Whether you’re a tourist flying in from overseas or an expat looking for a weekend getaway from Bangkok, this guide shows you how to rent a villa in Phuket.
With thousands of properties available on the island, how do you narrow down your choices until you find the right one?
By the end of this guide, you’ll know in what areas in Phuket to look for a villa, what options you have, how to get the best rates, and how to save time and money by using a real estate agent.
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Contents
Key Takeaways
- You pay more to rent a villa through the property’s website than if you go through a travel booking website.
- You can rent a villa in Phuket by the night, week, or month.
- Popular locations to rent a villa in Phuket include Rawai, Kata, Karon, Patong, or Kamala.
- Rent a Phuket villa during the low season from June to late October for the best deals.
- Use Booking.com for short-term villa rentals and Phuket Property for three- to six-month villa rentals.
Types of Villas in Phuket
Location and amenities determine the type of villa in Phuket. But generally, you have three choices:
- beach villas
- mountain villas
- super-luxurious villas
Beach Villas
Beach villas are either on or within walking distance from one of Phuket’s many vibrant beaches. This means you’ll never be too far from a morning stroll along the lapping waves or an evening sunset on the sand.
Here are some examples of popular beach villas in Phuket:
Mountain Villas
Mountain villas are nestled among Phuket’s Tenasserim Hills. These villas offer unmatched views and immerse you right in the thick of the island’s lush landscape.
Here are some examples of popular beach villas in Phuket:
Super-Luxurious Villas
All villas in Phuket are luxurious. But some villas are more extravagant than others. If you’re looking for a once-in-a-lifetime experience at a villa that comes with maids, butlers, and even personal chefs, then Phuket’s super-luxurious villas are for you.
Here are some examples of popular luxury villas in Phuket:
What Amenities Come with Phuket Villas?
Phuket villas come with everything you’d expect from high-end rentals, including swimming pools and hot tubs, modern kitchens with top-of-the-line appliances and gadgets, plush furniture, and plenty of space.
- Bedrooms: Villas in Phuket usually come with one to five bedrooms but could include as many as 10 or more. Whether you’re traveling solo, with your family, or with a group of friends, you should have no problem finding a villa with enough bedrooms to accommodate everyone.
- Bathrooms: Bathrooms in Phuket villas tend to merge the interior with the outside environment. Full-size bath tubs, rainfall showerheads, stone shower floors, and exotic plants make up many villa bathrooms. Also, bedrooms in multi-bedroom villas usually come with their own bathrooms.
- Furniture: Villas offer everything such as full dining room sets, comfortable sofas, TVs, and desks for catching up on work or emails. Some villas in Phuket even come with pool tables and ping pong tables.
- Kitchens: Although you can order food to your villa, most villas in Phuket come with full kitchens. They include all the utensils and cookware you need to try your hand at cooking some of Thailand’s finest dishes. Villas come with microwaves, stovetops, ovens with broilers, and refrigerators. Some villas even include BBQ grills.
- Appliances: Villas usually come with dishwashers and washing machines. For those who come from Western countries, it’ll be nice to have the conveniences you’re used to during your stay in Phuket.
- Swimming pools and hot tubs: A villa wouldn’t be a villa without a swimming pool. Some villas even have infinity pools and hot tubs. Although sitting in a hot tub in Phuket might not sound as enticing as taking a dip in a cool pool, it does add to the experience.
Popular Villa Locations in Phuket
Most areas in Phuket offer villas for rent. But we recommend looking in Rawai, Kata, Karon, Patong, or Kamala. Each location offers something unique.
- Rawai sits on the southeastern coast of Phuket. Here, hills upon hills roll through the landscape until they taper off into emerald-water beaches. This makes Rawai one of the more secluded areas of Phuket, ideal for quiet getaways. Book a villa in Rawai if you want to avoid the other areas of Phuket where tourists tend to overrun.
- Kata, Karon, and Patong are on the southwestern coast of Phuket. Tourists visit these areas most. These three locations offer long stretches of beaches, vast selections of street food, fine dining, nightclubs, and bars. If you’re looking for a good time out, book a villa in Kata, Karon, or Patong.
- Kamala is further northwest in Phuket. Like Rawai, it too offers a calmer vacationing experience. Kamala spans from the beaches to the mountains, providing an assortment of natural vistas to enjoy. If you want a mixture of outdoor activity and good nightspots, Kamala is for you.
Nightly, Weekly, Monthly, and Long-Term Villa Costs
The cost of renting a villa in Phuket depends on many factors, one of them being how long you stay. Typically, visitors rent villas by the night, week, month, or even longer.
- Nightly: Average villa prices in Phuket cost anywhere from THB2,000 (US$56) to THB10,000 (US$282) per night. Of course, prices can run in the tens of thousands of baht per night for super-luxurious villas.
