Area Attractions

The pleasant bay of Kata, just a few minutes south of Karon Beach, entices and charms many visitors with its white sands and clear waters. Very popular with families, Kata is an all round favourite due to its spectacular palm-lined beach and great restaurants. From May to October surfers flock to catch Kata's waves and from November to April the beach is alive with sun seekers.

Karon features the third longest beach on Phuket Island. Located on the west coast, between Patong to the north and Kata (with which it shares a common municipality) to the south, Karon Beach is the second favourite holiday destination in Phuket. The beach itself has excellent snorkelling (and even diving) spots at its southern end and is wide enough for beachgoers to never feel crowded.

Patong is the most famous beach resort on Phuket. With its wide variety of activities and nightlife, Patong is an ideal place to party and play. By night the town has a bustling nightlife which includes literally hundreds of restaurants, pubs and discos. The nightlife is centred around Soi Bangla (Bangla Road) however there are quiet parts of town.

The Prom Thep Cape is one of the most popular tourist destinations in the island of Phuket. A little background on it: 'Prom' means purity, and 'Thep' means God. This site offers a captivating view of Phuket's famed sunset. We at Chanalai Hotels and Resorts highly recommend our guests to experience the viewpoint from Prom Them Cape in the evening, sometime between 5:40 - 6:40 pm, because this is when you can enjoy most the sea and island's splendid view and southern sunset.

Karon Veiwpoint is also known as Three-Beach Viewpoint as once you reach its peak perched in the south of Kata Beach, in front of you is the breathtaking view of beautiful Kata Noi, Kata and Karon beaches as well as the deep-blue Andaman sea. The viewpoint is located along the ring road, half-way between Nai Harn Beach and Kata Noi Beach.

Phuket's Big Buddha is one of the island's most important and revered landmarks on the island. The huge image sits on top of the Nakkerd Hills between Chalong and Kata and, at 45 metres tall, it is easily seen from far away.

When the sun starts to sink and the beaches cool off, this is a good venue to enjoy a few cocktails and even a meal from the extensive but somewhat rudimentary menu. But there is just one thing about Kata Noi View Point Restaurants and Bars: You got to be a Bob Marley fan otherwise after a while your toes will start to curl up.

Dino Park Mini Golf is a fun and funky mini-golf course and restaurant located right in between Karon and Kata beaches, on the Beach Road. With a full 18-hole course in a dramatic pre-historic setting - as well as a Flintstones-themed restaurant - it is a great place to enjoy a day out with the family.

Kata Temple is located on a big piece of land covering about 48 rai, surrounded by beautiful nature with mountains and some tropical forest. The temple itself was built in 1832 and was simply known as Wat Kata, after the village's name. 80 years later it was renamed Wat Kittisankaram. The temple features a beautiful ubosot (ordination hall) housing the temple's main statue of Lord Buddha, a karepriiy hall (or monastery pavilion), monk's dormitories and a primary school on the same grounds.

Surf House Phuket is every surfer's dream: a place where you can ride the waves every day no matter what the weather conditions. With an adjacent bar and restaurant, Surf House Phuket is a world to itself and as a result it is tremendously popular.

Karon covers a rather large area but the village's temple is close to everything important in the area, including hotels and shopping facilities. All the same, it still manages to keep a peaceful atmosphere, just off the busy Patak Road. Visitors will spot a few interesting statues including the two giant snakes acting as guardians of the beautiful ubosot (the temple's main hall), and many Buddha statues, images and paintings (the black Buddha statue inside the building is quite unusual and hardly seen anywhere else) as well as colourful statues of monsters (or yak in Thai) from Thai folklore.

Karon Market is a popular shopping location set in the heart of Karon Beach in its temple grounds. Karon centre is a 500m street bordered at both ends by notable landmarks: on the beach side, the elegantly decorated Karon Circle, and on the inland side, Wat Suwan Khiri Khet (the official name of Karon Temple), a splendid Buddhist temple which has been going through renovation and upgrading since 2010.

Jungceylon Shopping Complex has radically changed the face of shopping in Patong. The two main stores in the complex are Robinson - a gleaming well-lit upper end department store, and Big C supermarket.

