Ubuntu Live Boutique Hostel - Phuket Old Town

The accommodation runs from double rooms with a queen or king bed to beds in mixed and female dormitory rooms. Air conditioning is in every room, and the bathrooms are shared with other guests.

All the rooms have linens, toiletries and towels, and mirrors and showers. Bottled water is free in some rooms, and the double rooms have a city view, while the dormitory beds come with a reading light and a socket near the bed.

Front desk service includes luggage storage, and tours and currency exchange can be arranged on site. An airport transfer, a shuttle service and a taxi service are offered, and there is a laundromat, a convenience store and a salon.

Dining is at the restaurant, which serves a la carte dishes, Asian and international cuisine, salads and soups. There is also a vegetarian restaurant, and food delivery is available.

The hostel is smoke-free, and it has a terrace, a rooftop area, a game room and an indoor venue for special events. Parking is paid, with a daily fee for the spaces nearby, and the languages spoken include English, Burmese, Hindi and Thai.

Phuket Old Town is the historic core of Phuket Town, where Sino-Portuguese shophouses line narrow streets and the pace of life is slower than on the beaches. The hostel sits in Talat Yai, on Phang Nga Road, a neighbourhood where a Buddhist pagoda, a mosque and a Sikh gurdwara stand within a short walk of one another. That mix of religions and cultures gives the area its character, and walking is the simplest way to see most of it.

The Baba Phuket Museum, which tells the story of the Peranakan families of Phuket, is 150 m away, and the Lard Yai Sunday night market is close by. Queen Sirikij Public Park is a green space nearby, and Chaithararam Temple, known as Wat Chalong, is 7.4 km away. Further afield, Patong Beach is about 11 km away, with Big Buddha at a similar distance.

A good day could begin with a walk through the old town and a visit to the Baba Phuket Museum, then continue to Wat Chalong before returning for dinner in the old town. Public transport is 430 m away, and Phuket International Airport is 27 km from the hostel. The hostel also offers a taxi service and an airport transfer for trips further afield.