Rawai



Rawai (หาดราไวย์ Hat Rawai) is a seafront village in Phuket. The northern part of Rawai is known as Hat Mittraphap (หาดมิตรภาพ), and has some beachfront, while the southern portion is the urban area and a port called Laem Ka (แหลมกา).

Understand
Rawai is at the southern tip of Phuket. It is much less touristy than nearby Kata and Patong Beaches. This palm-fringed sea front is best known for sea gypsies, a formerly nomadic fishing minority believed to be of Melanesian descent.

You will often see references to "Rawai Beach". Forget it. There is no beach in Rawai, at least not of the type you can swim in, except at the north end, where few tourists will venture. Why bother, when you can go to Nai Harn Beach? The tides in Rawai are pronounced. Boats moor, then are beached when the tide recedes. It is picturesque, but it's not a beach.

Get in
Along with Chalong Bay, Rawai is one of Phuket's three main ports and has connections to many of Phuket's islands.

Get around
Rawai is quite spread out and a motorbike is highly recommended. The longer your hire period, the cheaper it becomes, and is possible to hire one for around 120 baht/day. Otherwise expect to pay 150-200 baht/day depending on the type of bike.

Do
Rawai Beach itself is only used to moor fishing boats, longtails, and speedboats, used for snorkelling and sightseeing trips to Phuket's neighbouring islands. The new pier is not used for boats, but makes a nice walking/fishing pier.

There is a sea gypsy village just north of the pier with shops and longtail boats for rent, and lots of seafood restaurants on the waterfront. This is where Phuket Town comes on the weekend for a beach party. There are a few popular cocktail bars on the beach for a limited but fun night life.



Learn
Rawai has plenty of muay Thai gyms. If you're interested in a one day lesson or a six month training stint, it's a good place to look. Two gyms below, but there are at least half a dozen more within a 4 km radius.



Drink
Rawai has many beer bars along the seafront. They close at 02:00. Clubs/discos such as Laguna stay open past 02:00 every night and are popular with local bar girls when they finish work.



Go next

 * Ko Bon is 10 min away by boat and has a good beach and restaurant.
 * Nai Han Beach is only a few minutes away by motorbike or taxi or local bus and is one of the nicest beaches on the island.