Central Festival Phuket is an air-conditioned, fully equipped one-stop shopping mall lying just outside of Phuket Town. If you are coming from Patong, Central lies on your left, before the main crossroads as you enter Phuket. Rightly regarded as the shopping hub of the island, Central plays host to over 120 outlets selling products ranging from silk to sushi, from Levi's to laptops, from books to barbecues - if it isn't on sale at Central you probably didn't need it anyway. It's literally possible to spend a full day here - shopping, catching the latest movies and dining out at the range of international restaurants that offer everything from French cuisine to Japanese to local Thai outlets.

The biggest local market in Phuket is the weekend market in Phuket town. The weekend market in the town of Phuket is also known as Talad Tai Rot, which means car boot sale. The real name of the market in Phuket is Chao Fah Variety market Chaofaa east and west road. After dining at Chanalai Garden Resort, you can go shopping at the weekend market. It is open on weekends starting late afternoon until late evening.

Phuket Fantasea is culture night time entertainment theme park on the Kamala Beach. The park features numerous attractions and adventure into Thailand's ancient culture and realm of myths. Charming and beautiful classical dances from Thailand's various regions play a prominent part in the variety of shows presented.

Phuket Fantasea is the award-winning, Las Vegas-style production spectacle colorfully blending the beauty of Thai culture with magical illusions, 4-D effects, aerial ballet, acrobatics, pyrotechnics, special effects, exciting stunts and elephant performances featuring over 44 elephants, all into one unforgettably unique theatrical experience guaranteed to delight visitors of all ages.

One of the most popular spectator sports in Thailand, and now gaining world renown, is the martial art of Muay Thai. Exciting enough on TV - the furious punches, crushing elbow strikes, lethal kicks and artful feints are even more riveting when seen live.

Thai boxing match is worth attending for the pure spectacle and the wild musical accompaniment, the ceremonial beginning of each match, and the frenzied betting around the stadium.

The Phi Phi islands are some of the loveliest in Southeast Asia. Just a 45-minute speedboat jaunt and a 90-minute ferryboat ride from Phuket and offer the ultimate tropical getaway.

Classic beaches, stunning rock formations, and vivid turquoise waters teeming with colourful marine life - it's paradise perfected.

There are two islands, Phi Phi Don and Phi Phi Leh. The larger and inhabited, Phi Phi Don attracts hundreds of visitors to stay on its lovely shores.

Maya Bay is a stunningly beautiful bay that's sheltered by 100-metre high cliffs on three sides. Inside the bay there are several beaches, most are small and some only exist at low tide. The main one is around 200 metres long with silky soft white sand, underwater colourful coral and exotic fish in exceptionally clear water; the whole bay is one big reef.

Maya Bay has become the main tourist attraction of Phi Phi since 'The Beach' movie was filmed here in 1999. It was always very popular before the film but now people around the world who haven't even heard of Phi Phi have certainly heard of Maya Bay.

James Bond Island is a famous landmark in Phang Nga Bay. It first found its way onto the international tourist map through its starring role in the James Bond movie 'The Man with the Golden Gun'. A distinctive feature of this famous bay is the number of sheer limestone cliffs that vertically jut out of the emerald-green water.

The bizarre, why-doesn't-it-fall-over outline of James Bond Island or Koh Tapu (meaning Nail Island in Thai), lies next to the equally well known Koh Ping Ghan (sometime spell Ping Gan or Ping Gun). The entire area surrounding this island is indeed spectacular, but it can get crowded with tourist boats in high season.

Bamboo Island (Koh Phai in Thai) is one of the six islands belonging to the Phi Phi archipelago in the southern Thai province of Krabi. Lying approximately five kilometres northeast off Koh Phi Phi Don, Bamboo Island is a tropical dream come true; measuring 600m wide by 700m long, the island is entirely surrounded by a strip of white sand, and its central part is covered with lush vegetation including Bamboo trees that gave its name to the island in its central part.

The perfect spot for a day trip, Bamboo Island hosts great snorkelling opportunities with the presence of superb coral reefs lying at short distance off its shore, mostly on its western side. A small bar serves drinks and snacks. Day and overnight trips (sleeping in tents) are available from Koh Phi Phi Don, or you could visit the island on a Phi Phi day trip by speedboat from Phuket.