Bang Tao Beach, very nearly wasn’t Bang Tao Beach. Years ago, the Environment Agency, declared that the area would never be able to stand any size-able amount of construction. All due to the devastation that the Tin Mining industry had had on the area and was considered pretty much a worthless piece of land.
How wrong they were and thank goodness. Bang Tao Beach lays just a couple of Kilometers up the coast from Surin beach. And is the middle of one of the largest Muslim communities in Phuket. Half way between the airport and Patong Beach, Bang Tao has grown from a modest a no hoper, to a prize contender for beach of the year.
Bang Tao Beach is home to some of the most exclusive holiday resorts on the island and boasts some of the most expensive homes too. The massive complex of Phuket Laguna Beach, which is also home to the Banyan Tree Resort, Allamanda Resort, Dusit Thani and Best Western, attracts the islands high rollers.
The beach is larger than any other beach further south, including Patong, Kamala, and the beaches at Kata. The beach is over 6 km long, pure white sand, that dips slightly into the waiting Andaman Sea. The sea is a stunning blue and the waves in low season attract the surfers, however in high season the waves calm down and the whole beach returns to a paradise of magnificence and beautiful splendour.
Bang Tao beach is pretty much quite, whatever time of year you come. All due to its immense size, it used mostly by the guests of the Laguna resorts, as it is a little off the beaten track for the tourists who stay further south.
To get here from Surin beach is not too difficult, by Tuk Tuk or Taxi is probably the easiest way. After Surin you just follow the car park to its exit and turn left. From there you can just follow the winding road. You will pass a few shops, a tailor’s shop of course and a few restaurants.
At a junction you will see, after a line of very small bars, a sign for the best western Hotel, turn left there and that is where the Bang Tao Beach starts.
Remember, this beach is huge and you can keep going along the lane with entrance after entrance to this massive yet outrageously quiet beach. It’s difficult to say where to go, but finding an area that has the amenities that the sun lover needs, is pretty much obvious.
Although I would recommend that staying somewhere near but not quite next to the Laguna resorts is probably ideal they tend to have their own sunbeds and do not rent them out to us poor folk.
The beach is fantastic, for those that like to beach walk. While walking the shore line keep your eyes open for stuff that may have been lost at sea, because anything can be found on these shores, including coconuts form the Andaman Islands.
I have worked up around this area and also lived there too and I can assure you that the locals are some of the friendliest on the entire Island. We use to walk for miles along that beach; it’s quite beautiful in the evening, especially around sunset time.
Finding a little bar and just sitting with an ice cold beer or cocktail and watching the sun sizzle down over the horizon was a favourite pastime of mine.
Round 5 pm you will see the young elephants come out to play with their trainers. They come to the beach to cool off and you can take photos and feed them, maybe for a small fee.
In low season, please take heed to the warning flags around here, as there can be some every strong current’s causing rip tides, and even the elephants would struggle to get out of them, so keep your eyes open for any red flags.
Just out to the left of Bang Tao Beach, there is a small Island called Koh Waeo, here you will see Long-tail boats motoring out there to and from all day long. It is an excellent place for snorkeling and diving alike. Some of the marine life down there in the clear waters will take your breath away.
There are Hawksbill Bill Turtles, Coral Banded Sea Snakes, Parrot fish, Stingrays, Octopus, Scorpion Fish, Lion fish, beautiful coloured Wrasse, and naughty Damsel fish will try to see what you taste like. It’s all there waiting to be discovered.
The next beach along the coasts heading northwards is Nai Thon Beach another spectacular beach, go south and find Surin Beach.
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