Mai Khao Beach is located on the north-west coast of Phuket and is approximately 20 minutes drive from Vistas del Mar’s luxury villas‘. It also goes by the names Airport Beach or Sanambin Beach (Sanambin is Thai for airport) due to its proximity to the Phuket International Airport. The part of the beach just north of the airport is an excellent vantage point for the avid aircraft spotter!

Mai Khao Beach is part of the Sirinat National Park and as such it is relatively undeveloped. Until quite recently it was home to the rare Giant Leatherback Turtle but due to egg poachers and development they no long longer reside here. However, the Giant Ridley Sea Turtle still crawls ashore here to lay its eggs between November and February. Being part of the National Park also means this is a great beach to explore for rare species of birds and marine life.

At 11km long Mai Khao is Phukets  longest beach and you can sometimes walk for kilometers without seeing anyone else, something that can greatly appeal as an escape from some of the busier beaches in Phuket! Due to its coarse sand and the fact that swimming is banned from May to November (thanks to a  sharp drop off into the Andaman Sea) this isn’t the best beach for water sports or activities but is the place to go for peaceful walks, nature spotting and plane spotting.

Finally, did you know that ‘Mai Khao’ means ‘white wood’ in English? This may be part of a local joke, as there is no white wood of any description on the beach, but it certainly makes for some good discussions!