Where to Stay in Phuket: Best Beaches and Old Town Compared

Because Phuket spans nearly fifty kilometres from north to south, picking the right base is the single most important decision of your trip. Rather than trying to find one central point on the map, decide whether you want a relaxed walkable swimming bay in the south-west, a couple of nights surrounded by heritage architecture and food in Phuket Old Town, or a spacious resort beach in the north-west.

Kata, Kata Noi and Karon (best all-round west-coast base for first-timers)

For most travellers visiting in the dry season, the neighbouring south-western bays of Kata, Kata Noi and Karon strike the happiest balance on the island. Kata offers a curved, palm-lined swimming beach with enough independent cafés, night food stalls and massage parlours to walk everywhere in the evening without the overwhelming neon noise of Patong; Kata Noi just over the southern headland is quieter and more intimate with upscale hillside resorts overlooking the cove; and three-kilometre Karon provides wide beaches and family resorts right on the Phuket Smart Bus route.

Phuket Old Town (best for architecture, Bib Gourmand food and east-coast boats)

Even if you are coming to Phuket primarily for the sea, spending one or two nights in Phuket Old Town at the start or end of your trip transforms your impression of the island. Restored nineteenth-century Sino-Portuguese shophouses and tin-era mansions around Thalang Road, Dibuk Road and Krabi Road have been converted into atmospheric boutique hotels. At night, once day-trippers return to the coast, you have the island's finest Peranakan restaurants, craft cocktail bars and the Sunday Lard Yai Walking Street right outside your door, and you are only ten minutes from Rassada Pier for morning boats to Koh Phi Phi.

Nai Harn and Rawai (relaxed southern tip)

At the southern end of the island around Nai Harn Lake, Promthep Cape and Rawai, the atmosphere is noticeably more residential and unhurried. Nai Harn holds one of Phuket's prettiest undeveloped bays, while nearby Rawai seafront is lined with longtail boats to offshore islands and casual seafood markets.

Bang Tao (Cherngtalay), Surin and Kamala (upscale northern resorts and beach clubs)

Twenty to thirty minutes south of Phuket Airport, the long casuarina-shaded bay of Bang Tao (including the Laguna resort complex and Boat Avenue in Cherngtalay) alongside neighbouring Surin and Kamala caters to travellers seeking five-star beachfront villas, stylish sunset beach clubs, contemporary international dining and calmer, less crowded sands. Fit your chosen bay into our three-day Phuket itinerary.