Beach hopping around Phuket, Thailand
Phuket, Thailand, known around the world for it’s incredible beaches with turquoise water and great nightlife & restaurants. We did a little exploring of the different beaches in Phuket to see which were our favorites. We visited during Phuket’s wet season which is from June until October. But while were we there, it did pour, but only for an hour in the morning of one day and figured if it rained again, spending the afternoon getting massages & pedicures is not a bad alternative.
We visited Patong, Kata, Karon, & Surin. They are all along the same coast, but very different vibes at each.
Surin beach, our favorite beach for many reasons, not to mention the fact that we have a beach towel named after it. Lovely subdued beach, with a row of restaurants behind. There is a choice of casual or fine dining, Thai or a large variety of international restaurants. We gravitated towards PLA seafood & beach that had the nicest loungers on the beach. Although you do have to pay more for it, the service was excellent and they have nice showers and change rooms in the back that you can freshen up in before settling down for a nice seafood dinner along the beach. Come to Surin Beach if you want a more sophisticated atmosphere and space to relax.
Loungers on Surin beach
Be prepared for sellers offering every thing imaginable as you try to relax on the beach or walk around the Patong shops. This is definitely a good beach if you are looking for casual hang outs and night life and can handle the not so subtle seediness. We enjoyed Patong from a good Mexican restaurant along the main strip where you can be entertained watching the street vendors trying to sell pedestrians hammocks, luggage and any thing else you can think of.
Kata and Karon are very similar more low key beaches where you can actually relax in your sun lounger with out any annoyances. We stayed in Kata at the Peach Blossom Resort and found it to be a great home base for exploring the rest of the island. Kata’s hotels are also generally less expensive than other areas.
There are some great little seafood restaurants behind Karon beach that are worth a try. We were determined to only eat local seafood, but the local crab is a bit disappointing as it had a not so pleasant after taste that even the green curry sauce couldn’t drown out. The local white snapper was ok, and made better with what else, but green curry sauce. A safer bet is the massive prawns that make jumbo prawns look tiny. All around Kata and Karon there are many great restaurants. Do some exploring and walk around until you find some thing appealing.
View of Phuket`s beaches
While in Thailand, I suggest trying Thai massage. We went to Mook massage in Kata center. This place was clean and professional and a good massage for a very decent price. Be prepared to be bent and twisted into yogaish poses. Thai massage is often described as a lazy man’s yoga and I’m all for it.
Happy beach hopping
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