A sheltered bay at the southern tip of Phuket, with a lake behind the beach and green hills on both sides.

Nai Harn

Nai Harn is a bay at the far southern end of Phuket, in the Rawai subdistrict of Mueang Phuket district. The beach is soft white sand, roughly 600 metres long, closed in by hills and tropical forest at each end, and the land behind it is protected and planted with tall casuarina trees, so there is no town on the waterfront. Behind the beach lies Nai Harn lake, with a walking path and paddle boats, and between the lake and the sand stands Wat Nai Harn, a Buddhist temple. Sailing boats and yachts anchor in the bay. It feels more like a village than a resort, with small restaurants under the trees, fruit sellers and tailors. Nai Harn and neighbouring Rawai, which has a working fishing harbour, a seafood market and the pier for boats to Coral Island and the Racha islands, are popular with expats and with foreigners who stay for months at a time. Promthep Cape, the southernmost point of Phuket and famous for its sunsets, is about three and a half kilometres away. Phuket Town is about 17 km north and the airport around an hour's drive.

Nai Harn beach and lake · Rawai (fishing harbour, pier and seafood market) · Ya Nui beach and Promthep Cape to the south · The hills between Nai Harn and Kata to the north-west · Chalong to the north Quiet beach village at the southern tip of Phuket · Long-stay and expat community · Green hills and protected beachfront

Rawai, Mueang Phuket

Location

~1 hour by car

To the airport

Condo freehold

Foreign ownership

CONNECTIVITY

Where Nai Harn sits.

Nai Harn sits at the end of the island's road network. Everything heads north from here, through Rawai and Chalong towards Phuket Town, then up the island to the airport in Thalang district, about an hour's drive in normal traffic. A coastal road also climbs over the hills to Kata and the west-coast beaches. Residents get around by car, scooter or taxi app.

Drive times

Rawai beach and pier~2 km

Promthep Cape~3.5 km

Phuket Town~17 km, about 30 min

Patong~20 km

Phuket International Airport (HKT)~48 km, about 1 hour

Metro & transport

None

Phuket has no railway or metro. A light rail line across the island has been planned for years but is not under construction, so Nai Harn depends on the roads. The airport is in the north of the island, around an hour away by car.

NEIGHBORHOOD LIFE

A full life — without leaving.

Education

Rawai Progressive International School in Rawai
Kindergartens and schools within about ten minutes' drive
Further international schools elsewhere on the island, including British International School Phuket, HeadStart, Kajonkiet, QSI and UWC Thailand

Healthcare

Vachira Phuket Hospital, the main government hospital, in Phuket Town
Bangkok Hospital Phuket and Bangkok Hospital Siriroj (private), in Phuket Town
Mission Hospital Phuket, Phuket Town
Pharmacies and small clinics in Rawai and Chalong

Shopping

Beachfront shops, food stalls and restaurants at Nai Harn
Rawai seafood market: choose your fish and have it cooked across the road
Shops, cafés and restaurants along the roads of Rawai
Central Phuket shopping centre in Phuket Town

Leisure

Nai Harn Beach, one of the best swimming beaches in the south of the island in the dry season
Nai Harn lake: walking path and paddle boats
Ya Nui beach for kayaks and paddleboards
Boat trips from Rawai pier to Coral Island and the Racha islands
Muay Thai and fitness camps on Saiyuan Road
Sunset at Promthep Cape and the Windmill Viewpoint

Landmarks

Promthep Cape, the southernmost point of Phuket
Wat Nai Harn, between the lake and the beach
Windmill Viewpoint above Ya Nui
The Chao Ley (Urak Lawoi) sea people's village at Rawai
The Big Buddha on the hill above Chalong

THE DATA

The numbers. No fluff.

Nai Harn and Rawai are where many of Phuket's long-stay foreigners choose to live, rather than a holiday strip, and that shapes what is built and who buys it. What gets built here is condominium buildings, resort-style complexes with shared pools, and private pool villas. The Rawai area holds a sizeable share of the island's homes for sale and is one of the parts of Phuket where demand for rentals is strongest. Buyers on the island are largely Russian, European and from Bangkok, and many of them are relocating or staying for months at a time. The rules for a foreign buyer are clear. A condominium unit can be owned freehold in your own name, as long as foreigners own no more than 49% of the building's floor area and the purchase money arrives from abroad in foreign currency, documented by the receiving Thai bank. Land cannot be owned by a foreigner, so villas are normally bought on a registered lease of up to 30 years; longer promised terms are not enforceable. Renting a unit out by the night or week needs a hotel licence or a licensed operator, and many buildings ban stays shorter than a month. At transfer there is a 2% transfer fee, often split with the seller.

