Villas & homes for rent in Kamala

Kamala is a bay on Phuket's west coast, about 10 km north of Patong and around 5 km south of Surin. It began as a Muslim fishing village and still works like one behind the beach road. The beach runs about two kilometres, and the hotels, restaurants and beach clubs concentrate at its southern end. The headland on the Patong side carries the cliff villas known as Millionaire's Mile. It is a beach village first and a resort strip second, which is most of the difference between here and Patong.

Life in Kamala is organised around one beach and one main road. The northern end of the sand is the quiet end; fishing boats moor at the southern end, and, as on the whole west coast, the sea turns rough in the May-to-October monsoon. The village behind the beach is Thai and Muslim, with mosques, a morning market and small shops. The beachfront carries the restaurants and a beach club, while Phuket FantaSea and the Carnival Magic night park sit about a kilometre inland, next door to each other. Patong is 10 km south over the headland road, Surin about 5 km north, Cherng Talay and Bang Tao about 10 km. The airport is roughly 30 minutes north when the road is clear. Much housing sits on hillsides, so a car matters more here than in a flat district. The school run goes north, to the international-school cluster around Cherng Talay and Thalang. It suits people who want a beach village with some evening life, less so those after total quiet or Patong within walking distance.