Top choice in Phuket
Ask a Phuketian or a local expat for their favourite island beach and many will choose Hat Nai Harn. A beautifully curved golden-white crescent with turquoise water on the west side of Laem Phromthep, backed by casuarinas and a seafront wát (temple), it remains one of Rawai's great swimming and sun-soaking spots (though be careful of low-season rip tides).
It can get busy, but development is minimal.
14.87 MILES
Beautiful 8km-long Hat Bang Thao is one of the longest, dreamiest beaches on Phuket. This slice of pearlescent sand is just asking for you to laze around…
9.42 MILES
Branching off Th Thalang, in the heart of the Old Town, this small, vibrant street flaunts some of Phuket's most gorgeously revamped Sino-Portuguese…
3.49 MILES
High atop the Nakkerd Hills, northwest of Chalong Circle, and visible from half the island, the 45m-high, Burmese-alabaster Big Buddha sits grandly on…
1 MILES
Come here to the island’s southernmost point to see the glittering Andaman Sea wrapped around Phuket. The cape is crowned by a mod lighthouse shaped like…
9.28 MILES
Founded in 1934 and formerly a Chinese-language school, this flashy museum is filled with photos, videos and English-language exhibits on Phuket’s history…
9.23 MILES
Built in 1903 with tin-mining riches, this beautifully preserved Sino-Portuguese mansion should make any antique- or architecture-lover's must-visit list…
9.06 MILES
One of the island's most important Chinese shrines, this red-washed, elevated complex is dedicated to Tean Hu Huan Soy, god of performers and dancers. It…
9.3 MILES
A handful of Chinese temples pump colour into Phuket Town, but this restored shrine, tucked away up a 50m alley now adorned with modern murals, is…
0.08 MILES
Tucked into the trees behind lovely Hat Nai Harn, the presence of this working seafront monastery here is partly to thank for this area's lack of…
0.48 MILES
For a sensational sunset view that doesn't involve jostling through quite so many crowds as at Laem Phromthep, hunt down this slightly more secluded…
0.56 MILES
Just northwest from Hat Nai Harn, on Rawai's west coast, you might well think the road dead-ends. But power on, passing the Nai Harn resort and (sadly)…
0.62 MILES
About 700m north of Laem Phromthep, tucked between the cape and Hat Nai Harn where the road dips down to the sea, is this gorgeous mellow cove with a…
1 MILES
Come here to the island’s southernmost point to see the glittering Andaman Sea wrapped around Phuket. The cape is crowned by a mod lighthouse shaped like…
1.07 MILES
A group of talented Thai artists have come together to set up this bohemian, banyan-shaded arts commune, just off Rawai's main strip. Feel free to wander…
1.19 MILES
Not really good for lounging, Hat Rawai is a shallow, rocky beach on the east side of Laem Phromthep. Its waters are used as a busy long-tail and…
1.42 MILES
From this majestic clifftop lookout, views sweep across Kata to the northern reaches of Karon and, to the south, wrap around the coast to Laem Phromthep…