Laku Beach Club may have the distinction of being the most difficult to get to beach club in Phuket, and that’s because it’s not on the main island of Phuket.
Instead, it’s out in the Gulf of Thailand on Coconut Island, and to get there, you need to catch a water taxi. Fortunately, as long as you book your time in this beach club in advance, they will provide this service for you.
And there’s nothing quite like a pleasure boat ride to get our review team motivated to hit the sand and spend a day lounging around the pool drinking cocktails. Just kidding, of course, they’re always motivated for that, but the boat ride certainly put a little extra pep in their step as they went to review Laku Beach, Phuket. And this is what they learned.
Introduction – Getting To Laku Beach Club, Phuket
There are three parts to getting to Laku Beach Club in Phuket: the first is getting to Phuket itself. This isn’t the most challenging thing to do, and there are international flights from most European major destinations and the rest of Asia, and even a few from the US.
However, in peak season, the frequency of these flights can drop dramatically, and you may find that it’s easier to fly to Bangkok, the Thai capital, and catch a connecting flight from there.
It only takes less than an hour from Bangkok to Phuket, so don’t worry too much if you have to stop in between.
Then, it’s a drive of less than an hour from the rest of the island to the pier to take you to Coconut Island. Yes, even in heavy traffic.
We wouldn’t advise driving yourself, mind you, as there’s no parking available nearby, just jump in a ride-share or a tuk-tuk.
Finally, you need to catch a water taxi (which is included in the booking) out to Coconut Island, where you can enjoy the services of Laku Beach Club.
Where Is Laku Beach Club, Phuket? 51 Ko Kaeo, Mueang Phuket District, Phuket 83200, Thailand
Online: Laku Beach Club
Opening Hours: 11 a.m. to 10.30 p.m., though hours may change for local elections and on public holidays.
What’s Available At Laku Beach Club, Phuket?
There are pools, restaurant and bar facilities, day beds for chilling on, beach access and water taxi services throughout the opening hours of the business.
The club also offers a range of water sports facilities that are available either for free or for a small fee.
There is usually no live DJ at this club and no fire show, either, which is something of a surprise for Phuket. Instead, it’s piped music, which they refer to as “curated beats”.
We should note that this isn’t really a party destination, though the evenings can get a little wild; it’s more of an exclusive sanctuary away from Phuket where you can unwind.
It closes at 10.30 p.m., which is much earlier than most other beach clubs, as they need to ensure everyone gets back to the mainland in a water taxi.
Our Detailed Review Of Laku Beach Club, Phuket
We employ a uniform approach to assess every beach club, ensuring equitable treatment for owners, management, and staff, and providing reviews in a consistent format that aids in comparing different venues.
The evaluation process is conducted as follows:
- A team is chosen to evaluate the venue.
- Each member must visit the beach club, with the freedom to visit independently and on separate days.
- During their visit, every reviewer completes a scorecard, assigning the club a score from 1 (least remarkable) to 5 (most remarkable) in specified categories, while also documenting their impressions.
- After all team members have completed their visits and scorecards, they gather to discuss their experiences and agree on final scores for each category.
- A selected team member then drafts the review, reflecting the team’s discussions and final scores, before it is published on our website.
Reservation and Booking Process
At first glance, we like Laku’s booking system, which is professionally set up, and while it does transition you to another domain (bistrochat.com), it’s a pretty seamless process.
However, after you select a date for your booking, you are required to select a seating area, but there’s no guidance on the site as to where the seating is or how it works.
Nor does it make it clear whether you’re getting a daybed or some other item of furniture, and not every seat at this club is a daybed.
So, while it’s a better system than most other Phuket beach clubs, it’s still not good. It’ll get the job done, but unless you’ve been to Laku Beach Club before and know the drill, it may leave you disappointed all the same.
We’d also like to note that their SEO team must be entirely asleep at the switch, as finding their branded website is next to impossible in Google Search. You’d think they’d at least join it up to their Google Maps profile, but no.
Ambience and Atmosphere
If you want a place that is so chill, that it’s practically frosty, then Laku Beach Club is a good choice for you. The vibe here is very much “your own tropical island”.
And that’s kind of awesome, but it’s also kind of dull, too. You are reminded of the fact that you’re not able to just jump up and head to the next club or bar when you’re feeling bored.
Overall, we liked it, but there’s something strangely repressive about being trapped somewhere, even in a place as lovely as this one. Maybe you won’t feel that way, but maybe you will.
Location And Accessibility
Phuket, as a location, is perfectly fine. And the fact that this beach club is on a private island is both great and a little bit annoying.
