Top 5 affordable hotels in Patong

Patong beach is the most famous beach resort at the island of Phuket. Patong hotels are many and cheap. Affordable luxury is the norm here. 4 star hotels that resemble 5 star resorts, true bargains to be found.

Patong is night-life epicenter of Phuket, Bangla road being the center of it all. Bangla offers plenty of beer-bars, delicious restaurants and all kinds of entertainment. Also Patong beach is a good beach. Patong beach is a good place from which explore Phuket. I usually rent a motorbike and just explore the nearby beaches and ares. ( just try to find a reputable motorbike rental shop).

 My Top 5 affordable-luxury choices:

Around Patong beach, plenty of nice places to explore and discover.

1 Holiday Inn Resort Phuket

This hotel has 6 swimming pools ( yeah 6!). The basic rooms are  well equipped and comfortable. Studio style is what comes to mind to describe them, with a comfy sofa and a nice pool view.

However the very best of this hotel are the pool-side villas. For under 100$ one can book a very luxurious villa without having to go far from town.

Room is spacious. And the view is good. Most Phuket hotels come with a sofa and a balcony. So no surprises here.

One of the 6 pools this hotel have. Yes six, quite impressive.

2 The Kee Resort & Spa

The Kee hotel offers similar rooms, with a sofa and luxurious, but usually more cheap. The pool is really huge and has a bar in the middle. So you can drink and swim, amazing combination right? :p

The Kee is a bit more modern hotel. The hotel pool and the lobby are a big open space. I feel this is not very convenient when swimming, as i feel there is little privacy. Moreover the hotel is very big, so there is plenty of guest coming and going.

The positive side is that this hotel is well cared of, and the spa is quite good-looking and luxurious, is a good place to stay.

Room is modern and well equipped. Also there is a bath tub which is always nice. This room also has a sofa and a balcony.

The big pool. The hotel lobby is also there. In the open.

3 The Nap Patong Hotel

The nap offers, again, similar rooms. But the decoration is more simple, hence the room price is cheaper. The pool also is not so impressive, rather small

I recommend the upgraded “Day dream double”. Which comes with a free minibar that is replenished daily. Free and daily, the only two reasons needed to sack the minibar.

Simple but clean room

The views and the toilets are superb in this hotel. The pool is not bad but just so so.

4 Deevana Plaza Phuket

Deevana is the cheapest choice of this Top 5 hotels in Patong. However the quality is similar to the Holiday Inn and The Kee hotels which come expensive, and definitively better than The nap Patong. The catch?, the hotel is a little far away. 1 KM away from Bangla road. This might translate in more than 15 minutes walking to go there, or be forced to take a ride.

The room itself is actually pretty nice, well-decorated and luxurious. The pool didn’t disappoint, big and clean. When i stayed here i paid less than 50$ a night which is a great deal, and i can use the saved money to spend eating, or get a massage :), the art of the deal!.

Standard room

Big pool’s and clear sky, two good things of Phuket.

5 Novotel Phuket Vintage Park Resort

Novotel pool is huge!. And i mean huge. On a glance i cannot watch the whole pool. It also counts with a Jacuzzi and with a pool-side bar.

The room itself was pretty average. Perhaps smaller than the others. But nevertheless good, clean and luxurious.

Room is great, i love the wooden floors.

One of the best pools of this list 🙂 .

More Patong hotels:

Baan Laimai Beach Resort, Patong 4* 37$
Palmyra Patong Resort, 4* 40$
The Royal Paradise Hotel Spa, 4* 33$
Millennium Resort Patong Phuket, 5* 80$.

How to go to Patong beach, and get around

No need to pay 400B and above to get to Phuket Town or other places. Use the local bus service, it costs 20B a person and is efficient.

For going to the airport one of the cheapest and easiest ways is to join the airport minibus. Tickets are priced at just 150B and can be purchased at the counter upon exit of the arrival hall. The mini bus will leave when they have 10 passengers. Turn to your left and you will see a mini bus sign. Airport Taxis might be very expensive and touts are willing to rip you off at any chance they get.

Moreover there are a couple of buses:

• 1) Patong beach to Phuket town – 20 B. Bus runs hourly along Patong beach.
• 2) Phuket town to Phuket Airport – 55 B. Bus runs hourly.

Once on Patong the best way of getting around and see lots of things is just walk. You can walk along the beach/side for miles, even walk out-of-town, you never know what you will find!. Small shops tucked away hidden restaurants, charming corners, just loads of things.
Walking around at night is also loads of fun and is very safe, not once did I ever feel threatened or scared, every one greets you with a smile. I would just be careful if alcohol is involved but besides that feel very safe here.

Hype aside, is Patong any good?

Phuket island is beautiful and the beaches are simply stunning. Many beaches here are very quiet and there is almost hidden beaches to be discovered. That’s not the case of Patong beach. Patong is also very beautiful but not quiet at all. There are hordes of foreign tourists in Patong. In here one can feel the Thai locals are the minority actually. Nevertheless is still a good experience.

Patong is great for nightlife. And Bangla road is the center of it all. Carnival-like, resembles Pattaya, if that rings any bell. There is plenty of bar-girls and sexy dressed girls, boys, and even “Katoeys”. I think is a good evening stroll, and the bars have good food and beers.

A little more far away, Phuket town can be reach, but Patong by itself offers pretty much what a tourist would want in the first place.

Great swimming!

Conclusion

Patong beach offers very good hotels for the price. My goal here was to stay in 4 star hotels that resemble 5 star hotels, ( for the price of a 3 star). The pattern i observed was similar: Big pools, well designed rooms, clean and luxurious, with a sofa and a view to the pool. Price’s are cheap, not in vain, the hotel competition in Phuket is Huge.

The trade-off is that Phuket is very crowded in high season. However on the other side of the bay, Krabi offers a similar but much quieter experience. But then again Krabi doesn’t have a flashy Bangla road.

Sunset in the beach is beautiful, definitively a must do while here on Thailand.

PS: Prices are for reference only.