Ban Kai Beach is located on the southwest coast of Phangan, between the beaches Bang Tai and Haad Rin Nai. Roughly from the marina to its center, Ban Kai simply continues to repeat Ban Tai both in the topography of the bottom and in the infrastructure on the shore: plain, shallow water, and all life is concentrated around the water..
And starting from the center, and further south, Ban Kai already runs along the foot of the mountain, so the strip of sand becomes much narrower, and the bottom is more rocky. The beach, in my opinion, is so-so, like Ban Tai. In sunny weather it looks attractive, in cloudy weather - not very, and swimming here is not at all interesting..
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
Very conditionally, we can say that Ban Kai begins after the marina on the left edge of Ban Tai, and ends in the Silvermoon Beach & Jungle Resort area. After which the coast begins to wag along a steep slope and is often interrupted by stone piles, impassable at high tide. In fact, Bang Kai is a continuation of Bang Tai..
Due to its geography, Ao Ban Kai is a kind of champion in the number of stink rivers. Their mouths are located near Pinks Bungalow, Papillon Bungalows, and even during the rainy season it breaks through an overflowing reservoir in the Black Moon Party area, eroding the beach no worse than a river.
In the dry season, these streams can be easily traversed along the shore. Despite the shallow water and the absence of strong waves, the coast with coarse yellow sand is subject to erosion and in some places is reinforced with concrete rings, reliable, but not aesthetically pleasing.
Entering the water, depth and waves
As I wrote above, the right half of the beach and the center are shallow water, which goes 200 meters towards the horizon. During low tide, the bottom is exposed to such an extent that you can ride a bike or play football on it. Accordingly, you can swim here only during the highest tide point, twice a day and standing knee-deep in the sea..
The beach can be considered a children's paddling pool, with a fairly clean entrance to the water and a flat bottom. After the middle of the beach, to the left, a broken coastline soon begins, repeating the base of the mountain. There, the depth remains the same, but you already have every chance of finding a sharp drop down and depth after 30-50 meters. The seabed in this part of the beach is more rocky.
Sun beds and shade
I did not find any specialized rental shops for sunbeds and umbrellas on Ban Kai. The coastal area is not very densely built up with resorts and the sun loungers are mostly owned by them. And on the left side, the width of the beach tends to zero, leaving vacationers two to five meters of sand and often the beach rests against concrete rings or fences of hotels adjacent to the water.
But in principle, in those areas that are wider, sun loungers are also found. And what else is great about Ban Kai is the large number of trees and natural shade. True, because of the smallness in the central and right parts, you have to sit in the luxurious shade of trees on the edge of the wet seabed, not the sea. Pleasure, as you understand, is highly questionable.
Beach photo
View towards Ban Tai. Low tide has begun
In high water, the beach disappears in places.
View to the right, towards Ban Tai
Shooting point - near Mac Resort’s Bay
Coarse sand with an admixture of coral debris
Ao Ban Kai Beach
Where the sea has washed away the coast to buildings, it is reinforced with concrete rings
There is more garbage than a fuckin 'all over Ban Kai in the rainy season
Infrastructure
The infrastructure of Ban Kai smoothly takes over the same Bantai wastelands mixed with built-up areas. The main road to the middle of the beach moves far enough from the coast and forms a kind of delta, which has already been divided into sections, but built up only by thirty percent.
Along the road, there are more or less practical establishments such as shops, rentals, hospitals, pharmacies, everything that can attract people from the road. Passing by Ban Kai, you will not even see the sea through all these buildings and thickets..
Closer to the sea, the infrastructure takes on a more pop look, aimed mainly at the short-term tourist: agencies, diving, souvenirs, bars, massages and other pleasures of a tropical resort. From the middle of the beach, where the mountain begins, the entire infrastructure moves to the territory of the resorts, and the rest of the space is just jungle of varying degrees of impassability.
From chain stores there is only a mini-market 7-Eleven, and for serious purchases you have to go to Ban Tai.
Houses and hotels on the beach
In all booking services, Ban Kai beach is listed as Ban Tai, so don't even look for it separately. It is understandable, there is no clear division, and while driving by on a bike you will not notice any abrupt changes..
Ban Kai has a good selection of diversified housing, from cheap hostels to detached houses and villas. But if we consider the beach area as a whole, then residential buildings are located mainly on the first line of the beach, while there is still a lot of free space on the shore. So do not rush to check in at the main road, it may be cheaper there, but definitely not so comfortable.
And there is little interesting to walk to the sea in the heat. Basically, Ao Baan Kai is an option for the unassuming people who are looking for an inexpensive place to drop their belongings and leave to explore the island. Although I personally would be better off settling on Ban Tai, that is, that part of the coast that is closer to Thong Sala.
For several overnight stays, Ban Kai is more than suitable, especially if you remember that in the evening you have a pleasant opportunity to sit in silence on the shore of a not very crowded beach and watch the sunset. Below I have made a selection of first line properties with good reviews and ratings:
- See Sea Backpackers House
- Le Divine Comedie Beach Resort
- Echo Beach Backpackers
- Na-tub Hostel
- Infinity Beach Club
- Blue Lotus Resort
- Golden Beach Resort Koh Phangan
Plywood bungalows, cheap and cheerful
A pool by the sea is an indispensable thing in heat and bad weather
Filming location - near the Sarana Bungalows resort
Hotels near Ban Kai>
Be sure (and I insist) to check for discounts or special offers 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 interesting than for exactly the same hotels on Booking.com.
For the lazy, here are the direct links to the hotels listed above:
- See Sea Backpackers House
- Le Divine Comedie Beach Resort
- Echo Beach Backpackers
- Na-tub Hostel
- Infinity Beach Club
- Blue Lotus Resort
- Golden Beach Resort Koh Phangan
How to find the beach
The beach is located on the main road on the way from Thong Sala and the main landmark of the beginning of Ban Kai is the division of the main road into two one-way ones. You will understand what it is about when you see it with your own eyes, but I will put a mark on the map just in case. Immediately after the confluence of one-way roads, you can turn right to the sea anywhere - this will be Ban Kai.
I drove out near the Sarana Bungalows and Mac resorts’s Bay Resort .
Beach Map
Ao Ban Kai Beach Map
Ao Ban Kai Beach Map:
