Photo: Café del Mar Phuket Beach Club via Google
Cafe del Mar
Phuket
The Ibiza sound on a west facing beach, where the club only truly wakes at four.
The verdict
- Book ifYou want the Ibiza brand done properly on Kamala, a pool and beach beds on a minimum spend, wood fired pizza, a serious sound system and one of the better west facing sunsets in northern Phuket
- Skip ifYou want a toes in the sand club or a calm lunch, because it sits behind the tree line, packs in tight and stays half asleep until the afternoon lifts it
- One thing to knowThe place wakes around 4pm and peaks at sunset, and the enclosed Club Room runs Wednesday to Saturday from about 10pm into the small hours
Facts checked against the club’s own site to our editorial standards by Morten Andersen
Published 10 July 2026. Last reviewed 10 July 2026
Cafe del Mar landed on the northern tip of Kamala Beach in 2017, bringing the Ibiza name to the west coast and raising the bar that Catch had set on Bang Tao a few years earlier. It is built the way modern Phuket forces beach clubs to be built, around a pool and a raised deck tucked behind the tree line rather than out on the sand, with a compact footprint that packs loungers, sofas, a central bar and an enclosed Club Room into a tight plot beside the InterContinental and the Novotel. What carries it is the thing the brand is known for, a proper sound system and an Ibiza arc that turns a lazy afternoon into a sunset party.
Within our Phuket club directory the west coast splits between the calm dining clubs and the loud music ones, and Cafe del Mar plants a firm flag in the second camp. It earns its page by taking the beach club format seriously as a music venue rather than a lunch spot, and by owning the best sunset stretch on a beach that faces the right way for it.
Cafe del Mar Phuket at a glance
Taken from the Cafe del Mar Phuket website and independent island write ups, and where the club stays quiet on a figure we hold it as to be confirmed.
| What | The detail |
|---|---|
| Sunbeds | Loungers and double beds on a minimum spend rather than a rental fee, singles and doubles set differently, to be confirmed |
| Cabana | VIP tables and cabanas with direct pool access, bookable for events, to be confirmed |
| Minimum spend | A food and drink minimum applies per seat, redeemed across the day, exact figure not published, to be confirmed |
| Entry | Free entry to the beach club, many event nights ticketed separately, to be confirmed |
| Reservations | Booked online or by phone, advised for front row beds on weekends and event nights |
| Dress code | Beachwear and smart casual by day, a smarter look for the Club Room, to be confirmed for events |
| Season and hours | Open daily from 11am until late, Club Room Wednesday to Saturday from about 10pm |
| The beach | Kamala, a west facing beach on the northwest coast of Phuket |
| Food and bar | Tapas, pasta, sushi and wood fired pizza, chill out to house DJs and a live saxophonist |
Half asleep at noon, alive by sunset
The first honest thing about Cafe del Mar is that turning up for lunch is a mistake. Before about four in the afternoon the place looks half empty, and the covered bar area can get hot because the sea breeze does not reach it. Come back at four and it is a different venue, the loungers fill, the pool gets busy, and the whole compact plot tightens as free sofas vanish and your neighbours settle in close. That density is part of the format now, and it works precisely when the music is on and the crowd is up for it, which is most afternoons in season.
For a wanderer reading the kitchen and the decks, the food is honest beach club fare rather than a destination in itself. The menu covers tapas, salads, pasta, a sushi selection and wood fired pizzas that stretch from a plain marinara to a wagyu and truffle version, and the pizzas are the safe bet after an afternoon in the water. The reason to prioritise this club over its neighbours is the sound. Daytime is chill out and deep house, the tempo builds through late afternoon, and by sunset the DJ is in full flow, with a resident lineup, guest names and a live saxophonist over the top. The Club Room, an enclosed dance floor with LED walls and a heavier system, opens Wednesday to Saturday from around ten and carries the night on well past the beach club close.
Where it falls short is space and calm. This is not a toes in the sand club, and it is not a place for a quiet meal, because the plot is small and everything is packed in tight for volume. The minimum spend on beds is fair if you eat and drink through the day but poor value for a quick swim, when the free sofas and bar seats are the smarter choice. And the pool is for club guests only and gets crowded through the afternoon, so an early dip beats a sunset one if a proper swim matters to you.
