When it comes to Phuket, how many days do your friends usually spend on each trip? ... Most of my friends spend 2-3 days in Phuket, and some even take day trips to the islands. This leaves them with only 1 or 2 days to explore Phuket itself... So where should they go to make the most of their time? Today, I'd like to present a full-day itinerary for those who are renting a car in Phuket. You can either take the earliest flight to Phuket and start your adventure right away, or take the latest flight and find a cheap hotel near the airport and pick up your car in the morning. This way, you won't have to wake up too early. The program I'm going to recommend today is especially for those who love the sea, as we will be visiting 15 beaches and 5 scenic viewpoints in Phuket in one day.

Let's first understand that this program involves driving along the roads on the west coast of Phuket Island, starting from the airport in the north-west of the island to the southernmost point of Phuket at Rawai Beach. The plan includes time to stop and take photos at each beach for about 20-30 minutes, and there is one recommended beach for swimming. If you would like a more relaxed program, you can simply drive past and enjoy the view, and then spend more time at the beaches that you like the most.

Okay, get your driver's license, swimsuit, sunglasses ready and let's go!

8:30-9:00 AM Let's start at Nai Yang Beach, which is right next to Phuket Airport. So, when you leave the airport, stop by for a visit. The highlight here is the shade from the large pine trees by the sea. Moreover, this beach is not well-known to tourists, so it is relatively quiet and perfect for relaxation. Especially in the morning like this, buy a sandwich from 7Eleven and sit by the beach, watching the planes land, it's so relaxing... If you walk along the beach to the north, you will reach Phuket Airport, which is a popular spot for taking photos with planes landing. (Actually, that spot is called Mai Khao Beach, but it's the same beach as Nai Yang Beach.) If you want to take photos at this spot, you might need to allow some extra time here.

Nai Yang Beach

Airplane photo spot at Mai Khao Beach

9:20-9:45 Nai Thon Beach This name may not be familiar to many tourists, but it is another small beach that is quite beautiful. On a clear day, Nai Thon Beach is just as beautiful as any other beach... For those who like to take pictures, try walking to the rocky outcrop on the right side (when facing the sea) There are some cool angles for taking pictures...

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If you're feeling indifferent about the roadside beach, we recommend driving another 2.5 km. You'll find a small bridge where you can park your car on the shoulder and walk along a small path. You'll come across a clear stream flowing through a rocky gorge into the sea. If you're lucky, you might even spot a fish-eating bird. This is a rare natural sight that's hard to find in Phuket these days.

A small, crystal-clear stream flows into the sea.

A little further down the road, you'll find a small beach called Banana Beach. This hidden gem is known to only a few, making it one of Phuket's best-kept secrets.

10:15-10:45 Layan Beach/Bang Tao Beach

These two beaches are connected, and I'm not sure exactly where the dividing line is. However, it's generally understood that the right side (when facing the sea) is Layan Beach, while the left side is Bang Tao Beach. Bang Tao Beach is home to many hotels, so it tends to be more crowded and access to the beach can be a bit difficult. Therefore, it's recommended to park your car and walk down to the beach on the right side, where the Sirinat National Park is located. There's plenty of parking and it's a nice, shady area.

From the main road around the island, you can take Soi Layan 4, drive past the Anantara Hotel to the end of the road, and park your car to walk down and enjoy the view. However, this area isn't ideal for swimming. Alternatively, you can drive into Soi Layan 2 (look for the sign for the Sirinat National Park Ranger Station) and park at the park office parking lot. This area is shady and suitable for swimming.

Near the park office, there is a brackish water canal that flows into the sea. During low tide, a sandbar can be seen stretching to a small island called Koh Kala, which is located in front of the beach, creating a beautiful and unusual view. During high tide, the brackish water and saltwater meet, creating another beautiful sight.

View of Layan Beach during low tide in front of the Anantara Hotel

Landscape of Layan Beach at the Park Ranger Unit

Bang Tao Beach

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11:00-11:20 AM Not far from Bang Tao Beach, you'll find Surin Beach, which boasts some of the most stunning turquoise waters I've ever seen in Phuket. On a clear day, the water is an emerald green that's truly breathtaking. However, Surin Beach is not very wide, making it quite crowded during peak tourist season, so it's not ideal for swimming. During the monsoon season, the crowds thin out, but the waves and currents become strong, making it dangerous for swimming. In short, it's a beautiful beach to admire, but I wouldn't recommend swimming there.

