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Mai Khao Beach
This is one of four beaches in Sirinath National Park. It extends from Nai Yang Beach to Sai Kaew Beach. Nai Yang Bay curves to an end and then straightens into Mai Khao Beach. At 9 kilometers, it is the longest beach on Phuket. It is a beautiful stretch of sand with very little development, apart from two up-market hotels and the airport at the southern end of the beach.
Although the beach is in the national park, most of it is free to access. It is only at the southern tip of the beach where it meets Nai Yang Beach that they may collect an entrance fee. If they do collect the fee then they use a two-tier pricing system so it will be 100 baht for foreigners and 20 baht for Thais.
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The easiest place to access the beach is at the far northern end. Here Thepkrasattri Road meets the west coast just before reaching Sarasin Bridge. There is a line of rustic restaurants on the beach serving good Thai food. The pace of life here is slow. It is a nice place to relax and take in the beautiful scenery. This is the point where Mai Khao Beach is considered to meet Sai Kaew Beach although there is no physical boundary between the two.
On the other side of the road is the nature education center. Behind it is a nature trail that meanders through the mangrove forest. If you really take your time it will take an hour to walk around.
The central area of the beach is a little difficult to find. There are a few small roads that wind their way to the beach. This is also the location of the up-market JW Marriott Resort & Spa and the Sala Phuket Resort and Spa.
Golden sand covers the 9-kilometer beach. The sand is nice but a little too course for us to give it a 5-star rating. The beach slopes quite steeply into the sea so it is a nice bathing beach but not ideal. During the rainy season, it is notoriously dangerous.
The national park has done a good job of limiting development. The airport is at the south end of the beach but flights are not so regular as to make them a major annoyance.
This is one of the beaches where sea turtles lay their eggs from November to February. However, their population has been in steady decline and it is not clear how many turtles still make it here, if any. Baby turtle releasing events are organised every year to try to replenish the population.
How to Get There
You can reach the southern end of the beach by driving to Nai Yang and then turning right into the national park. You can drive to the northern end of the beach on Thepkrasattri Road just before Sarasin Bridge. There are a few small roads that wind to the central part of the beach.
Accommodation
For those that want a bit of luxury away from the crowds there are two wonderfully remote and very luxurious hotels at this beach.
JW
Marriott Resort & Spa (5 star)
Sala
Phuket Resort and Spa (5 star)
See our Accommodation section for more advice about finding rooms.
