Kathu City (The Valley)

Kathu is where Phuket’s tin industry was centred, and the valley floor is still shaped by it — the lakes on the golf courses are flooded workings, and the town grew around the mines and the Chinese labour that worked them.

The Vegetarian Festival, one of Phuket’s most striking annual events, has deep roots here. When mining ended, the reclaimed land became fairways.

Two championship golf courses sit in the valley, built over the old workings, along with Kathu Waterfall in the hills above the town — a genuine local weekend spot rather than a tourist attraction.

Local Thai food throughout the town at local prices, a growing cafe scene, and the full range of restaurants at the nearby shopping centres. Patong’s dining is fifteen minutes over the hill.

Exceptionally well served: the island’s largest shopping centres are around ten minutes east, with supermarkets, hardware and services throughout the town itself.

Several international schools sit within fifteen to twenty minutes, and the major private hospitals in Phuket Town are around fifteen minutes — the shortest hospital run of any residential area in this guide. A car is expected.