In Phuket Town, there are a few dusty old hotels and quite a few bright and shiny tiny boutique accommodations. Much like the Tavorn Hotel adjacent to my going-to-work bus stop, I had presumed that the Phuket Town Inn just north of Old Town’s main thoroughfare of Thalang Road was yet another victim of the COVID-19 pandemic.

I often walk up Thepkrassatri Road on my way home in the evenings and this high-rise from the 1970s has been pitch-dark for at least the past year or so. However, as I approached this evening I was surprised to see the outside decorated in snow-white electric bulbs, the lobby ablaze in fluorescence, and even a light visible in the street-front stairwell. I did not notice, however, any visible lighting in the room windows.

While I am not certain if it has just reopened or has been open for a while longer without my noticing but I was certainly pleased to see the signs of life. Although there are quite a few Christmas trees just around the corner on Dibuk Road heading east, this is the only indication of holiday spirit to yet appear along this stretch of road. Hopefully, nearby establishments will decorate for the season at some point soon (the hotel is almost directly across from B Cat Café and there are a few newer coffee shops along the road as well as one or two rather famous restaurants not to mention a popular barber shop).

While the hotel has a 2-star rating (by whom, I can’t say), the price seems affordable. They are offering a rate of 632 baht for 25-26 December (found using the name in Thai, โรงแรม ภูเก็ตทาวน์อินน์ on Google Maps) which seems quite low to me for the area. Personally, I have never stayed there and it is in need of some exterior cleanup (showing the same result from rain as seen on most other buildings here) but you really cannot beat the location. The rooms as viewed on their website look cute if perhaps a bit on the small side. If you have stayed there, please let me know your experiences in the comments below.