No lifeguard post
There is no lifeguard post; swim on calm days, close to shore and near other people.
Sai Kaew Beach
Mai Khao · west coast
The last beach before the Sarasin Bridge: a long, near-empty strip of fine white sand in Phuket's far north, about 15 minutes from the airport.
Also written Haad Sai Kaew, Hat Sai Kaew, Saikaew Beach, Sai Kaew Beach Phuket · หาดทรายแก้ว · Пляж Сай Кэу
Sai Kaew Beach in photographs
Beach morning glory flowering on the sand. A swing and beach huts under the trees. The beach restaurants' huts on the sand.
- Sand
- Fine, glittering white sand
- Seabed
- Sandy bottom, no rocks or coral
- Quiet
- No bars, sunbeds or hotels
- Sunset
- Faces west, bridge at sunset
- Access
- About 15 minutes from the airport
About Sai Kaew Beach
Sai Kaew is the last beach on the Phuket side before the Sarasin Bridge, at the island's northern tip beyond the airport. The sand carries on from Mai Khao with no line between them. The name means crystal sand in Thai, after the fine white grains that glitter in the sun.
There are no hotels, sunbeds or beach bars. A single seafood restaurant stands on the sand, the last of several that were cleared in the 2010s, and the rest is open shore with trees behind it. On a weekday you can walk a long way and meet almost nobody; at weekends Thai families drive up for lunch by the sea.
From November to April the sea is usually calm and blue, and small fish swim in the clear water near the shore. Walk north and the beach turns towards the channel between Phuket and Phang Nga, with the bridge in view: that is where people gather at sunset. From May to October the west-facing shore takes the monsoon swell, and the beach belongs to walkers.
Sai Kaew Beach, south to north
The south end, towards Mai Khao
The sand runs on into Mai Khao without a break. This is the emptiest part of the beach, open shore with trees behind, facing the stretch of coast where most turtle nesting happens.
Good
- The emptiest sand, often with nobody in sight.
- An unbroken walk south into Mai Khao.
Less good
- No shade or anything to buy for a long way.
- A long walk back to the car.
Walkers and runners, and anyone who wants the shore to themselves.
The middle, by the restaurant
Where the highway runs closest to the sand: parking, the bamboo huts of the one restaurant and, reportedly, a small coffee corner beside it. Most visitors stay near here.
Good
- Food, drinks and shade in the restaurant huts.
- Parking a few steps from the sand.
Less good
- Busiest at weekend lunchtime, with local families and cars.
A lazy day with lunch on the sand, and families who want food and shade close by.
The north end, towards the bridge
The shore bends towards the channel between Phuket and Phang Nga, with the mainland's beaches across the water and the Sarasin Bridge in view. Locals fish from the corner.
Good
- The best sunset view, with the bridge on the skyline.
- Views across the channel to the mainland.
Less good
- Boats and fishing lines at the corner: not a place to swim.
Photographers and couples at sunset, and anyone who likes to fish.
Things to do at Sai Kaew Beach
The long empty beach to the north. The sand and the clear shallow water. Sand and small waves.
Swimming · dry season
Swim on a calm day
November to April is the time to swim. Choose a flat day, go in near the restaurant where other people are, and stay within standing depth.
On the sand
Walk the northern shore
At low tide the firm wet sand makes an easy walk south into Mai Khao or north towards the bridge. Bring water: there is none to buy on the way.
Food and drink
Seafood lunch in the bamboo huts
The beach restaurant cooks the local catch, from fried sea cicadas, a small local crustacean, to whole sea bass. About 250 to 500 THB a head (2024).
Culture
Walk the old Sarasin Bridge
Opened in 1967 as Phuket's first road link to the mainland, the old bridge has carried only people on foot since a new bridge opened beside it around 2011.
Nature · dry season
Turtle season
Leatherback turtles nest on the north-west coast from November to February, mostly on Mai Khao. A hatchling release is held there each year, usually in March.
Food and drink
Michelin-listed Thai cooking at Ta Tuay
A Bib Gourmand restaurant in a garden a short drive inland, known for southern Thai dishes and local catches such as sandworms. Cash or Thai QR payment only; book at weekends.
Food and drink
Dinner across the bridge
Thanoon Seafood sits on the sand on the Phang Nga side, with open salas, air-conditioned rooms and both bridges in view.
