Mai Khao Beach is situated on the northwest coast of Phuket this 11km, straight beach is still blessedly undeveloped as it is part of the Sirinat National Park and the only significant constructions along it are the JW Marriott Phuket Resort and Phuket International Airport near Nai Yang Beach.
‘Mai Khao’ means white wood in English and maybe this is a local joke because there are certainly no white trees along this beach! The sand is a little coarse, perhaps the coarsest in Phuket, but this is splendid isolation at its best and you can walk for kilometres without seeing anyone at all.
There is a sharp drop off into the Andaman Sea, making swimming dangerous from May to November. If you are a plane spotter, the beach just north of the airport offers great vantage points from which to spot the incoming air traffic.
