Kata Beach is located in the southwestern part of Phuket Island. It's wedged between beaches Kata noi and Karon.
Kata is popular with many vacationers and is one of the best on the west coast for a combination of factors. It is quite calm here, but at the same time there is all the necessary tourist infrastructure, from a variety of hotels to excursions. Plus a nice and clean sea.
The content of the article
- one Beach description
- 2 Entering the water, depth and waves
- 3 Sun beds and shade
- 4 Beach photo
- five Infrastructure
- 6 Houses and hotels on the beach
- 7 How to find the beach
- eight Beach Map
Beach description
On the right, if you stand facing the sea, there is a passage to the beach along the road and along the path along the stink river, it is better not to swim near it. It is important to know that almost along the entire Kata beach, the entire first line is occupied by the Club Med Phuket hotel, so you cannot go through it to the beach - it is fenced.
Wherever you choose a place to live in Kata, keep in mind that access to the beach is only at the edges of the beach. In fact, there are 2 more hotels on the first line, but more about them below.
To settle in the center of the location is not relevant if the quick access to the sea on foot is important for you. If it is important for you to have a convenient access to the sea, then check into Club Med Phuket. Although he also has only one way out and he himself is huge, it will also not work to jump over the fence. Or choose accommodation closer to the edges of the beach to minimize walks to the sea..
Kata Beach is not very large, but wide enough (70 meters in the north and 50 in the south), 1.5 km long and covered with very fine white sand. Moreover, the sand is cleaned early in the morning and in the evening by local residents with a rake. Due to the large number of fishing boats, in the northern part of the coast, it seems even shorter.
There are no buoys in the sea, the parking of boats is indicated only by flags. It is better to swim away from boats, since the anchor ropes are not visible under water and you can injure your leg on them.
Also in this northern part of the beach there is a local river (in fact, stinking drains), which flows into the sea, so there are not many beachgoers to see there. But after 100 meters you can safely swim. There are always a lot of tourists on Kata, but because of the large size of the beach, the crampedness is not very felt. According to statistics, it occupies a well-deserved place in the three most popular beaches in Phuket..
The beach is quiet, calm, cozy, there are no nightclubs, bars, but it has all the necessary infrastructure, so it is an excellent choice for a measured relaxing holiday. If we talk about comfort, then the beach has a toilet and shower (paid, depending on your luck).
In case anyone is interested in reading about other places, I have a short overview of all the beaches of Phuket, will help you decide on the choice of the beach.
Entering the water, depth and waves
Kata Beach has a gently sloping entrance and is good for children in terms of swimming and relaxing. After 10 meters, the depth comes up to the neck. The depth increases very slowly, shallow water is especially noticeable at low tide, when the beach becomes very wide and the water moves away from the coast by almost 50 meters. The beach is swimable at high tide, and at maximum low tide it is not ice at all.
There are no stones at the entrance, as well as almost no vegetation under the water. Very often it is completely calm. In the season, waves are very rare, but from the first days of May to the end of October, a strong wind reigns on the beach, causing high waves on the water surface. So on Kata during this wind season it is wonderful to go surfing..
Sun beds and shade
There is a road along the coast to Kata Beach, asphalt, busy - it separates Club Med Phuket from the public beach. If you face the sea, there are very few trees on the right side of the beach, and there is no grass at all in the strip between the road and the beach..
I will say more - there is almost no coast as such. Starting from the middle of the beach and to the left, there is already a strip of lawn about five meters wide, with trees - and there you can find a shadow. Another option is to rent an umbrella, then the shadow will be anywhere.
There are sun loungers in several rows along the entire perimeter of the beach (+ umbrellas). They are often free. There are sun loungers from hotels, and free. Mattresses are also provided with sun beds. Many people also rest directly on the sand. You can rest under the trees in the shade only in the southern part of the beach.
Sun loungers cost 100 baht for the whole day. There are a couple of lifeguard observation towers on the beach. There is more shadow in the morning, and in the afternoon, shadow remains only on the left side of the beach, where there are trees. In the right - only in the morning and a little, and from 12 noon at all.
Beach photo
Right half of Kata Beach
Kata Beach
Kata Beach Center
Infrastructure
The beach is located in a cozy area, along which there is practically no transit road, noisy discos and other things, so it can be safely called cozy and family-friendly. Along the district, parallel to the coast, there is a street where cafes and eateries are located (there is Internet).
As well as grocery stores and stalls with beach accessories. On the edge of Kata (between Karon and Kata) there is a wholesale supermarket Makro, but there you can also buy at retail, the assortment is good. There are no large shopping centers.
Google Map considers the embankment to be one-way, but in reality, people break the rules and drive in both directions. You can park a scooter along the entire length of the embankment; there is a special marking for parking on the side of the road. On the left side of the beach along the road, sometimes one lane is occupied by Kata Volkin Street: clothes, food, mats and other attributes of a weekend fair.
