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Friendship Beach
This long shingly beach on the south side of the island runs from Chalong Pier most of the way to Rawai. Chalong Pier is the main set off point for diving, fishing and cruising trips around the southern islands.
The water in Chalong Bay is shallow and when the tide is out it can recede as much as a kilometer revealing a seabed of sand and mud littered with rocks.
Like most of the southern beaches, it is not suited to bathing. The beach is sandy with a good sprinkling of shingle. It is a nice beach to walk and enjoy the views to the islands of Koh Lone and Koh Hee (Coral Island). There are a few nice bungalow resorts and a few restaurants backing onto the beach.
Phuket Riding Club is nearby and you can arrange a 2-hour horse ride along the beach for around 1,250 baht.- email:pemika2006@hotmail.com.
Chao Fa East Road runs parallel to the beach a few hundred yards back. Between the road and the beach are some resorts and housing projects.
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Tourists will probably only visit this beach if they are staying at one of the resorts here. The Friendship Beach Resort is a popular Sunday afternoon lunch spot with local ex-pats. It has a restaurant and swimming pool right next to the beach and serves a good range of western and Thai food including some of the best burgers on the island.
How to Get There
Considering it is a long beach, it is strangely difficult to find a route to it. Many of the small roads that run towards the beach are dead ends or cross private property and have 'no entry' signs.
There are routes to the beach if you keep looking. You could try the small lane at the western end signposted to Laemkanoi Restaurant or start from the Chalong Pier end. Also, there is a road from the high point of Chao Fa East Road through some light woodland.
Accommodation
There is plenty of budget accommodation in Chalong and also some nice bungalow resorts along the beach. Set back on the other side of Chao Fa East Road is the up-market Mangosteen Resort and Spa.
Mangosteen
Resort & Spa (5 Star)
Outrigger
Serenity Terrace (5 Star)
The
Vijjit Resort (5 Star)
See our Accommodation section for more advice about finding rooms.
