Kata

Kata is a subdistrict of Karon and is fairly substantial in size itself. Shaped like a thick letter "L", the village stretches about one-and-a-half kilometres from north to south and two kilometres from west to east up in the Kata hills. Very much like the main Karon district, which it is part of, the village borders a fantastic one and a half kilometre long beach and stretches across a low area, finally ending at the hills to the east. Though smaller than Karon, the village has grown to include copies of just about everything you can find in Karon as far as shopping goes. Although the beach is much smaller in length and width, the sand is quite nice and there are plenty of trees providing shade, thus blocking the hot afternoon sun. As mentioned in similar terms about Karon Beach, it’s a much more relaxed area than Patong Beach. In fact, Kata Beach is on an even more relaxing mode than Karon. This is a great place to throw your beach mat or towel on the sand and just fall asleep on the beach. The main city area is about 100 meters inland from the beach, so this helps keep the beach area quiet and peaceful, as most vehicles will be using Highway 4233 in the city as opposed to the beach road running along its border. Parents with small children will also enjoy the large park across from the beach, located behind the Surf House Bar. A good thing to know about Kata Beach is that even in low-season (from April to October) the beach attracts many visitors as it is one of the few good surf spots on the island. Following are a few of the numerous restaurants you can go and enjoy a nice meal in Kata: - Gastone Italian Restaurant is located at the southern end of Kata Beach on Soi Khoktanod and has a nice ambience and décor. It offers authentic Italian cuisine and gets great ratings from its guests. - Kampong Kata Hill, located between Kata and Karon on Patak Road, is open only for dinner at 4 pm. It has great cocktails and crab spring rolls, a very nice overview and an impressive décor. This restaurant received the best reviews from guests, with a 4.7 out of 5 rating average. - Kata On Fire Bar & Grill is also very highly rated and is set away from the beach up Soi Khoktanod. It is not recognized for its special ambience but serves excellent food. There are also a few nice places to stay in Kata, such as the Club Med, the Kata Beach Resort & Spa and the Sawasdee Village, to name just a few of them.