Phuket’s most central beach possesses a multifaceted personality, with so much to offer the visitor of all ages, particularly for families with children
By: Paul Mariner
Kamala, and its stunning beach, is somewhat isolated. It is slap bang half-way up the west facing Andaman coast, and surrounded by steep densely vegetated hills. The only way in, and out, is by road (and quite a steep one at that!), from Surin to the north, and Kalim to the south; there are no roads east to neighbouring Kathu and the main vertebrae of the island.
Ten years ago I lived in a 2-bed bungalow, about 600 metres from Kamala Beach, on a road with a bazaar name: Soi Fantasea. Phuket Fantasea , and its newer sister attraction Carnival Magic , have a car park alongside my road, so that’s how it got its name. ‘Soi’ is the Thai word for ‘road’ by the way. With a little trepidation I decided it was time to return to my old stamping ground, to see how much it had changed
Before I go into what caught my eye from this return visit, let me first share some geography and history with you. As Kamala town is surrounded on all sides (except the sea side of course) by tropical forested hills, this part of Phuket was not flat enough and conducive to mining tin. Early families who settled here were mainly in the fishing industry, many of them arriving from Malaysia and Indonesia. For this reason you will find a lot of muslim communities in Kamala with the call to prayer echoing from the many mosques. There are still fishermen working from the beach here, which makes Kamala a good place for seafood. During the wet and windy season they move their longtail boats up the river by the town’s temple, which offers both spiritual and climatic shelter.
The town has a main road running through the middle, now expanded into dual carriageways and two sets of traffic lights. Known as the ‘High Street’ it has several blocks of flats, small hotels, many restaurants, convenience stores and the sole surviving family run gas station; don’t rely on it always being open though!
Looping off the High Street at the northern set of traffic lights, and back on again at the southern end of the beach, is what is called the ‘Old Beach Road’. This is a narrower older road with lots of small businesses, mainly restaurants and massage shops. It only runs directly next to the beach at the very southern end, but half way down you will come across a small park, next to a river. This park houses the Tsunami Monument , and on most evenings the whole area by the river gets transformed into a busy night market.
Most of the locals live inland towards the hills in a village type area consisting of prettily painted houses hugging the winding lanes; I used to enjoy my early morning run jogging around this area experiencing the sights and sound of locals starting their days. In the far north east corner of the village you can pick up some hiking trails which take you up into the hills and over to Phuket’s largest inland water feature: the Manik Dam.
We’ve talked about three of Kamala’s thoroughfares, I’ve left the best one until last. No cars on this one, just the occasional moped + sidecar delivering ice to the restaurants, it’s the ‘Beach Path’. Sure, every beach on Phuket has a footpath, but what makes this one different is that on one side is the beach, and on the other side are permanent businesses: shops, restaurants, massage joints, beach clubs, there is even a Police Station and a School. All other beaches on the island either have a road next to their paths, large resorts or nothing at all. In America they would probably call this ‘Kamala Boardwalk’.
In the old days, when I lived in Soi Fantasea, the northern quarter of the beach was completely undeveloped. We used to take the kids camping here knowing that if a squall came in we were only 5-minutes from home… not very extreme camping I admit. There were some ramshackle family Thai restaurants (they provided the nighttime security for us), a Robinson Crusoe style bar on stilts over the rocks called Skyla’s Bar and above our heads in the trees, several families of nesting Fish Eagles. Sadly these have all gone to be replaced by two hotels (the InterContinental, Twinpalms and Novotel), a residential block (called MontAzure) and an extremely chic beach club called Café del Mar. What about the eagles? The good news is that they are still around, they’ve just moved away from the beach up into the hills; you’ll probably see one or two high up circling the thermals looking for fish.
The 2004 Tsunami hit the town very hard. Along with Patong, Kamala beach experienced the worst damage and loss of life on the island. There is a good reason why these two beaches were particularly badly affected. Both have very gently shelving beaches, which go out for hundreds of metres. There are no sharp drop-offs or protective reefs in the underwater topography here. Had there been and the giant tsunami wave would have been slowed down a bit, losing some of its power along the way. Instead, the benign gradient of these beaches had the opposite effect, they allowed the wave to amplify, to get even bigger! How ironic that the features which allow Kamala to be one of the safest beaches in Thailand, perfect for kids and non-swimmers to keep their feet on the ground, turned around to be deadly in the face of a once in a millennia freak natural disaster, as happened with the 2004 Asian Tsunami.
Given the number of businesses directly on the beach (most with toilet facilities), the shallow nature of the water, plus the fact that the natural horseshoe shape of the bay eliminates rip currents Kamala beach is ideal for families with young children. I’ve already mentioned that seafood features very heavily in Kamala’s menus, however, there is plenty more culinary action going on as I discovered on this trip…here are some highlights:
Along the Beach Path
We are starting at the northern end of the beach, where there are a number of easy parking options in and around the resorts.
SHIMMER at Twinpalms Montazure
Blue Crab Meat Curry “Gaeng Poo”
A stand out beachside restaurant, particularly for seafood, is the very smart Shimmer Restaurant at Twinpalms Montazure. It reminded me of being in the Caribbean, lime washed timber with azure blue soft furnishings. A quality meal at affordable hotel prices. I had the Blue Crab Meat Curry “Gaeng Poo” with betel leaf, basil, chilli and vermicelli, washed down with a glass of the Paracombe Pinot Gris, from the Adelaide Hills in Australia.