You can park along the side of the hotel
The embankment runs close to the beach line
The market begins to unfold on the embankment
On the beach you can use the services of massage therapists waiting for clients under woven awnings. In case of mild hunger, Thais will sell you fruits, drinks and snacks. All this stuff lives in tents at the beach, and sellers periodically walk along the beach itself, but do not stick around. Well, if you wanted to have a full lunch, then along the edges of the beach there are Thai cafes and restaurants.
Traditionally, there are parachute flights following a boat, jet skis, diving and surfing. In order to learn how to stick to the board, there is a kitesurf school here. Within sight (about 500 meters) of the northern part of the beach there is a small island called Koh Poo, which can be reached by boat. There are cafes, and there is an opportunity to sunbathe and go snorkeling.
You can also visit Dino Park Mini Golf and an observation deck called Karon View Point.
Houses and hotels on the beach
The choice of accommodation on the beach is very large, there are hotels in almost any price category, from cheap to expensive. Accordingly, the closer to the sea, the more expensive. Near the third street in a row (the farthest from the coast) and behind it there are more budget accommodation, including guesthouses.
First of all, I will tell you which hotels are located on the first line. As I already wrote, most of the coastline is occupied by Club Med Phuket. An expensive hotel with a very large territory, but its disadvantage is that it is separated by a road from the coast, that is, it has no access to the water.
Also in the southern part (or on the left if you are facing the sea) there are 2 more good Kata Beach Resort and the superb trendy Boathouse by Montara. Both are on the first line and go straight to the water. Moreover, Kata Beach Resort costs quite reasonable money, while it has a good rating.
In the northern part of Kata, on a high slope, the Aspasia Phuket is located, famous for its gardens and rooftop beds, terraces and balconies, it is literally buried in flowers and greenery. Nearby is the new hotel Avista Phuket Resort, with modern design of rooms and a large green area.
Excellent pools with slides and fountains can be found at the chain hotel Centara Kata Resort Phuket .
Maithai Hostel and Kata Silver Sand Hotel look simple compared to all of the above, but they are pleasant hotels with good reviews nonetheless. Large resorts with pools and spacious rooms, Casadel Sol Hotel Phuket and Tropical Resort Phuket, are located in the southern part of the beach.
In addition to hotels near the sea, you can also find cozy, clean apartments with a kitchen, such as in Villas Elisabeth .
If you want to book a hotel here in advance or look for accommodation on other beaches, I have selection of hotels in Phuket with a good rating and reviews.
Hotels on Kata Beach>
Be sure to check for discounts or specials on the excellent Roomguru service. He will quickly and easily show you discounts in all existing booking systems. In Asia, for example, there are a lot of offers on Agoda.com, which are much more profitable than in the same hotels in the Booking.com system..
For the lazy, here are the direct links to the hotels listed above:
- Club med phuket
- Kata Beach Resort
- Boathouse by Montara
- The Aspasia Phuket
- Avista Phuket Resort
- Centara Kata Resort Phuket
- Maithai Hostel
- Kata Silver Sand Hotel
- Casadel Sol Hotel Phuket
- Tropical Resort Phuket
- Villas elisabeth
If you want to book a hotel here in advance or look for accommodation on other beaches, I have selection of hotels in Phuket with a good rating and reviews.
You can rent a budget one-bedroom house on Kata from about 15,000 baht per month, while the distance to the beach will be at least 1 km. But I would not say that there are many houses on Katya for a long time. As an option to live in a condo, they are there too.
How to find the beach
From Phuket airport to Kata beach about 40-50 minutes drive. From Phuket Town, you can take a blue shuttle bus for 30 baht, the bus stop is on Ranong Road. Just as easy to walk from the beach Karon. The journey takes about 20 minutes. But from Patong It is difficult to walk on foot. As usual, you can rent a tuk-tuk (cost from 300 baht) or get to the beach with your own transport.
If you just drive along the road from Karon, without turning anywhere, you will pass by the beach, as it is not visible behind the Club Med Phuket hotel. So it's better to navigate the map for the first time.
The beach itself can only be accessed from the edges of the beach, from the north or south. You cannot pass through the hotel somewhere in the middle. Along the edges of the beach there are parking lots for a bike and you can also find a place to park your car. Also, the bike can be parked along the entire embankment.
Separately, it must be said that a pedestrian path along the stinky river leads to the beach, it is located on the right side of the beach (if facing the sea). Usually everyone uses it from their hotels. That is, you can walk along the road along the right edge of the beach / area, or you can follow this path. But it is not much closer to the center and does not save much time. Is on my map below.
This is what the path to Kata Beach looks like
Beach Map
Kata Beach Map
Kata Beach Map:
