What to Do in Surin Beach
Surin Beach is one of the most beautiful and natural beaches on the west coast of Phuket Island. It is blessed with a large dream bay with beautiful powdery sand and a fantastic blue sea. All along the beach, coconut and casuarina trees provide welcome shade to visitors, who can enjoy local Thai food at one of the many food stalls and local Thai restaurants under the trees by the beach or just have a drink and a beach massage.
Long gone are the many famous beach clubs and the long line of restaurants that made this place so famous, and the beach has returned to a more natural look now.
Surin Beach Video
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The quality of the water and sand always makes it one of the best beaches in Phuket. Swimming is excellent during the high season as the water can be incredibly clear, as seen in the photos below (December to April), but the sea can be rough in the low season.
WHAT TO DO IN SURIN BEACH?
The Beach
As usual, the beach is the main reason people drive to spend the day here or book one of the hotels a little away from the sea. It’s a striking 800-meter soft sand stripe and a little paradise. Depending on what the law authorises during your visit, you can rent umbrellas and sometimes loungers. Food vendors are selling some good cheap Thai food in the parking just behind the line of trees.
Laem Singh Beach
Laem Singh Beach was also a much-loved place, a little tropical bay with coconut trees leaning over the sand and bamboo restaurants in their shade. Access to Laem Singh has been closed to the public, and it has become a deserted paradise. However, there are still two little-known ways to access it!
Pansea Beach
Pansea is another stunning beach in Phuket, but only The Surin and The Amanpuri Resort‘s guests can access it. Private beaches are not allowed in Thailand, but similar to what happened to the neighbouring Laem Singh, if you own the land around, no one can cross it to reach the sea. The only way to enjoy it is to stay at one of the two hotels. We did it, and it was fantastic to have such a beach, almost for yourself.
WHERE TO STAY IN SURIN BEACH?
The most attractive resorts are Twinpalms Resort, The Surin, Ayara Resort and of course, the legendary Amanpuri. Just next to Surin Beach is the beautiful ‘Pansea Beach‘, but hotels owning the land around the beach will not allow access to non-guests. Surin Beach Resort is the only budget hotel nearby with beach access.
Twinpalms Resort
Twinpalms Phuket Resort doesn’t have beachfront access or sea views but is only 350 metres from one of the most beautiful beaches in Phuket. Minimalist designs with elegant lines, large spacious rooms, a vast central pool lined by tall sugar palm trees, and Twinpalms have a lot to offer to travellers with high expectations, including beach clubs, exclusive spas, and excellent cuisine. Read more
Range: 5-star
Swimming pools: 1
Restaurants and bars: 3
Distance to the beach: 350 m
Distance to Patong Beach: 13 km
Distance to Phuket Town: 24 km
Check the rates:
The Surin
The Surin Phuket is a beautifully designed hotel with a long history and a fantastic location on Pansea beach. It’s also one of the first luxury hotels on the island and one of the best places in Phuket to escape your busy life! The Surin has three restaurants, including a superb beachfront open terrace to enjoy a sunset dinner and a magnificent spa. Read more
Range: 5-star
Swimming pools: 1
Restaurants and bars: 3
Distance to the closest beach: on the beach!
to Patong Beach: 13 km
to Phuket Town: 25 km
Check the rates:
Amanpuri Phuket
Range: 5-star
Swimming pools: 1 (+ all villas have pools)
Restaurants and bars: 5
Distance to the closest beach: on the beach!
to Patong Beach: 13 km
to Phuket Town: 25 km
WHERE TO EAT IN SURIN BEACH?
All the fantastic restaurants that used to sit on the side beach are long gone, but you can buy from local vendors, and one restaurant still stands at the very south of the beach. Thai people are way too resourceful not to find a way to bring the trade back where it is most needed! During high season, Surin beach now has a long line of local food vendors, fresh fruit juice stalls, massage, beach toys vendors, and so on. It’s good to see life back.
Beachside hawkers and street food
All along the beach, small local restaurants set up inviting tables and chairs, the perfect spots for an inexpensive lunch or even a snack and a drink. The beachfront was home to many fancy restaurants and beach clubs that were illegally built and destroyed, but the demand was still there, and locals were resourceful. First, hawkers returned to the vast parking area; year after year, chairs and umbrellas popped up everywhere.
The Smokaccia
The Smokaccia Laboratory is a unique restaurant by Italian Chef Luca Mascolo. Famous for its light and crispy sourdough, it offers an 18-course menu of modern fine cuisine with a zero-waste policy. The beautiful restaurant setting allows guests to watch the team at work, with Chef Luca explaining each dish’s local ingredients and stories in a fun, casual manner. Listed in the Michelin Guide, this innovative dining experience is a must-visit for lovers of creative fine cuisine during their holiday in Phuket.
Address: 116/4 Moo 3 Surin, Choeng Thale, Phuket 83110
Hours: 10.30 am – 6 pm, closed on Tuesday and Wednesday
Phone: 093 179 4489
Reservations: recommended for dinner
Tukta Food and Drinks
Tukta is one of the two restaurants still operating in Surin. It may have to do with the fact that the restaurant is built on the rocks and not directly on the sand. As you can imagine, Tukta restaurant became much more popular after removing all other venues. The food is good and well-priced, and the view is beautiful. Don’t miss the views from the upper floors, the staircase is kind of hidden!
WHERE TO SHOP IN SURIN?
You won’t find much around, but a few shops worth mentioning. ‘Lemongrass’ sells spa and massage products with an extensive range of oils and essences. The ‘Plaza’ is a three-floor modern building full of house decorations, lovely paintings, and clothing. Try ‘Ginger’, a fashion shop from Chiang Mai, displaying an original collection of clothing and accessories at very affordable prices.
What changed on Surin Beach?
The answer is simple: EVERYTHING. Surin used to be a great place to party and walk from beach clubs to bars and restaurants all along the beach. You could rest on the comfortable sofas of the many beach clubs until sunset when it was time to start partying around trendy bars and talented DJs.
Most of it is gone, all of what was on the beach and across the small street: the famous Catch Beach Club that pioneered the beach club trend in Phuket, and the excellent Salt restaurant, all gone. Today the beach is undeniably beautiful and natural with lots of palm trees, and parking is not a problem anymore.
SURIN BEACH PHOTOS
Surin Beach Fast Facts
| ⛱️ Beach condition: | Amazing |
| ⛱️ Beach nearby: | Laem Singh Beach |
| 📷 Thing to do: | Good for snorkeling |
| 🍴 Best restaurant: | The Smokaccia |
| 🍴Best beach restaurant: | No Name Restaurant |
| 🛎️ Best seafront hotel: | The Surin |
| 🛎️ Best luxury hotel: | Twinpalms Phuket Resort |
| 🛏️ Best mid-range hotel: | Novotel Surin Beach |
| ✈️ Distance from Phuket International Airport: | 23 km |
SURIN BEACH MAP
Get the directions on your phone: https://goo.gl/maps/kG5mf4jHAa7mMRU7A
Your Surin Travel Guide
