Kamala, Phuket: Area Guide for Buyers & Renters

Living in Kamala

Kamala is the relaxed heart of Phuket's Millionaire's Mile — a laid-back beach town wrapped around a wide, calm bay, framed by green hills dotted with some of Asia's most spectacular ocean-front villas. The area manages to be two things at once: a genuine Thai community with a working temple, local markets and family-run restaurants, and the setting of ultra-prime headland estates along the famous cliffside. The bay is swimmable most of the year, the beachfront promenade suits families, and Café del Mar anchors the southern end of the beach, while supermarkets, clinics, gyms and international restaurants line the main road and Patong's shopping and nightlife are ten minutes south over the hill. The community is one of Phuket's most international, with long-stay European and Australian residents giving the town a settled, year-round feel. Kamala offers one of the widest price spectrums on the west coast, from accessible sea-view condos and mid-range pool villas in the hills to landmark super-villas on the headland — a favourite hunting ground for value-conscious luxury buyers, with hillside sea-view properties achieving strong rental returns and reliable capital growth.

Daily life in Kamala and who it suits

Kamala is a small beach town between Patong and Surin, with a village centre on the main road and a beach road, Rim Haad, at the southern end. Wikivoyage's Kamala entry describes the south end as the busier part, with small hotels, restaurants and bars, and the north end as peaceful all year. Kamala is a sub-district of Kathu district, run by a Tambon Administrative Organisation rather than a town council, according to Wikipedia's Kathu district entry. It suits holiday-home owners, long-stay couples and retirees, and buyers who want a sea view within reach of Patong without living in it. It suits less well families who need a short school run and anyone who wants a large mall nearby.

Beaches and landmarks

Wikipedia's Kamala Beach entry describes a curved, sandy beach of about 3 km. Wikivoyage places the village temple at the south end, a small park with a tsunami memorial in the middle of the beach, and Laem Singh, a small bay, between Kamala and Surin. Inland, Phuket FantaSea and Carnival Magic, two night-time cultural theme parks, sit side by side in Kamala, according to Wikipedia. The headlands at either end hold the sea-view villas; the flat ground behind the beach holds the village and most of the condominiums.

Schools, healthcare and shopping

Kamala has no major international school of its own. Families look north to UWC Thailand and HeadStart Cherngtalay, or over the hill to Kajonkiet and QSI in Kathu, the clusters named in our international schools guide; ask for a current estimate of the school run from the home you are considering. For emergencies, the nearest public hospital is Patong Hospital on Sai Nam Yen Road in Patong; the main private hospitals are in Phuket Town. Daily shopping is minimarkets, local markets and supermarkets on the main road; the Smart Bus operator lists a Big C Kamala stop, and Jungceylon mall is in Patong.

Getting around and travel times

Wikipedia puts Kamala about 8 km north of Patong and about 45 minutes by car from Phuket Airport; our live guide puts Patong about ten minutes away over the hill. The coast road runs north to Surin and the Cherng Talay area and south to Patong, and the Phuket Smart Bus passes through on its airport to Rawai route, with stops including Phuket FantaSea. In the village you can walk to the beach; the headland homes need a car, and some access roads are steep.

The property market in Kamala

Stock runs from condominiums near the beach and on the lower hillsides, through pool villas in the hills, to landmark estates on the headlands, with the occasional plot of land. For condo buyers, the foreign quota is the first check: our foreign quota guide notes that many popular Kamala buildings sold their foreign quota years ago, so get the juristic person to confirm in writing what is left. A foreigner can own a condo freehold within the 49% quota, with money from abroad; villas are bought on a registered lease of up to 30 years, because foreigners cannot own land, and Thai company nominee structures are illegal.

Wikipedia records that Kamala suffered severe damage in the 2004 tsunami, so for homes on the flat ground check the elevation, the nearest evacuation route and what sits on the ground floor. On the hills, our due diligence guide warns that some Kamala plots are reached by a track over a neighbour's land with no registered servitude, and our building guide covers the slope and 80 m elevation limits. Ask what could be built in front of the view. Wikipedia also notes fighting-cock breeding in Kamala and neighbour disputes over the crowing, so visit at dawn as well as at sunset.

Renting in Kamala

Kamala is more of a holiday-let and winter-stay market than an annual-lease one, because there is no school on the doorstep. Holiday guests and long-stayers want a sea view, a pool, a short walk to the beach or a car included, and quiet nights; demand is strongest from November to April and softer in the May to October rains. Owners of hillside villas often combine seasonal guests with a few long stays. Lets of 30 nights or more are legal; nightly rental needs a hotel licence or an exemption, and many condo buildings ban it, so read the rules before you buy for income.

Pros and cons

For: a long, swimmable bay with a village behind it, an international long-stay community, sea-view homes at every level of the market, Patong close but out of earshot, and the Cherng Talay amenities a drive north. Against: few annual tenants, no school or private hospital nearby, steep headland access, tsunami and flood checks on the flat ground, and condo buildings whose foreign quota is often full.