Choosing a camp
Should I stay in on-site camp accommodation?
Updated 2026-09-01
The short answer
For a first trip of two weeks or less, yes: it removes every decision and puts you thirty seconds from the ring. Past about six weeks it usually stops making sense, because a normal apartment nearby costs less and gives you a life outside the camp.
From the records
Of the 44 camps we list, 27 say whether there are rooms on site and 4 say what one of those rooms costs. The convenience is usually on the record and the price of it almost never is, so the comparison this answer asks for is one you have to run by email.
Camps with rooms on siteThe case for on-site is friction. You will train twice a day, you will be tired in a way that makes a twenty minute commute feel like a negotiation, and being able to walk back to your room between sessions is worth real money. It also solves the social problem instantly, because the people around you are the people you train with.
The case against is that camp rooms are priced for convenience, not for space, and you are buying the same room whether you are there two weeks or four months. Long stays are where people move out, rent locally, and find their monthly cost drops sharply.
There is a second, quieter argument for moving out: living at the camp means never leaving work. Some people thrive on that. Others burn out in three weeks and blame the training.
Worth knowing
Where we have not confirmed a camp has rooms, the camp page says so rather than assuming. Do not book flights around accommodation you have not had confirmed in writing.
Still deciding where to go?
Six questions, and we will tell you which camps fit and which facts about them we have not confirmed.
Choosing a camp
Asked alongside this one
What is the best Muay Thai camp in Thailand?
There is no best camp, and the reason is specific rather than diplomatic: the things you would rank on are the things Thai camps do not publish. Of the 44 camps listed here, none publish a sparring policy, one publishes anything addressed to women training there and 3 state that the coaching is in English. Rank on what is on the record instead, which is price, location, rooms and sessions a day.
Should I train in Phuket or Chiang Mai?
Phuket if this is your first trip, you want beach and nightlife around the training, and you can absorb higher costs. Chiang Mai if you are staying longer, want your money to go further, and prefer a city you can live in rather than a resort island.
Is a big camp or a small camp better?
Big camps give you structure, English, training partners at every level and a social scene. Small camps give you more trainer attention per session and a closer read on how you are actually moving. Beginners usually get more out of a big camp for a first trip, and more out of a small one on the second.