, is one of the most beautiful beaches in Phuket, home to the luxurious 5-star hotel Le Meridien Phuket.
Naithon Noi Beach ⛱️
Naithon Noi Beach is one of the few ‘private beaches of Phuket’ as well as one of the most beautiful. Located near Phuket International airport on the west coast of the island, Naithon Noi Beach is often called ‘Andaman White Beach’, from the name of the resort that occupies the entire land around it.
11 Amazing Private Beaches of Phuket
Private beaches don’t exist in Phuket or Thailand, and that’s by law. However, people often call them private beaches because you can’t enter
Splash Beach Club near Patong
Splash Beach Club is a new spot hidden in a tiny creek not far from Patong Beach, between the beautiful Tri Trang and Paradise beach.
20 Unusual and Hidden Places in Phuket People Often Miss
Surprisingly, there are still amazing places people miss entirely when visiting Phuket. And like most people, you want to visit Phuket, but you wish to see it from a lesser-known angle and discover places most people haven’t heard of.
Krua Maikhao Restaurant
Krua Maikhao is one of the most underrated local Thai restaurants in Phuket. It’s not fancy, the menu is not long, and lunch at Boon only costs a few baht, but the taste is unique.
Three Monkeys Restaurant
Three Monkeys restaurant is set in the Jungle somewhere between Phuket Town and Chalong, part of the popular Hanuman World Zipline attraction.
Phuket Plane Spotting – Where to See Planes Landing in Phuket?
Plane spotting in Phuket just moved to our growing list of Best Things to Do in Phuket. Watching planes landing in Phuket has become a top-rated attraction in recent years
Rimpan Seafood Restaurant Phuket
Rimpan Seafood is a small but great Phuket local restaurant hidden in plain sight in the north of Phuket Island, near the bridge that connects the island to the mainland. Thousand people drive past Rimpan each day without realising such a great place sits right here.
Kathu – What to do in Kathu?
Kathu is a small village and a small district, halfway between Phuket town and Patong Beach. The name of Kathu is not unknown, but very few people add it to their list of Things to Do in Phuket.
Nui Beach ⛱️
Nui Beach is an unusual beach in Phuket. It’s not the most magnificent beach as the sand is quite coarse, but people seem to love secret and hidden beaches.
Wat Doi Thepnimit Phuket near Patong Beach
Wat Doi Thepnimit is a monastic residence with a fantastic panoramic view over Patong beach. You can see its iconic white pagoda from the beach, if you know in which direction to look, of course, it’s pretty tiny.
Sabai Corner Restaurant Phuket
Sabai Corner is a beautiful Thai restaurant hidden in Phuket, not far from Kata Noi Beach. Only a few dedicated travellers will find it or try to find it. The food is good without being exceptional, but you will discover the magnificent panoramic view of the nearby sea.
Som Chit Hokkien Noodle Soup in Phuket Town
Som Chit Restaurant is famous for its delicious Hokkien Noodles Soup, and people from Bangkok who know about it would stop here for lunch when they visit Phuket Town.