Surin

Surin was a quiet fishing bay that became fashionable early, drawing boutique hotels and private villas well before the mass development further north. Its beachfront has been through significant regulatory change, including the clearance of unlicensed beach clubs and structures during a national tidy-up of Thai beaches, which reshaped how the sand is used.

What remained is a smaller, cleaner beach with the dining and residential character concentrated on the road behind.

A short bay with fine sand that shelves steeply, which makes for dramatic surf in the monsoon and lovely swimming in the dry months. It is smaller than its neighbours and can feel busy in February, but it never approaches Patong.

Disproportionately good for the size: a cluster of quality restaurants, wine bars and cafes along the road behind the beach, plus resort dining on the headlands. Many residents from Bang Tao drive down here to eat.

Small local shops and a supermarket or two; for a full weekly shop, Porto de Phuket at Boat Avenue is twelve minutes north.

UWC Thailand is around twenty minutes inland. Clinics are nearby in Cherngtalay and Kamala; hospitals in Phuket Town about thirty-five minutes. The bay itself is walkable, but a car is still needed.