Blu Monkey Hub and Hotel Phuket

Great little hotel if you don’t plan on being in the rooms often Pros - free breakfast and drinks - quiet at night, away from the main streets of old town - all staff are wonderful and can’t do enough for you! -modern rooms with huuuge comfy beds. Cons - our rooms balcony bath leaked so we didn’t bother using. -the aircon was clearly in need of a clean as our room stank of damp and we ended up full of a cold and cough from the damp and mould, presumably from the aircon. We were only saying 2 nights so did not bother to ask to change room but if you plan on staying longer and find the room smells of damp I would recommend asking to change.

Check-in Experience: 4 The check in was smooth with no issues. We arrived early but unfortunately our room was not ready until the scheduled check-in time which of course is absolutely fine. The staff were in general not the most welcoming however I wouldn’t go as far as to say rude. Overall the check in was as expected. Room Quality: 4 • Cleanliness: For a city hotel that’s a mid-range price the cleanliness was as expected. It was clean however the room was a little tired and in need of some fresh paint. Curtains were dirty as well as around the sink area. • Amenities: Very basic coffee/tea making facilities. Kettle included so you can bring your own tea and coffee which I would recommend if that is important to you. We were on the top floor (7) and the WiFi was decent. • Comfort: The bed was huge for 2 people which was an absolute bonus. The air con was very effective however it was loud so not too good for sleeping with it turned on (not really an issue for me but my partner struggled with the noise). The balcony was small but it is a city hotel and not designed for chilling on the balcony. The room was quite spacious. Facilities & Services: 3.9 • Dining: We did not have breakfast included and paid 200baht (£5) per person for breakfast. There was a variety of Thai options as well as western. The quality of the food was good. The breakfast options were pretty the same each day but there were enough there to mix it up. Tea/coffee and juice was available all day at no extra cost. • Pool, Spa, Gym, etc.: The pool was tiny and the area around it was not very pleasant. It looked as though it hadn’t been cleaned or used much. We didn’t book this place for a pool so this didn’t bother us much. Just be aware that if you absolutely will want and use a pool I would not book this hotel. There was a gym but we didn’t use it so I can’t comment on that. There was a communal area with a very large table suitable for chilling and playing games. Staff & Customer Service: 3.9 I can’t really comment much about the staff as we were in and out most of the time as this part of our holiday was for ‘doing’ as opposed to being in the hotel. The general vibe was good though some of the younger staff were typically grumpy teenagers. All in all I will mark it ever so slightly down from good. Value for Money: 4.6 Overall value for money was excellent. We paid £152 for 3 nights. The only reason I have marked it down from perfect is due to the pool area being somewhat unusable. Location: 4.8 As a base location in Phuket city this was great. You can walk to Old Town Phuket which seems to be on most YouTuber’s bucket list (worth a walk around but nothing special and you’ll find over inflated tourist prices). There are a couple of areas you can walk to with viewpoints that are a 20-30 minute walk away. Chillva market is only 240baht via taxi using the Bolt app. I highly recommend visiting this market for street food and drinks. Island boat trips will depart from the Royal Marina which is only 20-25 minutes away. There are also a few banks very close by for using their ATMs. Overall Experience: 4 Overall I was more than satisfied with this hotel. We did our research before we came and this one was the best value for money and location we could find. As I said before you can forget about the pool but that’s fine if this is just being used as a base.

This is a perfect spot for a digital nomad. It's not a fancy hotel, but there is more than enough to keep you occupied whilst also giving you the space to work. The reception staff were very friendly and more than willing to help as well as chat. Paul was working the evening shift and took the time to talk about Phuket. Should I need to return to online work, then I will happily use this as a base to explore the surrounding islands.

As you can see from the photos this is more than just a hotel as such. From the guests staying here you see its a sort of stop-over + workspace. Very easy going and relaxing open plan reception and breakfast area. Encourages guests to sit and interact which was a really nice experience. Definitely not a typical tourist hotel and thats a big plus ! The rooms are spacious but not new and a problem with dampness. You need the aircon on to get rid of odours from the damp and thats the only negative. Location is great for Phuket old town which was not what we expected in a positive way. Interesting architecture and nice restauarnts. Reception staff are the absolute stars of this hotel ! PAUL, BUA and MAY are amazing. Nothing is a problem and they really showed a willingness to go out of their way to help. We asked about good massages and were quickly directed to Kim’s which was only 200 meters away and it was so good. We went 3 times ! Last day we had to travel from Phuket to Krabi and the bus station is literally a 5 min walk from the hotel but we wanted more comfort so they helped us get a taxi for 3000 BHT for the 4 hour drive we had to do within 15 minutes and at a price better than what we could get from Bolt and Grab. Thank you all so much you were fantastic !!

We stayed for 4 nights and we couldn't fault it at all. The staff were friendly, informative and very professional. Ice was our cleaner and she was amazing room was cleaned to perfection. The receptionist staff Paul and May were brilliant. The beds and pillows were the most comfortable I've ever had, so much so we actually bought pillows from the hotel. Would stay here again if I was staying in Phuket old town.