Best time to visit
When the light is right
November to April is the dry season, with calm seas and the best beach and boat days. May to October brings the southwest monsoon, with showers, larger swell on the west coast and fewer visitors.
Thailand · Phuket
Phuket
Phuket’s quieter west-coast peninsula: Andaman sunsets, Pansea sand, and villa weeks when Thailand should feel like coconut shade, not Patong neon.
Now in Phuket
From Choose a departure city Approx. flying time, non-stop equivalent
Thailand · Phuket
Phuket
Phuket is Thailand’s largest island, on the Andaman Sea, with a quieter west coast of coves and headlands, an old town of Sino-Portuguese shophouses, and the limestone islands of Phang Nga Bay within a morning by boat. Choosing the right corner of the island is what makes the week, and Phuket is also the easiest Thai island to reach, with direct flights from across Asia.
We hold two stays here. Amanpuri, which opened in 1988 as the first Aman, stands among coconut palms above Pansea Beach, with pavilions for couples and staffed villas for families and friends. Above Kamala, Keemala sets thirty-eight pool villas in the rainforest, inspired by the island’s first inhabitants, with a holistic spa at its centre.
Amanpuri suits travelers who want the beach and the boat; Keemala suits couples who prefer the canopy and the spa. Both belong to our Island Sanctuaries collection. For a longer journey, add temples at Siem Reap or Luang Prabang, or a second coast at Ninh Thuan. Families usually prefer Amanpuri’s villas, with their own staff and pools and the beach a short walk away.
Phuket opens our Southeast Asia guide, which joins the Andaman to Angkor, Luang Prabang and the coast of Vietnam, and both Amanpuri and Keemala also belong to our Wellness Retreats collection.
Why visit
A reason to make the journey.
- The Andaman at its calmest Sheltered west coast coves with warm, clear water in the dry season.
- Islands by boat Phang Nga Bay, the Similan Islands and quiet beaches reached from the hotel.
- Beach or rainforest A pavilion above the sand at Amanpuri, or a villa in the hills at Keemala.
The film
Keemala, on film
Keemala’s own short film, shown as they made it. Sound on.
Featured properties
Stays we would choose here
Houses we know by name, the ones we would open for this landscape.
Pansea Beach, Phuket, Thailand
Amanpuri
Aman’s original Phuket beach house on the Andaman: coconut-shaded pavilions and staffed villas above a private cove, with a working water-sports fleet and spa days under the palms.
Kamala · Phuket, Thailand: thirty eight private pool villas on a rainforest hillside above Kamala village and the sea
Keemala
Thirty eight private pool villas in the rainforest above Kamala, on Phuket's west coast, inspired by the mythical clans of the island's first inhabitants, with Mala Holistic Spa at their heart.
The house
In stills
A first reading of the stay: rooms, light, and the quiet between them. Each still is a note, not a catalogue.
When and how
Light, season, and the arrival
Each season keeps its own calendar. We plan the transfer around it.
Seasonality
When to go
Christmas, New Year and the Lunar New Year fill first, and Amanpuri’s larger villas go early. The Similan Islands national park usually opens from mid October to mid May.
Airport / logistics
Arriving without hurry
Phuket International Airport (HKT) has direct flights from Bangkok, Singapore and other regional hubs, and some long-haul routes. Amanpuri is about thirty minutes by car and Keemala about forty-five.
Month by month
The best months for Phuket
- Peak
- Quiet
- Rainfall
Seasons follow the notes above. Average daily high and monthly rainfall for 2015 to 2024 from ERA5 reanalysis, via Open-Meteo.
Luxury experiences
Hours we would keep
- Phang Nga Bay A day among the limestone islands by private boat, with lunch on deck and a swim in a quiet lagoon.
- Old Phuket Town Sino-Portuguese shophouses, temples and the island’s food, best on foot in the late afternoon.
- Holistic spa days Treatments in the canopy at Keemala, or by the sea at Amanpuri.
Traveler questions
Before your Phuket week
- Amanpuri or Keemala? Amanpuri for the beach, the boat and staffed villas for families. Keemala for a rainforest villa, a holistic spa and a quieter, adult pace.
- When is the monsoon in Phuket? Roughly May to October, with showers and larger swell on the west coast. November to April is the dry season.
- How far are the hotels from the airport? Amanpuri is about thirty minutes from Phuket International Airport (HKT), and Keemala about forty-five.
Ways of traveling
Open the collection
Begin with the collection that holds these houses and shores.
Collection
Island Sanctuaries
Private-island calm and water-first houses: Turks & Caicos, Canouan, the Dominican north coast, Phuket, Bali’s east coast, Vietnam’s Vinh Hy and Ninh Van bays, Sri Lanka’s south coast, Baja’s East Cape, the Anambas, Fiji and the Bay of Islands. Mustique is arranged privately, villa by villa.
Open the collection
Collection
Sacred Journeys
Private journeys to the world’s sacred places, for every faith and for none: Himalayan shrines, Bhutan’s dzongs, Kyoto’s temples, Bali’s holy springs and retreats for stillness.
Open the collection
Collection
Weddings & Celebrations
Weddings, vow renewals, milestones, reunions and retreats at the houses we know best: a forest wedding in Phuket, a Tuscan hamlet, a lodge beneath the aurora, or an island with no other guests.
Open the collection
Collection
Wellness Retreats
Stays where wellbeing is the reason for the journey: Ayurveda in the Himalaya, onsen above Ago Bay, a desert spa in Utah, three spa floors in Manhattan and healing traditions from Bali to Phuket.
Open the collectionFrom the Journal
Stories from this landscape
Where we write about this place: the seasons, the houses and how the days are best arranged.
Journal · 5 min read
Aman by the Sea or in the Mountains: How to Choose
Reef and cove, or ridge and valley? How Aman’s beach houses compare with its mountain retreats, when each is at its best, and how to hold both in one journey.
Read the story
Journal · 6 min read
Which Aman Is Right for You? A Guide to Choosing Your Aman
Thirty three Aman houses, one question: which first? Our guide to choosing by the trip you want, from Amanpuri’s cove to Aman Tokyo, Amansara and Amangiri.
Read the story
Journal · 5 min read
Laos, Cambodia and Vietnam: A Private Journey Through Indochina
Alms at dawn in Luang Prabang, Angkor before the crowds, then a quiet bay on Vietnam’s coast: a private Indochina journey with Amantaka, Amansara and Amanoi.
Read the storyRelated destinations
Other destinations we return to
Landscapes that sit well beside this one.
Destination
Siem Reap
Siem Reap with Angkor ten minutes away: New Khmer modernism, remork mornings, and a house that treats the temples as the week’s reason.
Destination
Ninh Thuan
Vinh Hy Bay inside Nui Chua’s UNESCO biosphere: clifftop Vietnam when the week wants national-park coast, private sand, and villa pools above the marine reserve.
Destination
Pamalican
Pamalican Island in northern Palawan’s Cuyo Archipelago: a private-island Aman week of casitas, villas, and sea-sports water that never needs a hotel strip.
Plan My Trip
Begin with a conversation.
Tell us the season, the company, and the feeling you want to keep. We will write back with a considered path, not a link to a search.
Write to an advisor