Nore Beach Club is one of the big names in the local beach club scene in Phuket, and our reviewers couldn’t wait to try this place out for themselves.
It has a reputation for laid-back days where nearly anything goes and everyone is expected to just vibe and have a great time.
So, it didn’t take long to throw the sunscreen and sunglasses in a bag, along with their review kits and head out to experience Nora Beach Club, Phuket, for themselves, and this is what they learned while they were there.
Introduction – Getting To Nora Beach Club, Phuket
Getting to Phuket is relatively easy nowadays with a well-served international airport during peak season. Outside of peak season, you may find that flights are not as regular.
That’s not the end of the world; you can always fly to Bangkok and then grab a connection to Phuket. There are regular flights to Phuket out of both Bangkok airports, and it’s a pretty short flight.
Then getting to Nora is pretty easy, it’s on Bang Tao Beach, one of the most popular beaches in Phuket, and it’s a short drive from most of the area.
Certainly, we wouldn’t expect to spend any longer than an hour in a tuk-tuk or rideshare in bad traffic conditions getting there.
Once you arrive, there’s not much in the way of parking at Nora, so we’d recommend that you catch a ride rather than drive. If you do need to park, you may need to leave the car at some distance and then walk back to the beach club, particularly if the hotel car park is at capacity.
Where Is Nora Beach Club, Phuket? Cherngtalay, 322, Moo 2, Srisoonthorn Rd, Thalang District, Phuket 83110, Thailand
Online: Nora
Opening Hours: 12 a.m. to 12 p.m. every day, though hours may change for public holidays or local elections. It’s worth noting that Nora is undergoing some renovation works at the moment, and not all of the club is open until they are completed.
What’s Available At Nora Beach Club, Phuket?
This is a beachfront beach club with restaurant and bar facilities, a large swimming pool area and a club/dance floor area that comes alive later in the day.
Our Detailed Review Of Nora Beach Club, Phuket
We use a standardised approach to assess every beach club, ensuring equitable evaluation for owners, management, and staff, and delivering reviews in a consistent format that facilitates straightforward venue comparisons.
The assessment process is structured as follows:
- A team is tasked with reviewing the venue.
- Each member must visit the beach club, with the flexibility to visit independently and on separate days.
- During their visit, every reviewer completes a scorecard, scoring the club from 1 (least notable) to 5 (most notable) in predefined categories, while also documenting their experiences.
- After all team members have submitted their scorecards, they convene to discuss their observations and finalise scores for each category.
- A chosen team member then composes the review, incorporating the team’s discussions and final scores, before it is shared on our website.
Reservation and Booking Process
Nora Beach Club has a surprisingly decent reservation system, which is a standout from the crowd in Phuket, where terrible booking systems seem to be the order of the day.
We don’t like the fact that it’s not directly on their website, mind you, “bistrochat.com” is not a domain that instils immediate confidence in the process.
You can easily pick the time, the date, and the type of seating that you want that is appropriate to the size of the party that you’re bringing with you.
Sadly, you can’t choose the individual seat that you want, but it’s certainly better than nothing at all, nor is it particularly clear what “indoor” and “outdoor” seating means, though daybeds, cabanas, etc., are straightforward enough.
You will also be informed of the minimum spend associated with that type of seating (in our experience, it’s 1,000 Baht per person, and you are expected to fill the item of furniture to capacity), which makes it easier.
You also pay the deposit online, and that means your reservation is actually secured for the day when you arrive.
Ambience and Atmosphere
The atmosphere in the early part of the day at Nora Beach Club is pretty calm and chill, and then it picks up pace as it heads towards the evening’s obligatory fire dance show (we don’t think there’s a beach club in Phuket without one) and the DJ appearances.
It also becomes more social across the course of the day as the family groups tend to leave as the evening draws near and more and more partygoers arrive.
Overall, we found Nora to have a pleasant vibe and one that didn’t ever make us feel uncomfortable or overly crowded.
Location And Accessibility
Phuket is a reasonably accessible part of Thailand, and there’s no doubt that Nora Beach Club sits on one of the area’s most popular beaches, which is easily accessible from the rest of the area.
There is some limited parking at this beach club, which is better than the majority of beach clubs in Phuket.
However, there is very limited wheelchair access at this beach club, and it’s probably best to visit one of the bigger brand hotel beach clubs if this is important to you.
There has been real progress in Thailand over the last few years regarding disability access, but there’s still a long way to go.
Aesthetic And Design
Nora is quite attractive inside, and at night, it looks fantastic. However, we couldn’t help but notice that it was starting to look a little shabby in the bright light of day on our visit.
