Rawai beach in Phuket travel agencies advertise often. But it’s worth clarifying that the “beach” is not the right name for this place. Why? To understand this, you have to read the article and get acquainted with the reviews of experienced tourists.
Rawai beach is located along the southern coast of Phuket, at a distance of 50 km from the airport and 17 km from Phuket Town. Its length is 2 km.
Water, shore, entry into the sea
The location of the beach is so good that wind and waves almost never happen there.
But the sea here is very shallow, the bottom is strewn with stones. And during constant strong tides, when the water goes more than a kilometer, the coast takes on an unpleasant look. At high tides, when the water returns, it often carries a wide variety of garbage to the shore (packages, disposable tableware, empty cans – everything that is thrown from cruise ships).
There are no sunbeds with umbrellas on the beach, but many trees grow along the coast, and finding a shadow is not difficult.
In general, you can stay for a short vacation on the Rawai beach, but as the tourists write in the reviews, it’s better to go swimming in another place. There is one more reason for this: Rawai is, in fact, a port with all its consequences.
Jetty at Rawai beach
Rawai Beach is a hub for maritime traffic in Phuket and is used as a parking for tourist boats and boats.
From the local pier, built in 2007, groups of tourists go on excursions to the nearest islands of Koh Racha, Koh Lon, Coral. If you wish, you can use a taxi boat or rent a longtail and go on a trip to the snow-white island beaches or a fishing tour. Vacationers write in their reviews that only 15 minutes – and the boat approaches the nearest small island with a magnificent wild beach.
Shops, cafes and restaurants
As you can see on the map of Phuket, near the Rawai beach there is a homonymous residential area with good infrastructure.
Accordingly, leisure here is not limited to boat trips and lying on the sand – vacationers are offered an extensive range of “urban” entertainment. Near the beach there are restaurants and bars, a children’s park, small souvenir shops, a 7/11 mini-market.
Nightlife is quite diverse, but with the larger resorts in Phuket can not be compared. Nevertheless, for a couple of evenings on Rawai you can always find something for yourself.
Of the infinite number of local cafes and restaurants, many tourists in their reviews especially recommend the restaurant “Fish bar” (if you face the pier, it will be the first on the right side, literally 50 m). The room has a pleasant European interior, unobtrusive music sounds, a beautiful view of the sea opens from the windows. The service staff is helpful and well-mannered, the food is delicious. By the way, in this institution they can prepare dishes on a personal order of fresh seafood brought by the buyer. For one dish you need to pay 80 baht, although the matter here is not limited to cooking. The restaurant staff always advises how best to cook a certain type of seafood: steamed with different sauces, bake in foil with kaffir lime and lemograss, on a barbecue. And seafood can be bought just a few steps from the Fish bar,
Fish market
The Seafood Market, that is, the fish market, begins immediately at the pier, on its left. This is not just a market – it is the attraction of all Phuket, which all guests of the island seek to visit.
Seafood here sells the freshest! Every day in the morning, local fishermen go fishing in the waters of the Andaman Sea. And after 13:00 all the catch caught is laid out on the shelves. To buy all the freshest, it is advisable to come in the afternoon, almost immediately after opening.
Almost everyone who visited the fish market near Rawai Beach in Phuket, write in the reviews about how diverse the range is represented there! You should come to the Seafood Market, even if you do not make any purchases there, but just look. “Sea bastards” are represented in abundance and a huge variety: crabs, shrimps, squids, lobsters, oysters, lobsters, spiny lobsters, sea bass, octopuses.
You need to understand that the prices here are for tourists. Moreover, for tourists from China who never bargain and buy everything indiscriminately, regardless of cost.
By looking at the price tag, you can immediately start bidding with half of the specified amount. As a rule, this will be the real value!
Estimated (final) prices for fresh seafood per 1 kg in local currency:
- squids – from 280;
- crabs – from 100;
- lobsters – from 1000;
- shrimp and fish of different types and sizes – from 200-300;
- octopuses – from 220.
By the way, among the malls there are many cafes where you can immediately cook everything you purchased. The cost of such a service is 50-100 baht per 1 kg.
Shells and inexpensive mother-of-pearl and pearl jewelry are also sold on the Seafood Market. But you need to understand that these jewelry are not jewelry, they are made from pearls rejected by jewelers. But, as travelers who made such purchases from local merchants write in their reviews, the cost of these gizmos is appropriate. In addition to reviews, many post photos of acquisitions from Rawai Beach in Phuket on the Internet: good bracelets are bought for 100 baht, short beads for 250-400 baht, and long strands of pearls are not more expensive than 1000 baht.
Opening hours of the Seafood Market in Phuket: from 13:00 to 20:00.
How to get to Rawai
Getting to Rawai Beach is not at all difficult.
From Phuket Town, from the station on Ranong Street, there are regular shuttle buses running from 6:00 to 17:00. It is impossible not to see them: blue, with the inscription “Phuket – Chalong – Rawai – Nai Harn”. In time, the journey takes 40 minutes, the ticket costs 30 baht.
Airport transfers can be arranged in advance. Such a service is offered at a cost of 1150 baht.
You can also rent a car or motobike and go to Rawai on your own. You need to follow the central highway No. 402 south of Phuket Town until the road approaches the sea itself. There will be Rawai beach.
Does it make sense to go to Rawai
Arriving for a vacation in Phuket, of course, it is worth a glance at Rawai beach: take beautiful photos, take a walk by the sea, go on a trip to one of the neighboring islands, eat freshly prepared seafood in a cafe at the fish market. For a short stay and vacation Rawai beach in Phuket is quite suitable.
