Top Beaches in Phuket - Our Amazing Self-Guided Walking Tour #2

Welcome to the final leg on our self-guided walking tour to find the top beaches in Phuket. As you would have found in our previous travel blog, we did cover a lot of miles! Yet, we still had heaps more to go, with some surprises along the way. You’ll discover what I mean later on.

Not only did we cover a lot of ground along the gorgeous beach front… witnessing some of the most amazing landscapes, we did explore beyond the beach areas too.

So, if you haven’t already, check out our previous blog here.

Then, continue with us on our journey, as we walk along the coastline of the Andaman Sea… to discover some of the top beaches in Phuket.

Continuing on Our Self-Guided Walking Tour Experiencing the Beaches in Phuket

Now, last time we were telling you about Mr Ting’s burgers… which was the best in satisfying our cravings! Then, after re-fuelling with our yummy feed we went to head off to explore more of Kata beach and beyond. So, by that stage at around 2:45 in the afternoon… we had done a mighty distance, walking for about 6km (~3.8 miles).

Yet, it was time to see the southern side of Kata beach. The main thoroughfare of Kata Road had massive tall palm trees lining it. And, after strolling past the Super Surf complex… we found that there were even more shops, bars and restaurants. We weren’t expecting that.

Kata was much bigger than what we had thought. No wonder there are many tourists here as there are plenty of places to eat and drink… as well as more shops, activities and facilities, in comparison to say Karon beach. More on that later.

Now, in saying that, we did like the charm of Karon… which we thought would be more suitable for couples, looking for a less busy atmosphere.

By this stage it was coming up to 3pm, and we still had more ground to cover. Yet, on our self-guided walking tour to find the best beaches in Phuket… we had to walk on the road rather than the beachfront.

So, as the sun was shining brightly and exuding its heat… we made our way to the next beach via Kata Road. We were sweating like pigs. Yet, we did enjoy exploring Phuket on foot. Call us crazy, or call us adventurous… either way we were having an awesome time!

Then, after passing by some massage parlours, motorbike rental place and mini marts… we hit the next major roadway to our next destination.

The Secret Entrance to One of the Top Beaches in Phuket!

So, Kata Road would then transition into Kata Noi Road. And from here, we had an uphill walk to get to our next beach destination. After having been walking many miles by now in the heat… you could imagine that we were taking it easy.

OK, so we have to admit that we didn’t know much about this beach. And, while doing a tiny bit of research before our self-guided walking tour of Phuket beaches… it sure did surprise us. More on that soon!

On our walk from Kata to the next beach area, there isn’t a great deal to check out. We had the mountains on our left and on the right… a few accommodation places and eateries. We couldn’t see the beach at this stage.

Paul was powering on in front of me, yelling out, “Not far now!” Mind you, he kept saying that along our journey!

Then, after the uphill climb I was happy about the descent down. Plus, we did shave off some miles thanks to Paul and his eagle eyes. Instead of continuing on down Kata Noi Road, he saw a narrow opening around a bend.

As we took the small steps down this “secret” entrance to the next beach… we did see a sign that said for guests only. Yet, we took the risk and as we cautiously took the steps down… there was no security around to stop us. So, we kept walking…

We Found Paradise in Phuket

As we took our first glimpse of the next beach… to our delight we thought we had found paradise. Check it out!

Now, we must say that the photos DO NOT do this magnificent beach any justice. It sure did look tranquil and stunning. From our perspective, it sure is one of the top beaches in Phuket.

As we took off our thongs (that’s flip-flops or jandals for you non-Aussie folks)… we felt the soft, golden sand beneath our feet. The glorious turquoise blue water was clear, and glistening in the sunshine. It felt like a warm bath as the water was lapping up over our feet.

It was so quiet. We could hear the beautiful sound of the waves crashing through to the shore. It truly was spectacular.

The sand on the beach was smooth. Yet, we had to make our mark and walk along the beachfront like little kids… putting our feet imprints into the sand.

Then, as we took a stroll further in, we saw how exquisite this beach was. In comparison to Karon and Kata beaches… this beach was almost devoid of any people on its golden, soft sand.

And, what we found was that along this small stretch of stunning coastline… this area actually has its own name of Katathani Beach. Plus, there was a massive resort complex facing the beach. OK, so we think that sign we saw previously was a “private” beach for the guests of this resort. Oh well, we were enjoying it too!

So, it was interesting to discover that this was a popular place for couples to have a wedding. And, with such a gorgeous backdrop… we understand why they would flock to Katathani Phuket Beach Resort.

Stunning Kata Noi Beach

So, right next to Katathani is the bigger beach of Kata Noi. Katathani it most likely known by many others as being part of Kata Noi. Anyway, technicalities aside… Kata Noi Beach is about 14km south of Patong and offers magnificent views.

There were no sun chairs, massage places, food carts… or even water sport vendors touting their services here! The peacefulness and beauty at Kata Noi is outstanding.