- Weekly: When staying for seven days or longer, expect to pay between THB10,000 (US$282) and THB70,000 (US$2,000) per week on average.
- Monthly: Property managers sometimes offer anywhere from a 25 percent to 35 percent discount for monthly villa rentals in Phuket. But you might have to pay for the electricity and water bills at the end of your stay.
- Long-term: Because of the high demand for Phuket villas, property managers don’t usually offer long-term rentals. If you find one, you’ll have to sign a lease, pay a security deposit, and take responsibility for any damages — if they happen — just like when renting a place to live in Phuket.
Book a Phuket Villa
There is no shortage of resources to find a suitable villa for you. From property websites like Airbnb to Facebook listings, there is an array of options to help you find your perfect villa at the right price.
Real Estate Agents
Although it may not be as common when renting villas, if you plan on renting long-term you may want to consult with a real estate agent. Here’s what you get:
- Expertise: Real estate agents are experts. They can advise you and answer any questions you might have about renting a villa in Phuket, saving you a lot of research time.
- Viewings: In most cases, real estate agents can give you a tour of the villa before you rent it. This way you know exactly what you’re getting into.
- Free: You don’t have to pay for real estate agents. They work off of commission’s from property owners.
Phuket Property is a good real estate agent especially for renting or buying a mid to luxury property in Phuket. You can use this form to contact Phuket Property.
Real Estate Agents in Thailand
Find Thai Space
Find Thai Space is a real estate agency in Bangkok that can help you find a place to buy or rent throughout the capital of Thailand.
Contact Find Thai SpaceProperty Websites
You can look on one of the many villa-booking websites for a property in Phuket. Going this route helps you narrow down what you can get for your budget. Click on any of the links below to see the available villas on the island.
- Agoda: Because Agoda primarily focuses on Southeast Asia, you’re sure to find many villas in Phuket for rent on this website.
- Booking.com: This is my personal favorite because the price you find on the listing is the actual price you pay. And Booking.com usually offers good deals all throughout the year.
- Travelocity: Travelocity is one of the world’s largest online travel agencies.
- Tripadvisor: Tripadvisor is good not only for booking villas, but reading other guests’ reviews.
Keep in mind that all of these websites offer the same services and listings. But the prices can vary.
Airbnb
Airbnb is an excellent resource for finding a villa in Phuket that suits your needs.
- Advantages: The benefit of the Airbnb platform is its easy-to-use interface and search filters that will help you narrow down your choice of villas.
- Disadvantages: The downside of Airbnb is that villa prices tend to be on the higher side due to expenses the owner has to pay when listing on Airbnb.
Nevertheless, check out Airbnb for its selection of Phuket villas in all price ranges.
Facebook Listings
Facebook is a good resource for Phuket villas. But be aware of the problems you could face when not renting through an official booking website.
- Advantages: Using Facebook to search for villas in Phuket lets you negotiate prices with the owners. Essentially, you are cutting out the middle person and getting a better deal (hopefully).
- Disadvantages: Landlords sometimes use pictures of other people’s villas as their own. Other times, you have to pay a 50 percent deposit without any financial protection. In some cases, you might show up to your villa to find someone else living in it, and that the original Facebook post was a complete scam to begin with.
So, if you go with this route, be careful. And make sure it’s legit.
When’s a Good Time to Rent a Villa in Phuket?
Thailand, in general, has two seasons: the rainy season and the dry season. These coincide with the high and low tourist seasons. Some say that Thailand has a third season — the hot season — but it’s always hot in Thailand, no matter what time of the year you come.
High Season
During the high season is when most locals and tourists travel to Phuket. High season:
- starts in early October and runs through May
- offers favorable weather
- is peak tourist season
- has higher prices for Phuket villas
Low Season
During the low season, things quiet down in Phuket. Low season:
- starts in June through and runs through late October
- has daily short-lasting heavy rainstorms
- offers fewer crowds
- has lower prices for Phuket villas
Aside from the high and low season, other factors affect rates for Phuket villas. Two of them are the popularity of the location and the length of your stay. As a rule of thumb, rates are discounted anywhere from 30 percent to as high as 70 percent during the low season.
Because of these huge discounts, villas rent out quickly. So don’t wait to book.
Now, on to You
By now, you should know exactly how to rent a villa in Phuket. But if you want to save time and money and avoid all the leg work of searching for a place yourself, you can always use the following two methods.
We recommend that you use Booking.com for short-term villa rentals or reach out to Phuket Property for three- to six-month villa rentals.
Booking.com makes it convenient to find your ideal Phuket villa for vacation, while Phuket property has decades worth of experience for those who want to live on the island for more than three months.
