Best Restaurant of 2008 contender
Telephone: 089 645 2670
Open: 9am-midnight daily
Address: Surin beach, Lock no.3, Moo 3, Phuket 83110
Style: Beachside Thai/international
Price range: Casual seafront tourist prices. American breakfast (150 baht) Thai dishes start at 120 baht. Fish (250/300 baht) fried rice with pork or chicken (60 baht)
Specialties: Lobster with cheese, Prawn soup, Pawns with vermicelli, fried spring rolls, snapper with lemongrass, fried crab with Indian curry.
What Phuketwan says: The Andaman Seafood Restaurant was the only one open at 10am when we ventured to the southern part of Surin beach, although there may have been others springing to life at the northern end. When there are a lot of restaurant but only one is open, you either go hungry or settle for the early opener. Breakfast was dandy, overlooking what we thought was Surin beach. But two lines of big banners, marking the boundaries of a large slice of sand, told us it was actually Pla Beach, Pla being the name of a nearby restaurant. Sure enough, we picked up a brochure and in English and German, the brochure says: ''Our restaurant is located directly by the hotel's own private beach (that's their emphasis in bold in the brochure) and is the ideal setting for unwinding and enjoying exotic seafood dishes or international cuisine.'' Apparently a shuttle bus service from Patong is free for guests of the K-Hotel in Rat-U-Thit 200 Pi Road and 100 baht return for others who wish to use the bus. On the sand there were some extra-large tables and chairs and a collection of extra-large wooden double-loungers, a couple of showers down near the water's edge for hotel guests only to use, and a pontoon pier bobbing in the water. When we went down to look more closely at the pontoon, we got some odd looks from the guests using the shower and the hefty loungers. We figure that when you have your own private beach you don't want strangers invading your sand. Business initiatives are usually admired, and inevitably imitated. We guess it will not be long before the maps of Phuket are marked with many private beaches. Most of the island's present-day tourists, who come because they enjoy the open beaches, will by then probably be in Phang Nga, or Bali.
How to find it: Surin/Pla beach is a long strip of sand between Kamala and Bang Tao, and not far from the Laguna Phuket resorts. King Bhumipol and Queen Sirikit visited Surin beach, as it was then, when they came to the island on a royal visit in 1959. Last year a large, attractive pavilion was built close to the beachfront to mark the King's 80th birthday. Celebrations are likely in 2009 for the 50th anniversary of the royal visit to Surin beach.
Parking: Plenty of parking close to the beachfront.
Phuketwan restaurant reviewers pay for their meals. If someone else does, we tell you so
Telephone: 089 645 2670
Open: 9am-midnight daily
Address: Surin beach, Lock no.3, Moo 3, Phuket 83110
Style: Beachside Thai/international
Price range: Casual seafront tourist prices. American breakfast (150 baht) Thai dishes start at 120 baht. Fish (250/300 baht) fried rice with pork or chicken (60 baht)
Specialties: Lobster with cheese, Prawn soup, Pawns with vermicelli, fried spring rolls, snapper with lemongrass, fried crab with Indian curry.
What Phuketwan says: The Andaman Seafood Restaurant was the only one open at 10am when we ventured to the southern part of Surin beach, although there may have been others springing to life at the northern end. When there are a lot of restaurant but only one is open, you either go hungry or settle for the early opener. Breakfast was dandy, overlooking what we thought was Surin beach. But two lines of big banners, marking the boundaries of a large slice of sand, told us it was actually Pla Beach, Pla being the name of a nearby restaurant. Sure enough, we picked up a brochure and in English and German, the brochure says: ''Our restaurant is located directly by the hotel's own private beach (that's their emphasis in bold in the brochure) and is the ideal setting for unwinding and enjoying exotic seafood dishes or international cuisine.'' Apparently a shuttle bus service from Patong is free for guests of the K-Hotel in Rat-U-Thit 200 Pi Road and 100 baht return for others who wish to use the bus. On the sand there were some extra-large tables and chairs and a collection of extra-large wooden double-loungers, a couple of showers down near the water's edge for hotel guests only to use, and a pontoon pier bobbing in the water. When we went down to look more closely at the pontoon, we got some odd looks from the guests using the shower and the hefty loungers. We figure that when you have your own private beach you don't want strangers invading your sand. Business initiatives are usually admired, and inevitably imitated. We guess it will not be long before the maps of Phuket are marked with many private beaches. Most of the island's present-day tourists, who come because they enjoy the open beaches, will by then probably be in Phang Nga, or Bali.
How to find it: Surin/Pla beach is a long strip of sand between Kamala and Bang Tao, and not far from the Laguna Phuket resorts. King Bhumipol and Queen Sirikit visited Surin beach, as it was then, when they came to the island on a royal visit in 1959. Last year a large, attractive pavilion was built close to the beachfront to mark the King's 80th birthday. Celebrations are likely in 2009 for the 50th anniversary of the royal visit to Surin beach.
Parking: Plenty of parking close to the beachfront.
Phuketwan restaurant reviewers pay for their meals. If someone else does, we tell you so