We hope that the current renovation work will resolve this, and it’s not bad enough that it will spoil your social media snapshots.
Overall, we can imagine that at its very best, Nora can be a stunning place, but for now, it’s just alright.
Staff Friendliness and Professionalism (Service Standard)
Thailand is officially the “Land of Smiles”, and while cynics have been known to mouth the word “crocodile” as this is said, we don’t agree with them.
The Thai people are generally friendly, and there’s no doubt that the staff at Nora are very friendly. They’re also professional, and we were impressed with their knowledge of the menu and their ability to help with more general questions about the area.
They aren’t quite as polished as the staff in some of the big brand-name hotel beach clubs, but they’re very good and certainly are a credit to Nora.
Service Speed and Efficiency
Service in Thailand can be so laidback that it’s practically horizontal, and we were relieved to find that wasn’t the case during our time at Nora Beach Club.
While the staff didn’t quite anticipate when we’d need them, it wasn’t hard to get their attention, and they would swiftly arrive once they knew they were needed.
We also found that drinks and food orders usually came with reasonable levels of alacrity, but occasionally, we had to wait a long time for a cocktail.
Overall, the speed and efficiency of service at this beach club are very good, but there is still some room for improvement.
Food Quality and Variety
One important thing to know at Nora Beach Club is that the kitchens close at 9 p.m. every day, so you can’t keep on ordering all day long; you need to make sure that you get your final orders in a few minutes before the cutoff for orders too.
The focus of their menu is Mediterranean food, and there are fewer options on the menu than at some of the other beach clubs in Thailand. We also felt that some of their food was quite pricey, though the quality was there to support the prices.
Families will be pleased to know that there is a kids’ menu and that prices on that menu are more reasonable.
Beverage Selection and Creativity
The drinks menu is more varied than the food menu, and we’d be amazed if anyone managed to make their way through it in a single visit.
However, we did think that even when prices are quite high in Thailand for Southeast Asia and there’s a premium for being at a beach club, that the drinks were on the expensive side.
Not so much as to be a rip-off, but enough that you might wince when you get the bill, and this is particularly true for the non-alcoholic drinks.
Nora also adds VAT and service charges on top of food and drinks, which is not the standard way of billing in Thailand, so watch out for that extra charge, or you may be surprised by the size of your bill at the end of the day.
Cleanliness and Hygiene
We felt that the staff at Nora were quite passionate about cleanliness and hygiene, and though the pool area was a little old, it was in good repair, and the water was clear and pleasant.
The toilets and changing rooms were also clean, and that gave us confidence that the rest of the beach club would live up to the same standard.
Overall, Thais tend to be very particular about hygiene, and we were pleased to find that this was the case at Nora Beach Club.
Comfort of Seating and Lounging Areas
We felt that the seating areas were pleasant enough, but the furniture was showing some signs of aging (and again, we hope that this is being addressed during the refurbishment exercise at the moment).
The daybeds are comfortable enough, mind you, even though they’re nothing to write home about either.
And overall, as long as you leave it to Golden Hour, it all looks pretty decent in your Instagram snaps, and that’s the main thing, right?
Music and Entertainment
The music at Nora is piped in during the day, and it’s not that bad. It won’t win any prizes for originality, and it’s definitely more chilling focused than partying focused, but that’s fine by us.
Then they have a fire show, just like every other beach club in Phuket, and while it’s a decent example of such a show, we’re just over this spectacle by now. It would be great to see one beach club in Phuket take some initiative and do something else, instead.
The DJs are all fine, we didn’t find ourselves blown away by any of their sets, but we had a good time dancing into the night, and there’s definitely a big energy boost when the decks start spinning.
Seasonality
Officially, there’s no seasonality in Phuket because it’s in the tropics and thus, the weather is warm all year round.
Unfortunately, the reality is that during the wet season, the monsoon rains can be unrelenting and come down for days or even weeks at a time.
We always advise people to avoid Phuket during the rainy season and head to Bali instead. It still rains in the Indonesian archipelago at that time of year, but only for a couple of hours a day and it rarely runs into a second day.
There’s also a cost saving to be had on most things in Bali since prices shot up in Thailand in the post-pandemic world.
Pricing and Value for Money
Overall, we felt that the prices were a little high at Nora Beach Club. We stress that we didn’t feel ripped off by this beach club but even though the food is delicious and the drinks are beautiful, they’re not quite worth the money.
When a bottle of sparkling water is going to set you back roughly $10 USD, you know it’s going to be a day that’s a little hard on your wallet.
