The Privilege Residences

I’d booked at Baycliffe Residences, but the room wasn’t available, so they moved me to The Privilege, which is connected to Baycliffe. The two residences belong to the same owner, and guests can use facilities in both buildings. My room had a mountain view, generous space, modern interiors, two large TVs, a fully working kitchen, a bathroom jacuzzi, and a balcony. There’s a decent gym on the ground floor and pool access 24 hours a day. Since we wanted to walk every day, the location worked well for us, about 2-3 km from Patong Beach. I’d read claims that reception closed at midnight, but during my stay it was open 24 hours. For what I paid, it felt like a steal.

The view is nice, but there’s a new building going up right beside the hotel. The staff are friendly, though not all of them seem to know much about the trips and discounts they offer. We were first told some trips had a 40% discount, then found it was only around 10-20%. The walk into town isn’t pleasant or safe, since the road is busy and there’s no pavement. The hotel is far from the city. Patong itself is unpleasant and ugly, so I wouldn’t choose it for a holiday. The only nice thing on Phuket is Elephant Sanctuary, but don’t buy that trip through the hotel, it’s cheaper in the city. The apartments cost so much that you’d expect something luxurious. There’s a water massage and bubble bathtub, but it doesn’t work as it should, and the toilet doesn’t always flush. The bathtub on the balcony is a fun feature, but takes hours to fill. The place could be nice, but it feels like maintenance has been neglected. The tubs aren’t new, and sometimes they’re broken. It’s far too expensive. You could pay half as much for a nice little bungalow with a perfect sea view near a lovely beach on one of the smaller islands.

We were a group of six, and the apartment suited us well, so it could be a good choice for a family visiting Phuket. The view was nice and it was fairly convenient, though a little far from the main town attractions. Some of the interior items could use repairs or freshening up, but overall it was pretty good.

We’ve been coming to Phuket every year, sometimes two or three times a year, before Covid, during Covid through the sandbox programme, and since then. We’ve supported Phuket tourism for a long time, as you can tell. Staying at this property changed how we feel about it. The building and its advertised facilities, and the owners who call it “friendly,” weren’t what they seemed. Getting around was a real concern. Grab, Indrive, and Bolt drivers couldn’t find us and cancelled each trip we booked. There were exposed electrical wires on the floors and unfinished contractor work. The hot water didn’t work properly in every room, the dishwasher was broken, and the AC wasn’t working when we arrived. Contractors had to come in and out of our apartment all day to deal with it. Those are just some of the problems. I wouldn’t even call it a work in progress. It looked like the building had been reopened in a rush. We wish we’d had time to research it, but our situation didn’t allow for that and we were desperate. Please do your research before booking this property.