Luxury Villas in Cape Yamu & Cape Panwa

Phuket’s east coast is a different world from the busy beaches of the west. The water is calmer, the pace is slower and the views look across sheltered bays to islands rather than out to open sea. Two peninsulas on this side of the island are home to some of its most private villas: Cape Yamu in the north-east, and Cape Panwa in the south-east, just below Phuket Town.

Cape Yamu is a narrow, wooded headland that reaches out into Phang Nga Bay. From the villas along its ridge and shoreline, the view is of the bay’s famous limestone karsts and the islands of Koh Yao Noi and Koh Yao Yai, changing colour through the day and glowing at dusk. It is a quiet, residential place with very little passing traffic, which gives it a real sense of privacy. The marinas at Ao Po and around Koh Kaew are close by, so boat days out among the islands of the bay are easy to arrange.

Cape Panwa, at the south-eastern corner of the island, is a hilly green peninsula of small bays and coves. It is home to Phuket Aquarium, set beside the sea at the tip of the cape, and the Khao Khad viewpoint, which looks out over Chalong Bay, Phuket Town and the islands to the south. Panwa Beach, on the eastern shore, has shallow, flat water, longtail boats at anchor and a view across the bay rather than an open sunset horizon.

Neither cape is a classic swimming-beach destination: the east coast is tidal, and the shoreline is often better for boats and views than for long beach days. Guests come here for space, quiet and the water views from their own terrace, with the west-coast beaches within reach when they want them. Cape Yamu suits those who want seclusion and Phang Nga Bay on the doorstep; Cape Panwa suits those who like being around fifteen minutes from the restaurants and streets of Phuket Old Town.