Where to Stay in Phuket for Quiet.
The Parts That Still Breathe
I need to be completely honest. My trip to Phuket was purely to train Muay Thai. While I was there, accidentally, I understood that actually, I had forgotten what I wanted to be when I was a child: a traveller, like a National Geographic one. (I know…) Then I looked around me. I looked closely, with open eyes, and I did understand one thing. Phuket is beautiful, but it’s also staged. A place that serves tourism.
So, I started looking for quiet places to be, away from the crowds. It was difficult, I’m not going to lie, but there are some corners of this island that are less visited and still beautiful.
Quick Answer: Where to Stay for Quiet
Found a quiet beach. Immediately made a stupid face.
Phuket Has a Bali Problem
Let’s be honest, Phuket is a beautiful island, no doubt. It’s very understandable that many people want to step onto this island and live in paradise for a little while, some for a bit longer. But this also causes a problem. With millions of tourist arrivals every year, rubbish piles up, which reminds me quite a lot of Bali. Not the same, but a similar trajectory.
Massive growth in construction, villas, resorts… you name it. Prices go up, locals suffer the consequences. Is the tourist to blame? It’s not that simple… Big construction companies, even the government, are partially responsible.
Phuket briefly forgetting to be loud.
I can’t even talk about the environmental crisis affecting coral reefs. It’s seriously bad. It makes me sad how resorts skip this part, how unaware people are also encouraging it to happen. It’s like a domino effect.
Why am I saying this? Because we need to be conscious of this problem. Because we can choose how to travel and where our money is going. So, I am going to filter places for travellers who want to be conscious and still have a nice time while travelling around this island.
Disclaimer: If you’re going to Thailand to party, smoke and do similar activities, no issue, but this article is not for you.
Where I Would Actually Stay for Quiet in Phuket
Let’s dive into some areas. Careful, Phuket is not an undiscovered island, so when I say quiet, I mean away from the buzzing centre and the noise, but you won’t find completely rural, undiscovered areas.
1. Nai Thon: The Quiet Phuket Beach I Would Choose First
Let’s be serious about this place, it’s not undiscovered. People know it exists, and I am not the first woman mentioning this place. But it’s a place I would stay if I went back to Phuket.
The important thing is that it has not become Patong or Kata Beach. Not yet, at least. It still feels like you can breathe. Convenient because you still have enough life around you and a proper beach to rest on.
2. Nai Yang: For Quiet People Who Still Need Food
This is not the wildest, emptiest or most isolated option on this list, but it is the easiest quiet area to live in.
Easy access to the airport, restaurants, normal life and still kind of quiet. Not the “I have been dropped at the edge of civilisation with a coconut” kind of quiet, but enough to not feel like you’re in Phuket. So, that’s nice.
This place is perfect for solo travellers, short stays or people without scooters. Close to the airport and still on the greener northern side of Phuket.
3. Mai Khao: When You Want Everyone to Leave You Alone
Many people say, “I want isolation.” What they actually mean is, “I want a quiet hotel with seven restaurants outside.” Here is where you can find out how committed you are to isolation. Mai Khao will give you silence, if you really want it.
The beach is long, very long. More space means fewer people around you. But it comes with a price tag, and I don’t mean money. Convenient locations are also more spread out, so having your own transportation here is important.
It’s also a very important place for marine turtle nesting. I am not saying, “Go and see turtles.” I am saying, respect their habitat. Don’t mess with it, please.
4. Bang Rong and Pa Klok: The Other Side of Phuket
These are located on the northeast side of Phuket, away from the western beaches that most visitors come to this island for. The reason this place is quiet is because it doesn’t offer the typical Phuket package of nice beach, smoothie bowl kind of vibe.
Instead, it offers mangroves, farming and fishing communities, quiet roads and everyday life. It is not a place to find the most beautiful beaches in Phuket, accommodation is more limited and your own transportation is almost necessary. And that is why I find it interesting.
By the way, when I say “local community”, I don’t mean it as an attraction to go and photograph, like a human zoo. I just mean a place that doesn’t perform for you. Life happens there with or without you.
5. Ao Yon: Quiet Without Going North
This one makes me laugh when I think about it. I found it accidentally. I wanted a beach to rest on between my training sessions, opened Google Maps, found it, booked a Grab and when I arrived… guess what… empty. Just me. It was my second day in Phuket. I was lucky.
I fell asleep and burned half of my face. That wasn’t funny. I had to hide my face for a week, but never mind that. The point is, this place is not far from the buzz and it’s quiet. Like, surprisingly quiet.
There are limited accommodation and restaurant options here, but you can always get a Grab. It’s close to more convenient locations.
If you want to be close but quiet, this is definitely a good option.
6. Koh Sirey: Not the Phuket Most People Came Looking For
This is a strange one, that’s why I left it for the end. It’s connected to Phuket by a short bridge but does not fit the normal image people imagine when they think of the island. The beaches here are not the best. What’s interesting is that it doesn’t fit.
You are close to Phuket Town, therefore close to the buzzing areas if you feel like you want some “cha cha cha” in your body. But you’ll find quiet roads, local life, mangroves and fewer tourists.
It’s not a place to swim. It’s a place where you can be based, live a normal local life and escape to the tourist fantasy when you feel like it, because it’s close.
The kind of Phuket I was actually looking for.
The Problem With Writing About Quiet Places
There is an uncomfortable contradiction in this article. Me talking about quiet places to stay means that, if enough people write about them, eventually they won’t be as quiet anymore.
But they do exist and many people know about them. We can still be conscious, spend locally and respect local life and culture. I don’t want to tell you how to behave. If you read all this, I am sure you know how to behave, but I wanted to raise my hand and say:
“I am not innocent.”
