Rawai

Rawai is the southern tip of Phuket, on the eastern side of Promthep Cape. It is not a resort beach but a working harbour: longtail boats and speedboats lie off the shore, the water is shallow, and at low tide rocks and mudflats appear.

Next to the pier is a village of the chao leh, sea nomads who fished these waters long before the first tourists. Beside it is the fish market: you choose fish, prawns and crabs at the stalls, and the restaurants across the road cook them. On the other side of the pier, a promenade of seafood restaurants runs along the sand.

The chao leh of Rawai are the Urak Lawoi. Twice a year, at the full moon, they set small boats on the water to carry misfortune away. The Loy Ruea ceremony usually falls in May and November, by the lunar calendar, as the monsoons change.

To the west, the road climbs to Promthep Cape, the southernmost point of the island. On the cape stand a lighthouse that looks like a concrete crab and a shrine crowded with elephant figurines.

On the hills to the west, towards Nai Harn

Quiet and sea views; swimming is a few minutes away by car.

On quiet streets back from the shore

Houses with gardens for a month or longer: the market, the restaurants and the pier are close by.

For a season or longer

For a season, we look for houses with a long-term contract.

People choose Rawai for living, not for a week by the sea. The pace is slower than on the west coast, and at some waterside restaurants the same guests have been returning for years.

Everything a long stay needs is close by. Nai Harn, with its lake and its swimming, is two kilometres away. AKA Thailand, a Muay Thai and MMA training camp, is right here in Rawai.

• The market by half past eleven. While it is calm and there is more to choose from, we pick the fish and prawns, and the chef cooks them at your villa.
• The islands. A speedboat to Coral, a longtail to Koh Bon, a day on Racha⁠—the route is decided each morning by the forecast. From May to October we go to Coral and Racha only on calm days; when the swell is up, into Phang Nga Bay from the east coast marinas.
• Lunch in Rawai, the evening at Nai Harn. That is how people who have lived in the south for years spend the day.
• Muay Thai. Training at AKA Thailand, or a coach at your villa.
• Living here for a season. The house, a driver and housekeeping: Home & Household. Choosing a school and admission: Family & Schools.