Patong Beach
Where to lay your head
Where to lay your head
Phuket is so big, we’ve split it up into areas, select one of the below for detailed accommodation and food listings in that area. Sights and general overviews for Phuket as a whole can be found via the icons above. Don’t know where to start? Read an overview of Phuket’s different areas.
Unless you’re up for a hostel, the accommodation close to the sand tends to be pricey. Head well off Patong Beach to find cheaper guesthouses stacked by the dozens.
The beach road is lined with large resorts and, if proximity to the sea is a priority, this is probably where you’ll want to settle. However, be prepared to put up with more noise, less privacy and much higher prices than further back off the beach.
Offering fully kitted out apartments, the 44-unit Swiss Palm Beach is shockingly good value for money, especially as it’s spitting distance from the beach. Families will feel right at home in big apartments with living rooms, full kitchen facilities, dining rooms, and bedrooms with individual air-con. There are a couple of one-bedroom units, but most of the apartments have one master bedroom plus... Read our full review of Swiss Palm Beach.
( Read more on Agoda.com or Booking.com )
Set in a fragrant garden blooming with purple orchids, Eden has 31 big air-con bungalows with modern trimmings. It’s not too far from the northern reaches of the beach, but tucked away enough into its own little spot that it hardly feels like the rest of Patong. The bungalows are spacious and well-kept, although the style is a little dated, and each has a TV, minibar, and a private veranda with... Read our full review of Eden Bungalows.
( Read more on Agoda.com or Booking.com )
As one of the largest properties on the beach and the most family-friendly resort in Patong, the 397-room Holiday Inn attracts a steady year-round crowd and, in particular, is a favourite of Australians. The resort and its facilities and services are all-inclusive; two pools with swim-up bars, restaurants, a spa and fitness centre, kids’ club, a minimart, and even their own Thai cooking classes.... Read our full review of Holiday Inn Resort.
( Read more on Agoda.com or Booking.com )
Our top hostel pick for Patong! Newly opened in early 2015, this friendly little place is right in the thick of Patong’s busy beach and nightlife zone, but once you step inside its cosy interior you’re well buffered from the mad outside world. Rooms are air-con, bunk-bed dormitory style, with a choice of four beds or, for a cheaper price, eight beds. The rooms and shared bathrooms are tidy... Read our full review of Lupta Hostel.
( Read more on Agoda.com or Booking.com )
You’re not staying in Patong to get a good night’s sleep right? Well here at the Kool hostel, you’ll most certainly not get one, and that’s sort of the point. Found about 200 metres back from the beach and easy stumbling distance to all the bars of Bangla Road, this air-con dormitory is tucked away on the third floor of a concrete building next to the Illuzion disco. A sign at the... Read our full review of Kool Backpacker Hostel.
( Read more on Agoda.com or Booking.com )
Offering the best prices you’ll find this close to the beach, Patong Backpacker Hostel is a comfortable dorm tucked away in the upper floors of a three-storey shophouse along the beach road. Found just north of the Bangla Road intersection, its sign is easy to spot from the road, just below a giant ‘Crocs’ shoe store sign. Its colourful dorm rooms, all reasonably clean with air-con and... Read our full review of Patong Backpacker Hostel.
( Read more on Agoda.com or Booking.com )
Not too far from the beach, Salathai is a charming little resort with only 43 rooms set in a three-storey building around a pool. There’s a Thai theme throughout the property, understated and tasteful. They’re clean and well-appointed, the though the rooms here won’t knock your socks off, the superiors are certainly right for the price. The suites are large but were missing some of the touches... Read our full review of Salathai Resort.
Concrete shophouses aren’t generally the most inspiring places to stay, but Time Out has a few features that boost its appeal. What is good here is that the rooms are a very good size -- they should have no problem fitting in an extra bed -- and the location, above a shop with a Subway outlet and gourmet ice cream parlour, facing straight onto Patong Beach, simply couldn’t be better. The... Read our full review of Time Out Hotel.
( Read more on Agoda.com or Booking.com )
The further back you go off Patong beach, the cheaper and more numerous the guesthouses become. The accommodation listings here are just a sample -- there are more than 100 places to stay, many indistinguishable from the next.
Found down a soi of bland shophouses across the road from the garish Christian Massage centre, we didn’t expect to find much here, but on stepping inside we were pleasantly surprised. This small 11-room hotel is more like a designer apartment, with bold artwork and some lavish accents including elaborate tiling in the bathroom, stainless steel doors, intricate wood panels and whirlpool... Read our full review of Baipho Lifestyle Residence.