Culture
A day with the Tha Chatchai community
The village's community tourism group shows how sand crabs are caught on Sai Kaew, takes longtail boats under the bridge and visits the mangroves. Arrange it in advance.
Sport
Fishing from the corner
Local anglers cast from the northern corner, where the beach meets the deep channel, and from the bridge.
Shopping
Fruit and fish in Tha Chatchai
The village behind the beach has a small shop and a local market selling fresh fish and pineapples.
A day at Sai Kaew Beach
The sun rises behind the land, so the shore stays in soft light and the sand is cool. If the tide is out, walk south along the firm wet sand towards Mai Khao.
From November to April, pick a calm morning for a swim. Walk in slowly, stay where you can stand and look for the small fish in the shallows.
Order lunch at the beach restaurant and take a stroll while the seafood cooks. Expect about 250 to 500 THB a head (2024 reviews). Sai Kaew Beach Restaurant
Drive the few minutes to the Sarasin Bridge. The 1967 bridge beside the highway now carries only people on foot, and its raised middle gives views out to sea and along the channel. Sarasin Bridge
Walk north along the sand until the whole curve of the bridge is in view. The sun goes down over the open sea to the west.
Dinner in the bamboo huts of Rimpan Seafood under the bridge on the Phuket side, or at Thanoon Seafood just across it. Both close at about 21:00. Rimpan Seafood
Our Sai Kaew Beach score
4.3out of 5
Long quiet walks, a seafood lunch on the sand and sunset, or a first or last hour near the airport.
Fine white sand, clear water on calm dry-season days and a long shore with almost nobody on it, plus sunsets with the Sarasin Bridge on the skyline. It stays in the lower band for swimming and basics: there are no lifeguards, reports differ on how steeply the bottom drops, and the open beach has no toilets or shade.
The character of the beach
A profile, not a mark: where Sai Kaew Beach sits on four scales, and what it is known for.
- Lively
- For children
- Surf
- Snorkelling
No lifeguards · Fine white sand
What is good about Sai Kaew Beach
Room to be alone
Most weekdays the shore is close to empty, and even at weekends the local families who come for lunch spread thinly along the sand.
Firm sand at low tide
When the tide is out, the wet sand near the water is firm enough for a long walk or a run, south towards Mai Khao or north towards the bridge.
Clear, calm water in season
From November to April the sea is usually calm and clear, and small fish swim in the shallows close to the shore.
Lunch a few steps from the sea
The beach's one restaurant serves Thai seafood in bamboo huts on the sand, and three well-known seafood restaurants are a short drive away near the bridge.
The bridge and the mainland
The northern end looks across a narrow channel to the sands of Phang Nga, with the Sarasin Bridge closing the view.
Turtle coast
Leatherback turtles nest on this coast from November to February, mostly on the Mai Khao side; nests have also been recorded on Sai Kaew.
Before you swim at Sai Kaew Beach
Check the slope
Some guides describe a long shallow entry, others a steeper bowl-shaped shore; walk in slowly and keep children within arm's reach.
Big waves from May to October
In the south-west monsoon the shore takes big waves; on those days it is a beach for walks.
Keep away from the channel corner
At the northern end the beach meets the deep channel under the bridge, used by boats and by people fishing. Swim well south of that corner.
Little shade, nothing to buy
Away from the restaurant there is hardly any shade and nowhere to buy water. Bring a hat, sunscreen and plenty to drink.
Beach clubs, bars and restaurants on Sai Kaew Beach
1 place open on the sand in September 2026, walked south to north, then the road behind the beach and a few minutes inland. A price level is what one visit typically costs a person.
The middle, by the restaurant
Sai Kaew Beach Restaurant
Restaurant · on the sand · 09:00–21:00 on Wednesday (Google Maps shows one day; the other days to check)
The one restaurant left on Sai Kaew Beach, north of Mai Khao, outside the national park.
A few minutes inland
Rimpan Seafood
Restaurant · a short drive · daily 09:00–22:00
A traditional seafood restaurant by the sea near the Sarasin Bridge in Mai Khao, at the northern tip of Phuket, with bamboo huts on the shore.
Thanoon Seafood
Restaurant · a short drive · 11:00–21:00 on Wednesday (Google Maps shows one day; the other days to check)
A seafood restaurant on a small bay beside the Sarasin Bridge, on the Phang Nga side of the strait, with two large salas by the beach.
