Courtyard by Marriott Phuket Town: The best hotel in the city!

Courtyard by Marriott Phuket Town: A city hotel that punches well above its weight

Old Phuket Town is one of our favourite corners of the island Phuket — and honestly one of the most underrated destinations in all of Thailand. Colourful Sino-Portuguese shophouses, great coffee, proper street food, and none of the Patong chaos. So when we got the chance to spend a few nights at the Courtyard by Marriott Phuket Town, right at the Surin Clock Tower roundabout, we were genuinely excited. It turned out to be one of the better hotel stays we’ve had on Phuket.

Location & Accessibility

The hotel sits at 1 Soi Surin, Talat Yai, directly beside the iconic Surin Clock Tower — the symbolic heart of Phuket Town.

• Historic Old Phuket Town is within easy walking distance
• Rassada pier, for ferries to Koh Phi Phi and the Similan Islands, is just a few minutes away by Grab
• Free on-site parking if you’re driving

One thing to be clear about: this is not a beach hotel. Patong is about 15 km west, a 40–50 minute drive in normal traffic. Kata and Karon are similar distances. If your holiday is built around the beach, this isn’t your base. But if you want to explore the cultural side of Phuket — Old Town, the markets, the museums, the food scene — you won’t find a better-positioned hotel on the island.

Phuket International Airport (HKT) is around 33 km away, roughly 50 minutes by car. Grab or Bolt are the easiest and cheapest options for the transfer.

Architecture and Design

Many locals in Phuket Town still know this building as the Metropole Hotel, a solid but unremarkable tower that dominated the Surin roundabout for decades. After a thorough renovation by design agency PIA, it reopened in 2022 under the Courtyard by Marriott flag — and anyone who knew the original will barely recognise it.

The transformation starts the moment you walk in. The old institutional corridors are gone, replaced by a double-height atrium that immediately makes an impression:

• Columns carry a gallery walkway on the second floor
• Chandeliers hang low enough to create real atmosphere
• Contemporary sculptures and wall art give the space a boutique feel — not what you’d typically expect from a Courtyard

What sets the design apart is how PIA embedded Southern Thai culture into the building as a structural principle, not just as decoration:

• The nora dancer — a traditional dance drama now listed by UNESCO as Intangible Cultural Heritage — appears in artworks, headboards, and wall treatments throughout the hotel
• Nang talung, the shadow puppet theatre of the South, gives its name and visual identity to the Talung Lounge
• The traditional kolae fishing boat of the Andaman coast lives on in the logo of the Kolae Pool Bar

The guest rooms take a quieter approach: white and neutral grey as the base, black accents, warm dark wooden floors. Framed Thai artworks add colour without cluttering. The contrast works well — you sleep in something clean and contemporary, then step into a lobby that reminds you exactly where you are.

Atmopsphere & Guests

This doesn’t feel like a resort, and that’s entirely intentional. The lobby is calm during the day. Evenings are best spent with a cocktail at the Talung Lounge, watching the illuminated clock tower and the tuk-tuks circling below.

The guest mix is broad: Thai families here for weddings or seminars, Western and Asian couples exploring cultural Phuket, Marriott Bonvoy loyalists, and a growing number of travellers who’ve simply figured out that Old Town is the most interesting part of this island. If you want neon lights and late-night noise, look elsewhere. If you want a good glass of wine and a slow morning in one of Asia’s most charming heritage neighbourhoods, you’re in exactly the right place.

Service & Hospitality

Check-in was smooth and warm — welcome garlands and two small decorative rabbits on the bed, a small gesture that set the right tone immediately. Throughout our stay, the team was attentive without hovering. Special mention to the staff at Yue, where the new restaurant manager went out of his way to make us feel welcome. At Krua Talat Yai, service was friendly and unhurried — exactly the right pace for breakfast and dinner.

Room types at Courtyard by Marriott Phuket Town

The hotel has 248 rooms across 18 floors:

• Deluxe Rooms — approx. 30 m², king or twin, city view
• Premium Rooms — higher floors, panoramic views over Phuket Town (we stayed here)
• Family Rooms — approx. 40 m² with kitchenette, ideal for longer stays
• Junior Suites & Presidential Suites — more space; presidential suites are 140 m² each

All rooms come with a large flatscreen TV, minibar, safe, iron, kettle, comfortable workspace, and fast free Wi-Fi. Bathrooms are modern with rain showers — no bathtubs in standard rooms, which a few guests find disappointing but didn’t bother us. Toiletries are from Nirvae Botanicals, bergamot and tea — fresh and nicely scented.

Our Premium Room on the 17th floor in April 2026

We were in room 1708 on the seventeenth floor, and it was genuinely lovely. Spacious and light, with the hotel’s signature grey-white palette and black accents done well — dark parquet floors add warmth without making the room feel heavy. Subtle Thai-inspired artwork on the walls, four bottles of water on arrival, plenty of charging points (though no USB-C, if that matters to you). Small work table, mini fridge, excellent bedding, large wardrobe with hangers you can actually reach.

The bathroom was stylish — black marble washbasin, good lighting, Nirvae Botanicals products, large clean towels. No bathtub, but the shower pressure was strong and the shaving corner was a nice touch.

The view was the real highlight. Surin Clock Tower to the right, the rooftops of Uptown Phuket spread out in front, and in the distance — if you look carefully — the sea and the Grand Buddha. We found ourselves staring at it every morning. Sound insulation was excellent; the hallway was quiet, the city didn’t intrude.

