Search Hotels in Phuket

Phuket hotels sit in three bases that behave nothing alike, and the choice decides how much of the trip you spend on the road. Patong packs a 3 km beach, shopping and Bangla Road into walking distance, Kata is the calmer bay for families and for surfers from May to October, and Phuket Town is the cheapest base and the closest to the Old Town. The six hotels below are two in each area, from US$135 to US$270 a night.

Phuket Hotels by Area: Which Base Fits Your Trip

Pick the area first and the hotel second. Phuket moves by road, so where you sleep decides your taxi bill as much as your view. Patong does a beach day on foot. Kata and Phuket Town both need a car or a songthaew to reach anything else.

The three are close enough to swap for a day. Patong to Kata is about 30 minutes by taxi, and the blue songthaews to Kata start in Phuket Town.

Phuket Hotels in Patong Beach: Best for Nightlife and Beach Days

Patong is the busiest of the three and the only one where you can leave the room without a plan. The beach runs about 3 km of white sand, with jet skis and parasailing along it and restaurants and bars facing the water. Bangla Road sits at the south end, Jungceylon shopping centre is a few minutes inland, and the district is rated good for walking with a high density of hotels. It also stays loud at night, which is the trade for all that convenience.

• The Royal Paradise Hotel & Spa: Four star on Rat-U-Thit 200 Pee Road, with an outdoor pool, a children's pool and pool bar, a free gym, a spa, three restaurants plus a cafe and lobby bar, a kids' club and free private parking. Airport pick-up and drop-off are charged extra. Average rate about US$242.
• Beyond Patong: Four star on Sawatdirak Road, a short walk from the sand, with a rooftop pool and pool bar, a children's pool, a gym, a restaurant and free self parking. Average rate about US$221.

Both are four star and close in price, so the split comes down to what is inside the building. Royal Paradise is the one for a family that wants three restaurants, a kids' club and a spa in the same compound. Beyond Patong suits a couple who will spend the day on the sand and the evening around the rooftop pool. After dark, confirm drink prices before ordering on Bangla Road, agree the fare before getting into a tuk-tuk, and call cars through Grab.

Phuket Hotels in Phuket Town: Best for the Old Town and Lower Rates

Phuket Town is the island's own town, on the east side, and the Old Town shophouse quarter is the reason to stay in it: two storey Sino-Portuguese houses in yellow, blue and pink, a walking street market on Sunday evenings, and the cheap end of the island's hotel rates. The quarter sits on Thalang Road and its neighbours, four kilometres or so from the beaches, so a base here means a short ride for dinner and a longer one for the sand, with a taxi to Kata at about 40 minutes.

• Dara Hotel: Four star on Chaofa Road in Wichit, with a free outdoor pool and children's pool, a free gym, a restaurant with room service, free private parking and luggage storage. Average rate about US$135.
• HOMA Phuket Town: Four star on Soi Samkong 1 in Ratsada, with a rooftop saltwater infinity pool, a children's pool, a fitness centre, the VIVA rooftop Italian restaurant and a cafe, kitchens with a stovetop and microwave in the rooms, and free parking with limited spaces, plus airport pick-up for a charge. Average rate about US$150.

HOMA is the better base for a week or more, because the kitchen turns a hotel stay into an apartment one and the rooftop pool is the strongest of the six. Dara is cheaper and keeps things plain: pool, gym, restaurant, parking. Both addresses sit outside the Old Town, so if walking to dinner matters, add the cost of a ride.

Phuket Hotels in Kata Beach: Best for Families and Surf

Kata is a curved bay south of Patong, split into busy Kata Yai and the quieter Kata Noi beyond the headland. Waves stay gentle through the dry season, which is why families keep returning, and from May to October the same bay becomes the island's main surf spot with 2 to 3 m waves. Watch the flag colours if you swim in the monsoon, since rip currents appear then. Beachfront cafes serve seafood, sunset walks along the sand are the evening routine, and the evenings stay quiet once the day trippers leave.

• Pamookkoo: Four star on Kata Road in Karon, with a water park and water slide, two outdoor pools plus a children's pool and pool bar, a gym, a kids' club with playground and childcare, the Mookoo Nest restaurant for guests and free parking. Average rate about US$270.
• Sugar Palm Grand Hillside: Four star on Khoktanod Soi 3, set on a hillside, with a pool that has a view and a pool bar, a gym, a spa with sauna, the Baby Palm restaurant with room service, and free private parking with valet. Average rate about US$204.

With children, Pamookkoo earns its rate on a rainy afternoon, because the water park and the kids' club mean no taxi into town. Sugar Palm is the quieter choice, with a sauna and massage after a surf lesson and a pool that looks over the hillside.

Phuket Hotels by Price Range

Sorted by average rate, the six fall into three bands of two hotels each. The bands mix areas, so price alone will not pick your beach.

Inside a band the difference is facilities: a kitchen at HOMA, a sauna at Sugar Palm, a water park at Pamookkoo, three restaurants and a spa at Royal Paradise.

Phuket Hotels: Transport, Food and Booking Tips

Four things decide more of the trip than the star rating does.

• Ride the Smart Bus down the west coast. Grab, Bolt and InDrive all work on the island, and the Phuket Smart Bus runs the west coast down to Rawai with stops on the main road, which is the cheap way to reach Kata. Blue songthaews link Phuket Town with Kata, and a taxi on the same run takes about 40 minutes at 500 to 600 THB (about US$15 to US$18).
• Book the airport car with the hotel. Royal Paradise runs a paid 24-hour pick-up and drop-off, and HOMA arranges a paid pick-up, which is worth fixing when you land after dark. Patong is the shortest run from the terminal, and a car booked in advance saves the queue at the counter.
• Plan the evening around Bangla Road or the Sunday market. Patong has restaurants and bars facing the beach plus the Jungceylon food floors, which is why a car-free stay works there. Kata's beachfront cafes do seafood and sunset. In Phuket Town the Sunday walking street market is the evening to plan around, and HOMA's rooftop restaurant covers the nights you stay in.
• Book the dry season before the rooms go. Rates are per room per night and move with weekends and Thai public holidays, so put the same two nights into each hotel before deciding. Family rooms and pool-access rooms go first in the dry season from November to April, when Kata's water is calmest.

※ Prices and policies may change. Confirm with official sources before booking.