Club Med Phuket

Kata Bay curves along Phuket's southwest coast, and Club Med Phuket sits directly on its public sand, one of the island's better-known stretches of beach. The resort spans 16 hectares of grounds planted with frangipani and palm, laid out between the shoreline and a renovated pool terrace with island views. Snorkelling is the one water sport permitted straight off the beach, since Thai law keeps all coastal sand open to the public; other water activities run from the resort's own facilities. Bungalow rooms sit shaded under palms, finished with wood accents and pale colour schemes. The newer Lai Thai Family Oasis rooms add playful decor and open straight onto a water play area and a family snack bar. Meals, drinks, sport instruction and kids' clubs from age four are folded into one rate, following the all-inclusive format Club Med has run since 1950. You can try Thai boxing or a curry class one afternoon and do nothing but swim the next. The resort partners with the Sustainable Mai Khao Foundation on a monthly Clean Ocean session, pairing a beach clean-up with a talk on plastic waste. It holds Green Globe Platinum and LEED status. Check-in and departure both run through the property's own transfer arrangements from Phuket airport.