Accommodation on the quiet, north
end of the island
Mai Thon & Mai Thon Noi beaches
From Bang Tao Beach a winding road snakes north over the hills, roughly
following the coast. The first beach it reaches is Nai Thon Noi, a short but
beautiful beach backed by steep hills. The road is cut into the mountain
side behind it. A new boutique resort, the Andaman White Beach Resort,
opened on this beach in November 2001, occupying all of the land between the
road and the beach. This promises to be a fine, isolated little resort.
A couple of kilometres further north the road descends from the hills into a
valley, trimmed on the seaward side by Mai Thon beach. There has been a
village in this picturesque valley for generations, surrounded by rice
fields and orchards. The road runs right along the beach here, with a number
of small bungalows for rent on the back side of this. It is still very quiet
here, with just a couple of restaurants open in the high season. Beach
umbrellas have only recently appeared here in the high season.
Nai Yang Beach
Just south of the airport and just five minutes drive away, Nai Yang Beach
is another relatively quiet beach with only two hotels. Here we find the
Crown Nai Yang Suite Hotel and the Pearl Village. Both are set
back from the beach, separated from the sand by a park-like forest of
casaurina trees. There are many small beach-side restaurants here, and women
offering massage services under the trees.
Mai Khao Beach in the far north
This is the northern-most beach in Phuket, the longest beach on the island,
and certainly the quietest of all. The first hotel here, the Marriott, only
opened in January 2002, and enjoys kilometre after kilometre of empty beach.
While the sand is not as fine and white as that on the famous beaches
further south, this is still an ideal escape for those looking for a quiet
beach holiday. Some visitors staying on more crowded beaches on the south
end of the island drive up here for a tranquil day. At the very top of the
island the main highway north runs alongside rhe beach, and here many small
local restaurants offer sea-view dining. Sunset is particularly beautiful
here.
Crown Nai Yang Suite Hotel
117 National Park Road, Nai Yang Beach, Phuket 83140 Thailand
Tel: (66 76) 327 420-9
Fax: (66 76) 327 322-3
E-mail: crown@phuket.com
www.phuket.com/crown-naiyang