Haad Hin Gluai – Phuket’s Secret Beaches
Had Hin Gluai
HAAD HIN GLUAI: Banana Rock Beach in English, this is the best of the five beaches we found for you. The way down to it feels almost mystical – along a wooded track, then down to a stream that seems to have carved its way right through a rock, through a meadow of wild flowers and finally to the beach itself.
There’s a small makeshift restaurant at the southern end of the beach, from which you can also rent beach loungers. The restaurant also has tables and chairs in the shade of large trees.
The beach is apparently named after the rock at the southern end, which looks a bit like one end of a banana sticking out of the water (if you squint your eyes and use your imagination – use it a lot).
To get there: Many people travel to this beach by long-tail boat, especially from the neighboring Trisara resort, but reaching it by land is simple enough. It is about a kilometre south of the southern end of Nai Thon Beach, and just north of Trisara. From Nai Thon, drive past Maleiwana and the Andaman White Beach Resort. The road climbs, then drops into a left-hand curve just before a bridge. Park on the right before the bridge and follow the track into the forest. Down to your left is a stream. A couple of hundred metres in is a crossing point; someone has even tied a convenient rope to a tree to help you get down to the stream. Cross over and keep following the path to the beach.
By Alasdair Forbes
[...] Haad Hin Gluai [...]