Wintering in Phuket: how to choose apartments for a month or longer
What to check when renting accommodation in Phuket for a month, three months or the whole winter: kitchen, washing machine, internet, utility bills, deposit and long-stay discounts.
Renting for a month and renting for a week are two different tasks, even though they look alike. On a short trip you are barely in the accommodation: out in the morning, back in the evening to sleep. On a long winter stay the accommodation becomes home, and all its shortcomings — the ones that would go unnoticed on holiday — start showing up every day.
Let’s go through what to look at if you are coming to Phuket for a month, for three, or for the whole winter.
The main shift: from experiences to everyday life
On a short holiday the selection criteria are the view, proximity to the beach, how pretty the picture is. Over a longer stay the list changes. What starts to matter are the questions that sound boring: where to do laundry, where to cook, whether the internet will hold up a work call, how much you will have to pay for electricity.
That does not mean the view and the beach stop mattering. It means they stop being the only things worth looking at.
Check seven things
1. The kitchen — how real it is
“Kitchen” in listings can mean anything: from a full one with a stove, dishes and a fridge, to a microwave on a shelf.
For a month this is fundamental. Eating out every day is expensive and monotonous, and after two weeks you feel it.
In our apartments the kitchen is fully equipped. That lets you cook properly rather than improvise.
2. Washing machine — in the apartment, not in the building
The difference between “washing machine in the apartment” and “laundry room in the complex” is huge over a long stay. With a month or three months’ worth of clothes and no machine of your own, you will constantly be solving a household task instead of not thinking about it.
There is a washing machine in every one of our apartments.
3. Internet — dedicated or shared
If you work remotely, this is the key point. The phrase “there is Wi-Fi” says nothing: a shared channel for a large building may not hold up a video call in the evening hours.
We have dedicated high-speed internet. In addition, the complex has a library-coworking space on site: somewhere to go and work if you do not feel like working in the apartment.
4. Utility bills — how they are calculated
The point that most often comes as a surprise. On a short booking, utilities are usually included in the price. On a long one they are, as a rule, metered separately, and in Phuket the main expense is electricity because of the air conditioning.
Our figures, so you can plan a budget:
| Apartment | Water and electricity by meter |
|---|---|
| 1 bedroom | approximately 80 THB per day |
| 2 bedrooms | 120 THB per day |
This is worth asking any landlord in advance: are utilities included in the price, and if not, how are they calculated.
5. Cleaning — included or ordered separately
Over a long stay, cleaning is usually not included in the price. It is worth knowing the going rates in advance.
We offer cleaning on request:
| Service | 1 bedroom | 2 bedrooms |
|---|---|---|
| Without change of linen and towels | 600 THB | 1000 THB |
| With change of linen and towels | 1000 THB | 1600 THB |
6. Long-stay discounts
This is what directly affects the final sum, and what is worth asking about outright.
We have two discounts:
- 10% for bookings from 14 days — off the nightly rate;
- 7% for bookings from 3 months — off the monthly rate.
The base price is from 2000 THB per night and from 30000 THB per month. The final sum depends on the date, the length of stay and the apartment type; it is calculated by the booking module on the site.
7. Deposit and prepayment
It is better to sort out the money terms before you start planning.
- Prepayment: 10% of the booking value; in peak season (20 December – 10 March) — 30%.
- Refundable deposit on check-in: 5000 THB for a one-bedroom apartment, 10000 THB for a two-bedroom. Returned on check-out.
- Payment: cash baht, baht transfer to a Thai card, roubles to a Russian card, tenge/EUR/USD to a Kazakhstani card, cash EUR and USD, USDT.
The last point usually matters to long-stay guests from Russia and Kazakhstan: being able to pay in roubles or tenge removes part of the headache with transfers.
All terms are on the rental and payment terms page.
How much space you need
For a week you can fit in anywhere. For three months, floor area starts to matter.
A simple guide from our experience:
- 40–45 m², one bedroom — comfortable for a couple. It also works for a couple with a child; a child’s bed is available. Options: Deluxe Ocean View 40 m², Deluxe Ocean View 45 m², Deluxe Pool View 40 m².
- 54–69 m², two bedrooms, two bathrooms — for a family with children or two couples travelling together for a long stay. Over a long stay two bathrooms are not a luxury but a way of staying out of each other’s way. Options: Family 2 Bedroom 54 m², Grande 2 Bedroom Ocean View 69 m², Grande 2 Bedroom Jungle View 69 m², Grande Luxury 69 m².
A separate word about the view. When you spend months in an apartment, the view from the window stops being a line in the description and becomes part of daily life. We have options with a sea view and with a pool view — whether it is worth paying extra is up to you, but over a long stay that choice is felt every day.
Why on-site facilities matter more than they seem
On a long winter stay a task appears that does not exist on holiday: what to do with an ordinary, unremarkable Tuesday.
If everything of interest is outside the home, every such day requires logistics. If part of life is covered on site, the rhythm becomes calmer.
What our complex has on site:
- 6 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 next to the buildings.
For a long winter stay this means the gym, coffee, work and the pool are all within the building. More details on the about the complex page.
About the area
We are in Surin, on the west coast. It is ≈ 750 metres to the beach — roughly 12–15 minutes on foot. It is 712 metres to Bang Tao, 912 metres to Pansea, 1.7 km to Kamala.
For a long trip a calm area is usually a plus. A lively place that is a pleasure on a five-day holiday starts to wear you down in the third month.
More about the area: Surin district — who it suits. A comparison with the neighbours: Surin or Bang Tao and an overview of the west coast areas.
About the season
One practical point: peak season in Phuket falls in the winter months, and it shows in the booking terms. From 20 December to 10 March our prepayment is 30% instead of the usual 10%.
The conclusion is simple: if you are planning a winter stay in high season, it is worth booking in advance. This applies to any accommodation on the island, not only ours.
We deliberately do not cover visa questions and visa extensions for long stays — this is not our area of responsibility, and the rules change. Check current official sources.
Checklist before a long-stay booking
Print it or copy it — and ask these questions of any landlord, not only us:
- Is the kitchen fully equipped?
- Is the washing machine in the apartment?
- Is the internet dedicated? What speed?
- Are utilities included in the price? If not, roughly how much per day?
- Is cleaning included? How much does it cost?
- Is there a long-stay discount? What is it?
- How much is the prepayment and the deposit? Is the deposit refundable?
- How many metres to the beach — as a number?
- What is there on site in the complex?
- What payment methods are available?
If you get vague answers to most of these questions, that is information in itself.
If you are coming for a long stay — write to us
We manage 7 apartments in the Mida Grande Resort complex in Surin and work with both short bookings and long winter stays.
Tell us how long you are coming for and who is travelling with you — we will calculate the cost including long-stay discounts and tell you which option suits you better.