NEW ROOMS

Holiday Inn Mhai Khao

The brand is a somewhat sterile chain but we like the no-frills décor of this particular hotel, which gives it a clean, modern look. Make sure to book one of the pool-access rooms, though. There’s a shallow ledge extending from your room that makes for the perfect spot to sip beers while dipping you toes. The breakfast buffet is nearly on a par with fancier hotels in the area, and that always goes a long way in our book. There are also these little nooks embedded into the pool—a lovely way to start the day. The beach is superb and unspoiled, with tall casuarina evergreens providing partial shade.

Anantara Vacation Club

If you’ve already fallen for the charms of Mhai Khao, you can look into buying into Anantara’s Vacation Club scheme, which is a membership programme where you commit to buying points every year, which can then be converted to nights at various Anantara Vacation Club properties around the world. If you’re prepared to endure the 90-minute tour and sales pitch, you’ll find two-night deals on their website, from roughly B34,000 for a two-night stay at a pool villa. But you can also simply book a few nights’ stay through websites like agoda.com, starting from around B7,500 for a night with breakfast at an apartment suite. Pool villas are about B20,000 a night this November. The club itself isn’t beachfront, but you can easily transfer to neighboring partner hotels JW Marriot and Anantara Phuket Villas. www.anantaravacationclub.com

Baan Mai Khao by Sansiri

Why not take things even further by buying a beachside condo outright? Sansiri has a brand new development coming up here, featuring six three-story buildings and three five-story buildings. Sizes range from single bedroom units (62.5-71.5 sq meters) from B8.3 milllion, to six massive, 260-sq-meter penthouses going for B53.3 million. Swanky? You bet. They’re describing the style as “modern Sino-Portuguese,” which means blocky modernist structures with touches of geometric motifs vaguely evocative of the kind of tiles you’d see in Phuket Town’s shophouses. You’ll also be able to stay fit even when the red flag is raised on the beach thanks to the 50-meter lap pool. 081-086-4999. [email protected]

Party In The Hood

The classiest nightlife in Phuket happens to be around Surin and Bang Tao, just next to Mhai Khao. Here’s were to dance and drink without the sleaze of Patong.

NAIYANG

Dirty Monstera

On the night we visited the Indigo Pearl, the brand new bar was populated with chic couples (a refreshingly elegant crowd in an island overrun with some pretty horrible tourists). The Russian DJ and his sexy lip-syncing sidekick felt a bit out of place, but the décor is exuberant: a mix of neon signs, steampunk architecture by Bill Bensley referencing the area’s past as a tin mine, and luxuriant plants.  

Indigo Pearl. Nai Yang Beach and National Park, 076-327-006, www.indigo-pearl.com

BANG TAO

XANA BEACH CLUB

This is one of the swankiest beach clubs on the island, and one of the biggest in the world, thanks its vast stretch of beach. It’s also dedicated to bringing in big-name DJs (alumni include Paul Oakenfold and Frankie Knuckles). To mark the start of Phuket’s high season, they will host a Carnival Launch Party on Dec 14, featuring five international DJs, Brazilian dancers and a Rio-themed catwalk show right on Bangtao beach. For the event, the hotel will offer 30% off its room rates—from B6,410—with no minimum stay. 

Angsana Laguna Phuket, 10 Moo, Srisoonthorn Rd., Cherng Talay, 076-324-101. Open daily 9am-midnight, www.xanabeachclub.com

SURIN

Catch

The Twin Palms is slowly taking over Surin Beach, which means pretty wild parties and high-flying DJs. It also means the beach has become nearly private, drawing the ire of some locals. During the high season, you’ll have to cough up B3,000 per day for a beach chair. That amount can then be spent as credit at Catch—making it a kind of minimum spend. 

Surin Beach, Cherng Talay, 076-316-567. Open daily 9am-midnight, www.catchbeachclub.com