Welcome to Travelfish, original Asia travel intelligence you can trust.
Username: Password: | Join
 


Jump to a destination



 

On On Hotel

As seen on The Beach

What we say 

Photo of On On Hotel, 19 Phang Nga Rd, Phuket Town. , Phuket Town
Add to scrapbook
Read reviews
Add review
There's something about the On On. Established in 1929, this huge wooden maze of battered rooms was Phuket's first hotel. If not for its starring role in The Beach, where it stood in for a dilapidated guesthouse in Bangkok, and then in the Tsunami mini-series, where it played itself -- a dilapidated hotel in Phuket, the On-On would have either renovated or shut down. Appearances aside, the real problem with the On On is that the rooms are uncomfortable. Fluorescent light from the hallways streams into the rooms all night long, the walls are paper-thin and the corridors noisy, some rooms don't have electrical outlets, and both the mattresses and pillows were very hard. The cheapest rooms share grotty bathrooms that reek of mothballs and, of the en-suite rooms, many of the bathrooms are Asian squat-style. If you can't resist the On On's seedy allure the trick to staying here is to be selective, some rooms are much worse than others. Rooms are dirt cheap but you'll still get a better all-around value somewhere like the Thalang Guesthouse. However, as long as people remember that Leonardo DiCaprio slept here, the On On will be around.

Contact details:
19 Phang Nga Rd, Phuket Town. T: (076) 211 154, (076) 225 740, (076) 225 741 



What we were quoted*

Type of room Low season High season Notes
Sgl fan share b'room 180 THB 180 THB
Dbl fan private b'room 250 THB 250 THB
Dbl air-con private b'room 400 THB 400 THB
Quad fan private b'room 350 THB 350 THB Two double beds
Triple fan private b'room 300 THB 300 THB One double and one twin bed

* Travelfish researchers visit and review properties on an anonymous basis. By that we mean they show up, in person, and pretend to be either be a potential guest, or somebody looking for a room for a friend or relative. Where possible the researcher will inspect at least a couple of rooms. The rates you see above are what either the desk staff told us they were, or what were in the brochure when they just told us to quit bugging them and look in the brochure. For mid-range hotels and up, always shop around online for a competitive rate. Click here to find out more about what makes Travelfish different with regards our accommodation reviews.

Added to Travelfish on: 30th July, 2003
Last visited or updated on: 16th August, 2008

On On Hotel reviews

Read 6 opinions from Travelfish readers

One night is enough - 4th August, 2009
This place is so faded it is almost invisible. As a last resort it is adequate, however the walls are very thin, bathrooms look like a prison's and cracks in the floorboards masked up with duct tape did little to limit the noise from reception. It is cheap though...and the beds wer'nt entirely uncomfortable.

On On Hotel reviewed by irvinejamie on 4th August, 2009, rated 2 out of 5.
Stayed here 7/2009
This is a Travelfish recommended reviewer
Total reviews submitted: 15.
irvinejamie also reviewed: Bamboo Riverside Guesthouse, Dreamland Resort, Golden Temple Villa, Lamphu House, Louise Guesthouse, Mekong Hotel, P.P Casita, Sala Don Khone, SK House, Star Hut, Thalang Guesthouse, Thang Long Hotel, The River-Star Hotel, Thong Ta Kian Villa.

nice place - 30th March, 2009
I was staying at the Phuket backpacker in a dorm, paying thb350/night, but I had to leave due to bed bugs. So I went to the On On, and I got a room with bathroom, Air conditioning, 2 beds for thb400, a much better value than the hostel. And no bed bugs :-). The building is beautiful, centrally located.

On On Hotel reviewed by nathantraveler on 30th March, 2009, rated 4 out of 5.
Stayed here 3/2009
This is a Travelfish recommended reviewer
Total reviews submitted: 25.
nathantraveler also reviewed: Bamboo House, Ban Jaidee Guesthouse, Chiang Saen Guesthouse, Garden House, Garden Huts, Julie Guest House, Koh Teng Hotel, Lotus Guesthouse, Mai Sai Guesthouse, My Lan, National Park Accommodation, P Guest House, Paradise beach resort, Paradise Lost, Rapala Resort, Ruanthai Sopaphan Resort, Sherwood House, Siripong Guesthouse, Suchanaree, Suchanaree, Tara Inn, Thalang Guesthouse, The Phuket Backpacker, Tip Inn & Forest Lodge.

Good but faded - 11th March, 2007
Faded charm, very cheap double rooms, but basic. Check the door lock. Toilet frequently an Asian squat type, although some rooms have Western style. Bit of a walk from the bus station, and from the centre, but worth it. Has a tour agency in the entrance, had no problems booking with them.

On On Hotel reviewed by bedu on 11th March, 2007, rated 3 out of 5.
Stayed here 9/2005
This is a Travelfish recommended reviewer
Total reviews submitted: 11.
bedu also reviewed: Jolly Frog Backpackers, Kiwi Orchid Guest House, Mali Namphu, Nirundorn 3 Resort, Nirundorn Resort, Nok Noi (Little Bird) Hotel, Sintavee Hotel, Suta House Bungalows.

An experience... - 12th December, 2008
Travelfish and Lonely Planet describe how it really is: not that comfortable. It has it's charm, but it's really quite ugly. Saggy beds (clean sheets though), very thin walls, no outlets, scary electricity (you can hear it and each time I turned on the light I was afraid to get electrocuted). But for the money, well, it's okay... Had a double room just for me for 180 baht per night, with shared shower and toilets (cleanish...) and my own sink.

