10 Best Beach Clubs in Phuket

Café del Mar Phuket is a classy beach club from the world-famous brand out of Ibiza. It brings the sophisticated party atmosphere of its namesake to the northern end of Kamala Beach, with a high-quality setting and a great soundtrack of chillout beats.

Being right on Kamala Beach, Café del Mar Phuket is a great place to enjoy a few sundowner cocktails from the selection of classic and signature sips. There’s also a choice of Thai and international dishes available from the restaurant or snacks for sharing on your day bed. The higher-than-average price range attracts a sophisticated but fun-loving crowd, who enjoy smooth music played by resident and guest DJs, accompanied by a live saxophonist.

Catch Beach Club near Sunwing Resort in Bangtao is a favourite hang-out spot out for many local residents and regular visitors to Phuket. It’s a great place for families with young kids. There's a swimming pool and some good options for water sports on top of their delicious food, good cocktails and a fantastic wine list.

Xana Beach Club is located right on Bangtao Beach. A great beach restaurant during the day, Xana turns to a hip and happening bar/club after sunset. It offers signature mojitos and all the classic cocktails and a wide choice of tapas, European, Mediterranean and Thai cuisine. Look out for their great Sunday brunches during the high season, too.

KUDO Beach Club is known for its relaxed and luxurious atmosphere. The club is located on the vibrant Patong Beach and is the ideal setting for anyone looking to have some drinks and bar snacks in a scenic location. The club serves a range of drinks like delicious mojitos, which can be enjoyed as you gaze out over the glittering Andaman Sea. As well as their signature cocktails, you can also order some first-class dishes from the Italian restaurant.

Paradise Beach Club Phuket is a large, well-developed party spot located in an isolated bay a short distance from Patong Beach. Featuring shops, restaurants, activities and fantastic Koh Phangan-style beach parties, it has an air of exclusivity without being prohibitively expensive. It's also the home of Phuket's only full-moon parties on the beach.

Technically one of the hotel bar/restaurants for the Centara Grand Beach Resort Phuket, COAST is open to non-guests, too. It specialises in fine cuisine right by the sand, with daily specials including lobster on Wednesdays, tuna on Tuesdays and barbecued lamb on Fridays. The club hosts special events such as pool parties and a diverse selection of performers, from singers to magicians to acrobats.

Carpe Diem Beach Club urges patrons to seize the moment with help from a curated European wine list and a tasty mix of Middle Eastern and Mediterranean mezze. They certainly have the location to help – the bar is just steps from where the waves lap into stylish Bang Tao Beach.

Interiors are suitably calm and elegant, with fabric director chairs encircling reclaimed timber tables. There's a square bar space with high-rise seating, along with more secluded lounge areas with alfresco fire pits. You can pick from French blush rose and zingy margaritas on the drinks list, while Neapolitan pizza and baba ganoush dips are part of the food offering.

The Pine Beach Bar is the premier watering hole of the InterContinental Phuket Resort, at the north end of Kamala Beach. It's easy to get to – just head north from the buzz of Patong on the main coast road. The trip should take about 15 minutes by tuk-tuk.

The first thing you're likely to notice is the view. It's direct west, meaning the sunsets here blaze right in front, casting a haze of pink and purple onto the casuarina groves and headlands on either side. There's dining in the day in the form of healthy Buddha bowls and pub food. The evening is for artisan cocktails and jazz as the light fades.

M Beach Club adds a bit of energy to the luxe JW Marriott Phuket Resort & Spa. It spills out from the palm groves of Mai Khao Beach, around 15 km north of Phuket International Airport – you can be sipping a cocktail by the Andaman Sea only 20 minutes after leaving the arrival terminal.

An exclusive spot, M Beach Club has clusters of coconut trees and crab-stalked sands for its nearest neighbours. Choose a seat on the main deck for head-on views of the water lapping the shore. It's a great place for sampling surf-turf mains and creative takes on Thai and European tapas, not to mention speciality homemade sangrias that top the club’s drinks list.

Tann Terrace spreads through a shaded patio and deck space to claim arguably the best spot of all on the side of relaxed Karon Beach. It's towards the south end of the strand, easily reachable in less than 5 minutes from Kata and Kata Noi. You might need to search for it between the she-oaks and sea grapes.

A lot of thought and precision has gone into the cocktail list. It begins with in-house specials, like the earthy Butterfly Effect, which mingles sake with ginger ale. There are New Zealand pinot noirs on the wine card, while passionfruit coffees appeal to adventurous drinkers.