Panwa Beach in Phuket: swimming, Ao Yon and Cape Panwa hotels (2026 guide)
Panwa is the peninsula in south-east Phuket, on the calm side of the island. Its beaches are better for relaxing than for swimming: the sand at Panwa Beach (Kao Khad) is stony underfoot, with mangroves at each end, and at low tide, often in the evening, swimming becomes impossible. The exception cited by guides is Ao Yon, one of the few beaches where you can swim in the rainy season. The prettiest coves belong to hotels (Cape Panwa Hotel, Sri Panwa).
Highlights
The Panwa coast
A calm coast in the south-east of the island, far from the bustle of Patong, with views of the sea and boats.
Ao Yon
The bay most quoted for swimming, including when the west-coast beaches are rough in the monsoon. Quiet, few services.
The peninsula's hotels
Cape Panwa Hotel has its private beach, Sri Panwa a tiny white beach at its best at low tide, and the Crowne Plaza Phuket Panwa Beach is near Makham Beach, described as a bit muddy. Hotel beaches are in principle for guests.
Practical info
Tips
- Check the tide table before coming to swim. There is little to do in the evening: plan a taxi for dinner. The Phuket Aquarium is at the tip of the cape, a rainy-day outing for children. To stay in Panwa, see all-inclusive hotels, including Panwa ones and how to choose a hotel. For a real swimming beach in the south, Nai Harn. Information from travel guides, not an official site; sources contradict each other on access to the hotel beach.
How to get there
Cape Panwa is about 20 minutes by car from Phuket Town (estimate, aquarium in the same area). Taxi or Grab; local transport is scarce. See getting around Phuket.
Opening hours
Our guides that feature it
Nearby
See on the map →
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