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The 20 Most Beautiful Phuket Beaches ⛱️

What are the best beaches in Phuket?

What is the most beautiful beach in Phuket; a frequent and challenging question to answer since everyone likes a beach for so many different reasons. Somehow, there are two kinds of beaches in Phuket: those where people book their hotel and those where people spend the day.


  1. Beaches where people book their hotel: Most people like to book their hotel in Patong, Kata, Karon, Kamala and Bangtao Beach for convenience. These beaches have many restaurants, shops, and of course, nightlife, but on the downside, they tend to be busy or even crowded.
  2. Beaches where people only spend the day ⛱️: These beaches usually have very little or no accommodation at all but are great to spend the day for the quality of their sand and water and a relative peacefulness you won’t find in Patong or Kata Beach. The best known are Nai Harn, Freedom and Surin.

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1. Freedom Beach

Freedom Beach Phuket

Freedom Beach is one of the most beautiful beaches of Phuket, blessed with incredibly soft white sand and bathing in clear blue waters. Surprisingly, it’s just next to the crowded Patong beach, but despite being a little heaven, it’s relatively quiet. The reason is simple: there are only two ways you can access it: by boat during high season or from the top of the hill, through a very steep slope. It’s worth the effort.

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2. Kata Beach

surfing kata

Kata Beach is the second most loved beach in Phuket after Patong. It is a popular choice for families as it also enjoys a wide white sandy beach with an incredibly blue sea during the high season. Kata is less crowded than Patong and offers a large selection of dining, shopping, plus decent nightlife. There are plenty of hotels for all budgets, but only a handful of them are right on the beach.

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3. Patong Beach

Patong Beach, Phuket

Patong is the main beach on the west coast of Phuket, and choosing to book a hotel here is a personal choice. It’s a big town full of restaurants, shops, markets, bars and go-go bars, but it’s not really Thailand anymore. The middle part of the beach can get busy but is still beautiful and relatively quiet on the northern end. There are thousands of hotels to choose from but just a couple of luxury hotels, plus only three hotels on the beach itself. If you are here to party, Patong is the place for you to stay.

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4. Karon Beach

Karon Beach

Karon Beach is the second longest beach in Phuket and one of the most popular. The beach is an impressive stretch of white sand and clear blue water in high season, so vast that it never feels crowded. There are many good hotels across the main beach road, but Centara Grand Beach Resort is the only one to have real beach access. You will enjoy many restaurants, small shops, a bazaar, a temple market and even decent nightlife.

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5. Nai Harn Beach

Nai Harn Beach Phuket

Nai Harn is a lovely, top-rated beach surrounded by green hills and small islands. The sand is incredibly soft, and the water is bright blue in the high season (November to April). It’s very different from the touristy spots on the west coast like Patong Kata Karon. It hasn’t changed much because the park surrounding the bay is somehow protected, but you can find plenty of Thai restaurants and street food just behind the line of trees. With only a handful of hotels, Nai Harn still retains its original local atmosphere pretty well. The beach is in a sheltered bay where sailing and fishing boats anchor in calm waters.

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Go to this Beach ⛱️Where to Stay in Nai Harn? 🏨

6. Kata Noi Beach

Kata Noi Beach

Kata Noi Beach is a wonderful bay if you want to be near Kata but stay away from the tourist herds. This beautiful strand of sand had clear blue water during the high season and was once voted one of the world’s most beautiful beaches. Fortunately, its ‘Out of the way’ location kept it relatively quiet, and unless you know about it, you probably will miss it.

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7. Laem Singh Beach

Laem Singh Beach

Laem Singh has always been one of Phuket’s favourite beaches; like a Caribbean beach, a bit nostalgic, very green with its palm trees leaning over the sand, you have the beach almost for yourself. It looks and feels like a secret Robinson Crusoe hideaway, even more since access to the public was closed in 2017. But there is still a way to go there.

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8. Ya Nui Beach

Ya Nui Beach in Phuket

Ya Nui is tiny but has the charm of small beaches tucked in a cove between the Windmill Viewpoint and the famous Promthep Cape in the very south of Phuket Island. It looks like a secret beach, but it is not, and many people come to enjoy it, especially for snorkelling and even beach diving. It’s just easy to miss it if it was not for the number of cars parked along the road.

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9. Kamala Beach

Kamala Beach, Phuket

Kamala Beach used to shine by a lack of particular signs, but everything changed with Fantasea Park’s arrival and the world-famous Cafe Del Mar beach club. It is a beautiful beach with clear waters, especially at the northern end. Kamala’s small town offers decent dining and shopping options in several hotels, including some with beach access.

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10. Bang Tao Beach

Bangtao beach

Bangtao is one of the longest beaches in Phuket, halfway between the airport and Patong on the island’s west coast. With its beautiful stretch of sand, Bangtao is always associated with the resort complex known as ‘Laguna Phuket’. Bangtao has become one of Phuket’s most lively and trendy beach destinations, with many beach clubs and a vast beach dining choice.

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Go to this Beach ⛱️Where to Stay in Bang Tao? 🏨

11. Mai Khao Beach

Maikhao Beach in Phuket

Mai Khao Beach is 11 km long, the longest in Phuket. Strangely it still looks as peaceful and deserted as it was when I first visited it in 1990. They built a few hotels, but beach chairs, umbrellas and food vendors didn’t invade the beach yet. You can still walk eleven kilometres and only meet three people, and the beach remains mostly untouched.

