It’s considered one of the priciest beaches on the island. Located essentially at a dead end, the road leading to the beach ends right there. It’s a small beach surrounded by luxury hotels with no budget accommodation. Everything is civilised and well-maintained.
The sea is lovely too and you’ll have a pleasant time here, but for entertainment you’ll need to pop over to neighbouring Kata. Kata Noi beach is perfect for a peaceful and relaxed holiday lounging under umbrellas and having a jolly good swim in the warm water. It’s absolutely gorgeous and draws loads of tourists.
Beach Overview
Kata Noi is further than Kata, being the next beach slightly south. Unlike Kata, hotels occupy the beachfront here, and the only road running through the area is separated from the shoreline by these hotels.
Kata Noi beach sits in the southwestern part of the island, roughly 12 miles (20 km) from the main town. “Noi” means “small” in Thai, and true to its name, it’s a modest-sized beach. That said, it’s quite wide from 30 to 150 feet (10-50 meters), depending on the season and tides.
It stretches about 0.5 miles (700 meters). At both ends, the sand gradually blends into a chain of reefs, becoming a favourite spot for snorkellers. There and in the occasional rocky formations near the shore, you can watch crabs going about their business.
Due to the small size of the bay, there’s hardly any boat traffic in the beach waters, which is another plus for tourists. It’s covered in very fine white sand, with crystal-clear turquoise water. The sand is pristine. Being further south than other beaches means it’s less crowded.
Being more remote, you might spot people sunbathing topless. Since it’s at a dead end, there’s no noise from streets or the city.
Swimming
Kata Noi is deeper than Kata – I measured the depth at both beaches at the same time. At Kata Noi, after just 15 feet (5 meters) it’s neck-deep and keeps getting deeper. There’s hardly any tide. No rocks, just sand.
Throughout winter and half of spring, the sea is like a sleeping giant. The waves are calm and safe, but come late spring, summer and autumn, as is typical for other Phuket beaches, large waves appear. It’s a real magnet for surfers, who gather here in numbers. That’s when just swimming becomes rather dangerous.
Quick tide changes and strong winds that can whip up unexpected waves create genuine risks for people wanting to splash about in the sea. During this period, they put up flags warning that swimming is dangerous.
Sunbeds and Shade
Shade at Kata Noi is as tricky as at Kata – I’d say even trickier. I walked the entire beach and didn’t spot a single tree growing on the public shoreline.
There are just a few trees hanging over the public beach at both ends of Kata Noi (where the rocks are) and in a couple of spots in the middle, but if it’s busy these spots might be taken. Hotel beaches are traditionally separated by concrete walls and you won’t be allowed in there, which is exactly where most of the palm trees are.
You can sit in their long shadows during morning hours, but once the sun reaches its peak you’ll need to get the umbrellas out. Like at Kata beach, there are several rows of sunbeds with umbrellas along the entire beach from hotels, available for rent. There are plenty of sunbeds, so finding a free one isn’t hard.
The bit of shade that falls on the beach from trees on hotel grounds is taken up by the hotel’s own sunbeds. You won’t be able to lay your own blanket or towel there. Standard price is 100 baht per day. Hotels typically have their own private beach section, so hotel guests get free sunbeds.
Beach Photos
Amenities
It’s quite a remote beach with no noisy spots, lots of families with small children and everyone keeps to themselves. There are hardly any shops, just stalls selling cold drinks, fruit and seafood.
You won’t find cheap Thai cafes or street food stands, but you can eat at hotel restaurants. The list of nearby massage parlours, bars or shops would barely reach a dozen.
Of course, there are a few shops around Kata Noi where you can buy souvenirs and clothes, but there are no markets or large shopping centres. For someone exploring on foot, Kata Noi won’t leave many memories. There are no attractions or entertainment venues.
Kata Noi is all about relaxation and escaping the fast pace of big cities, shopping sprees and various shows. But if you do fancy window shopping and supporting the Thai economy, head over to Kata beach.
At Kata Noi, entertainment is limited to lounging on sunbeds, playing in the sand, swimming in the sea, riding a jet ski or banana boat, and you can try scuba diving in the southern part of the beach.
In the southern rocky area of Kata Noi beach, there are colourful coral reefs that haven’t been damaged by boats or tourists yet. So you can go snorkelling. There’s snorkel, mask and fin rental available, but they’re in poor condition – better to buy your own, there are cheap options.
Accommodation
Kata Noi is the type of beach where finding beachfront accommodation isn’t a problem. Indeed, there’s no trouble finding the Katathani Phuket Beach Resort 5 which occupies most of the shoreline. That’s precisely why it’s quite dear.
Finding budget accommodation right by the beach isn’t possible. The nearest affordable options are a bit further from the sea and might already be booked. Usually, mid-range tourists choose to stay at hotels and guesthouses nearby, specifically at Kata beach, where accommodation starts from 500 baht per night.
How to Find the Beach
Kata beach is split by rocks into 2 parts – the busier Kata Beach and the peaceful Kata Noi.
Kata Noi beach lies south of Kata beach and is separated by a rocky headland, so you can only get here by road, not along the shore. You need to walk from the southern part of Kata beach along the road, first uphill, then downhill as you cross over the hill, and then continue walking along the road.
By public transport, you need to get here via Kata beach. That means first taking a bus from the station on Ranong Road in Phuket Town to Kata and then walking. From Patong and Karon, you can take a taxi, tuk-tuk or walk after going through all of Kata.
You can only access the beach itself in two spots: at the beginning (right side of the beach) and near the end (left side of the beach). You might be able to go through cafes or resorts, but I haven’t tried. So there are two specific entrances with space to park your scooter, and most people use these two access points.
Right Entrance with Stairs
If you’re walking to Kata Noi, there’s no point going to the far entrance – choose the nearest one.
When you reach the top of the hill that separates Kata and Kata Noi, before starting the descent you’ll see parked scooters on the roadside and stairs steeply descending from the road to your destination.
It takes a couple of minutes to walk down. This will be the start of the beach, its right side (when facing the sea) – this is the entrance you want.
You can park your scooter here too. The only issue is that the parking near the stairs is smaller and less organised. It’s just a narrow, uneven bit of tarmac, so parking a scooter here might be a bit dodgy as it could tip over. Though people don’t seem to mind, as you can see in the photo.
Left Entrance
If you’re on a scooter, it doesn’t matter which entrance you choose, as there’s parking at both. But in the left part of the beach, near the hotel, there’s proper civilised parking, safer and with more space.
The second entrance is after the Kata Thani hotel, about 0.5 miles from the stairs – just continue along the road to the right turn and “Beach” sign. You’ll see lots of scooters there. Though in peak season there might not be enough parking space for everyone, so you might need to wait a bit as people are constantly coming and going.