Go beach and island hopping in Phuket

Phuket is an island, so obviously going to the beach is a MUST when visiting this southern Thailand city. There are a lot of beautiful beaches in Phuket to explore so going to all of them is probably impossible unless you live there for a few years. 

There are also lots of little islands near Phuket, in the Andaman sea, that are totally worth a visit. So make sure to include a few of these in your travel itinerary.

After doing some research and visiting a few beaches and islands, I’m gonna list the best ones to visit in (and around) Phuket below. I wish I could say I went to a lot of beaches and islands while living in Phuket, but the few I did go to were totally worth the hype.

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Best beaches in Phuket

Beaches visited:

📍Patong Beach

📍Karon Beach

📍Kata Beach

Beaches recommended by other travelers that I didn’t get a chance to explore:

📍Freedom Beach

📍Yanui Beach

📍Kata Noi Beach

📍Mai Khao Beach (by the airport)

📍Kamala Beach

You can get to the beaches by renting a motorbike/scooter, or hopping on a taxi/grab. Some of the beaches are close enough to each other that you can walk from beach to beach.

Best islands to visit near Phuket

Islands I recommend exploring near Phuket (I visited them all):

🏝 Koh Phi Phi Lee – where you can find Maya Bay (made famous by the movie The Beach with Leo Dicaprio), Viking Cave, and the stunning Pi Leh Bay

🏝 Koh Phi Phi Don – where you can visit Monkey Bay and snorkel near Shark Point 

🏝 Khai Nai Island – a small island with the coolest vibe (in my opinion)

🏝 Phanak Island – where you can go inside a cave and come out of a secret clearing

🏝 Hong Island – for some canoeing with amazing scenery

🏝 Ko Tapu – better known as James Bond Island because The Man With The Golden Gun movie was filmed there

🏝 Koh Panyee – for some delicious food in a floating Muslim village

🏝 Kai Naka Island – to relax at the beach or even go jet skiing 

And the best part is that you can book a boat tour to take you to a few of these islands in one day! Tours cost around $60 per person, they pick you up and drop you off at your hotel, take you to 3-5 different islands and provide everything you’ll need (including lunch!). 

You can also purchase anything you might’ve forgotten at the check-in area (like towels, hats, sunscreen, flip-flops, etc).

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If you want to learn what other budget-friendly things you can do in Phuket, I recommend reading this blog: Budget-friendly things to do in Phuket