Kata Beach Phuket
Kata Beach – located south of Karon Beach - is a popular Phuket vacation spot for families. Most activities take place around Kata Yai, a long beach with plentiful sun loungers and beach vendors to cater for the crowds. By day, relaxation and watersport are the main drawcards on the white sands of Kata Beach and little sister Kata Noi – another great snorkelling beach just a few minutes to the south. Snorkellers can also venture further out to Ko Pu - a small island offshore with several reefs on the way. Surfing and boogie-boarding are also popular.
Unlike Karon Beach, where most resorts are separated from the sand by a road, there are many absolute beachfront resorts and hotels in Kata, with all tastes and budgets catered for. Absolute beachfront resorts include Kata Beach Resort, Mom Tri’s Boathouse, Club Med and the Katathani Beach Resort which all offer beautiful tropical garden settings, beachside dining, great swimming pools and wonderful sunsets. Modest guesthouses can also be discovered just a few minutes walk from the beach. This particular beach had some of its prime beachfront sold off to big hotels who thankfully developed tastefully with large gardens and grounds immediately adjacent to the quiet shady road that runs along half the beach. This has prevented it from becoming over-developed.
At night, most visitors seem content with dining, shopping and visiting a few nightspots. Kata village is an international affair with restaurants offering cuisines from around the globe – including Italian, Scandinavian and Steakhouses - as well as many Thai seafood cafes with traditional local feasts. A popular family spot is Dino Park with Jurassic-themed dining and mini-golf course set among roaring beasts and a billowing volcano. Nightlife is low-key, ranging from small bars to the famed Easy Rider Club with live bands in the busy tourist season from November to March.
During the first week of December, Kata bay fills with yachts and crews from around the globe to compete in the annual King’s Cup Regatta. This week long yachting festival adds excitement to the area with daily sailing class races and parties until the wee hours. A popular nightspot for sailors and visitors is the Ska Bar on the beachfront tucked into the headland at the southern end of Kata Beach . With a reggae flavour and regular bands the bar is a funky place after dark.
There is a second section to Kata, over a small ridge, known as Kata Noi. This is a far more exclusive, smaller and more expensive beach to stay on. The middle section of the beach is fronted by empty land which forms a nice public space shaded by coconut groves. The area behind this is limited, making Kata Noi an exclusive domain of posh hotels, with little room for the rampant commercialism of girlie bars, internet cafes and souvenir shops. It is a nice place to spend a day away from the crowds of the bigger beaches.
Staying on Kata Noi means an exclusive experience confined to your resort, yet the rest of Kata is a few minutes ride away. The development here has been sensible with plenty of open space despite limited space between the beach and steep hill behind. It’s worth finding your way there for a quiet beach experience.
