Rawai Beach

Everything You Need to Know About Rawai Beach

Rawai holds the distinction of being the very first tourist beach on Phuket. Years ago, people from Phuket Town would drive the 17km to Rawai on weekends to while away the afternoon underneath the beach's casuarina trees rather than risk the (then) dangerous drive over the hill to Phuket's west coast.

Nowadays Rawai is a 'working beach' and a launching point for day boat excursions out to Phuket's surrounding islands. Many longtail boats available for hire line its shores, where you can arrange a trip to Coral Island, Koh Lone or Racha Island,or a fishing or snorkel trip. The beach is also used as a mooring point for the many fishermen who live in the area.

Rawai is home to the five-star resorts, Evason and Mangosteen and quite a few of Phuket's foreign expat population live in the area, lending a bohemian and laid-back flavour to the way of life there. Favourite nighttime haunts are Friendship Beach, towards Chalong, and Rawai's beachfront bars.

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Where to Stay in Rawai Beach - Editor's Hotel Guide

Rawai Beach itself is a ‘working beach’ – meaning you’ll still see fishermen tending to their nets and boats there. The area nevertheless has its share of bars, restaurants and hotels and a large percentage of the island’s expatriate population calls Rawai its home. Read More...

Rawai Beach Hotels

Here's the full list of hotels in Rawai and surrounding areas. If you need some help deciding on an area or need to know where to start you could try our guide to Rawai hotels. Alternatively you can find hotels by price, hotels by location or hotels on a map. See also our Last Minute Hotels in the Rawai area. Read More...

The Beach of Rawai

Rawai Beach has its charms but is not as high up on tourists' must-do lists. Now not a beach for sunbathing and swimming, it wasn't always like that; before the road over Patong Hill was built Rawai was the beach of choice for family Sunday outings from Phuket Town and the tradition of sitting under the trees, casually eating and drinking has remained, making Sundays busy here. Read More...

Rawai Beach Attractions

The major attraction in Rawai must be Phromthep Cape which is famous for its romantic and spectacular sunsets. Also worth a visit is the Sea Shell Museum which contains some of the most valuable seashells from all over the world including the world's largest golden pearl (140 karats). Read More...

Rawai Beach Restaurants

Down in the southern part of Phuket there are quite a few up-and-coming restaurants that, if lacking the prestige and class of some of the more celebrated places elsewhere, provide excellent value. Dining in this area is much more easy going and less frenetic than in the upmarket tourist areas, with alfresco dining being the norm. Read More...

Rawai Beach Nightlife

Rawai is a relatively tight-knit community where a lot of people frequent their 'local' rather than go bar hopping. This doesn't mean there isn't much choice of nightlife however, and the logistics of getting around in Rawai are much easier than most places.

Rawai Beach Shopping

Rawai, for all its charms, is not a major shopping destination. Phromtep Cape has a large range of souvenir shops for batik, shells, T-shirts and holiday paraphernalia. Rawai Shell Museum certainly is the place to go if you are looking to buy shells but for bargain-price copied clothes, DVD's, jewelry and other items you'll have to look elsewhere. Read More...

Rawai Beach Activities

Rawai is one of Phuket’s best kept secrets and is a beautiful beach village with most areas still under minimal development compared to a lot of the rest of the island. It is where many expats prefer to settle and make a home and offers a combination of a friendly small town atmosphere with all the modern facilities visitors seek. Read More...

Rawai Beach Maps

Our interactive map (and satellite views) displays all available hotels with photos, facilities and guest comments as well as attractions, landmarks and other items of interest with links to relevant information pages. The perfect way to find your way around and see where everything actually is. Read More...

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