Here is our collection of the best 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 more than 20 years and surprisingly, we still discover little gems We are happy to share them with you… well, most of them ;)
What to do on Merlin Beach? [toc] Merlin Beach, Tri Trang Beach, Paradise Beach, Freedom Beach, which is which? Every time we post a photo of any of these beaches, it starts endless discussions, so it seems to still confusing. Names similarities added to the fact that some of these beaches were hard to reach until recently didn't help. These four beaches are located around a peninsula just south of
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An amazing private beach [toc] Karon Noi Beach is one of the most beautiful beaches in Phuket, home to the luxurious 5-star hotel Le Meridien Phuket. It has a perfect soft white sand, shallow clear blue waters and lots of coconut trees to create the picture-perfect holiday background. It is quiet and unspoilt, and of course, there is a good reason for this little paradise to remain so exclusive: Karon
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Kin-Kub-Ei Restaurant Phuket [toc] Kin-Kub-Ei Restaurant is a hidden gem serving delicious southern dishes cooked by Khun Tubtim (the lady on the photos), with her family recipes, and served in a beautiful garden hidden from the main road on the way to Bangtao Beach. The place is somewhat unique, only opened three days a week and only with reservation, which makes it a little challenging to plan. The food served
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What to Do in Ao Sane? [toc] Ao Sane Beach (which is pronounced Ao Sain) is the proof that Phuket still has some little beaches hidden from view where you can pretend nothing has changed in the past twenty years. Of course, there is no such thing as a 'secret beach' anymore, but you have to make a little effort to get there. These might be small tiny sandy coves,
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What to Do in Kathu? [toc] Kathu is a small village as well as 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. The village of Kathu itself is not really impressive, except maybe for a couple of temples, a few mural paintings and an annual festival. The
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What to Do in Panwa Beach? [toc] Panwa Beach, also known as Khao Kat Beach, is not a great swimming beach, and yet has the charm of these remote bays not many would take the time to explore while visiting Phuket. Located on the east coast cape but facing west, the whole area is peppered with luxury villas and few resorts, a great alternative to relax away from west coast
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How is Phuket Marriott Resort Nai Yang:? [toc] Phuket Marriott Resort Nai Yang is a beautifully designed hotel on Nai Yang Beach, a unique location on the north-west coast of Phuket. Nai Yang Beach is a great hideaway escape near the Sirinath National Park, far from the crowded beaches of south Phuket. The hotel has a lot of great features and so many qualities we did have a lot to
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A great local restaurant in Kathu [toc] Nai Dam Restaurant in Kathu looks just like any restaurant by the roadside of Phuket. It's not fancy, there are no exterior sign of luxury and even the restaurant signboard is hardly visible. We are not easily impressed after trying so many restaurants all around Thailand, but on that day, we were! Nai Dam Restaurant is a great place for those who know
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Phuket Secret Beaches [toc] Private beaches don't exist in Phuket or Thailand in general, and that's by law. However, people often call some of Phuket most amazing beaches 'private beaches' because they can't enter. So if none of those beaches is private, how is that possible? Simple: if you own the land that surrounds that beach, you can indeed deny its access. It's a little twisted, and some might find
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Splash Beach Club [toc] 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. The club doesn’t sit on a vast sandy beach like most other beach clubs of Phuket and doesn’t play loud music (yet), but it certainly has a unique charm. The view of this small cove with trees added to a gentle
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What to Do in Ao Yon Beach? [toc] Ao Yon Beach, as surprising as it may seem, is a quiet and remote beach where you can have a quiet walk and only meet locals and few longtime residents. Of course, these little beaches are far and often hidden, and you need to make a bit of effort to find them, and that is the main reason why such beaches remain
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Where to watch planes landing in Phuket? [toc] Plane spotting in Phuket just moved to our list of 27 things to do in Phuket. Watching planes landing in Phuket has become a top-rated attraction in recent years. It’s easy, fun, super impressive and with such a beautiful beach as a background, it is an excellent photo playground. So where is it? How do we go there? Is it allowed? Let's see
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Phuket Hidden Places [toc] 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 less known angle and discover places most people haven't heard of. Many would say there are no such places in Phuket anymore, but there are! After 24 years spent on Phuket Island, I found a lot more
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Samet Nangshe [toc] Samet Nangshe is a superb panoramic viewpoint in Phang Nga Bay. It's a little far outside Phuket island, but if you have a car or a big bike, it is worth the drive. From up there, you can admire the fantastic limestone formations of Phang Nga Bay, but it requires a good deal of effort. You need to drive 25 kilometres past the Sarasin bridge that connects Phuket
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The magic of local Thai restaurants [toc] Boon 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. The restaurant is tiny, hard to spot, and so modest; we probably wouldn't bother explaining to anyone how to go there. But after so many years, we realised that
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Where is Koh Bon Island? [toc] Bon Island (or Koh Bon) is located just south of Rawai Beach in Phuket and is just a short longtail boat ride away. A few sandy beaches pepper the coast of this tiny island, and despite being so close to Phuket, it hasn't been invaded yet. There are only two real beaches on Koh Bon (In Thai, islands are 'Koh'). One was the landing
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What is Baba Nest? [toc] 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, on the south-east of Phuket Island. It’s far, hard to find, hard to book as you can expect a two weeks waiting list to get a reservation, but it’s worth it. Once you managed to get a table, you will finally
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What is Nui Beach? UPDATE July 2020: Nui Beach has been permanently closed and all construction are in the process of being demolished. [toc] Nui Beach is an unusual beach in Phuket. It’s not the most magnificent beach as sand is quite coarse, but people seem to love secret and hidden beaches. The hardest they are to find, the more travellers want to go them, and Nui Beach is one
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Doi Thepnimit Phuket [toc] Doi Thepnimit Phuket 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. Doi Thepnimit is a small but so beautifully decorated Thai temple, and with such a view, it's worth stopping on your way in or out Patong beach. [embedyt]
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What is Three Monkeys Restaurant? [toc] Three Monkeys restaurant is set in the Jungle somewhere between Phuket Town and Chalong, part of the popular Hanuman World Zipline attraction. With a beautiful and somehow unusual design, Three Monkeys restaurant has been a success from day 1, attracting a crowd of teenagers and young families. The restaurant is surprisingly large, built on several levels on the side of a hill overlooking Chalong
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