Beaches in Phuket
You will find more than 40 beaches in Phuket.
Looking for crystal clear water and golden beaches? You will find them in Thailand. Not least in Phuket, Thailand's largest island and the most popular tourist spot in Thailand.
There are many amazing and beautiful beaches in Phuket. You will find beaches untouched by civilisation and you will find beaches where you can easily get a cool drink and a massage.
You will find beaches stretching several kilometres/miles, and you will find small cosy beaches. Some beaches are long and "boring" while other beaches are picturesque beaches with natural ornaments to please your eyes.
Below you will find a list of the beaches in Phuket and links to articles about them. I have included beaches that are not really worth a visit to help you not ending up on a beach, which does not correspond to your expectations after reading the hotel's description of the beach.
If you decide to explore the island on your own, it is possible to find small beaches not listed here. Such as Iguana Beach, which you will find just north of Patong:
Iguana Beach is nothing in itself, which is why it is not on the list. It is less than 25 meter (80 feet) long; however, the owners of the land above the beach have decided to make the beach more inviting with "sun loungers", small tables for your drinks, gazebos, a bar, and music. Therefore, even though the beach is not suitable for swimming, you can relax and enjoy the sun, the view, and the music.
GPS to Iguana Beach: 7.921797, 98.279735.
Sun Loungers, Umbrellas, etc.
After the coup in Thailand in 2014, the Junta decided to stop the exploitation of the beaches. However, it is up to the local administration how to do this. At some beaches, they tore down buildings on or near the beaches, at some beaches, they now forbid sun loungers, and at some beaches, everything is as it used to be before the coup.
The governor of Phuket first forbade sun loungers; however, since then he has allowed sun loungers on up to 10 percent of the area of the various beaches. At some Phuket beaches, they don't care much for the 10 percent rule.
The typical price for a sun lounger is 100 baht (100 baht) for a day. At some beaches, a parasol is included in that price; while at other beaches, you may have to pay 100 baht extra for a parasol.
Warning!
In the monsoon season with strong winds from the west, most of the beaches in Phuket can be dangerous because of rip currents.
A rip is a narrow current of water that moves directly away from the shore. The wind press the water against the beach in form of waves; then, depending on the underwater topology, the water may not be able to go straight back; instead, it goes sideways to find the easiest way back into the sea, thus creating a rip current where the easiest way is.
To make matters even worse: Rip currents appear when the wind is strong enough to make breaking waves. However, the place of the rip is looking calmer because of the current from the beach; consequently, fooling people to think it is safer to swim here.
Be aware of the flags on the beach marking where it is safe to swim. Do not ignore the flags! Every year, people are drowning at the beaches; mostly in the monsoon season (usually from May to October), and most of them were ignoring the flags.
The Beaches
I have not yet written about all of the beaches; thus, there are a few inactive links on the list. Please be patient, I will get to them. The list is in geographical order, starting at the north side of Phuket, then down the west side and finally up the east side.
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