Best 8 Low Cost Hotels in Phuket
Bottom of the market on Phuket splits cleanly into two kinds of place: small hotels holding a good position, and garden properties trading distance from the sand for space. Both are represented below, and the eight run from Patong’s centre out to a bungalow plot at Mai Khao.
Every one carries a pool or a garden and a front desk. None of them ask much.
The Crib Patong
Graphic prints drawn from southern Thai fabric run through the rooms, which gives a small Patong hotel more character than the rate suggests. Air-conditioned throughout with free WiFi and breakfast included.
Rooftop terrace, an outdoor pool, fitness room, tour desk and a coffee shop cover the facilities. Jungceylon, Banzaan fresh market and Bangla Road are a few minutes on foot, and Patong sand is under ten minutes’ walk, which is the entire argument for staying here.
For readers who want Patong’s centre and would rather spend the money outside the room.
The Blue Pearl Kata Hotel
Kata rather than Patong, despite where older guides file it. Forty-eight rooms done in nautical style, built in 2014, sitting between Kata and Karon with both beaches roughly ten minutes’ walk away.
A rooftop swimming pool and terrace are the standout at this price, alongside a restaurant, bar and lounge, minimarket, 24-hour front desk, concierge and free parking. Airport transport can be arranged with notice.
Couples and friends wanting two beaches walkable and a rooftop to come back to.
Alphabeto Resort
Rawai side of Nai Harn, rated 8.4 by recent guests, with an outdoor pool and a 24-hour front desk. Rooms carry air conditioning, cable flat-screen television and a private balcony, with free toiletries in the en suite.
Restaurant, massage and room service on site, plus free WiFi and parking throughout. Rawai and Nai Harn beaches are around ten minutes by road, Phuket Town and the Big Buddha about twenty.
Suits south-coast stays and travellers running their own transport.
Bangtao Beach Chalet Resort
Chalets rather than corridors, spread through tropical planting five minutes on foot from Bangtao Bay. Two pools and a rooftop deck give the place more room to spread out than the rate suggests.
Position does the heavy lifting: both Bang Tao and Surin are walkable, and the Cherngtalay shops and restaurants sit between them. Rooms are air-conditioned with free WiFi throughout. A damage deposit of 1,500 baht is taken in cash on arrival and returned at checkout, and children over four are welcome.
Suits longer stays and anyone who would rather have a chalet and a garden than a hotel floor.
Maikhao Home Garden Bungalow
Twelve bungalows on a garden plot near Mai Khao, several running up to four separate bedrooms with full kitchens, which is unusual at this end of the market and makes it work for groups.
Outdoor pool, barbecue facilities and a sun terrace outside, with a restaurant and coffee shop on site. Patios face the garden. Mai Khao Beach is a five-minute drive and the airport fifteen kilometres away, so it doubles as a first-night or last-night base.
Groups, families needing kitchens, and anyone with an early flight.
Phuket Campground
Mai Khao, and a format the island has very little of. Fully refundable rates with free cancellation run across the booking platforms, and check-in is from 2pm with checkout at midday.
Position is the appeal: Mai Khao’s eleven kilometres of protected sand sit close by, with Turtle Village and the northern end of the island in range. Guests are asked to contact the property ahead for check-in instructions, so a message before arrival saves time.
For travellers who want the quiet north and something other than a hotel corridor.
At Kamala Hotel
Fifty metres from Kamala sand, which at this price is the whole argument. Rooms are modern and air-conditioned, each with a private balcony.
A coffee shop downstairs handles mornings and a tour desk arranges trips out. The large 7-Eleven on the corner is closer than the reception desk, which anyone who has run a long stay on this coast will recognise as useful. Kamala village stays busy while the hotel itself keeps quiet.
For solo travellers, couples and long stays wanting Kamala village on foot.
Sirinthara Villa
Four bedrooms, four bathrooms, a full kitchen and a pool running the length of the frontage, in traditional Thai style on the Rawai side of Nai Harn. Split across a group this lands well below what the per-room properties on this list ask.
Covered parking, garden, barbecue area and free WiFi. Staff speak Thai, French and English. Rawai, Nai Harn and Yanui beaches all sit under ten minutes by car, with the town centre 1.5 kilometres away.
Groups and families travelling together who want a whole house rather than four rooms.
Booking notes
Green season through October is when this bracket becomes remarkable rather than merely cheap, and the west coast swims well on most days regardless of the forecast. From November the walkable-to-beach properties go first, particularly The Crib and The Blue Pearl. Splitting a villa or a multi-bedroom bungalow across four or more people beats every per-room rate on this page, which is worth running the numbers on before booking separately.