Kamala beyond the deck
Photo: Café del Mar Phuket Beach Club via Google
Photo: Phuri Hoye via GoogleCafe del Mar takes the quiet northern end of Kamala, screened behind the trees so you would not guess from the road how busy it gets, with the open beach running long and calm in front of it. Because Kamala faces due west, the sunset here is genuinely good on a clear evening and the sand ahead of the club is clear of buildings, which is why the venue treats the sunset as its headline moment. The stretch of shore to the south stays quiet, a ten minute walk into a side of the beach most club guests never reach. Our full guide to Kamala Beach and the roundup of the best Phuket beaches for sunset place it in the wider coast.
The practical part
Cafe del Mar occupies the northern tip of Kamala Beach, next to the InterContinental and the Novotel, roughly a quarter hour over the hill from Patong when you drive. Parking on site is limited, so the reliable move is to use the drop off at the InterContinental or park at Novotel Kamala and walk through to the sand. Booking is relaxed on a weekday, when a walk in usually lands a free sofa or a bed, but front row double beds go first on weekends, full moon dates and in high season, and headline event nights are busier still, so reserve a bed or a VIP table ahead if the prime sunset spot matters. If you stay for the late Club Room, a booked transfer home beats hunting for a taxi after midnight.
Want the whole thing squared away before the trip? Pass us the date, your group size, and whether you are chasing a sunset bed or a table for an event night, and we will take the minimum spend, the availability and any ticket detail to the club for you. It is free to enquire.
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Cafe del Mar Phuket questions, answered
How does the minimum spend work at Cafe del Mar Phuket?
You do not pay a rental fee for a lounger or a double bed at Cafe del Mar Phuket. Instead each seat carries a minimum food and drink spend that you redeem across the day, with singles and doubles set at different levels, and the exact figures move by position and season so we hold them as to be confirmed. If you plan to eat lunch, drink through the afternoon and stay for sunset the minimum is easy to reach, but for a quick swim and a beer the free sofas and bar seats work out better.
What time should you go to Cafe del Mar Phuket?
The club opens late morning and looks half empty until about four in the afternoon, when it wakes up, so come for the back half of the day rather than lunch. The tempo climbs through late afternoon, the DJ hits full flow by sunset, and on Wednesday to Saturday the enclosed Club Room runs on from around ten at night into the small hours. For the beach club at its best, aim to arrive mid afternoon and settle in for the sunset.
Is the food at Cafe del Mar Phuket any good?
It is solid beach club fare rather than fine dining, and it does the job well after a day of swimming and drinking. The menu runs tapas, salads, pasta, a sushi selection and wood fired pizzas that range from a simple marinara to a wagyu and truffle version, and the pizzas are the reliable order. The kitchen serves through the afternoon and evening, with the last food order in the late evening and the bar going later still.
Does Cafe del Mar Phuket sit right on the sand?
Not quite, and that is true of nearly every club on the island now. Phuket rules moved beach clubs off the sand onto the tree line behind it, so Cafe del Mar is built around a pool and a raised deck at the quiet north end of Kamala rather than with toes in the sand. The front row loungers still give you the sea view and the breeze, and the open beach in front means an uninterrupted west facing sunset.
Do you need to book a bed at Cafe del Mar Phuket?
For a weekday afternoon you can usually walk in and take a free sofa or a bed, but the front row double beds go first on weekends, full moon dates and in high season, so booking ahead is worth it if you want the prime sunset spot. Event nights with a headline DJ are the busiest of all, and reserving a bed or a VIP table in advance is the safest way to be sure of a place.
How do you get to Cafe del Mar Phuket and where do you park?
The club sits at the northern end of Kamala Beach beside the InterContinental and the Novotel, about fifteen minutes over the hill from Patong by car. Parking on site is limited, so the local tip is to use the drop off at the InterContinental or park at Novotel Kamala and walk through, and if you stay for the late Club Room a booked transfer home is easier than finding a taxi after midnight.