Now, it would’ve been awesome to keep staying here… and soaking up the lovely landscape and surrounds. Yet, it was around 3:30pm, and the daylight hours would be coming to an end. Plus, we still had more walking to do!

So, after taking some photos and videos of the Katathani Phuket Beach Resort… testing the security who were watching us, we went for short stroll through Kata Noi town.

It sure was hot, and we weren’t the only ones feeling the heat. These dogs were trying to cool down on the steps of the local 7-Eleven!

With that, we had to find somewhere to have some cold, refreshing brews!

As we were walking through the town it was quiet. We did manage to find somewhere, yet we were the only guests.

Prices were slightly more expensive here… when we were comparing to other places on our self-guided walking tour. Although in saying that, in comparison to Western prices… it was still cheap.

For example, we had a couple of small local bottle beers for 70 baht each… that’s about USD $1.95, 1.85 Euros or 1.60 GBP. Cold beers, just what we were after!

A Turn of Events on Our Self-Guided Walking Tour of Phuket’s Beaches

So, what goes up must come down, right? And, while we had a nice stroll coming down to discover one of the top beaches in Phuket, being Kata Noi… we had to go uphill for our return journey. Yet, our return journey wasn’t to go to plan!

Now, we did start walking back from Kata Noi towards Kata Beach. And, we had covered a grand distance by this stage. In fact, it was over 10kms, that’s about 6.5 miles! Surprisingly our feet were managing fine… even without wearing proper walking shoes or sneakers.

Next, our plan was to get the big songthaew from Kata to Karon… yet the drama would unfold!

Once we got back to Kata beach for the songthaew pick up point… we were the first ones there. Now, from our experiences the times for departures of some public transport was hit and miss. We had been waiting for a while, but we were still stationary. Then, we kept waiting… and waiting.

We saw the schedule and the next departure was at 4:40pm, about a half hour away! What to do?

Well, we would make the decision to WALK from Kata to Karon. OMG, you’ll have to see how far we would walk. It sure was an epic self-guided walking tour!

The driver saw us leave and he didn’t seem phased… continuing to watch shows on his phone.

We Had a Laugh in Kata Town

In some ways it was a good decision to walk on our unplanned leg to see the top beaches in Phuket… as we did discover some other places of interest.

By this stage it was around 4:30pm and as the heat was declining and sun gradually lowering… there were more people wandering the streets. And, as we were walking past many shops and restaurants… we saw this cool and colorful street mural.

As we were looking down Patak Road 3, we saw lots of stalls selling fresh produce and food. Then, as we got closer, we found that it was the Kata Walking Street Night Market. So of course, we had to take a sneak peek.

Not only was there many food stalls… there were shops to buy clothes, accessories, household goods, massage parlours, and more.

Prices for food was reasonable and with a huge variety. Western dishes like pizza would be only around 100 baht… through to dumplings for around 80 baht a portion, and Thai snacks from 20 baht. So, something to suit everyone’s budget and tastes.

And, the funny thing is, remember the songthaew we chose not to take? As we were walking down the main road we heard this loud, BEEP, BEEP, BEEP! Then, as we were turning our heads… we saw the songthaew driver and he was waving at us. We were waving back and laughing.

You know, if we took the songthaew we would’ve missed seeing this part of Kata town!

A Bang and Some Beers

We thought that we may as walk all the way back to our starting point in Karon Beach. Why not finish off with a bang and some beers! And, yes, that’s exactly what we did.

So, as we were looking for a place to go, the bar area was open on Patak Road. It was great to get off our feet and allow them to relax.

By this stage it was around 5:15pm. And, while we were having our drinks… our plan was to order a quick car back to our accommodation in Patong. Yet, that wasn’t to be!

We were trying to order a car using Grab, Bolt and even inDrive… but no-one was wanting to take us. More drinks at the bar… ha ha ha! In the end it took around 30 minutes before we could get a driver.

How Far Did We Go on our Self-Guided Walking Tour of the Top Beaches in Phuket?

While we has some loose plans on our epic self-guided walking tour… it sure was well worth it. We did discover some of the best beaches in Phuket.

While they were all beautiful, we felt that Kata was the most touristy out of the ones we saw… with Karon being a beach we’d like to experience more of in the future. Yet, Katathani Beach was such a surprising place… with its serenity and jaw-dropping scenery.

Even though there were no water sport activities, sun loungers, on beach massage places, or food stalls like the others… that’s what makes Kata Noi a great beach for those wanting to get away from the hustle and bustle.

Yet, that’s what makes Phuket a popular destination for tourists… as it offer a diverse range of experiences, from bustling and vibrant through to tranquil and peaceful. There are plenty of different accommodation options to suit different budgets too.

Regardless of which beach you choose, as with everywhere in Thailand… you’ll have plenty of food options to tantalise your tastebuds!

Oh, and one final thing with our self-guided walking tour. In the end we covered a MASSIVE distance of 19.8km… with around 25,000 steps! And, we did all that without wearing walking shoes or sneakers. So yeah, we sure did deserve our reward of pizzas and many ice cold beers after that!