Fifteen minutes and a coast road
Surin sits between Kamala and Bang Tao, and that position is most of its appeal. It is 30 minutes from the airport against Kamala's 45, and Porto de Phuket and Laguna Golf Phuket are a short drive north. Kamala residents make the same trip for golf and larger supermarkets, on the coast road through Surin, which queues at peak times in high season. Kamala's only other way out is the steep hill road south to Patong.
New stock or old
Kamala is still being built: sea-view condominiums on the slopes around the bay, many sold with hotel management or a rental programme, with new projects priced near THB 182,375 per sqm. The question to ask is whether the scheme holds a hotel licence, because an ordinary condominium cannot lawfully be let for under 30 days. Read short-term rental rules.
Surin is a mature market with little new supply. You buy a resale, often low-rise and often with a sea view, in a building whose age and upkeep vary widely. Ask the juristic office for its accounts, the sinking fund balance and the record of major repairs, and confirm how much foreign quota is left before you make an offer.
The beach and the evening
Surin's beach clubs were removed by the authorities, and the sand is now public and undeveloped. Pansea Beach, behind the headland to the north, is home to long-established resorts. Kamala keeps a beach club at its northern end and has the Phuket FantaSea and Carnival Magic theme parks on its main road. Evenings in both are calm by west-coast standards. Hillside villas in both are leasehold and sit on steep ground, so check the access road, drainage and retaining works as well as the lease.
