Patong Beach is the epicentre of tourism on Phuket, famous not just for its 5 kilometre long crescent of white sand but also for its hyperactive nightlife, restaurants, and shopping. Behind the beach is a range of high, sheltering green hills. Along the beachfront it is wall-to-wall hotels, bungalow complexes, and shops, restaurants and entertainment outlets. Patong is also that rare resort, a place that has something for everyone, families included.

Located fifteen minutes north of Patong, the road passes over a rocky headland and allows a breathtaking view of Kamala Bay before you coast down into the small resort town. The 2.5 kilometre beach is set with casuarina trees and coconut and sugar palms. Although Kamala has become busier in recent years it still has a fishing village ambience and is a fine venue for a peaceful vacation, with the convenience of Patong just over the hill.

Also within easy reach of Patong, Surin Beach is very quiet and peaceful, and unusually for a tropical beach is lined with pine trees rather than palms. There are good snorkelling opportunities at both ends of the beach, and Surin is also popular with surfers as there are big waves during high tide. Picturesque Surin Village is the traditional heart of Phuket’s Moslem community, and the ornate Ban Thao Mosque is the largest mosque on the island.

Marked at its northern end by a large roundabout, you either turn here for the town and the main highway running east and west across the island, or you continue south along the beach road with dunes screening off the view of the sea for much of the way.  Many luxury resorts have opened here in recent years, while the town itself has become very lively.  Karon is another good place for surfing, with most of the facilities being at its southern end.

This hilly little town has a good choice of restaurants and outdoor cafes, many of them perched above pavement level because of the odd geography of the place. The beach is nicely shaded by casuarina trees and is especially good for families with young children, because the water is very shallow for a long way out from the shore.   There is a small headland that divides Kata from Kata Noi (“noi” means small), and this charming little bay is a real haven, tucked in amongst green hills and offering real seclusion.

Nai Harn

Nai Harn Bay is a small bay at the southern tip of the island, largely undeveloped due in part to the Samnak Song Nai Han, a monastic centre in the middle of the beach that claims most of the beachfront land. The bay is however a popular anchorage for yachts, and the sunsets are dramatic.

Rawai

Rawai Beach is the quintessential Thai beach, attracting large numbers of Thai visitors who paradoxically prefer to stay in the shade rather than get a suntan. Shady with big trees and with very shallow water, this is a favourite venue for Thai families. This is also a traditional place for boast heading out to the islands, and there is a small village of Sea Gypsies to the eastern side of the beach. There is almost no town here, but a big open market is located at the foot of the hill.

Chalong

Chalong Bay has the romantic air of a sleepy fishing township, and indeed is the place to go if you are looking for a deepsea fishing trip. It is also Yacht Central, with a long pier jutting out into the bay and a host of small craft of all kinds. Chalong is the base for boats taking off for well-known islands such as Phi Phi, Coral Island, Mar Thon Island and Racha Island, and the dive sites of Dok Mai and Shark Point.