Firstly, the location means “no car parking”. Seriously, unless your car can swim, you can’t get it close enough to this beach club to use any facility they might have. So, take a ride share or a tuk-tuk.
Secondly, it also means that you’re stuck at the beach club all day, or you go back and either lose hours of time or don’t return.
So, make sure to take everything you need with you, as you won’t be popping out for something that you forgot easily.
Finally, this is Thailand, and the odds of getting a wheelchair onto and off a boat safely are less than zero. So, if you have mobility issues, Laku Beach Club is not going to be the place for you.
Aesthetic And Design
You can’t deny that there’s some wow appeal in pulling up in a boat to a private beach club in the middle of nowhere.
The interior of the beach club isn’t the most amazing that we’ve seen, but we really do like the architecture and your Instagram shots from here are going to blow your friends’ minds.
Overall, there’s nothing to dislike about the design and aesthetic appeal of this beach club; it also doesn’t feel overtly corporate, which makes a pleasant change if you’re used to the hotel beach clubs of Southeast Asia.
Staff Friendliness and Professionalism (Service Standard)
This is the Land of Smiles, and that means friendliness is practically guaranteed with the staff of any beach club in the land, but we do feel that the staff here were selected for being even friendlier than the norm.
We also found them to be very proficient and professional in the way that they approached their work.
One of the nice things about being in the middle of nowhere is that you must concentrate your mind on the job, as there’s not much else to be distracted by.
Combine that with some training from the resort on the island, and you have a great team ready to make their guests’ days.
Service Speed and Efficiency
We also felt that the service was both fast and effective. There’s something quite nice about staff who seem to anticipate when you’re going to need something and then arrive just before you go to signal your intent.
That happens a lot at Laku Beach Club, and we found that they also do a great job of getting the orders prepped, made and back to you within a reasonable time frame.
We like that stuff takes some time to get ready or it wouldn’t be fresh, but waiting around for ages in the heat is no fun. So, this is a deserved shout-out to the team at Laku Beach Club.
Food Quality and Variety
We thought the menu was decent, and the fact that there’s a lot of focus on the local seafood is a good thing; fresh ingredients are a must for this kind of beach club.
It may not be the most varied menu of all time, but there’s more than enough that everyone should be happy while spending a day at Laku Beach Club.
However, we can’t get away from the fact that this remoteness and privacy come at a fairly substantial price tag. Lake Beach Club is very expensive, and you’re going to have to order here, as there is no local 7-11 that you can sneak out to for a snack during the course of the day.
Beverage Selection and Creativity
We also felt that the drinks selection was good and that each drink was prepared with expertise and care. There’s no doubt that the cocktails look great in your Instagram feed.
However, as with the food, it’s pretty expensive to drink at this beach club; now the disparity is not as great here as it is with the cuisine because Thai taxes always make drinking more expensive than it should be.
Overall, though, you’re certainly not going to die of thirst as long as you brought your wallet.
Cleanliness and Hygiene
You’ll be pleased to know that the cleaning staff are as focused on their work as the rest of the team is focused on theirs, and the cleanliness at this beach club is first-rate.
Of course, it helps that this is a relatively new facility, so there are no substantial signs of wear and tear anywhere in the venue, but overall, it’s exactly the way we would like it to be.
The pool water is clear and pleasant, the toilets and changing rooms are immaculate, and overall, there’s no concern about hygiene anywhere that we could see.
Comfort of Seating and Lounging Areas
We were reasonably impressed with the seating areas, too. While they weren’t “the most comfortable ever”, they were very comfortable, and that’s important when you’re in a captive environment like this one.
The seats are also attractive, which means they can help to enhance your Instagram feed overall, and that’s another big attraction for many when they visit a beach club.
Music and Entertainment
The big thrill of the day is the boat ride to and from the club. Now, of course, this is essential given that the Laku Beach Club venue is on Coconut Island, but it does the job and makes you feel special.
Otherwise, there are piped tunes and the occasional in-house DJ laying down chill out vibes; there’s nothing to write home about in this department, but we didn’t hate any of it, either.
Overall, they have their vibe and they’re sticking to it, and for the most part, it works.
Seasonality
This beach club is in Phuket, and officially, as you can tell from the opening hours, there is no seasonality here in the tropics.
However, this completely ignores that the rainy season in Thailand can be absolutely merciless, and the downpour can last for days or even weeks at times with almost no respite.
We’d recommend that if you want to travel to Southeast Asia in the rainy season that you head to Bali, which is cheaper than Phuket, and offers much less rain (it does rain, but only for a couple of hours a day at the most).
Pricing and Value for Money
We really had a good time at Laku Beach Club, but you can’t help but notice that the prices are pretty hefty even for a beach club in Phuket.
