Apartments or a hotel on Phuket: what to choose for your trip
An honest comparison of apartments and a hotel on Phuket: how they differ in everyday life, money and freedom, when a hotel wins and when apartments with a kitchen and a washing machine are more convenient.
We rent out apartments, and it would be dishonest to write an article that ends with the conclusion “apartments are always better”. Not always. There are trips for which a hotel is the right choice, and we will say so directly.
Let us look at the difference on the merits.
What the fundamental difference is
A hotel sells service. Apartments sell autonomy.
In a hotel things are done for you: they clean every day, prepare breakfast, change the towels, resolve questions through reception. You pay in order not to think about household matters.
In apartments you get accommodation in which you can live independently: your own kitchen, your own washing machine, your own rhythm. You pay for freedom and, as a rule, for a larger area.
Everything else follows from this.
When a hotel is the right choice
A trip of 3–5 days. In a few days everyday life does not have time to become a problem. There is no need to do laundry, no point in cooking — you came to see the island, not to live on it. Daily cleaning and breakfast are more valuable than a kitchen on such a trip.
If you do not want to decide anything. Full service is real value. If the task is to switch off your head, a hotel does it better.
If breakfast where you “come down and eat” matters. In apartments breakfast is either cooking or going out.
So if your scenario is a short trip with maximum service, take a hotel. That is a normal choice, and we will not try to convince you otherwise.
When apartments clearly win
A trip from two weeks
This is the turning point. Over a long stay everyday life starts to accumulate: clothes need washing, eating in restaurants every day becomes tiring and expensive, and a hotel room where you still cannot leave anything on the table starts to weigh on you.
About long trips in detail: wintering on Phuket.
A trip with children
With children a kitchen is not a convenience but a necessity: a child’s meal schedule does not match restaurant hours. Plus the possibility of closing the door between the bedrooms so that the child sleeps and the adults do not sit in the dark.
In detail: Phuket with kids — where to stay.
If you work remotely
A hotel room is a poor workplace: there is no proper desk, no separation between “work” and “rest”, and you share the space with someone who is on holiday.
In apartments you can set up a workplace. In our case, in addition, there is a library-coworking space on the property — you can go and work outside the apartment.
If there are more than two of you
A hotel for four usually means two rooms. A two-bedroom apartment is one home with a shared living room. It is both cheaper and more convenient: you are together rather than in adjacent rooms across a corridor.
A point-by-point breakdown
Food
Hotel: breakfast is often included, after that — restaurants. Apartments: a fully equipped kitchen, you cook what you want and when you want.
Over a week the difference is small. Over a month it is noticeable both in money and in how you feel.
Laundry
Hotel: a paid service or a laundry. Apartments: your own washing machine in the apartment.
With children or on a long stay this point often turns out to be decisive.
Cleaning
Hotel: every day, included in the price. Apartments: on request, charged separately.
Here the hotel objectively wins on convenience. For the sake of honesty — our cleaning prices: from 600 THB for a one-bedroom apartment without a change of linen to 1600 THB for two bedrooms with a change of linen.
Area
Hotel: usually a room. Apartments: ours are from 40 to 69 m², with one or two bedrooms, with a balcony.
On a short trip the square metres do not matter that much. When you spend a lot of time in your accommodation, the difference between a room and an apartment is felt every day.
Utility bills
Hotel: included in the price. Apartments: on long bookings they are usually calculated separately by meter readings.
Our figures: approximately 80 THB per day for a one-bedroom apartment, 120 THB per day for a two-bedroom one. This is the point worth asking any landlord about in advance, so that there is no surprise.
Infrastructure
Here there is a common misconception: as if apartments meant giving up hotel infrastructure.
Not necessarily. Apartments inside a resort give access to the whole property. In our case this is:
- 6 swimming pools: 4 on the roof, 2 with bars;
- a restaurant, a Starbucks cafe, a rooftop cafe;
- 2 gyms;
- 2 children’s playrooms;
- a library-coworking space;
- a garden lounge;
- 2 covered garages and parking areas by the buildings.
That is, you can have both a kitchen with a washing machine and pools with restaurants. More details — about the complex.
Table
| Criterion | Hotel | Apartments |
|---|---|---|
| Trip of 3–5 days | wins | suitable |
| Trip from 2 weeks | difficult | wins |
| With children | depends on the hotel | usually more convenient |
| Working remotely | poor | good |
| 3–5 people | 2 rooms needed | one home |
| Daily cleaning | included | on request, paid |
| Cooking | no | full kitchen |
| Laundry | a service | your own machine |
| Area | a room | 40–69 m² |
| Utilities | included | by meter readings |
The hybrid option
The practical conclusion our guests usually arrive at: look not for “apartments instead of a hotel”, but for apartments inside a resort.
Then you get the autonomy of a home and the infrastructure of a resort at the same time, without choosing between them.
That is exactly how our option is arranged. We manage 7 apartments in the Mida Grande Resort complex (4+/5★ class) at Surin Beach, floors 1–9, ≈ 750 metres to the beach — roughly 12–15 minutes on foot.
In every apartment:
- a fully equipped kitchen;
- a washing machine;
- dedicated high-speed internet;
- TV with channels from more than 100 countries;
- a balcony;
- a sea view or a pool view.
One bedroom, 40–45 m²: Deluxe Pool View 40 m², Deluxe Ocean View 40 m², Deluxe Ocean View 45 m².
Two bedrooms, 54–69 m²: Family 2 Bedroom 54 m², Grande 2 Bedroom Ocean View 69 m², Grande 2 Bedroom Jungle View 69 m², Grande Luxury 69 m².
All the options — in the apartments catalogue.
About money
Our base prices are from 2000 THB per night and from 30000 THB per month. The final amount depends on the date, the length of stay and the option.
What matters for comparison with a hotel: discounts apply on long bookings — 10% from 14 days and 7% from 3 months. Plus savings on food if you cook.
Prepayment and deposit conditions: prepayment of 10% of the booking value (in high season 20 December – 10 March — 30%), a refundable deposit on check-in of 5000 THB for one bedroom and 10000 THB for two. All the details — in the rental and payment terms.
The short answer
- Going for a few days for the service — a hotel.
- Going for two weeks or more, with children, working remotely, or there are more than two of you — apartments.
- Want both — apartments inside a resort.
If you are not sure what suits your trip, write to us: describe the length of stay, who is coming and what you need. We will say directly if a hotel would suit you better.