It wouldn’t stop us from going back, but it might make us more reluctant to choose Nora over some of its more reasonably priced competitors, too.
Beach Access and Quality
The beach at Nora is OK, it’s reasonably well kept given how popular this strip of sand is, and the hotel’s beach clean-up crew are often sighted keeping on top of things.
However, as with everywhere in Phuket, the water is very polluted and you shouldn’t swim in the sea on this beach.
You can access the beach from Nora most of the time, but make sure to check before you leave and to get a stamp if you want to re-enter the club without paying a second minimum spend.
Sustainability Practices
Nora’s commitment to sustainability is in the use of premium, locally sourced products as well as international suppliers that meet certain ethical standards.
This is a good start, but we do feel that they could be more impactful, and without proper reporting on these commitments, they are walking precariously close to greenwashing.
Exclusive Perks for Guests
You get a towel and a seat, and that’s it. This is very much the standard in the beach club scene, but we really do wish that places would put together VIP packages of perks.
We wouldn’t mind paying for sunscreen sprays, sunglasses cleaning, surf valet services, etc., and we think that many others wouldn’t either.
You’re on holiday and you want to live a little, and beach clubs should facilitate that.
Safety and Security
We felt that safety and security were taken seriously at Nora with onsite inspections of cars coming into the grounds and thorough bag searches for guests.
This helps to ensure a safe environment for everyone. We’d also note that there are enough security staff present to ensure that any outbreaks of trouble are unlikely to ruin anyone else’s day out.
Event Hosting Capabilities
They do have a private events team on hand at Nora which makes planning your events much easier than it might be if you had to do things yourself.
However, this isn’t the biggest venue, and it’s probably better for private dinners and smaller group activities than for the largest events.
Unusually for a beach club, they do allow stag parties, so if you’re in the mood for a group party in Phuket, Nora should be on your shortlist.
Consistency of Experience
As with most hotel beach clubs, the experience at Nora is very consistent. It’s meant to be, so that you know exactly what to expect.
The downside of this is that there’s very little innovation that tries to take the beach club to the next level.
Additional Amenities and Facilities
They have pretty much all the basic amenities that you could need at Nora, and if there’s anything else you want, you can find it nearby without too much hassle.
Phuket has been catering to international visitors for a long time now, and the area has mastered ensuring you can get what you need within a short drive.
Summary
Nora is definitely a good time, and all of our reviewers enjoy their days at Nora. While we did think it was a bit pricey, the food and drinks were very good, and the fire show and DJs are solid entertainment.
We believe that many of our criticisms regarding the decor, etc., will be resolved in the current refurbishment.
However, we would like to see some effort put into evolving Nora into something even better than it is now.
FAQs
Can You Go Swimming At Nora Beach Club, Phuket?
Yes, you can swim at Nora Beach Club. However, the pool is really laid out for Instagram shots and for people to sip cocktails in comfort while splashing in the water.
That means that unless you get there early in the day, you’re unlikely to have the free space to swim very far. Certainly, as the afternoon progresses, Nora Beach Club is not the place to go swimming.
We should also note that despite its beachfront location, swimming in the ocean is never recommended in Phuket.
The water is filthy and polluted, and there is also a risk of riptides dragging you out to sea, which wouldn’t be much fun and could potentially be fatal.
What Is There To Do At Nora Beach Club, Phuket?
Nora is a part-oriented beach club. It starts calmly in the early afternoon and works up the tempo from there.
You can relax on their furniture, eat and drink from their restaurant and bar facilities and later on in the day, you can dance the night away with friends, both old and new.
Is Nora Beach Club, Phuket A Child-Friendly Venue?
Yes, despite the emphasis on partying, early in the day, families are welcome, and there’s even a kids’ corner in the pool. They also have children’s arts and crafts activities at some points in the day.
However, younger children may be asked to vacate the premises as the day wears on.
Who Is The Owner Of Nora Beach Club, Phuket?
Nora Beach Club in Phuket is part of the Amora Beach Resort, which is part of the Amora Hotels and Resorts Group.
Final Thoughts On The Review Of Nora Beach Club, Phuket
Nora’s reputation as one of Phuket’s best beach clubs is merited. Sure, it’s not quite in the same league as the very best beach clubs, such as FINNS Beach Club in Bali, but it’s certainly a good time.
Unusually for a hotel beach club, Nora tries to be something to everyone, and it pretty much succeeds at it. That does mean that the party vibe starts a little later in the day than at places that are purely party-focused, but if you want to take your kids to a beach club, they’re going to love spending time at Nora.
Overall, if we’re ever passing by Nora in Phuket, we’d be happy to return.
