Kata Noi, Karon Phuket: A Chilled Beach Escape on Phuket’s Southwest Coast

Discover a quieter side of Phuket at Kata Noi beach

This month we took a side quest and headed down south to Phuket.

Phuket, Thailand’s largest island, has so much to offer. Known for its beaches but home to everything from rainforests to wildlife, culture, and incredible food, it’s the perfect choice for a relaxing getaway. With that said, Phuket is undeniably a victim of its own success, especially during the peak tourist season. The beaches can become packed and navigating through crowded streets can be a challenge.

Phuket covers an area roughly 50km by 20km. The island is split into a number of areas, and whilst many visitors pick a beach and stick to it, we spent a lot of time researching where to stay as we didn’t want to make the mistake of staying too close to Bangla Road in Patong with music playing until 5 a.m. every day. That is not the side quest adventure we were looking for. Don’t get me wrong - some people love this area and there was a time I would have too. But this trip, we were looking for a more chilled vibe in Phuket for the week. Keeping in mind this is not our first trip to Phuket and I’m sure it will not be the last. Previously we have explored Kamala Beach, Talat Yai, and the famous Patong area. So this time we really wanted to pick another beach to chill for the week and one preferably that wasn’t so busy, if that’s even possible in Phuket. We settled on Kata Noi Beach for the week.

Choosing Kata Noi

One thing to keep in mind when selecting your beach in Phuket is the distance from the airport to your hotel. Kata Noi is located on the southwestern coast, just south of the better-known Kata Beach (1.5 km long). Kata Noi is a small 700-metre stretch of sand known for its clear water, soft sand, and beautiful scenery. It is, however, about a 1.5-hour taxi ride from the airport and can easily become a 2-plus-hour drive depending on traffic and time of day. This is especially important to remember for your return journey back to the airport so you don’t miss your plane. The majority of beachgoers on Kata Noi stay at the Katathani Phuket Beach Resort, as this resort has the main access to the beachfront.

First Impressions

Rainfall in November is still frequent, and we arrived after a few days of heavy rain. The sea was rough and the waves were brutal, but this didn’t stop anyone from getting into the ocean to cool down, as the sun was blazing in the middle of the day. Given the time of year and online research suggesting Kata Noi was a quieter beach area, the beach was packed with beach chairs and holiday beachgoers. I was actually surprised at how many people were on the beach given the small main street of Kata Noi was super quiet.

And I’m not totally sure where everyone goes at night either, because the small Kata Noi main street area was very quiet at night compared to the beach during the day. This is not a party beach at night, the few dinner venues in this area were calm, and there are no bars or evening activities on the beach after sunset.

The State of Phuket

Phuket is full of construction right now. Some might say there is too much going on, and as much as I’m not against development, I do feel that sometimes it might be a bit overwhelming. There is a huge development on the other side of the road from the main resort in Kata Noi at the present time, but this construction was only during the day, so thankfully there was no noise at night when trying to sleep.

I thought Kata Noi Beach was busy, but when we walked to Kata Beach one day to check it out, we quickly returned. Kata Beach was much more crowded and felt more chaotic. I much preferred Kata Noi, the beach is smaller, less crowded, and in my opinion, offered far better swimming conditions.

Places to Check Out in Kata Noi

We didn’t stay at the main resort. Instead, we stayed at The Mantra Kata Noi  - a great option if you're looking for reasonably priced accommodation. The rooms were clean, serviced daily, fresh water was provided, the staff were friendly, and it was only 100 metres from the beach. At night, the place was quiet and easy to sleep in. I would definitely recommend staying here.. The only downside when not staying on the beachfront resort is that, unlike the beachfront guests, you cannot access the showers or rinse-off facilities at the beach.

If you’re looking for a cheap cocktail at happy hour, I recommend the margarita from the Mantra hotel bar Bar 59. Great price, and definitely one strong margarita!

Right next to Mantra Hotel is Born to Drink, a great coffee shop where we grabbed our morning coffee daily and sometimes the breakfast bagel also. The staff were lovely, the coffee good, the bagels delicious, and everything was reasonably priced.

Next door is The Blue Shark Restaurant Phuket, a Thai restaurant where we ate multiple times. The curry was good and worth going back for.

Sunset Spots & Beach Club Day

Up on the hill behind Kata Noi, we enjoyed a sunset dinner at The Sundeck. The view was incredible, the cocktails were delicious, and the food was very good. A little pricey but worth the experience. A must-visit is Fira Beach Club, perched atop Kata Noi hill. Fira is a one-of-a-kind destination, with a large pool, daybeds, sofas, cabanas, and sun-drenched terraces. It offers spectacular views, signature cocktails, Mediterranean bites, and live DJ beats throughout the day and night. We spent an entire day here, chilling on the daybed, listening to the DJ, sipping cocktails, eating our way through the menu, and soaking in the views and pool vibes. It is a little pricey, but your package includes food and drink credit to use. I highly recommend a day at Fira Beach Club.

Another great venue for sunset is Tree Bay Clubhouse. With 270-degree sea views, sunset skies, DJ music, wines, and gourmet cuisine, it’s an amazing place to spend an evening. The food, drinks, and service were superb, I highly recommend booking a table here.

For a casual late-night drink and a game of pool, Stone Bar and Surfskate is a fun spot. It has a reggae vibe and a friendly dog named Stoney who does his rounds greeting everyone.

Sundeck sunset cocktails

Sundeck sunset view

FIRA beach club

Stone Bar Dog

Kata Noi sunset

Treehouse food

Kata Noi beach

Miree sunset view

Kata Noi Phuket sunset

For Gym Lovers

The closest gym is SK-11 Gym in Kata Beach, only a 10-minute Grab ride away. You can read my full review here.

Final Thoughts

If you are looking for a quieter side of Phuket, I would recommend staying in Kata Noi and checking out the places I’ve listed. Kata Noi Beach offered exactly what we needed: calm mornings, sunshine, delicious food, cocktails, beach club days, and peaceful evenings.

And remember, sometimes the best adventures aren’t the ones where you do everything, they’re the ones where you finally allow yourself to do nothing at all. Kata Noi Beach provided exactly this. It was the perfect side quest from the hustle and bustle of Bangkok.

Would we return? Probably not. I think next time we would make the extra journey out to the islands for a more chilled beach vibe. But I did love the venues we explored, especially our beach club day at Fira and the dinner at Tree Bay Clubhouse.

Much love,

Mi-Ree 💜

Enjoy life every day.