Phuket’s beach club scene has never been hotter. In just the last two years, the Thai resort island has seen the opening of Re Ká Ta, Bliss, Diamond, and Xana, while the granddaddy of them all, the Twinpalms resort’s Catch Beach Club, just celebrated its ninth anniversary. Building on that success, the folks behind Catch have opened two new outlets on the sands of west-coast Surin Beach. First there’s Bimi, which describes itself as “Phuket’s only all-day party beach club, giving party-goers a stylish yet stripped-down spot to mingle, dance, and set free their island spirit.” For those who need to cool off, there are giant outdoor rain showers, as well as thatched “cocktail huts” where you can seek out shelter and drinks. Next door, the laid-back Bongo Rum Bar promises Asia’s biggest collection of finely aged, quality distilled rum from around the world, as well as a chilled reggae soundtrack. And hugging the northern end of Surin is the Paresa resort’s Zazada, with daybeds, beanbags, and waiters in fisherman-style pants. –Simon Ostheimer
This article originally appeared in the October/November 2013 print issue of DestinAsian magazine (“Surin Sizzles”)