Rawai Beach is a beach located in the south of the island of Phuket and is a locals’ favorite for years. Rawai Beach has a laid-back vibe and is lined with bars to help you take the edge off life. Many people prefer to stay in Rawai for their entire Phuket vacation, preferring the atmosphere here over elsewhere.
Rawai claims the title of being officially the first tourist beach. While Rawai Beach itself is not very good for swimming it is very inviting to stroll along the beach, rest underneath the evergreen Casuarina trees, which can easily grow up to 35 meters providing plenty of shade, and/or contemplate what you are going to eat next. While the real estate development happened more inland over the years, more and more restaurants popped up along the main beach road taking over the ever present night bars. So now you can choose between burger joints, Thai seafood, pizza, spaghetti or whatever you would like to have for breakfast, lunch or dinner. For locals as well as international tourists and expats, one of the favourite restaurant is Nikitas Beach Restaurant with its mixture of Asian and Western culinary delights, located right at the beginning of the Rawai Beach stretch.
From Rawai beach you can plan a trip to Koh Lon, Koh Bon, Coral Island or Racha islands. Easy to reach with your motorbike, you can change the scenery by enjoying a day on Nai Harn Beach and finish it at Cape Promthep.
BTW: The name Rawai derives from the Thai word “Rao Wai” which translates into “I Pray”. This has a lot to do with the legend which says that Buddha, leaving a “footprint” on the island in front of the famous Cape Promthep, set foot on Phuket where today is the village of Rawai.
Rawai Beach is not a beach for sport or bathing as most of the beach access area is used for longtail boat anchoring. But we recommend to visit Rawai Beach for lunch or dinner as it has great local restaurants with tables under trees along the beach, which serving fresh seafood for very reasonable prices.