So, we have to dock a few points for value for money, though we have to stress that we never felt ripped off by this beach club, either.
Beach Access and Quality
The beach here is lovely, and the sand is kept clean and well-tended by the beach club staff.
However, while people do use the water here, we’d just note that it’s still the same heavily polluted water as in the rest of Phuket.
Sustainability Practices
They made a big deal out of the use of sustainable materials for building this beach club, and it does look awesome.
But that seems to be where the club’s eco-friendly commitments end, and honestly, we don’t think that’s good enough. It’s 2025. Taking care of the environment around you ought to be baked into every business model.
Exclusive Perks for Guests
In addition to the usual towel and comfy seat, they throw in a free round trip on their water taxi and you can’t say that doesn’t elevate the overall experience at this beach club.
Safety and Security
There is no bag check on the way to this beach club, which is a bit of a shame as while we doubt that there will be any incidents, it’s always best to make sure.
As for onsite security? There are more than enough folks around to ensure any alcohol related tiffs are quickly resolved without harming anyone else.
Event Hosting Capabilities
You can host events at this beach club, but it’s a relatively small space and worse, you’d have to ferry all your guests out to the club using the water taxi service.
So, we’d only really recommend using it to host small and intimate events; it’s not the right kind of venue for a big corporate day out.
Consistency of Experience
We felt from our reviewer’s experiences, that of customers we talked to while at Laku Beach Club and from reading online reviews that this club clearly delivers a consistently good quality experience.
However, we didn’t see any of the telltale signs of constant reinvention that really set the best beach clubs apart from the pack, either.
Additional Amenities and Facilities
The amenities at Laku Beach Club are very good; they’re aware of the fact that it’s not as easy as popping to the 7-11 if they don’t have something you need.
However, if they don’t have what you need, it is a long way to the nearest 7-11 and a very inconvenient water taxi ride away.
Summary
Yes, it’s a captive environment, but let’s be fair about this, you do feel pretty special being picked up for a day in a beach club in a boat to be taken off to a private island. How many times a week do you get to do that in real life? Not many, we’d bet.
The club itself is very attractive and the staff are lovely and attentive. We thought the food was tasty and that the drinks looked as good as they tasted.
Our only real complaint is that it’s expensive even for a Phuket beach club compared to other similar days out in Thailand, and that by dint of being on a private island, you can’t just wander off and explore and come back a bit later. You’re very much in the beach club until the moment you leave.
FAQs
Can You Go Swimming At Laku Beach Club, Phuket?
Yes, there are nice swimming pools at Laku Beach Club, and the main pool is a pretty decent size, though we can’t guarantee that you’d be able to do laps during the busiest times of day; otherwise, you should be fine.
While you can, in theory, also swim on the beach at this beach club, we wouldn’t. There are no lifeguards here, and the water (as with all the water in Phuket) is not particularly clean. Mouthfuls of pollution are not good for stomach health.
You may also find that you’re at risk of being pulled out to deep water by riptides here, so we’d recommend that you stick to swimming in the pool. It’s a key feature of Laku Beach Club; it’s not a hardship.
If you do opt to take part in the water sports here, make sure to follow the instructions given by the beach club staff.
What Is There To Do At Laku Beach Club, Phuket?
You can eat, drink, relax, swim and play on the beach. You can even have a bit of a dance if you like the piped music.
While this isn’t a party spot per se, there’s no doubt that the vibe is about good times, and you’ll be fine to have fun with friends as long as it’s all good-natured.
Is Laku Beach Club, Phuket, A Child-Friendly Venue?
Yes, Laku Beach Club, Phuket, is family-friendly. There are no age restrictions in place here, and while we’re not sure we’d want our kids here later in the day when the alcohol has been flowing, it’s a nice spot up until the early evening after sunset for a family day out.
The pool has water slides, and there’s even a kids’ club if you want your children to be able to socialise while you relax and enjoy the facilities.
Who Is The Owner Of Laku Beach Club, Phuket?
The Laku Beach Club is owned and was created by Tom Gordon. Tom also owns the Barcelo Coconut Island Resort. It is one of a portfolio of venues that are meant to be built on Coconut Island.
Final Thoughts On The Review Of Laku Beach Club, Phuket
Laku Beach Club is a really nice place to go, and while it’s not a party spot, it’s one of the best places in Phuket for a chilled-out day by the pool with the sand nearby with friends or family.
The boat journey out to the beach club is thrilling, and it hasn’t lost its sparkle on the return trip, either.
Overall, we’d be happy to recommend this place to visitors to Phuket, though we do wonder how much repeat visit potential it has, particularly given how expensive it is.
