A monthly membership buys training only, and you arrange your own accommodation. A camp package bundles training with a room and sometimes more. Membership is usually cheaper and more flexible if you are comfortable organizing your own stay. A package is simpler and often better value once you count what you would pay separately for somewhere decent near the gym.
This trips people up because the two are priced differently and are not directly comparable. One is a training rate. The other is a training-plus-living rate. Comparing the headline numbers tells you almost nothing.
This guide explains how each structure works and which suits which kind of trainee. It covers structure, not specific figures, because prices change. Current numbers are always on the pricing page. This article is dated September 2026.
How Each One Works
Monthly membership. You pay for a month of training. You get access to classes across the timetable for that period. Accommodation, food, and everything else is your own arrangement. This is the standard structure for someone living locally or staying somewhere they found themselves.
Camp package. You pay one price covering training and a room for a set period. Depending on the package, it may also include other things. The appeal is that it is one decision and one payment rather than several.
The key difference is not price, it is what you are organising. A membership leaves you to sort accommodation. A package hands you a room and a start date.
When a Monthly Membership Makes Sense
You are staying a long time. Over two or three months, finding your own place is usually cheaper than any bundled rate, because monthly rental rates beat short-stay rates substantially.
You want a specific kind of place. A particular area, a kitchen, a proper desk for working, space for a partner. Packages give you what they give you.
You are travelling with someone who is not training. Paying for a training package for one person and accommodation for two rarely works out.
You already know the area. Returning trainees often go membership after a first trip on a package, because they now know where they want to be.
You want flexibility. Extending a membership is simple. Extending a package depends on room availability.
When a Camp Package Makes Sense
It is your first long stay. Arriving in a new country, finding accommodation near a gym you have not seen, in a language you do not speak, is a real task. A package removes it.
You want one decision. For a lot of people the simplicity is worth more than the marginal saving.
You are staying a month or less. Short-term accommodation is where rental rates are worst, so a bundled rate is more competitive at this length.
You want to be walking distance from the mats. The closest places are often the ones tied to packages, and proximity matters more than people expect when training twice a day.
You do not want to deal with deposits and contracts. Independent rentals can involve both.
How to Compare Them Honestly
The comparison only works if you compare the same things. Build both totals:
Membership total = monthly training rate + your accommodation + deposit if any + utilities + transport to the gym.
Package total = the package price, plus anything it does not cover.
The line people forget is transport. A cheaper room twenty minutes away costs you money and, more importantly, costs you sessions. The walk-to-the-gym factor is worth paying for on a long stay.
The other forgotten line is utilities. Air conditioning in Phuket is not optional and electricity is not cheap. Independent rentals usually bill it separately.
Once both totals are built, the answer is usually obvious, and it is different for different people. That is the point: neither structure is better, they suit different situations.
What Access Actually Includes
Worth understanding before comparing anything.
Training access generally covers the classes on the timetable rather than one discipline, which matters on a long stay because you will probably want to add a second discipline at some point. Our guide on combining multiple disciplines covers why that is worth having.
Private sessions are normally separate from both structures. They are priced individually and are worth budgeting for on a long stay. See our guide on how private sessions accelerate progress.
Equipment is usually separate. Over a month or more, buying your own generally beats renting. Our published guide on renting versus buying equipment covers the maths.
Check what a package covers before assuming. Packages vary, and the honest answer to “what is included” is on the pricing page or from the team directly rather than from a blog article.
The Advice Most People Need
First long stay: take a package. The simplicity is worth the difference, and you will learn the area while you are here. You can go independent next time knowing exactly where you want to be.
Second long stay onward: consider a membership. You know the area, you know what you want, and over a longer block the savings are real.
Staying three months or more: almost certainly a membership plus your own place, because monthly rental economics dominate at that length.
Not sure: ask. Long stays are the case where a conversation genuinely beats a checkout page, because the right answer depends on your dates, your budget, and whether you are on your own.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the difference between a monthly membership and a camp package?
A membership covers training only and you arrange your own accommodation. A package bundles training with a room for a set period.
Which is cheaper?
It depends on how long you stay and what accommodation you would choose. Over two months or more, a membership plus your own rental is usually cheaper. For a month or less, a package is often more competitive.
Does a monthly membership cover all the disciplines?
Access generally covers the classes on the timetable rather than a single discipline. Check current details on the pricing page.
Are private sessions included?
Normally no. Privates are usually priced separately from both structures and are worth budgeting for on a long stay.
Can I extend either one?
Memberships are straightforward to extend. Extending a package depends on room availability, which is why booking early matters in busy months.
What is the most commonly forgotten cost?
Transport and electricity. A cheaper room further away costs you both money and training sessions, and air conditioning is a real line item in Phuket.
Work Out Both Totals Before Deciding
The honest answer to this question is not on a pricing page. It is on a piece of paper where you have added up both options including the things people forget.
Start with the pricing and packages page for the current structures and figures, and the accommodation page for what is bookable through the gym. If you are staying a month or more and want help working out which fits, talk to us about a longer stay rather than guessing, or book directly here.