( Read more on Agoda.com or Booking.com )
Tucked away down a soi five minutes by foot from Jungceylon mall, Bodega’s location isn’t the best, but the cheerful atmosphere here more than makes up for it. This self-proclaimed “hotel-music café-gallery”, has a restaurant and bar on its main level with four-bed or eight-bed dorms and private rooms upstairs. The dorms have shared bathrooms with hot water showers, with the air-con... Read our full review of Bodega Phuket.
Located on the soi leading to the Paradise complex, parallel to Bangla Road, Connect is a long-running spot that’s been treated to an upgrade since our previous visits. This 17-room guesthouse courts and attracts a largely gay clientele and, whatever your leanings, you’re sure to be charmed by the one of a kind rooms and lovely staff. The rooms, all painted white with silk accents on the... Read our full review of Connect Guest House.
( Read more on Agoda.com )
This attractive mid-sized hotel is set in lush gardens in Patong’s busiest area. Standard and deluxe rooms vary in price depending on location, and the decent sized rooms are equipped with air-con, free WiFi, comfortable beds, modern bathrooms, flat screen TVs and mini bars. Standard rooms have either twin or king-sized beds, while the deluxe rooms have new air-con units, hair dryers and... Read our full review of K-Hotel.
( Read more on Agoda.com or Booking.com )
A mid-sized boutique hotel with 47 rooms, the Patong Premier Resort is a chic spot that’s as suited to romantic getaways as family vacations. The compact resort is heavy on the Angkorian carvings, dark woods and silks, but it’s done in a reasonably tasteful way and you are, after all, in Southeast Asia. The rooms are spacious and spotless with satellite TV, in-room safes, minibars and air-con,... Read our full review of Patong Premier Resort.
( Read more on Agoda.com or Booking.com )
Located down a small soi running away from the beach off Rat-U-Thit 200 Pee Rd, just to the north of Hat Patong Road, the Ruen Buathong is a bright, welcoming guesthouse and represents good value. Built in October 2010, the friendly owners have 16 rooms -- each one is bright with touches that make you feel like you are at a home with really good art. Rooms are white, sunny and have soft beds,... Read our full review of Ruen Buathong Boutique Guesthouse.
( Read more on Agoda.com or Booking.com )
This hotel is a six-storey concrete box, but it’s as charming as a concrete box can get. Ideal for travellers on a budget looking for a few extra comforts, the main selling point here is the rooftop swimming pool. Its 28 rooms are all of similar design, with air-con, WiFi, TV, fridge, kettle and a private hot water bathroom included, some with balconies. Wooden wall panelling adds some warmth... Read our full review of Thai Siam Residence.
( Read more on Agoda.com or Booking.com )
If you’re looking for convenient access to bars, dining and shopping, White Patong is ideally located. This 44-room hotel has two styles of rooms, both with air-con. Choose carefully if opting for a standard room, as some have no windows and they are priced the same as those that do. While the standard’s bathroom is so small the basin is actually in the living area, the room is otherwise very... Read our full review of White Patong.
( Read more on Agoda.com or Booking.com )
Found at a busy intersection near the road leading to Karon beach, Balcony Hostel is certainly not in a scenic part of town, but it’s cheap! Set in a shophouse with bunk-bed dormitory rooms and private rooms, the hostel has a friendly atmosphere with a colourful bar and pool table on the ground floor offering a good venue for meeting other travellers. Handy as a one-stop shop for your travel... Read our full review of Balcony Hostel.
( Read more on Agoda.com or Booking.com )
There is nothing especially boutique about this mid-priced hotel, but it does have very generously sized rooms for a hotel at this priceline. The deluxe rooms in particular are very large, easily fitting the one double bed and twin that come standard with enough spare space to fit a pingpong table -- they’re an absolute bargain at this price and a great option for families on a bit of a budget.... Read our full review of Patong Terrace Boutique Hotel.
( Read more on Agoda.com or Booking.com )
Located on a busy road near all seafood and watering hole temptations, the Neptuna is a reasonable and central choice. Built in 2010, the hotel is basic but extremely clean. It’s a narrow building, but it stretches way back and the corridors are long and rather gloomy. Deluxe rooms are just a tad bigger than the standards but really aren’t worth the bump in price. The standards are ideal for... Read our full review of Neptuna.
( Read more on Agoda.com )
A far departure from the usual rooms we see above bars, the Tiger Inn has classy rooms and professional service. The hotel is locally owned by a family who run several hotels and bars in the area. Proving that not only 20-somethings like to sleep where they drink, the rooms are maturely furnished with comfy beds, reading lamps, and modern Western-style bathrooms with tubs. Every room is air-con... Read our full review of Tiger Inn.
( Read more on Agoda.com or Booking.com )
The Travelfish newsletter is sent out every Monday and is jammed full of free advice for travel in Southeast Asia. You can see past issues here.