Ta Tuay
Restaurant · a short drive · daily 11:30–21:00
A little-known local Thai restaurant down a small lane near Sarasin, in the north of Phuket.
Sarasin Bridge
Viewpoint · a short drive
The bridges joining Phuket to the mainland at its northern tip: the original 600-metre bridge of 1967, and a higher two-lane bridge built beside it in 2010.
What it costs to live near Sai Kaew Beach
6 months or more
Apartments
฿21,500/ month
median of 2 · from ฿18,000
Villas
฿134,000/ month
median of 2 · from ฿130,000
Townhouses
฿75,500/ month
median of 1 · from ฿75,500
- The zone
- The waterline
- Chosen step: The zone
- A home and its rent
- A place, as the list numbers it
Homes for rent near Sai Kaew Beach
6 months or more
- homes for rent nearby
- 9
- within a 13-minute walk of the sand
- 5
- the nearest home to the sand
- 140 m
There are no homes or hotels on Sai Kaew itself: the land behind the sand is undeveloped. Tha Chatchai village, just inland, has a few simple rooms and bungalows, and the nearest resorts are on the Mai Khao side, 10 to 15 minutes' drive south.
Homes by type
Rent a month
5 homes in the beach zone
- Sea view
4‑bedroom villa in Sai Kaew, Sea Breeze Terrace
฿134,000/ month
140 m to the sand · 2 min on foot
- New building
- Sea view
4‑bedroom villa in Sai Kaew, Sea Breeze Terrace
฿130,000/ month
270 m to the sand · 3 min on foot
- Rooftop pool
3‑bedroom townhouse in Sai Kaew, Saiyuan Villas
฿75,500/ month
330 m to the sand · 4 min on foot
Studio apartment in Sai Kaew, Saiyuan Villas
฿18,000/ month
330 m to the sand · 4 min on foot
- New building
1‑bedroom apartment in Sai Kaew, Andaman Heights
฿21,500/ month
520 m to the sand · 6 min on foot
Around Sai Kaew Beach
Every place inside the beach zone, by category: choose one to see its places, nearest the water first, each numbered as its mark on the map.
Sai Kaew Beach by month
The season · November to April
Calm sea, clear water
November to April: the sea is usually calm, clear and blue, with small waves, and the beach is at its best for a swim, a long walk and sunset. Weekends bring local families; weekdays are close to empty.
The monsoon · May to October
Waves, walks and red flags
May to October: the west-facing shore takes the south-west monsoon, with big waves on many days. It still works for a walk and a long lunch in the restaurant huts; swim only on the calmest days.
| Month | The sea |
|---|---|
| Jan | Calm |
| Feb | Calm |
| Mar | Calm |
| Apr | Calm |
| May | Changing |
| Jun | Rough |
| Jul | Rough |
| Aug | Rough |
| Sep | Rough |
| Oct | Changing |
| Nov | Calm |
| Dec | Calm |
Calm: swim any day Changing: check the flags Rough: monsoon swell, red flags on many days
Sai Kaew Beach with children
On calm dry-season days Sai Kaew is a peaceful place for children to dig and paddle, with plenty of room and no traffic on the sand. It suits families who bring their own shade and supplies and stay close to their children in the water.
- Space to spread out, even at weekends.
- The restaurant's bamboo huts give shade and a place to eat.
- Small fish swim in the clear shallows on calm days.
- No shops on the sand: bring water, snacks and a parasol.
- A turtle hatchling release is held at nearby Mai Khao, usually in March.
Getting to Sai Kaew Beach and parking
- From the airport, by car
- 10–20 min
- From Patong, with the traffic
- 45–60 min
- From Phuket Town
- 40–55 min
Take Highway 402 north past the airport towards the Sarasin Bridge. Just past the Tha Chatchai checkpoint, about 1.5 km before the bridge, the beach and its restaurant are on the left, right beside the road.
- By car. About 15 minutes from the airport along Highway 402; the beach is on the left shortly before the bridge. Allow about an hour from Patong or Phuket Town.
- By scooter. A flat ride from Mai Khao or Nai Yang along the highway, which carries steady traffic to and from the mainland.
- Grab and taxis. A taxi or ride-hailing car from the airport takes about 15 minutes. Public transport this far north is very limited, so plan the ride back before you arrive.
Parking. Room to park beside the road and at the restaurant; reviewers describe parking as easy.
Who will love Sai Kaew Beach, and who will not
Will love it
- Anyone who wants a beach with no sunbeds, no music and often nobody in sight.
