09 September 2013

We had a short stopover in Phuket for only 2 nights.   We chose to stay at Kata as this is known to be the quieter of the three main beach areas (Patong, Karon and Kata).  The beach itself was so different to those in Phi Phi with big waves, slightly coarser sand and, believe it or not, more people.  There were even ‘no swim’ zones due to rough currents.

We enjoyed a (windy) afternoon stroll on Kata beach and also a morning tanning session the next day.  It was a slightly quieter vibe here and even though it was difficult to swim because of the very high Spring tide, we still enjoyed a few dips to cool off.

The excitement of the day was when R helped save a lady from the rip tide which had pulled her out to sea when her and her boyfriend were swimming in the ‘no swim’ zone.  Even though she had passed out and collapsed from exhaustion by the time they got her on to the beach, she was fine and recovered with oxygen and lots of rest.

The wave house just next to the beach was very cool and reminded me very much of the Gateway wave house in Umhlanga, South Africa.

Kata had a huge selection of restaurants, hotels, shopping areas and travel agents. There is also a buzzing taxi industry taking tourists between Patong, Karon, Kata, Old Phuket town and the Phuket port and airport.  Our taxi from Phuket port (from the Phi Phi ferry) took at least an hour to Kata which was not bad considering the heavy traffic.

The ClubMed Kata resort spans almost the full length of the beach front which means that anyone staying in a resort behind this has to go around in order to get to the beach on either end.  We didn’t mind the walk though! So many interesting things to see in this little beach village.