KATA BEACH

Out of all the areas I've been to on Phuket island, so far I like the area around Kata Beach the best.  The beach itself is fairly narrow and only a mile or so long; a raised area just beyond the sand is covered in grass and makes a pleasant spot to have a picnic.  The edge of the beach and this grassy park area is shaded by palm trees and subdued lighting is provided in the evening by lamp posts lining an adjacent road.  Club Med is nearby as are several other fancy resorts — definitely not your typical beachfront bungalows and guesthouses here.

The entire area is very clean and tidy, definitely not the norm in many of the areas on Phuket.

The nearby shops in Kata seem a bit nicer than in other beachfront communities such as Patong, Kamala, or even Karon with the standard minimarts, open-air bars, and massage parlors being the norm.  However, I've spotted a few unique-appearing shops as we've sped past on the motorbike.  Tonight, I saw what appeared to be a well-stocked bookshop (a rarity on Phuket) as well as a market area for arts and crafts (many of these on the island, but this one seemed to be missing the tackiness of most of the others I've seen).  We'll have to come back to Kata some day just to do some window-shopping.  Tonight, we were there to have a small picnic with La and Jum and to watch the sunset (which was sort of a dud).