Banana Beach & Laem Singh Phuket: Hidden Beaches Guide 2026

Phuket's reputation for beautiful beaches is genuinely earned, but most visitors and even many long-term residents never get beyond the main beaches that appear first on Google. Banana Beach and Laem Singh are two of the best arguments for making the effort to go further. Both sit on the mid-to-northern stretch of Phuket's west coast, both require slightly more effort to reach than Kamala or Surin, and both reward that effort with beaches that feel considerably more like what Phuket used to be like before the hotels arrived.

This guide covers both beaches properly — access, conditions, facilities, and honest assessments of when they're worth visiting and when you'd be better off elsewhere.

Laem Singh Beach: Phuket's Most Beautiful Postcard

Laem Singh is the beach that appears in approximately 40% of all Phuket promotional photographs — the one you've seen in travel magazines, on hotel websites, in airline advertisements. A small arc of white sand enclosed by dramatic green-forested headlands, photographed from above at the right angle in the right light. It looks almost too perfect, which prompts suspicion that it's been enhanced. It hasn't. The view from the road above is genuinely what's there.

Accessing it requires descending approximately 100 steps on a steep path from the main road between Kamala and Surin. The path is maintained and not technically difficult but demands reasonable mobility and confident footing — it's not for anyone with significant knee problems or mobility concerns. A rope handrail assists on the steepest sections. The descent takes 5–10 minutes; the climb back is more demanding. Alternatively, longtail boats from Kamala will deliver you directly to the beach — negotiate at Kamala pier for 200–400 THB per person return or charter the boat.

Laem Singh: What You'll Find at the Bottom

The beach itself is 150–200 metres long, enclosed, with forested headlands on both sides. The water is typically exceptional in high season — very clear, calm (sheltered by the headlands), and the distinctive deep turquoise-blue that the photographs aren't lying about. Sand quality is good. Swimming is safe for confident swimmers in high season; conditions can be rougher in wet season and red flags are respected.

Facilities are deliberately minimal: a small beach bar/restaurant at the base of the path serving cold drinks, Thai food and fresh coconuts at reasonable prices (60–200 THB), limited sunbed hire (150–250 THB per bed), and a massage area. No beach clubs, no speedboat tours, no vendors working the sand aggressively. The access friction keeps the character intact.

Banana Beach: The Less Famous Alternative

Banana Beach (sometimes called Hat Nai Thon Noi) sits further north, on the coast between Kamala and Naithon Beach. The name comes from the banana trees that line the access path — a narrow dirt track through forest that reaches the beach after 200–300 metres on foot. The access is motorbike-navigable but tight; cars are not practical. Alternatively, longtail boats from Naithon Beach or Kamala can be chartered to reach it by sea.

The beach is around 200 metres long, with a quality that sits slightly below Laem Singh but above most of Phuket's main tourist beaches. Water clarity is good in high season, the setting is forested and undeveloped, and the crowd levels are consistently low because of the access requirement. Banana Beach has more sand than Laem Singh and better sunbathing conditions, with a less dramatic but still scenic headland framing.

Banana Beach Facilities

Simple beach bar with cold drinks and Thai food (50–180 THB), some sunbeds, and generally nothing else. This is the experience — no services beyond the basics. Mobile connectivity is limited. The simplicity is the point for residents who make the trip when they want to switch off completely.

Getting There: Practical Access Guide

Laem Singh: From Kamala Beach, drive north on the coastal road toward Surin. Approximately 2km north of Kamala, there is a roadside parking area on the left (seaward side) at the top of the path. Parking is tight — 6–8 motorbikes or 2–3 cars. Arrive early on peak season days. By Grab from Kamala the fare is 60–100 THB; from Surin 50–80 THB; from Bang Tao/Laguna 150–250 THB. Longtail boat from Kamala pier: 200–400 THB per person return, or charter for 600–1,000 THB.

Banana Beach: From the main west coast road between Kamala and Naithon, the turnoff is marked but easy to miss — it's a narrow track on the seaward side. GPS coordinates are the most reliable navigation tool. By motorbike from Kamala: 10–15 minutes. From Bang Tao or Laguna: 20–25 minutes. No realistic access by car. Longtail from Naithon Beach or Kamala: 200–400 THB per person.

Best Time to Visit: Seasonality and Conditions

High season (November–April): both beaches are at their best. Clear water, calm conditions, reliable sunshine. Peak weekends in January and February can see Laem Singh get relatively busy by Phuket standards (which still means far less than Kamala or Patong); Banana Beach stays very quiet throughout.

Wet season (May–October): both beaches are still accessible and worth visiting for scenery, but swimming conditions vary significantly. Laem Singh in particular can have strong swell during peak monsoon (July–September) — the confined cove can make waves more powerful than they look from the path above. Red flags should be respected seriously here. Banana Beach is slightly more exposed and similarly rough in heavy monsoon. The vegetation is extraordinarily lush in wet season if you're coming for the landscape rather than the swimming.

Combining Both Beaches in a Day

Banana Beach and Laem Singh are separated by approximately 5–6km of coastal road — close enough to visit both in a single day trip, which makes sense if you're making the drive north from Kamala or Bang Tao. A logical morning sequence: arrive at Laem Singh at 8am when it's quiet, 2–3 hours there, then continue north to Banana Beach for the afternoon. The two beaches offer complementary experiences: Laem Singh for the iconic scenery and better swimming, Banana Beach for the utter peace and forest setting.

If you're based in Bang Tao or Laguna, this double beach day is an excellent use of a weekday. The drive from Bang Tao to Laem Singh is 15–20 minutes; the whole day requires no boat, no advance planning, and costs very little beyond transport and a modest amount of food and drink.

Why These Two Beaches Matter for Phuket Residents

Long-term Phuket residents know what happens to good beaches when they become easily accessible. Surin Beach went from local secret to beach club corridor in a few years. Kamala has been gradually developing. Laem Singh and Banana Beach have held their character largely because their access acts as a natural filter — not excluding people who want to visit, but excluding the kind of mass-market beach tourism that changes the character of a place.

For residents who've been on the island long enough to have watched several beaches change, these two represent an increasingly rare thing: beautiful Phuket beaches that still feel like Phuket rather than a generic tropical resort. The effort to reach them is minimal but meaningful. Go on a Tuesday in November and you'll understand exactly why certain long-term expats consider them the best beaches on the island.

For more hidden beach guides, see the pages on Freedom Beach (south Phuket, boat access), Ya Nui and Ao Sane (near Rawai), and Kata Noi. The full Phuket beach swimming guide covers all the main options. And if you're considering living near these beaches, the Kamala area guide and Surin and Cherng Talay guide cover the lifestyle and housing picture in detail.