Facilities

The fourth floor is home to the outdoor pool and Kolae Pool Bar. The pool isn’t large, but it’s clean, well-maintained, and the views over the Phuket Town rooftops and hills give it a charm that a beachside pool simply can’t replicate. A small children’s pool sits alongside. The water runs on the cool side — refreshing rather than warm — and the sunbeds are comfortable. At this height, there’s usually a decent breeze. The atmosphere is calm and unhurried, which is exactly what you want after a morning walking Old Town.

The fitness room is large and well-equipped: dumbbells, barbell bench, two treadmills, two bikes (one recumbent), and a yoga mat zone with balls. Not open 24/7, but the hours are generous enough for early-morning sessions before breakfast. Other facilities include a kids’ club, two event spaces, and a 660 m² pillarless ballroom for up to 600 guests.

Food and Beverages

Krua Talat Yai — 3rd floor, all-day dining

Breakfast is a proper spread. The buffet covers egg station, breads, jams, cheeses, cold cuts, and cereals on the Western side, and noodles, congee, Japanese and Thai dishes on the Eastern side. Fresh fruit, salad bar, juices, coffee. It’s one of the better 4 star hotel breakfasts we’ve had in Thailand — broad, fresh, and well-maintained throughout service.

For dinner on our first evening, we shared the Phuket Tangy Salad as a starter — pomelo, lightly fried Vietnamese sausage, crispy small fish, cashew nuts, spring onion, shallots and prawns, all in a sweet-sour-salty balance that’s unmistakably Thai. A real highlight. For mains we had the Massaman and the Khao Soi: the Massaman deep and slow-cooked with meltingly soft potatoes, the Khao Soi creamy and gently spicy. Ask for it mild if you’re heat-sensitive, or request extra chilli oil if you want more fire.

Desserts were the Chocolate Truffle — a dense, intense ganache, very much for proper chocolate lovers — and the apple pie in filo pastry with vanilla ice cream. That apple pie surprised us. Grandmother’s recipe, genuinely well-executed, better than a hotel restaurant has any right to produce. One warning: the portions are serious. One starter, two mains and two desserts between two people — we didn’t come close to finishing.

Talung Lounge — lobby level

Coffee shop and bakery by day, cocktail bar by night, with terrace views over the clock tower roundabout. The Wednesday afternoon tea (around 650 baht for two, champagne included) is a particularly good deal.

Yue Restaurant & Bar — 2nd floor

Cantonese à la carte and handmade dim sum, led by Chefs Kenny Chang and Lee Kuan Foo with over 15 years’ combined experience. The Sunday dim sum has developed a genuine following among Phuket Town’s local Chinese community — book ahead or arrive early.

Kolae Pool Bar — 4th floor

During our lazy afternoon by the pool we had a light lunch here. Ilonka ordered the mixed satay — a good mix of pork, chicken and seafood skewers — and I had Moo Ping with sticky rice and jim jaew dipping sauce. Both were fresh and exactly right for poolside eating. The homemade lemonade and ginger ale were both well-made and genuinely refreshing; the rambutan iced tea was sweet and fruity — let the ice melt a little before drinking for a fuller, less intense flavour.

Our Conclusion

Courtyard by Marriott Phuket Town is, in our opinion, the best city hotel in Phuket Town — and it isn’t close. The renovation of the old Metropole has produced something that clearly exceeds what the Courtyard brand typically promises: cultural depth in the design, a dining programme with real ambition, and a team that genuinely cares. Guests who arrive expecting a beach resort will be disappointed. Guests who arrive wanting to explore Old Town, eat well, sleep well, and have a great base for Phuket’s cultural side will find a hotel that over-delivers at almost every turn. We’d come back without hesitation.

Some good reasons to book a stay at Courtyard by Marriott Phuket Town

• Right at the Surin Clock Tower, walking distance to the best of Old Phuket Town
• Four dining venues including authentic Cantonese Yue and the excellent Krua Talat Yai
• Thoughtful design rooted in Southern Thai culture — nora, nang talung, kolae
• Warm, consistent service with a team that genuinely engages
• Price-quality ratio that comfortably exceeds the Courtyard positioning

Some tips and fun/interesting facts about the hotel

• Ask for a high-floor northeast-facing room — clock tower, sea and Grand Buddha all in one view
• The Friday and Saturday seafood buffet at Krua Talat Yai is one of the best hotel dinners in Phuket Town
• Kolae Pool Bar happy hour: 2-for-1 cocktails, best enjoyed at sunset
• Day pass (~450 baht) is fully redeemable as F&B credit at the pool bar
• Sunday dim sum at Yue is popular with locals — reserve ahead or arrive early
• Wednesday afternoon tea at Talung Lounge includes champagne, ~650 baht for two
• Book via the Marriott Bonvoy app for 10% off and a shot at a free upgrade
• Old Town is best explored early morning or late afternoon — quieter, better light, better coffee
• Rassada pier is five minutes away by Grab — ideal base for Phi Phi or Similan day trips
• Grab rides around town run 90–120 baht — easy and cheap

General information: Courtyard by Marriott Phuket Town

Address: 1 Soi Surin, Talat Yai, Mueang Phuket District, Phuket 83000
Tel: +66 (0)7 6643 555
Check-in: 3 PM / Check-out: 12 AM (late check-out possible for Bonvoy members)
Book direct via Agoda or Booking.com