Hat Surin

Hat Surin (Surin Beach) is a quiet beach backed by hills on the west side of Phuket. It lies above Patong and Kamala, just to the south of Ao Bang Thao, and is backed by sharp hills dotted with upscale residences and resorts.
The best thing about Hat Surin is that it has that laid back village atmosphere and is a far cry from the madness of Patong, which incidentally is just a 20-minute drive away if you feel the need to party. Hotels are relatively cheap in Surin, bar the top-enders, and there are many cheap beachside restaurants to eat at, along with a line of cafés set back off the beach.

The beach itself is nice with clear water and dazzling sands, while the paradisiacal Pansea Bay lies just to the north and Laem Singh to the south at the foot of a cliff. Chilling out at the beach in Hat Surin seems to be the order of the day here. During the day, we weren't really able to see much of the island South of Hat Surin, though the drive to the Ao-Poh pier was quite scenic, with the views alternating between lush jungle and small rice paddys, crop field and tropical orchards. The scenery on Phangnga Bay is impressive and at times down right stunning; it was particularly interesting to be able to watch flying fish skip, and sometimes even bounce, across the calm waters of the bay in the wake of our boat. Of course, it's practically a requirement that you make your way to the coast as sunset approaches to really appreciate the beauty of Phuket.