Bang Tao

Bang Tao is more than a beach. Behind it lies Cherngtalay, a town with a life of its own. At the entrance to Laguna is Boat Avenue: restaurants, Villa Market for the chef’s shopping and, on Fridays, a night market. Nearby are the Porto de Phuket shopping centre and the BDMS clinic in Canal Village.

This is also where people buy. In 2025 almost one in five of Phuket’s villa sales was in Cherngtalay, and the major international agencies keep their offices here.

Bang Tao accounts for almost a third of the island’s new condominium supply, and a square metre in its condominiums costs more than anywhere else in Phuket. It is an easy district to stay in for a season.

The south, towards Surin

Catch Beach Club is here. Phuket’s fashion for beach clubs began with it: it once stood at Surin and later moved here. Carpe Diem is close by.

The middle: Laguna

About three kilometres of the shore belong to Laguna Phuket: six hotels, lagoons, a golf course. It has a page of its own.

The north, towards Layan

The further north you go, the less building and the fewer people on the sand. The bay ends at quiet Layan.

By the water. Resorts take up most of the shore, so a private villa right on the sand is rare here. It is worth looking early, especially for New Year.

In a gated community. A villa behind a guarded entrance, a few minutes from the beach. Practical if you come for a month or more: shops, restaurants and the clinic are close by.

In a residence. A serviced apartment, if you want a home you can lock and leave. A foreigner may own a condominium unit within the quota of 49% of the building’s floor area. A villa is usually a 30-year lease on the land, with ownership of the building.

• A villa for a month or a season, with cleaning, the garden, the pool and small repairs handled without you. More in Home & Household.
• Buying. We find homes to suit how you plan to use them: to live in, to let, or both. Before any deposit, we arrange for a lawyer to check the title and the ownership structure. Phuket is among the priority provinces in the 2026 campaign against nominee companies, so this is not a formality.
• Before buying, it makes sense to live in the same community for a while: it is better to know the road, the neighbours and the noise before the deal. We will find a villa for that period.
• A driver for the whole trip, with Cherngtalay’s traffic allowed for.
• Tables at Catch for sunset and in Laguna’s restaurants.