+66 (0)65 348 9835
Sunday Seaview Brunch at Pine Bar
Plan your trip to Kamala on a Sunday and you’ll be in for an extra treat. Get to the InterContinental Phuket’s Pine Bar by noon and you’ll have three hours of culinary excellence, they even throw-in complimentary sun loungers (subject to availability) for afters. Like other 5-star brunch offerings in Phuket, they provide an option for free-flow beverages (with a choice of 10 different wines), however this one is different as you choose two dishes per course, which leave the kitchen straight for your table without the need to queue up at a buffet station.
+66 (0)76 629 999
Lillo Island
A few metres south of the Boat Bar and you arrive at the famous Lillo Island, you’ll recognise it because it’s always busy!. This was the most popular restaurant on the strip when I lived here, and this status has only increased. They do the simple things really well, comfortable seating, excellent food (from a huge menu!) and above all brilliant service from the well trained staff. Arrive early or book in advance otherwise you won’t get a table.
+66 (0)95 775 1112
Boat Bar & Restaurant
Further south along the Beach Path, around the middle point on the bay and you’ll reach a stretch of local restaurants. The Boat Bar is one I particularly like, it has built a reputation for quality food and the large size of its portions. I ordered the massive Seafood Basket (which actually came, not in a basket, but on a platter for sharing) and I accompanied it with a chilled bottle of 2020 Maison Pierre Sparr Gewurztraminer . They have a great burger selection too.
+66 (0)95 694 9199
Along the Old Beach Road
Parking can be difficult here, best to park around the Police Station, and walk south a few metres before crossing the bridge at the Tsunami Memorial Park.
Ann’s Kitchen Kamala
When you reach the Beach Road from the park, turn right and about 50 metres up on the left you get to Ann’s Kitchen. I knew Ann’s Kitchen as a popular bistro style restaurant in Cherngtalay’s Boat Avenue district, they opened a second branch in 2022 at the Palms Kamala. Everything is reasonably priced here, and extremely tasty. They have a wood fired pizza oven so you can enjoy a very authentic style Italian pizza. You know a place is good when the owner is onsite every day, and I can tell you that Ann will most likely be in her kitchen when you arrive.
+66 (0)84 063 0620 / +66 (0)98 886 2606
Little Lillo Restaurant Wine & Bar
As you may have guessed, Little Lillo is the new baby sister outlet of the well established Lillo Island restaurant on the beach. Owner Khun Jane found that Lillo Island couldn’t cope with the demand, so she sensibly opened a second branch in town last year. The menu is exactly the same, the only difference is that you are in an enclosed air-conditioned room, rather than an open beachside setting. They have already earned a great reputation for their cocktails here and I can recommend the Thai style Seafood stir fry .
+66 (0)61 492 6323
Millionaire’s Mile
At the very southern end of the Old Beach Road you cross a bridge at a 7/11, turn right here and you are at the start of the aptly named ‘Millionaire’s Mile’, home to boutique resorts and some of the most expensive private villas on the island.
Casa Boho Phuket
Don’t attempt to walk from the 7/11 to Casa Boho , it’s about 1.5 kilometres. There are some local taxis on the bridge or take your own car. This is a new restaurant that I found, located high above the Hyatt Regency Resort . What it says on the tin is what they do: Latin American cuisine in a bohemian atmosphere. The views are amazing! A great Tapas choice for grazing, but I went big with the Blackened Salmon with Papaya Mojo & Guacamole , accompanied with a glass of dry Chilean rosé, the Mont Grass Pink Sin from the Colchagua Valley.
+66 (0)76 231 234
Along the High Street
The main dual-carriageway through Kamala offers a variety of outlets, from pool-table bars to quality restaurants. You’ll also find a Big C and Lotus’s supermarkets.
Kamala Bakery
This is my most visited cafe on the island when I used to live in Kamala, usually I was at the bakery for breakfast once or twice per week. A particular favourite for my daughter on account of their large breakfast pancakes. I’m glad to say nothing has changed, the menu is exactly the same (why change a winning formula?), with the full selection of breakfast sets, where you get an orange juice and coffee included. Set 6 is my go-to, the Fried Potato & Bacon Rosti, and two fried eggs, over easy. Outdoor and indoor (air conditioned) tables available.
+66 (0)87 894 8427
Cappadocia Turkish Restaurant
Whilst the Kamala Bakery is a ‘golden-oldie’, here is a ‘new kid on the block’. Just pass the second set of traffic lights (if you are coming from the north), on the left with a white facade, and you’ll see Cappadocia. Having been to Istanbul a few times, I love Turkish food. My dentist doesn’t like my fondness for Turkish Delight, but the taste the Turks get out of smoke-grilling aubergines is sensational. For this reason you’ve gotta try the Ali Nazik Chicken, a wholesome grilled chicken breast with smoked eggplant puree and a garlicky yoghurt dip; so good with some pitta bread.
+66 (0)92 782 7000
