Wedged between other businesses on a boisterous and busy street, the Palmview Resort is clearly one of the budget-end options in the area, though it's not without its charms. It's housed in a modern, four-floor building with Thai-style touches,clad largely in mock-brickwork, while interiors feature terra cotta tiled floors strewn with wicker furnishings, and walls decorated with numerous pieces of Thai art. Beyond the lobby, a small wooden bridge connects to a relatively secluded pool garden dotted with palms and overlooked by undulating balustraded walkways. A small family-run property, Palmview provides friendly and familiar ambience to longer-term guests or those on a budget who are happy to overlook the slightly noisy location for simple and clean accommodations.

The hotel is located on a busy hill-road that runs parallel to the main thoroughfare of Patong resort -- a popular tourist spot in southwest Phuket. The street is lined with cheap bars, fry restaurants, and phone kiosks. Many of those working in the city live in this area as it's about a five-minute drive from the town center. It's at least a 20-minute walk to the beach, so a taxi is recommended, while the island's capital -- Phuket City -- is about 25 minutes away by car. Phuket airport is a 45 minutes' drive to the north and flights from Bangkok's Suvarnabhumi Airport take around an hour and 15 minutes.

The Palmview Resort has just 20 rooms, all of which are clean and simply decorated with white walls, tiled flooring, and traditional wooden furnishings and wall art. Air-conditioned rooms are spacious and extend to basic but well-maintained bathrooms, while all rooms have sliding doors opening to furnished balconies. Wi-Fi is free of charge but old flat-panel TVs have limited channels. Catering to longer-term guests, cupboards are large and minibars are often full-size fridges, but many rooms overlook the noisy street and a tangle of electric and phone cables.

To the rear of the property is a small garden with an equally small swimming pool surrounded by a few sun loungers. A ground floor restaurant looks directly onto the busy road where diners can enjoy good, simple food and smoothies while watching the flow of Patong street life -- dishes and drinks can also be served in-room or poolside. The hotel also offers free Wi-Fi throughout, as well as motorbikes for hire and airport transfer arrangements.