Things To Do in Bang Tao Beach

The vanilla sands of Bang Tao Beach stretch along Phuket’s western shores for 6 kilometres, and they’re largely empty, save for some casuarina trees and the odd scattering of sunbeds and umbrellas. There are bars and restaurants behind the beach, where you can get cold beers and noodle and rice dishes at lunchtime. You can also pay to ride horseback along the surf.

The luxury hotels in Bang Tao set a precedence for the local shopping experience. So, instead of knock-off designer goods and junk jewellery synonymous with lots of other Thai beach resorts, you’ve got boutiques shelved with scented bath oils, silk cushions and teak-crafted Buddha statues. For the best choice, head for the Canal Village complex, just behind the beach.

Bang Tao Beach is home to Laguna Phuket Golf Club, one of Asia’s best courses. Right next to the beach, it’s an 18-hole, par-71 beauty of a course, with tropical lagoons and easygoing fairways set against a mountain backdrop.

Paragliding, water-skiing, and banana boating – if you fancy trying a watersport, you can take your pick here. Outfits cluster around the hotels, but vendors also walk the beach. Or channel your inner cowboy and hit the sands on horseback. There’s something for both the horse-shy and the horse whisperer – trails zigzag through grassland, conifer groves, and the pretty Laguna Phuket Golf Club.

Posh nights out are taken care of at the hotels, where cosy, late-opening beach bars shake up chilled cocktails. For something a bit more lively, head for one of the expat-owned bars. These places bring a little taste of the UK to Thailand – you’ll find roast beef on the menu, and sometimes a Premier League game on the TV.

Most Thai beaches don’t have much of a shopping scene – but Bang Tao is in a different league. Laguna Canal Village has more than 40 shops hidden in a casuarina grove just off the beach. The chic shopping ranges from antiques to designer clothes. There are plenty of silk souvenirs, too – Thai silk store, Jim Thompson, showcases a rainbow of scarves and bags.

When it comes to eating, Cheng Talay, just behind the beach, is the place for home-cooked Thai. At dinnertime, just follow the smell of lemongrass and chilli to find it. Near the seafront, villagers’ beach shacks mostly sell snacks and drinks. Luxury restaurants vie for attention, too – The Laguna is an area chock-full of restaurants with swanky menus.

Bang Tao’s beachfront bars are fairly rustic, with just a few fairy lights for decoration. But what they lack in swish décor, they more than make up for in atmosphere. Lots of them have furniture crafted from teak and bamboo and no flooring to speak of, so you can listen to Bob Marley beats with the sand beneath your toes.

This temple is about halfway between the Bang Tao and Cherngtalay neighbourhoods, and it’s beautiful. From the outside, it’s all grand gold columns and kinnaree status – bizarre half-human, half-bird creatures from ancient Thai fables. It looks spectacular at night-time, when it’s all lit up. Inside, make sure you check out the ornate paintings in the main hall.

About 150 years ago, the Chinese immigrants in Bang Tao and the surrounding areas were falling ill. They’d forgotten to honour one of the Nine Emperor Gods, as was their annual tradition, so they blamed the widespread disease on their carelessness. The next year, they went into worship overdrive, and stuck to the usual traditions, which involved not eating meat, drinking alcohol or telling lies. Soon enough, the illness disappeared and, today, people carry on the tradition. If you’re here when the festival is in full swing, be prepared to see locals sporting OTT piercings in homage, which loop through every part of the body.

Fresh-from-the-water seafood is what most of Bang Tao’s restaurants specialise in. The best eateries are lined up along the beach, and staff will often invite guests to select their own lobster, crab or sea bass from the restaurant tanks. You can then enjoy the views over the Andaman Sea as your chef cooks your meal to perfection.