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 It’s hard to think of
Phuket without thinking of beautiful golden beaches. In fact, it’s
practically impossible and there’s not much point in trying, as
beautiful beaches are one of Phuket’s greatest attractions, drawing
almost 1 million visitors a year and after a recent trip to the island
with some friends, it’s not hard to understand why.
The first thing we did after settling in at Phuket was to head to the
beach. There are over a dozen good beaches in Phuket, but there is no
beach more famous and more popular than Patong beach, where we first headed. For most visitors it’s where all the best
nightlife, sunbathing and people watching take place and the sole reason
to visit Phuket in the first place. From experience, I can say there’s
definitely worse ways to spend a vacation then getting a manicure and
foot massage right on the beach while checking out the people action
around you! The beach’s proximity to Phuket Town is also great, what
with all the great shopping and entertainment it offered. Phuket Town
itself has some great nightlife and no, I’m not referring to the seedier
kind, which was definitely on offer in Bangla Road, but to some
fantastic live music spots like Rock City or Saxophone (no prizes for
guessing what kind of music was available at each place). There are also
plenty of restaurants to try out - though I did feel a bit sheepish
munching on pizza and steak when I was in Thailand, which in my opinion
has one of the best cuisines in the world! Fortunately, I redeemed
myself with far too much sampling at the various stalls around the town.
After a couple days of souvenir hunting in Phuket Town and spending far
too much, we started looking for a spot somewhat more ‘deserted island
paradise’ in feel, more peace and quiet and less reggae and string
bikinis. Fortunately, there are plenty of beaches on Phuket just outside
of Phuket Town which suit a slower pace and style and Kamala Beach,
about 15 minutes north of Patong, is a good example. I’ll skip all the
usual ‘golden sands, crystal blue waters’ descriptive bit about the
beach because that basically applies to all beaches in Phuket. What’s
different about Kamala beach is its low-key tone: there are much fewer
crowds, some restaurants on the nearby Beach Road and not much else.
There kind of accommodations nearby are also a hint: rather than the
backpacker hostels near Patong, Kamala beach is strewn instead with
up-market places like the Kamala Beach Hotel & Resort, which appeals
more to the well-heeled set.
Like many beaches in Phuket, Kamala had been hit hard by the tsunami in
2005, but by now there was almost no evidence of it except for a
memorial monument on the beach itself. There was also a rather sobering
board with pictures of the tsunami aftermath at the Kamala Wat at the
end of the beach, but during our entire stay in Phuket, we saw almost no
sign of the ravages done by the waves and the locals we spoke to were
relieved and grateful for the tourists, who were steadily returning to
Phuket again.
At the recommendation of a local we’d asked to suggest another good
quiet spot like Kamala, we headed for Surin beach, another 10
minutes or so north, and were glad we did. Unlike most of Phuket, this
area is relatively undeveloped, with far fewer commercial businesses and
more village houses visible when we visited. This is a beach where your
closest deckchair neighbour might be a football field away, where you’re
more likely to find retirees and long-term visitors than backpackers.
Definitely a ‘rest and relaxation’ kind of place!
Word has it that Surin is what’s called an ‘up-and-coming destination’
but for the couple days we stayed, there were only a handful of people
enjoying the sun on the beach with us. This might have been because the
handful of hotels here, like the Twinpalms Hotel, were in the five-star
boutique hotel range, making Surin a rather select destination; or it
might have been because we were staying towards the beginning of the
monsoon season, when the stream of tourists usually lessens. Then again,
there were more than a few surfers doing their thing on the strong waves
on our last day, so who knows? We were just happy to have the beach
practically to ourselves for a day.
By the end of our stay at Surin, we were hankering for some more noise
and action again, so back it was to Phuket for a few more days of
indulgence before jetting back home.
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