The middle setting on Phuket's west coast: three linked bays south of Patong that took the resort development without taking the neon. Karon is long, wide and family-shaped, with the island's squeakiest sand and a beach road that never quite fills up. Kata is smaller, prettier and more surf-shack than Karon, with a real board scene from May onwards and the island's best-loved hillside sunset bars stacked above it. Kata Noi, the last cove before the hill, is the one people photograph. There is nightlife, but it is live-music bars and hillside terraces rather than go-go strips — the trade for that is that the eating is resort-priced and the Michelin Guide has never listed a single restaurant here.
Who it's for: Families and couples who want a proper beach day without Patong's hard sell — Karon in particular is built for it. Surfers and anyone travelling in low season, when Kata turns into the island's main beginner break and the rest of the west coast is unswimmable. Sunset people: the hill between Kata and Nai Harn has more good west-facing terraces per kilometre than anywhere else on Phuket. Anyone who wants to walk to dinner, a massage and a beer but not to a club at 3am.