11:30-11:45 Drive from Surin Beach up the hill for less than 5 minutes, look to your right and you will see a small viewing pavilion. You can park your car on the right. This is the Laem Singh Viewpoint. From this point, you don't have to walk to get tired. The view in front is very beautiful. The beach you see nearby is Laem Singh, which has a small beach where you can swim, but you have to walk down. Not suitable for people with bad knees... Looking further afield, you will see Ao Khlong La and the hills where the luxury hotels known as Millionaire Mile are located. The price of each villa in that area is in the hundreds of millions. Wow, just seeing it is a blessing, no need to stay 555

Drive a little further and there will be a viewpoint of Kamala Beach. However, you have to park on the shoulder of the road, which requires some caution.

12:00-12:20 PM

Just a short drive past the viewpoint, you'll reach Kamala Beach, home to the world-famous Phuket FantaSea. But don't head there just yet, as it doesn't open until the evening.

If you'd like to snap some photos at Kamala Beach, it's recommended to park near the temporary football field, located about 400-500 meters past the Novotel Hotel. In simpler terms, drive down the hill, cross a small bridge, and look for a large open space on your left. Park there and then cross the road, walking alongside the canal to reach the beach.

This side of Kamala Beach is relatively quiet compared to the other side, which is closer to the shops and restaurants.

12:40-13:10 PM

There are many restaurants to choose from at Kamala Beach, located on the back road that we will continue on. If you want a beautiful view, I recommend driving past another large hill where you will find a restaurant with a great location on the side of the road called Rom Sai Baan Na Ka Lae. This is also a great viewpoint. This restaurant serves papaya salad and other dishes to order. Enjoy lunch while taking in the beautiful view of the Andaman Sea. I assure you it will be a delicious meal. The prices are not much different from other restaurants in Phuket (not cheap, but not as expensive as beachfront restaurants). As for the taste, it's delicious!

1:20 PM - 1:30 PM After a satisfying lunch, we continue our journey to the most famous beach in Phuket, Patong. But before we get there, we stop at a small beach called Karon Beach, which has 2-3 sections. The first section is right next to the road, offering beautiful photo opportunities. A little further on, there are rocky outcrops alternating with small beaches, providing two more spots for taking pictures. Choose your favorite spot to stop at your leisure. During the tourist season, large cruise ships anchor in the sea near the mouth of Patong Bay, which can be clearly seen from Karon Beach as well.

**1:45 PM - 2:15 PM** Personally, I'm not a big fan of **Patong Beach**. It's just too crowded for me. But if you want to experience the hustle and bustle of tourists, then this is the place to be. The beach itself is still okay, especially the side that's connected to Kalim. But the other side seems to have a lot of wastewater from hotels flowing into it, both directly and through the brackish canal at the end of the beach. ... Actually, the real highlight of Patong is at night. If you like that kind of thing and want to experience it, then come back here after dinner. I guarantee you'll find plenty of exciting things to see and do. But today I'm on a beach theme, so I'm going to skip it.

1 **4:30-14:50** At the end of Patong Beach, there is a steep road that leads us over the hill to **Tri Trang Beach**, another beach that is relatively secluded and somewhat difficult to access. Since the beachfront area has been reserved for hotel construction, to get there you have to park your car at the end of the beach and walk past the restaurants down to the beach, or use the access road near the Tri Trang Beach Hotel shrine. ... The highlight here is the large trees along the beach that provide shade down to the sea, which is not found on other famous beaches in Phuket. It can be said that this place is also very suitable for swimming if it is high tide, because the white sand is comfortable to sit on. However, if it is low tide, there will be a lot of coral reefs, which is not suitable for swimming.

**15:10-15:30** From Tri Trang Beach, you need to drive back to Patong Beach and then take the island's ring road to **Karon Beach**. This beach is beautiful and quite long. Even during the tourist season, there are many tourists, but because the beach is quite long and there are no hotels blocking the road from the beach, it is relatively easy to find a place to relax. This beach is one of the beaches where you can swim from November to April. However, it is not recommended to swim during the monsoon season as the waves and wind are quite strong.

