Cheap Places to stay in Phuket - Hostels and Guesthouses

Phuket does have that reputation of being very expensive - only resorts and tourist restaurants. This is wildly inaccurate. Phuket has it all - OK, so there's not really a "backpacker" scene here any more, but there is plenty of cheap accommodation, food is as cheap as you like - just go where the locals go, there are local buses and you can rent a motorbike for 150-200 Baht per day. I will try and list some less expensive places to stay below - not a complete listing by any means, but hopefully useful. You can find some links to other sources of information below.

Try HostelWorld for low budget places to stay



Phuket Town is often said to be the cheapest place to stay, rather than any of the beaches. The town is quite nice actually, and there are also some nicer places to stay, but it has always been where you are likely to find the odd backpacker passing through. Back in 1999, I arrived in Phuket and the first few nights I stayed at a hotel called "Thai Inter", also a night at the well known On On Hotel, which was used during the filming of "The Beach". After a few nights I realised I could stay in Patong for 300 Baht a night and save all the bus or tuk tuk rides. The buses only run until about 5 - 6pm - after that you are at the mercy of the taxi drivers who'll charge you the same as you pay for your room to take you back there.

Phuket Town is good for exploring and using as a base especially if there's something going on like the Phuket Vegetarian Festival.

• Old Phuket Town
• Vegetarian Festival

Cheap places to stay in Phuket Town

On On Hotel
Phuket Backpacker
Old Town Hostel
Thalang Guesthouse
More - see TravelFish

One day if I have time, I must take another walk and check on these places.

On The Beaches of Phuket...

It's not all expensive, you know. Patong has quite a lot of guesthouses - you can find some in the Bookhostels link on this page. But since I am not a fan of Patong, let's ignore those - Kata and Karon Beaches are slightly more laid back and have a good choice of lower budget places to stay. I have featured the Pineapple Guesthouse on my blog already (Karon Beach). You can book Pineapple Guesthouse online here. The Fantasy Hill Bungalows in the center of Kata are often praised, and the Little Mermaid (2 locations in Karon and Kata) has long been a good lower budget option.

Cheap Places to stay - Kata and Karon Beaches

Pineapple Guesthouse
Divers Inn
Baan Suay Backpackers
Southern Fried Rice
Fantasy Hill Bungalows
Little Mermaid Karon
Little Mermaid Kata
Beshert Guesthouse
Hotel Kata Center Inn
Karon Living Room
Bukit Hostel

Oh, there's more if you wander around - and depends on your definition of "low budget"! In Karon I could also mention Casa Brazil, J&J Inn, Nice Residence, Holiday Village, Robin House, Anan House... all within a few minutes walk of the beach


Phuket Hotel Listings

BookHostels (mostly cheap places)
R24.org (a long list, some cheapies here too)
Agoda.com (tends to be mid-high price hotels)

Oh, and get some insurance when you travel. It's worth the peace of mind.