Karon Viewpoint: three beaches in one view

Phuket is hilly, and nearly every bend on the coast road opens up a view, but this is the one that explains the south-west coast in a single frame: three bays one after another — Kata Noi, Kata, Karon — with the sea beyond.

It is a stop, not an outing. You pull in, take the photo and carry on, usually on the way between Kata and Nai Harn or Rawai. Put it on the same drive as the windmill viewpoint and Promthep Cape and you have three lookouts of the south in one evening.

At a steady pace the climb from the south end of Kata takes about an hour; coming down is easier, around forty minutes. There are no shops on the slope, so buy water at the bottom and finish it at the top.

A school-age child can manage the walk if you set off early and go slowly. For toddlers and pushchairs the gradient is too much — drive up instead.

If you walk up for sunset, think about the way down first: the road shoulder is not a place to be in the dark. The evening light here is lovely, with the sun setting just to the right of the headland.

Further south, above Nai Harn, the windmill viewpoint shows Promthep Cape side-on and is much quieter than the cape itself. Promthep Cape is the island's classic sunset point; arrive an hour early. On the other side of the hill is the Big Buddha, whose platform looks over both Chalong Bay and the Kata coast.

Visibility is best after rain, when the air is clean and the distant islands stand out. In dry heat the horizon often turns hazy.