**3:45 PM - 4:45 PM** From Karon, drive over a small hill and you will reach **Kata Beach**, a sheltered beach where you can safely swim both during the tourist season and even during the monsoon season. You can find an empty spot on the beach to park your car. However, during the festival season, it can get a bit crowded. But I think this is the best place to swim because the sandy bottom is relatively flat and not steep like many beaches that face the wind directly... In addition, the sand on this beach is white and clean, perfect for lying down and rolling around. So I've given you plenty of time here in case you want to go for a swim in the sea.

**5:00 PM - 5:30 PM** From Kata Beach, drive further on the coastal road. Go up the hill a short distance and you will reach the **Kata Noi Viewpoint**. While not an official viewpoint, it offers a decent angle for taking記念 photos of Kata Noi Beach. If you don't want to park on the side of the road, drive a little further to the **Three Bay Viewpoint**, which has a parking lot and a pavilion. From here, you can see three of Phuket's famous beaches: Kata Noi, Kata, and Karon, in that order. This is one of the most popular viewpoints in Phuket.

Kata Noi Viewpoint

Three Bays Viewpoint

5:50 PM - 6:10 PM From the viewpoint, drive down the hill and wind your way through the Sai Yuan community. Then turn onto the road to Nai Harn Beach, which offers stunning scenery. There is a small reservoir just before the beach, and in the late afternoon, you will see people exercising everywhere. Nai Harn Beach itself is also quite charming. Not only does it have fine white sand, but you can also see large wind turbines standing on a nearby hill. However, I would recommend that you drive to the right (when facing the sea), past a hotel, and then take the road that goes along the shoulder of the hill. This is a narrow road, so you need to be careful when driving, and it may be difficult to pass each other at some points. If you are on a motorbike, it is easier, but if you are in a car, you will need to find a place to pull over. ... As you drive, you will start to see an open area with a meadow on the shoulder of the hill. Looking back towards Nai Harn, you will see a beautiful view. On the other side, you will see a small bay called Ao Sane. So I would like to call this viewpoint Ao Sane Viewpoint. In the evening, the golden light of the sunset will help to make the swaying grass even more beautiful. This is another great spot for taking portraits or even pre-wedding photos.

Nai Harn Beach

Scenic viewpoint of Ao Sane

6:30 PM - 6:45 PM From here, we drive back to Nai Harn and take the coastal road up to the Windmill Viewpoint, which we could see from Nai Harn. This is a 180-degree open view, with the vast Andaman Sea in front of us. On the left is Ya Nui Bay, which has a unique character with a small headland in the middle of the beach jutting out into the sea. On the right is Nai Harn Beach... Importantly, this spot has palm trees and grasslands, which are perfect for photographing the sunset. Some days, groups of people who enjoy extreme sports come here to play paramotoring, making this viewpoint a place I highly recommend for experiencing the last light of the day.

In fact, if you drive a little further, you will reach Laem Phromthep, the most famous viewpoint in Phuket. However, I think it is a bit crowded there, and you have to walk a long way from the parking lot to the viewpoint. If you follow the program above, you may not be able to see the sunset in time. But if you can make good time, you can also go to Laem Phromthep to watch the sunset. It's just as beautiful.

7:00 PM After watching the sunset, drive a little further to reach Rawai Beach, the southernmost beach of Phuket Island. This is where I recommend having dinner. You can choose from the beachfront restaurants or buy fresh seafood and have it cooked at a local restaurant like Muk Dee. I recommend the latter, as you can enjoy bargaining for fresh seafood and taste a variety of dishes that the restaurant will prepare for you. The total price will be cheaper than eating at restaurants that cater to tourists in general, and the food will be fresher. The downside is that parking can be difficult and it can get crowded, mostly with tourists who have been told about it by word of mouth.

A spot where you can choose to buy fresh seafood and a pearl shop is located near the bridge at Rawai Beach.

After dinner, you can drive straight into town to check in at your hotel. If your hotel is located near Rawai Beach, Kata or Karon, it will take about 10 km to get there. However, if your accommodation is located on the northern part of the island, you may need to adjust your plan a bit. It is not advisable to use this plan directly.

I hope this program, including information on beaches and various viewpoints, will help you plan your trip to Phuket more worthwhile. See you again in "One Day Heavy Travel Part 2".

Note

• The above pictures were taken on various occasions, both during the tourist season and the monsoon season. The atmosphere of each place may vary depending on the season, weather conditions, and tides.
• There are more than 5 viewpoints that I recommend on the map, but I will only count the official ones, hehe.

For the map, I have already created coordinates on Google map for you at this link.