On On Hotel reviewed by brenda1980 on 12th December, 2008, rated 3 out of 5.
Stayed here 11/2008
Total reviews submitted: 4.
brenda1980 also reviewed: Julie Guest House, Lek Guest House, New Joe Guesthouse.

Best Value in Phuket Town! - 16th February, 2008
I recently stayed at the On-On where 400 baht/night got me a room with two beds, private bathroom and air conditioning. The rooms have seen better days asthetically, but are generally quite clean. Just three streets over (near the Backpacker) the public buses wait to take you to any of the many Phuket beaches for just 20-30 baht. For anyone doing Phuket on a budget, look at the On-On. For the money, it probably is the best value on Phuket island!

On On Hotel reviewed by ask03 on 16th February, 2008, rated 4 out of 5.
Stayed here 2/2008
Total reviews submitted: 5.
ask03 also reviewed: Ao Toh Ko Bungalows, Blue Star Guest House, Chez Sabina Guest House, Green House.

Read 1 more reviews

One night is worth it!! - 23rd December, 2007
So cheap, and one night is worth it for the experience. I went in monsoon season so the 'skylight' in the bathroom doubled as a water feature. But if you're not a princess this place os so daggy it's a must do in Phuket town

On On Hotel reviewed by mantahay on 23rd December, 2007, rated 3 out of 5.
Stayed here 8/2007
Total reviews submitted: 2.
mantahay also reviewed: Diamond Cave Resort.

Minimise these reviews

Have your say

Please login to add your review.
Username:   Password:   
Not a member? you can join here.

Review title

Shortness and snappiness are encouraged ;-)

When did you stay here?


Your review

(Remotely sensible, non-ranting comments are much appreciated. If you don't like somewhere, please explain why and perhaps go and add a comment for somewhere you did like -- it's all far more helpful for others that way.)
Serial ranters, loons and spammers will be banished!



So how does it rate?
On a scale of one to ten (with 10 being outstanding and 1 being bloody awful) how would you rate On On Hotel for the following criteria?

Note: Ratings are OUT OF TEN -- not five!
We just set them at 5 (average) to get you started.

Cleanliness:  
Location:  
Overall facilities:  
Romance:  
        
Room quality:  
Staff:  
Value:  
Vibe:  


Please note comments may be edited for clarity, typos etc. Also, this is not intended as a means to contact the guesthouse or hotel. Messages such as reservation enquiries will be deleted -- as will ranting tirades, spam and anything else that really belongs outside.

Please login and refresh this screen before writing your review -- thanks!



 

More places to stay

Phuket Crystal Inn
The Phuket Crystal Inn (not the unrelated Crystal Guest House across the street) is a centrally located mid-class hotel near Phuket Town's shopping ce ... more

Phuket Merlin Hotel
If you're after a reliable up-market hotel the Merlin is a fine choice. They have a big swimming pool, coffee shop, Chinese banquet restaurant, spa, a ... more

Summer Hotel
Cheap and cheerful, the Summer Hotel has a decent selection of fan and air-con rooms. The location is pretty out of the way, but the local area is int ... more

Thalang Guesthouse
This rambling, old-style guesthouse on scenic Thalang Rd. has three storeys of spacious, comfortable rooms with ceiling fans and hot showers. Inside t ... more

Joe Mansion
Near the round-about in downtown Phuket, Joe Mansion has air-con rooms with all the comforts of home. In fact, if you'd like to make it your home for ... more





Old Town (O.T.) Guesthouse
It didn't surprise us to learn that this clean, cosy guesthouse in the historical district is under the same management as the Thalang Guesthouse near ... more

Phuket Town Inn
Previously known as the City Hotel, the Phuket Town Inn won't wow you but is otherwise a good mid-range choice. The rooms are comfortable and it's the ... more

Royal Phuket City Hotel
One of the flashier places in town, the 19 storey Royal Phuket City has over 250 luxurious rooms and full business facilities. It's one of the few pla ... more

The Phuket Backpacker
In a town over-flowing with budget hotels, opening a hostel seems an overly ambitious foray -- you can get a room next door at the Wasana Hotel for th ... more

Down Town Guesthouse
The owners' focus at Down Town Guesthouse seems to be more on the travel agency than the accompanying guesthouse which is simply a handful of rooms ab ... more

Holiday Plaza
Tucked away behind a restaurant, the Holiday Plaza looks like an old warehouse full of dorm rooms. The corridors are wide enough to drive a car throug ... more

Pengman Hotel
Only a few doors west of the On On Hotel, The Pengman is a lot harder to find. There is a small English sign but it's easy to miss. You're better off ... more

Wasana Guest House
There were more motorbikes than guests in the otherwise empty lobby of the colourless Wasana Guest House and the staff seemed surprised to get a custo ... more



 

The bottom line

This site was constructed out of 100% recycled electrons -- if you don't, you should recycle too!
All material copyright Travelfish Pty Ltd ACN 107 758 985 -- please don't steal our content
Thailand FAQ | Cambodia FAQ | Travel related links | Jobs with Travelfish | Press
For ZoneAlarm Users | Contact Travelfish | Privacy statement | About us
Advertise with Travelfish | How do I get my business listed on Travelfish?
Yahoo! FareChase
Last updated pretty recently ;-)
There are 170 visitors online, sea2010, sklsk8s, and your boss!
Travelfish | Blog | Fourelephants | AsiaNewsDesk | BangkokMetro | Affiliates