Ao Yon Beach

Ao Yon Beach is located close to the deep sea port on the Island of Phuket, Thailand.

As unexpected as it might sound, there are still a few peaceful and out of the way beaches in Phuket where you can enjoy a nice walk and only meet locals or long time residents. Of course, these beaches are far and often hidden, so you might need to make a little bit of an extra effort to find them. Ao Yon Beach happens to be one of them!

Ao Yon Beach is out of the main track and far from the road; so much that you could drive by a number of times and not find its entrance. Located between Panwa Beach (past the Novotel Panwa resort) and Cape Panwa, there are no road signs to indicate it; but a few restaurants signs as well as an old yellow giraffe sculpture beside the road will provide you with a hint on its location. You will have to park on the main road as local residents won’t allow the use of the way down parking; this should not be a problem as it is seldom crowded, except on occasional weekend when the locals participate in the ‘dragon boat’ race.

The beach is only partially maintained, being very long, and thereby each end are still piled with the typical junk found in places not often visited by tourists. However, in its central part, you’ll find yourself in a beautiful tropical setting surrounded by tall palm trees, a small restaurant (sometime two) and a bamboo massage hut.

The Phuket Yacht Club is also located here, so there are a lot of yachts as the bay is an excellent mooring location. There are also sailing activities held on weekends for local children. As the bay is well sheltered, the beach is very calm for swimmers although not really interesting for snorkeling. Swimmers should avoid approaching the pearl farms, some 150 meters out.

Opened in July 2015, the Brasserie Yacht Club Ao Yon, a sister-branch of the Brasserie Phuket and under Belgian management, provides excellent food, and of course Belgian beers of various flavors in a tropical setting off the beaten track. According to tourists, locals as well as expat residents, it is one of Phuket Town finest dining experience.