Ok. In hindsight, booking a holiday in Kamala Beach, Phuket, in July may not have been the best idea. Instead, I would have opted for Patong or even the other side of Thailand – Koh Samui.
The low/ monsoon season doesn’t make for smooth water sailing, or sunny skies for the most part. And in a small town like Kamala Beach, it means most shops, restaurants and cafes are closed until October.
Which is fine if you are looking to do practically nothing.
Coffee in Kamala Beach
Non-surprisingly, coffee is limited at this time in Kamala Beach. We first tried a little cafe called Pal Coffee. The coffee was quite good, but you need to be quick as they are only open for a couple of hours in the day, and are closed by 12.30pm.
Secondly I tried Doi Chaang Coffee, and I’m guessing the good barista is away for the low season. The beautiful and arty atmosphere was destroyed by a sour staff member, who had no idea how to make a cappuccino. No, a cappuccino is not 50% foam.
Swimming in Kamala Beach
Luckily, Kamala Beach is perfect for swimming even in the low season, especially if you can ignore some rubbish on the beach and the occasional Thai person trying to sell you a wooden bowl or sarong.
The water is a great temperate and the waves are very small. The beach was mostly enjoyed by couples and families (a lot from Russia).
Eating out in Kamala Beach
As I mentioned, it’s quiet this time of year, and after the prices of food in Chiang Mai, it feels strange to transition to food that is triple and quadruple the price, and only half as good. Still the experience was ok.
Pim’s Place Kamala – offered up a delicious mushroom pizza, salad and soda water for 430THB (AUD$16.40).
Thai Restaurant on the main street next to Clearhouse (I looked for a name, but couldn’t find one anywhere) – has some thai dishes and the best prices we could find in town from 80THB per meal.
Big C Market – was a saviour of a supermarket, offering fresh bread, tomatoes, cheese, olives, milk, biscuits and fresh fruit at manageable prices.
Pavilion Restaurant – had some tasty dishes, including Thai food, and mushroom soup and salad.