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12. Surin Beach

Surin Beach in Phuket

Surin beach is now an empty beach. It used to be a great place to relax on beach chairs, walk to one of the many bars or restaurants along the beach and choose from many vendors. You could rest on the many beach clubs’ comfortable sofas, but all this is long gone, and Surin beach is now 100% natural.

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13. Paradise Beach

Paradise Beach in Phuket

Paradise Beach sounds good. With such a name, people expect to discover another ‘beautiful-secret-hard-to-find-beach’ near Patong. And yes, to its credit, the sea is very blue, the sand is powdery and cute little boats are gently bobbing in the bay. Yes, it is small, remote and not easy to find. But paradise beach has become a theme park with an entry fee of 100 baht or more.

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14. Pansea Beach

Phuket

Private beaches are not allowed in Thailand, but you can get around by merely owning all land around that beach. And those beaches are often the most beautiful ones. Pansea Beach, shared by ‘The Surin Phuket‘ and ‘Amanpuri Phuket‘, is one of those amazing beaches.

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15. Nai Yang Beach

Nai Yang Beach Phuket

Nai Yang is one of our favourite beaches because it is just a little away from the main road and has remained relatively untouched. This sandy crescent features a few welcoming restaurants and bars on the beach and in the shade of trees. The bay is home to a few luxury resorts, such as The Slate and Marriott Nai Yang, but you can easily find affordable hotels a little further from the beach. Nai Yang is a beautiful little hideaway far from crowded beaches but with enough to do all year round to have a good time.

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16. Naithon Beach

Naithon Beach

Naithon Beach is another hidden gem on the west coast of Phuket because it is far from the main road. The beach is immense, the colour of the sea is surreal in high season, and the sand is soft and white, perfect for those in search of a peaceful spot with just enough facilities. There are a few restaurants and convenience stores around to provide what you need for a weekend escape. You will only find a few hotels, including the superb Pullman Phuket Arcadia Naithon Resort. Ideally, you should rent a car or a motorbike to make the best of a stay in Naithon. It might feel a little too quiet if you plan to stay during the low season, from May to November, but some travellers like it this way.

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17. Ao Sane Beach

Ao Sane Beach

Ao Sane is a tiny hidden beach, visible from Nai Harn Beach, but you will never find out unless you know that you need to drive through The Nai Harn hotel. Ao Sane consists of three tiny sandy bays, and you can walk from one to another through the few beach bungalows.

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18. Banana Beach

Banana Beach in Phuket

Phuket is a worldwide famous holiday destination. Every corner of this tropical island has been explored, invaded, sold, developed and exploited. Or so you thought! Still, one tiny beach is hiding from the crowd, but it won’t last long.

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19. Panwa Beach

Panwa Beach

Panwa Beach, also known as Khao Kat Beach, is not a 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 but facing west, the area is home to luxury villas and few resorts, a great alternative to relax away from west coast crowded spots.

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20. Rawai Beach

rawai beach 2

Located at the south end of Phuket island, Rawai is not a swimming beach but offers beautiful views of the many nearby islands in a peaceful local atmosphere. It’s a great place to enjoy fresh seafood and a good starting point to do some island hopping.

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Go to this Beach ⛱️Where to Stay in Rawai? 🏨

Fast Facts about Phuket Beaches

⛱️ Most popular:Patong Beach
👨‍👩‍👦 Best for families:Kata Beach
🍽️ Best for beach dining:Kamala Beach
🏝️ Best water:Surin Beach
🏖️ Best quiet beach:Laem Singh Beach
💎 Hidden gem:Banana Beach
🤿 Best for snorkeling:Ya Nui Beach
🏝️ Best remote beachNaithon Beach

Map of Phuket Beaches

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More reading

17 Secret Beaches of Phuket

Phuket Beaches ⛱️ 45 Amazing Beaches to Discover!

11 Best Beaches for Snorkeling in Phuket

FAQs about Phuket Beaches

a. There are 5 beaches where visitors mainly book hotels, all are on the west coast of the island, usually in the south:
Patong Beach
Kata Beach
Karon Beach
Kamala Beach
Bang Tao Beach

a. There are many beaches in Phuket that are perfect for spending a day on. Here are 6 much-loved beaches visitors go to spend the day on:
Surin Beach
Nai Harn Beach
Ya Nui Beach
Ao Sane
Freedom Beach
Layan Beach

a. There are a few superb and peaceful beaches to stay at, but people miss them because they often are away from the main road and many tourists don’t make an effort:
Naithon Beach
Nai Yang Beach
Maikhao Beach
Panwa Beach

a. There are several hidden and peaceful beaches in Phuket that are less crowded than the popular beaches:
Banana Beach
Tri Trang Beach
Sai Kaew Beach
Nui Beach
Ao Yon Beach

a. The best time to visit Phuket’s beaches is between November and April. During this period, the weather is generally sunny with little to no rain, and the sea is calm and clear, making it perfect for swimming and water activities.

a. It is possible to visit Phuket’s beaches during the monsoon season, which runs from May to October. However, the sea can also be rough and dangerous, making it less suitable for swimming and water activities. It’s important to check the weather forecast before visiting during this time and to exercise caution when swimming in the sea.

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