“The closure of Catch and Bimi comes as part of a government drive to honour the Thai Royal family by removing all businesses and returning the beach to its ‘virgin’ state. With 800 metres of white sands lined with casuarina trees, Surin Beach’s incredible natural beauty was first revealed to the world when Thailand’s Royal family visited the beach in the 1950s. It has become the go-to spot for everyone from artists to aristocrats in the years since,” said a company statement issued yesterday (Apr 12).
Catch Beach Club by Twinpalms opened a decade ago, the statement noted, adding that the two venues will close with a “One Last Time” party on Saturday.
“We’re grateful for the chance to thank and bring together all our loyal members, guests, 170,000 Facebook friends, co-workers and artists who over the past 10 years have together made this beautiful beach utopia come to life on the shores of Surin Beach,” the statement read.
“Though this memorable chapter is set to come to an end, there’s still plenty to celebrate as a new chapter begins, with HQ Beach Lounge opening soon on Kamala Beach,” it added.
The closure of Catch and Bimi follows the closure of popular Italian restaurant Cefalu’ last month. (See story here.)
That closure was also attributed to the government’s push to clear the Surin beachfront, which has been years in progress, culminating with Phuket Governor Chamroen publicly voicing his support for clearing the beach last year. (See story here.)
Business operators at Surin Beach were given until January 1 to vacate their premises, but that deadline was again deferred pending officials completing the legal requirements to clear the sands. (See story here.)
As recently as last week, business owners made a last-ditch effort to have the deadline extended, one more time. (See story here.)