Kata

Western Phuket : Kata

Contents [hide] Understand Get in Get around See Do Eat Drink [+] Sleep Get out

Kata Yai (หาดกะตะใหญ่ Hat Kata Yai) and Kata Noi (หาดกะตะน้อย Hat Kata Noi) are two adjacent beaches on the west coast of Phuket, directly south of Karon. Kata Yai is sometimes called simply Kata Beach (หาดกะตะ Hat Kata).

[edit] Understand

Kata Yai

Situated 20 kilometres from town, beautiful Kata is a scenic gem, its clear water flanked by hills, and picturesque Pu Island sits offshore. Kata retains a village feel at its northern and southern ends and is perhaps more family-oriented, its one-kilometer long beach more peaceful than Patong.
The main road runs from Kata center at the end near Karon Beach all the way to Kata Noi Beach. In Kata center you can find many shops that sell tourist gifts. These shops can be grouped into Gift, Suit, Music and Massage. Restaurants are well priced and food is good. Bars start further on down the road towards Kata beach.
There are more hotels than meet the eye and walking around for a couple of days you will find even more guest houses. This does not mean that Kata is packed with tall hotels.
Kata beach has safe swimming and does not have any dropoffs. It is safe for children and non-swimmers. But always take notice of the flags that fly, they will let you know if it is not safe to swim. There is a coral reef on the right hand side of the beach that goes out to Poo (crab) Island. Sitting on the beach and looking right you may see local fishermen on the rocks trying to catch their supper.

Kata Noi

Situated 20 kilometres from town or less than 1km south of Kata Yai is Kata Noi, a smaller beach with fewer hotels and less development. The beach is superb. Many fish inhabit the rocks and corals along the beachless shoreline stretching south.
There are some great waves for simply body surfing on. lot's of fun..

[edit] Get in

• From the airport, you can take a minibus to Kata Beach for about 180 baht. See the Phuket section for details.
• From Phuket Town, you can take a small open air bus (larger than a songthaew) to Kata for 30-40 baht. Buses leave from the municipal bus terminal, and from the backpacker area of Ranong St (just West of the traffic circle). Note that these buses will initially pass Kata Beach and make their first stop in nearby Karon. They then wind back through Kata and drop you near the beach where many hotels are located.

[edit] Get around

To get to Kata Noi, take the narrow beach road up over the hill from Kata Yai.

[edit][add listing] See

The local market which is on Thursdays just off the main Kata road. Here you will find the locals buying their fish and spices. A very interesting place for the first time traveler to Thailand. Beware the shrimp paste. At one end of the market near the main road to Chalong you might just see an old man shelling coconuts with a very old, and dangerous looking machine.
Try and find the sauna in the jungle. It has an old copper water boiler that looks like a kettle, there is a cafe there and a plunge pool. They put tree bark in the water to make the steam smell like menthol sometimes. The sauna can be found on the right, about 10 minutes walk at the south end of Kata along the road that takes you to Chalong Bay.
There is a small shopping area called KT Plaza (next to Black Canyon Coffee); selling souvenirs and apparel.

[edit][add listing] Do

• Diving and Snorkeling There is a great shallow snorkeling and diving location on the North side of the bay. Information and equipment is available from several divecenters in the Kata area.

• Surfing: In the rainy season, April to September. Mostly fast, mushy beach breaks and short rides. You can rent surfboards from Phuket Surf at the far southern end of the Beach. Kata Noi is a typical beach break that works best on low tides.

• Rumble fish Adventure, 98/79 Kata New Road, inside Beach Center (Beach Center is located on Kata New Road, connecting Patak Road and Kata Road (running behind ClubMed). Look for Dome Bungalow Resort as a land mark. Beach Center is on the same side as Dome Bungalow & Plaza (under construction)), ☎ +66 86092 4887, [1]. Daily 10-6. A PADI 5 Star full service facility is owned & managed by a team of PADI Pros from Thailand, USA & Japan. It is located inside the safe, quiet and very clean Beach Center, in central Kata Beach. PADI Courses available year-round (start as young as 8 years old), from beginner to divemaster and instructor levels. Full wholesales and retails showroom from 200 THB.  edit

[edit][add listing] Eat

• Summer Coffee House, 184/1 Khoktanod Rd, Kata Beach, Thailand (On the road between Kata Yai and Kata Noi). 9AM-10PM. Nice air conditioned cafe with internet stations and wifi. Purchase of a drink gets you 15 free minutes of internet access. Has good pastries and desserts.  edit

• Dino Park, Kata Beach Rd, [2]. 10.  edit

• The Tube, Koktanod Rd (across from 7-Eleven, walk east on Koktanod Rd, away from the beach and main road). From 7:30PM. Excellent all-you-can-eat BBQ. Chicken, pork chops, ribs, salad bar, bread, and baked potatoes. Try the delicious chili sauce. Watch surf movies while you eat. Owners are super cool. 199 baht.  edit

• Le Gran Prix, (On Taina Rd). Casual little French restaurant. Food is good and prices are reasonable. Entrees 150-300 baht.  edit
• The Red Chair Cafe, (On Koktanod Rd). 11AM-10PM. A great place for Thai food. Food is cheap, service is good, seems clean. Popular with locals and expats. Entrees 70-120.  edit
• Red Chair Plus, (On Koktanod Rd). Recently (2010) opened by the owners of Red Chair Cafe, this restaurant is more upscale, and serves a variety of Western and Thai food. It's a good value compared to other upscale restaurants in Kata. Try the excellent fajitas. Entrees 200+ baht.  edit
• La Gondola (italian restaurant), Thaina Road (200 mt from Kata Center). "Trattoria" style Italian restaurant with a wide menu of classic Italian dishes, Pizza and Seafood. Full portions at reasonable prices.  edit

[edit][add listing] Drink

There are many bars along the road from Kata centre to Kata Noi. No doubt you will hear the words "Hello Welcome" in most of them as you walk by.