FIGURES INDICATIVE, NOT A GUARANTEE · AS OF 2026-10-20

IS IT RIGHT FOR YOU?

Who Nai Harn suits best.

A strong fit if you're…

Long-stay residents and people relocating: a quiet beach, a lake to walk around, an established international community and everyday services in Rawai and Chalong
Families: a sheltered swimming beach in the dry season, an international school in Rawai and more across the island
Buyers who want green surroundings: a protected beachfront, forested headlands, the lake and the viewpoints of the southern cape

Look elsewhere if you want…

The airport is far: around an hour by car to the north of the island, more in heavy traffic
The sea changes with the season: the water is calm and clear from about December to April, while the south-west monsoon from about May to October brings big waves and days when swimming is unsafe
Short-term letting is regulated: nightly and weekly lets need a hotel licence or a licensed operator, and many condominium buildings ban stays under a month

1 PROJECT IN NAI HARN

What's available right now.

Live from the catalog — sorted cheapest first.

OFF-PLAN

Sunny Holding

Sunny Moon in Nai Harn, Phuket

Studio, 1-4 Bedroom Handover Q3 2027

From
628,168AED

GOOD TO KNOW

Common questions about Nai Harn.

Can a foreigner buy property in Nai Harn?+

Yes, a condominium unit, freehold, in your own name. Thai law lets foreigners own up to 49% of the total floor area of a condominium building, so check with the developer that foreign quota is still available for your unit. The purchase money must be sent from abroad in foreign currency, ideally from your own account with the project and unit in the payment reference, and the receiving Thai bank issues the form the Land Office needs to register the unit in your name. Land cannot be owned by a foreigner: villas are usually bought on a registered lease of up to 30 years.

What does a villa lease actually give me?+

A lease registered at the Land Office gives a secure term of up to 30 years. Contracts sometimes promise renewals to 60 or 90 years, but a Thai Supreme Court judgment has held that renewal options agreed in advance to go beyond 30 years are not enforceable. The first 30-year term stays valid. Registering a lease costs 1.1% of the total rent for the whole term. The proposals for 99-year leases and a 75% condominium quota announced in 2024 have not become law.

Does buying in Nai Harn give me a visa?+

Not on its own. Since October 2025 there has been a route to a one-year extension of stay for owners of a completed condominium unit worth at least THB 3 million registered in their own name, but it needs a certification letter through an approved long-stay operator and is still a new scheme, so check it with a lawyer. Off-plan units do not qualify. The Thailand Privilege visa is a paid membership with no link to property. The ten-year Long-Term Resident visa, for people with at least USD 1 million in assets, accepts Thai property as part of the USD 500,000 that must be invested in Thailand.

Can I rent out my apartment in Nai Harn?+

Monthly and longer lets are allowed, subject to the building's own rules. Letting by the night or the week counts as running a hotel under Thai law, which needs a licence; the legal way to do it is to buy in a building or resort that holds a hotel licence and is run by a licensed operator. Many condominium buildings ban stays shorter than a month. Rental income is taxable in Thailand.

How far is Nai Harn from the airport and Phuket Town?+

Phuket International Airport is about 48 km away, roughly an hour by car, because it sits in the far north of the island. Phuket Town is about 17 km north, around half an hour's drive, and Patong is about 20 km away. Rawai beach and its pier are about 2 km from Nai Harn, and Promthep Cape about 3.5 km.

What does it cost to buy and own a condo in Nai Harn?+

At the Land Office on transfer day there is a 2% transfer fee on the official appraised value, which buyer and seller often split, though the contract decides. The seller's taxes are set out in the purchase agreement. Each year the owner pays land and building tax, which for a second home or rented unit is about 0.02% of the appraised value, and the building's common-area fee. A Thai lawyer should check the title, the foreign quota and the contract before you pay a deposit.

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