Is there an entrance fee at Paradise Beach?

Yes, it has been 200 baht per person, typically including the round trip shuttle from Patong, toilets and showers, parking and a beach chair. Fees and inclusions have changed over time and at least one source reports periods with no charge, so confirm the current rate before you set out.

Is Paradise Beach worth the entrance fee?

It depends what you want. For an easy, well serviced day with showers, food, water sports, snorkelling gear and a lift back to Patong, it is reasonable value. If you want a quiet cove and no music, Tri Trang is free and a few minutes back toward Patong.

Can you snorkel at Paradise Beach?

Yes, and it is one of the better spots you can reach this easily from Patong. The reef is about 100 metres offshore, there are three rocky capes to explore, and snorkelling gear is available from the activities station on the beach. High tide is the best time.

How do you get to Paradise Beach?

The simplest way is the shuttle from Patong, which is normally included in the entrance fee and removes any parking problem. You can also drive or ride to the car park at the top and walk down to the sand. Songthaews do not serve the beach directly.

What are the full moon parties at Paradise Beach like?

They are a significant part of the operation and the atmosphere is completely different from the daytime beach: music, crowds and a late night. Go in the day for the cove and the snorkelling, and go in the evening only if a party is what you are looking for.

Paradise Beach, Phuket: A Beach Club, Not a Secret Cove

Overview

Paradise Beach is a managed beach rather than a wild one, and understanding that before you go is the difference between a good day and feeling stung. It is a pretty sheltered cove on the coast south of Patong, and it is operated as a commercial beach club: there is an entrance fee, a shuttle from Patong, sunbeds, bars, a kitchen, an activities desk and a programme of events including the full moon parties it is best known for.

If you arrive expecting a secret cove reached by jungle path, you will be disappointed, because that beach is Freedom Beach further round the coast. If you arrive expecting a well run, easy day out with showers, toilets, food, water sports and a lift back to your hotel, Paradise delivers exactly that, and the setting is genuinely lovely: two rocky capes framing pale sand and clear water.

The entrance fee has been 200 baht per person, which typically includes the round trip shuttle from Patong, use of toilets and showers, parking and a beach chair. Fees and inclusions change, and at least one source reports periods with no charge at all, so confirm the current rate before you set out rather than taking a number from any guide including this one.

What to expect on the sand

This is the most serviced beach in this part of Phuket. Expect loungers and umbrellas laid out, several bars and a restaurant, real toilets and showers, and staff. Expect music, and in the evening around a full moon expect a lot of it: the parties here are a significant part of the business and the atmosphere shifts completely after dark.

There is an activities station on the beach renting snorkelling gear, kayaks and paddleboards, with diving available too. The reef sits about 100 metres offshore and there are three rocky capes to explore, which makes the snorkelling here better than most beaches you can reach this easily from Patong.

The flip side of all that is that Paradise is busy and commercial. It is not the place for a quiet book, and in high season the sand in front of the bars fills up.

Swimming, snorkelling and safety

The cove is sheltered and the swimming is usually easy in high season, November to April, with clear water and a gentle entry in the middle of the beach. Snorkelling is best at high tide when there is enough water over the reef, and gear is available on site.

In the green season, May to October, the monsoon reaches this coast and the cove takes swell, though it is more protected than the open beaches. Because the beach is operated commercially there is generally supervision of the swimming area, which is more than can be said for the unmanaged coves nearby, but conditions still decide: if it is rough, stay in the shallows or stay out.

Our guide to the best time to visit Phuket sets out what to expect through the year.

Location and getting there

Paradise Beach is on the coast south of Patong, past Tri Trang Beach, roughly 15 to 20 minutes by road from central Patong and about 17 kilometres from Phuket Town.

The simplest way in is the shuttle included with the entrance fee, which runs from Patong and removes the parking problem entirely. If you drive yourself there is parking at the top, included in the fee, and a walk down to the sand. Songthaews do not serve the beach directly.

The approach is steeper than most people expect. The car park sits above the cove and the path down is a real descent, which is easy enough on the way in and noticeably harder coming back up in the afternoon heat with beach gear. If anyone in your group struggles with steps or slopes, take the shuttle and use the drop off rather than driving and parking at the top.

Good to know

The entrance fee is the thing to check. Confirm the current price and what it includes when you book the shuttle or arrive at the gate.

Go in the day for the cove and the snorkelling, and go in the evening only if a party is what you want. Bring cash. For a free beach on the same stretch of coast, Tri Trang Beach is a few minutes back toward Patong, and for the harder to reach cove further round, see Freedom Beach. Every beach on the island is listed on our Phuket beaches page.