• Ska Bar, (At the very southern end of Kata Yai beach). A funky ska/reggae oriented beach bar, right on the sand. They play good music, and have fire dancing shows on friday nights. Expats, tourists, and locals all hang out here. It's one of the main social centers of Kata Yai. Open day and night, seven days a week.  edit

• After Beach Bar and Restaurant, (on the hill overlooking Kata Noi Beach). A large, cool restaurant/bar with a fantastic view of the ocean. They play reggae and other good music, and have a bar to hang out at. A fun place to take a larger group to eat, or can work as a nice date spot too. Entrees 100-350 baht.  edit

• 75 Bar, (ask the locals, or take a taxi, not easy to find). Fun, casual reggae bar popular with expats and locals. Live bands on Sunday nights.  edit

[edit][add listing] Sleep

[edit] Kata Yai

• Club Med Phuket.

• Kata Palm Resort, just off the main road. Has two large swimming pools. There are rooms in the new section that have steps into the pool, very nice !

• Kata beach hotel is right on the beach.

• Peach Hill Hotel, 13 Karon Road, Kata Beach, [3], on a small hill between Karon and Kata Yai beaches, 400 metres from Kata Yai beach.

• Boomerang Village Resort, patak road 9/11-13 soi 10 Kata 83100, ☎ 076284480, [4]. checkin: 14.00; checkout: 12.00. Externally similar to mountain chalets, the cottages are furnished in Thai style, offering a very congenial and relaxing ambience. The property boasts panoramic views of Kata Beach and is located approximately 80 metres above sea level,the beach is about 900 mt. ,being virtually dipped in the nature of a tropical garden. 1,550 -4,440 baht.  edit

• Rico's, (on the main Kata road, big sign is hard to miss). Clean, mid-range hotel. Rooms are all ground floor, and surround the pool. Bathrooms are tiny, but clean. Free internet in the lobby. Doubles 1500 baht.  edit

• Tasanee Penthouse, Kata Beach, Phuket, ☎ +62 361 869 1881, [5]. Luxury private Penthouse with infinity plunge pool overlooking Kata Beach. Located within a modern, new boutique style condominium building which is walking distance to the beach, boutique shops, famous restaurants, and Kata’s nightlife. With a total of three bedrooms and four bathrooms, Tasanee Penthouse can easily accommodate six adults. Satellite TV on four flat screen TV’s, DVD, CD, and a Bose i-Pod Docking station, remote controlled climate control in all bedrooms and living areas are provided for your comfort convenience. Free Daily maid service, linen, & towels are provided. From US$475/night.  edit

[edit] Kata Noi

[edit] Budget

Go directly to Karon, Kata or Kata Noi beaches and have a look around. If you prefer a more hectic atmosphere go to Patong. At least this way you can see what you prefer and you would be able to negotiate prices then. For example along the southern end of Kata Beach there are many bungalow establishments with lovely views overlooking the sea. The establishment owners do not book in advance as most of them prefer to deal on a first come first served basis. Also most of them do not have websites and do not book over the net. Prices ranging from 200 - 1000 baht per day depending on your requirements.
Other similar establishments in the area are the Da Bungalows (ask or Mr Da), Coolbreeze, Friendship and Flamingo bungalows. If you prefer to go to a quieter area - go for Kata Noi and look up Tap Kaew Bungalows at the end of the street on the hillside overlooking Kata Noi beach.

[edit] Mid-range

• Kata Noi Club Bungalow (กะตะน้อย คลับ บังกะโล) 3/25 Patak Road (Tel: 0 7633 0194, 0 7628 4025), 20 rooms: 450-1,000 baht
• Kata Rock Inn Seaview. Aircon rooms with bathroom and toilet en suite, hot water, refrigerator, satellite TV, daily cleaning services, stunning views and 2 minutes from the beach. Prices about 800 baht per day, excellent value for money.

[edit] Splurge

• Kata Thani Phuket Beach Resort (กะตะธานี ภูเก็ต บีช รีสอร์ท) 71 Kata Noi Road (Tel: 0 7633 0124-6 Bangkok Tel: 0 22675213-4 [6], 400 rooms: US $190. 4.5 star spa resort with great deals to be enjoyed during low season.
• The Shore by Kata Thani Kata Noi Road (Tel: 0 7633 0124-6 Bangkok Tel: 0 22675213-4 [7], 38 private pool villas: US $320+. 5+ star spa and boutique private pool villa resort with impressive pads. Famous for its gourmet cuisine and wine at The Harbor restaurant.
• Mom Tri’s Villa Royale (หม่อมตรี วิลล่า รอยัล) 12 Kata Noi Tel: 0 7633 3569 [8], 63 rooms: 14,000-25,000 baht

[edit] Get out

A mini-bus to the airport can be booked in advance at most travel agents. There are several on the main Kata road. Cost is about 250 baht. The bus will pick you up at your hotel.
Taxis to the airport cost 800-1000 baht. Negotiate the price before leaving.