Bang Tao Beach

Travel Guide

Hotel Deals of the Day

best price guarantee

At over eight kilometres long, Bang Tao is the second longest beach on Phuket. The northern half of the beach has been annexed by the ultra-luxurious Laguna Complex of five-star hotels, but there's still plenty of sand to share. Travellers without a super-sized budget shouldn't be scared off by this mega-resort as the southern stretch is home to enough mid-range options that Bang Tao is still worth considering.

The area around Bang Tao was formerly tin-mining country and the Laguna Complex's artificial lakes are actually filled-in pits. Much of northern Phuket, Bang Tao included, was almost completely abandoned when the mines ran dry. It wasn't until droves of tourists began to arrive that interest in Bang Tao was re-sparked, and parcels of land were quickly (and sometimes illicitly) snatched up by property developers.

To this day controversy surrounds ownership of some parcels of land in both the Bang Tao area and sections of Khao Lak. Corrupt politicians and other people of influence have, across the country, often tried to take advantage of Thailand's sometimes vague land title system and Phuket has some prime examples of this type of abuse.

But swathes of dodgy land deals shouldn't bother slowly bronzing tourists and Bang Tao remains a fine area for a bit of bronzing. The beach is long and the waters calm. There's plentiful shade and in high season this area is a hit for water-sports.

From a traveller's perspective, the focus is firmly settled on southern Bang Tao where there is a strip of small resorts lining the beach and a small village set further inland. Although you may not realise it until you've heard the call to prayer ringing out from the village mosque, this is a predominantly Muslim area and their conservative beliefs should be respected. If you plan to wander off the beach and into the village please remember to dress appropriately. No one will abuse you for wearing a bikini and sarong to the convenience store, but it's impolite and inconsiderate.

During the high season the sea at Bang Tao is calm and perfect for swimming and water sports. While it is possible to swim here year round, swells and under-currents are common during the rainy season. Red flags are erected on the beach when swimming is dangerous, and you should heed their warning to keep out of the water.

Get orientated with a map of Bang Tao Beach, Thailand

Bang Tao Beach reviews

Backchat from the Travelfish community

Not a soul has had a thing to say about this place -- why don't you get the ball rolling?

Have your say

You need to be logged in to add a review.

Username: Password:

Not a member? you can join here.
Review title

Snappiness encouraged ;-)

When did you visit here?

This gives your review a bit of context - especially if you were last in Chiang Mai in 1932.

Your review

(Remotely sensible, non-ranting comments are much appreciated. If you don't like somewhere, please explain why -- it's all far more helpful for others that way.) Serial ranters, loons and spammers will be banished!
And please, no self-promotional URLs -- that's what your signature field is for.

So how does it rate?

On a scale of one to ten (with 10 being outstanding and 1 being bloody awful) how would you rate here under the following criteria?

Note: Ratings are OUT OF TEN -- not five!
Please note comments are edited for clarity, typos and style before they appear. Ranting tirades, spam and anything else that really belongs somewhere else won't make the cut. If you want to rant, go to Thorntree.

Please login and refresh this screen before writing your review -- thanks!