- Walkers and runners after a long, firm stretch of sand at low tide.
- Couples who like a slow seafood lunch by the sea and a sunset with the bridge on the skyline.
- Travellers with a spare hour near the airport, at the start or the end of a trip.
Will not
- Families who need a lifeguard, toilets and shade close by: the open beach has none of them.
- Anyone after bars or a night out: the restaurants around here close at about 21:00.
- Keen swimmers who want the sea every day: it is unpatrolled all year and rough from May to October.
Tips for Sai Kaew Beach
Come on a weekday
Weekdays are nearly empty. At weekends local families come up for lunch, though it rarely feels busy.
Order first, then walk
Fresh seafood takes a while. Place your order at the restaurant, take a walk along the shore and come back to lunch.
Pack the basics
There is no shop, toilet or shade on the open sand. Bring water, a towel and something to sit under.
Add Phuket to your search
Thailand has several Sai Kaew beaches, the best known on Koh Samet. Add Phuket or Mai Khao when you search or set your map.
An airport stop
The airport is about 15 minutes away, which makes this an easy first stop after landing or a last hour before a late flight.
Cash for Ta Tuay
Ta Tuay takes only cash or Thai QR payment, and it fills up at weekends, so book ahead.
The bridge photo
Before sunset, head north along the sand until the whole arc of the bridge fills the skyline.
Rimpan's ladder
Rimpan Seafood is reached down a steep wooden ladder from the parking area, which is hard going with limited mobility.
Try the sea cicadas
Chakachan tod, fried sea cicadas, is a local speciality on the menus of the beach restaurant, Rimpan and Ta Tuay.
Questions about Sai Kaew Beach
Is Sai Kaew Beach good for swimming?
Yes, on calm days from November to April, when the water is usually clear and gentle; there is no lifeguard post. From May to October big waves make the sea too rough for swimming. Sources disagree on the slope, some describing a long shallow entry and others a steeper shore, so walk in slowly.
Where is Sai Kaew Beach in Phuket?
At the northern tip of the island, between Mai Khao Beach and the Sarasin Bridge. It is the last beach on the Phuket side before the bridge to the mainland, about 15 minutes' drive north of Phuket International Airport.
Is Sai Kaew Beach the same as Mai Khao Beach?
No, but they share one continuous strip of sand. Sai Kaew is the northern end, running up to the Sarasin Bridge; Mai Khao continues south past the airport. Most visitors cannot tell where one ends and the other begins.
How do I get to Sai Kaew Beach?
By car, scooter or taxi along Highway 402. Head north past the airport towards the Sarasin Bridge; the beach and its restaurant are on the left, about 1.5 km before the bridge. Public transport this far north is very limited.
Are there restaurants at Sai Kaew Beach?
Yes, one on the sand: Krua Saikaew Seafood, open daily from 09:00 to 21:00, with bamboo huts by the water. Three more seafood restaurants are a short drive away near the bridge: Rimpan Seafood, Thanoon Seafood on the mainland side and Ta Tuay, which holds a Michelin Bib Gourmand.
Are there lifeguards on Sai Kaew Beach?
No. The beach is unpatrolled all year, so swim near other people, stay close to the shore and keep out of the water on rough days.
Is Sai Kaew Beach good for kids?
Yes for sandcastles and paddling on calm dry-season days, less so for swimming. There are no lifeguards, toilets or shade on the open sand, and reports on the slope differ, so keep children within arm's reach. The restaurant's huts are the only shade.
Are there sunbeds and umbrellas on Sai Kaew Beach?
No. Nobody rents sunbeds or umbrellas here, so bring a towel, a mat and your own shade; the bamboo huts of the beach restaurant are the only covered seats.
Can you see sea turtles at Sai Kaew Beach?
Only rarely. Leatherback turtles nest on Phuket's north-west coast from November to February, mostly on neighbouring Mai Khao, though nests have been recorded on Sai Kaew. A hatchling release is held on Mai Khao each year, usually in March.
What does Sai Kaew mean?
It means crystal sand or glass sand in Thai. The name comes from the fine white grains that sparkle in the sun; Haad Sai Kaew simply means Sai Kaew Beach.
Is Sai Kaew Beach crowded?
No, it is one of the emptiest beaches in Phuket. On weekdays there may be only a handful of people; at weekends local families come for lunch, but the beach still feels open.