Why were the beach clubs removed from Surin Beach?

In 2014 the authorities cleared every structure off the sand as part of a national campaign to reclaim encroached public land, and further clearances have happened since, most recently in 2025. The businesses moved to the road behind the beach and onto the headlands, and the beach itself is now open and uncluttered.

Is Surin Beach dangerous for swimming?

It can be, and it is one of the beaches most often named in Phuket drowning reports. The sand shelves steeply in places and monsoon swell breaks close in, producing heavy shorebreak and strong rip currents between May and October. In high season, November to April, it is usually calm and swims well. Obey red flags without exception.

Where do you eat at Surin Beach?

Behind the beach and up toward Cherng Talay, which between them have one of the strongest restaurant selections in Phuket, and at the beach clubs that now sit on the headlands either side rather than on the sand.

Is there parking at Surin Beach?

There is a car park and limited roadside space at the beach access, and in high season it fills, partly because the beach is short and there is nowhere else to leave a car. Motorbikes manage easily. Songthaews run along the coast road.

Surin Beach, Phuket: Beautiful, Bare and Steep

Q: Are there facilities at Surin Beach?

Very few. Umbrella and mat hire has come and gone with successive clearances so do not rely on it, and there are no public restrooms on the beach: visitors generally use the facilities of the restaurants behind. Bring water, shade and cash.

Overview

Surin Beach is the short, good looking one between Kamala and Bang Tao, about 800 metres of soft pale sand held between two green headlands. For years it was the most fashionable beach on the island, lined with high end beach clubs and restaurants built right onto the sand. Then, in 2014, the authorities cleared every structure off the beach as part of a national campaign to reclaim public land, and Surin changed overnight.

What is left is arguably better and definitely emptier: an open, clean, uncluttered crescent of sand with trees behind it and no rows of loungers blocking the view. There have been further clearances since, most recently in 2025, so the sensible expectation is that you will find very little for sale on the sand itself.

The food and drink moved rather than disappeared. The road behind Surin and the area up toward Cherng Talay has one of the strongest restaurant selections in Phuket, and the beach clubs that used to sit on the sand now sit on the headlands either side. So Surin today is a beach you walk down to, swim at and walk back up from, rather than one you spend money on.

What to expect on the sand

Expect very little infrastructure. Umbrella and mat hire has come and gone with successive clearances, so do not build your day around it, and there are no public restrooms on the beach: in practice people use the facilities of the restaurants behind. Bring water, bring shade if you burn, and bring cash for the walk back up.

The compensation is the beach itself. The sand is fine and soft, the bay is a neat crescent, the headlands at either end are green and rocky, and without a wall of businesses on it the whole thing simply looks better than most beaches on this coast.

The southern end is the important corner for anyone heading further: the rocky path toward Laem Singh Beach starts there, and small boats to Laem Singh have traditionally left from the same spot.

Swimming, surf and safety

High season, November to April, is good swimming here. The bay is enclosed enough to stay reasonably calm, the water is clear and the slope is moderate.

Green season, May to October, is where Surin earns its reputation for being dangerous, and it deserves it. The beach shelves steeply in places and the monsoon swell breaks close to shore, which produces powerful shorebreak and strong rip currents. Surin is one of the beaches most often named in Phuket drowning reports. Lifeguards work the beach in season but cover is not continuous. If a red flag is flying, or if you can see the waves dumping heavily onto the sand, do not go in. This is not an overcautious warning.

Our guide to the best time to visit Phuket sets out what each month looks like.

Location and getting there

Surin is on the northwest coast between Kamala to the south and Bang Tao to the north, about 25 minutes from the airport and roughly 24 kilometres from Phuket Town. The coast road connects it both ways and the drive south over the headland toward Kamala Beach is a good one.

Parking is the main practical problem. There is a car park and limited roadside space at the beach access, and in high season it fills, partly because the beach is short and partly because there is nowhere else to put a car. Motorbikes manage. Songthaews run along the coast road and taxis are easy.

The road down to the beach from the coast road is short and steep, and the walk back up in the middle of the afternoon is warmer than it looks on the way down. If you are carrying a cooler or beach gear, park as close as you can rather than optimistically leaving the car at the top.

Good to know

Entry is free and the beach is public, which is precisely what the clearances were about.

Sunset here is one of the better ones on the coast because the headlands frame it. Since services on the sand are unreliable, treat Surin as a swim and a walk rather than a full day out, and eat at one of the restaurants behind it or at the beach clubs on the headlands, which are covered in our best beach clubs in Phuket roundup. Every other stretch of sand is on our Phuket beaches page.