Bungalows in Phuket are definitely a dying breed. Today, the trend is towards ultra posh luxury villas and hillside view rooms. However, do bungalows still have its place in Phuket? Having worked at a resort that still has beach bungalows, we say: Definitely! We believe bungalows are perfect for tourists not taken by the current pool villa craze and are willing to try something that is out of the norm.
We believe villas and bungalows are very similar in nature (except the latter is about 3 to 4 times cheaper). They are both individual structures with a bedroom and bathroom inside. However, villas usually come with a private plunge pool. In fact, many pool villas in Phuket are in fact refurbished bungalows! What you are paying for is basically the same old product with a minor facelift.
Bungalows in Phuket used to be a big thing a few decades ago when Phuket was just starting to become a popular tourist destination. Therefore, many existing bungalows today are located in exceptionally prime locations as prime beachfront land was dirt-cheap twenty years ago. For instance, our beachfront bungalows (called beachfront cottages) are literally 3 steps from a private beach and only 10-minute drive from the heart of Patong beach! And because bungalows are no longer the craze now, they are much cheaper than villas. Therefore, by choosing to stay in beach bungalows, you will most likely be able to stay in a prime location at an affordable price! However, today, more and more prime location Phuket Beach bungalows are being refurbished as villas and selling for 3-4 times the previous price!
Some may argue that you get a private pool by staying in villas! That is true! But let me tell you how pool villas came about in Phuket. As land in Phuket are getting more and more expensive, many new hotels find that the are not able to afford building grand over-the-top swimming pools like in the old days anymore. Furthermore, since many flat beachfront locations are already taken, many find resort developers find themselves having to acquire hillside land to build their resorts. Understandably, it is very costly or downright impossible to develop gigantic pools on highly sloped mountainside. This is where the idea of building multiple plunge pools came about. From scarcity and necessity! Fortunately this strategy worked and pool villas started selling like hot cakes at astronomical rates.
Additionally, many find that plunge pools that come with pool villas get old very quickly, especially for families with many children. Why wouldn’t they? After all, these plunge pools are often nothing more than glorified Jacuzzi bathtubs. Still, nothing beats being able to swim lap to lap and playing water polo in a giant football field sized swimming pool.
This is not to say that villas are a bad investment. Honeymooners or couples may still find that pool villas may still suit their needs better than any other room types. However, we just believe that for average family group travelers, pool villas are not the perfect investment.
So if you are able to find some promising beach bungalows in Phuket, we advise you look into it closely. We believe beach bungalows in Phuket are still one of the best vacation investments compared to other room types. If you still do not believe us, we would like to invite you to take a look at our beachfront cottages here!
