Guides
Thailand guides on travel, culture, cuisine, and lifestyle—discover top destinations, hidden gems, visa information, and essential tips. Plan your journey with The Thaiger, your trusted source for expert Thailand guides.
-
Sponsored Limited-time deal: Save 20% on Cigna's expat health plans forever
Starting a new life abroad is exciting—new culture, new lifestyle, and new chances to grow. But living far from home also means taking steps to protect your health in unfamiliar surroundings. Without the right coverage, even small health issues can...
-
Time for a street food makeover – Tourism Ministry
The Thai Tourism Minister says it’s time for an upgrade of Thai street food. The Nation reports that Weerasak Kowsurat says he would hold talks with the Public Health Ministry and the BMA on how to upgrade the quality of dishes sold by street vendors in the capital. He has revealed plans to bring together stakeholders to discuss how to…
-
Thailand Medical Tourism 2018: REVIEW
It continues to be another busy year for Thailand’s private hospitals, clinics and dental facilities, with the seemingly endless arrival of international patients from across the globe. Whilst the volume begins to subside a little as the year comes to a close, the guys at MyMediTravel put together their analysis from a sample of 1,000 of their English-speaking, non-Thai based…
-
New additions to the Thailand Michelin foodie guide
by Khetsirin Pholdhampalit Thai street food eatery Jay Fai has retained its one Michelin star for the second consecutive year and the legendary Thai restaurant Methavalai Sorndaeng is among the new 10 additions to have been awarded one star, according to the announcement of eateries making it the second edition of Michelin Guide Bangkok. No restaurant has achieved the coveted…
-
Putting the ‘social’ into social media – Facebook Dating
Facebook has officially launched its dating services with Thailand the first market in Asia and second in the world for the new service on the world’s third most popular website (#1 Google, #2 YouTube). Facebook Dating is available to users of the social network who are aged at least 18. Nathan Sharp, product manager of Facebook Dating says that the…
-
Thailand, third biggest medical tourism destination in the world
In the process of shrugging off its reputation for cheap back-alley plastic surgeries, Thailand is quickly catching up to South Korea as the world’s prime destination for cosmetic surgeries and treatments. Home to 64 JCI-accredited medical facilities – three times more than Singapore and 6 times more than Malaysia. JCI is the industry standard in global healthcare, where facilities are…
-
“Don’t rush to legalise marijuana”
by Chularat Saengpassa A medical lecturer is cautioning policy-makers against rushing to legalise marijuana, even if it’s just for medical use. “Beware of becoming stupid, poor and hurt” read the title of a social-media comment posted by Assistant Professor Dr Thira Woratanarat in response to calls to fast-track medical-marijuana legislation. The Nation reports that Thira, who works at Chulalongkorn University’s…
-
Is ‘cross fit’ still a thing?
Even today in 2018 CrossFit continues to become more and more popular worldwide, I am often faced with the questions: Is CrossFit good, or is it bad? Have I done it? Would I recommend it? In short, I think it’s both good and bad. Yes, I have done it and still do. And yes, I would recommend it, but not…
-
Ninth measles victim in Yala, 3 remain critically ill
PHOTO: A mother holds her child as nurses at the Tambon Yala Health Promotion Hospital in Yala’s Muang district vaccinate him against measles yesterday. – Nakharin Chinnawornkomol Another child has died as a result of complications from measles in Yala province yesterday morning. This latest preventable fatality brings the number of deaths from the disease in the southernmost province to nine…
-
The art of Thai massage – Chann Wellness Spa, Kamala
Time to relax, time to be pampered. You deserve some ‘me’ time to get refreshed and be indulged at the Chann Wellness Spa at Thavorn Beach Village Resort & Spa, Phuket in Kamala. Tim Newton headed to Kamala for an hour of well-deserved pampering. Chann Wellness Spa is one of the island’s most established spas combining experienced staff, the right ‘mood’…
-
Savoury staples with a touch of the finest Swiss chocolate
Chocolate… mmmmm. But did you consider it as part of a broader savory menu? I enjoyed an evening of chocolate-infused cuisine and, well, it really works! Mövenpick Resort & Spa Karon Beach Phuket is treating guests to a new menu of savoury dishes with a sweet twist as Mövenpick Hotels & Resorts launches its ‘Chocolate on the Salty Side’ promotion.…
-
Embrace ‘slow travel’ this Vegetarian Festival
PHOTOS: Airbnb Airbnb’s tips to travelling well, eating clean and supporting local farming communities… Thailand’s Vegetarian Festival is one of the country’s largest and most colourful annual festivals attracting locals and international travellers each year. A festival about spirituality and food, at its core is the cleansing of mind and body – a common theme amongst travellers today. Travellers now…
-
Phuket Vegetarian Festival program 2018
The annual Vegetarian Festival is back and promises to be a big year for the annual nine day celebrations starting next Monday. Some of the rituals are based around self-mutilation and daring acts of fire walking. A lot of the processions and ceremonies can be quite scary, especially for the young or squeamish. There will be lots of noise, lots…
-
Medicinal marijuana by next year in Thailand
Thailand’s Governmental Pharmaceutical Organisation (GPO) is starting researching to develop medicines from marijuana in acknowledgement of evidence that the outlawed substance has health-enhancing properties. It is also seeking to initiate a legal amendment that would permit cannabis for medicinal use, possibly by May next year. Recreational use will remain illegal. GPO chairman Dr Sopon Mekthon yesterday says that with the…
-
Mövenpick Hotels & Resorts unveils a global menu of savoury dishes and finest Swiss chocolate
ADVERTISING Mövenpick Hotels & Resorts, part of the AccorHotels Group, is celebrating Swiss cuisine and the culinary versatility of chocolate with a new global menu of savoury dishes featuring a sweet twist. In Phuket the promotion will be at the Mövenpick Resort & Spa Karon Beach. The brand’s talented ‘food artisans’ have made Mövenpick chocolate the hero of seven dishes in…
-
Pavilions Phuket welcomes Chef Rey
ADVERTISEMENT From humble beginnings in New Zealand, Chef Rey developed his profession with guidance from industry leaders, he has since taken his craft to Australia, Malaysia, Abu Dhabi and Vietnam. Before joining the team at The Pavilions Phuket, Chef Rey worked for well-known luxury restaurants and hotels, including the award-winning ‘2016 Top 50 restaurant’, Bracu, in New Zealand, under the watchful…
-
-
Are people living in major tourism destinations happy?
Are people living and working in major tourism destinations happy and content, or miserable due to tourism? Or somewhere in between? A new global survey of local residents’ happiness in World Heritage sites called Planet Happiness has been launched to address the issue. In an age of escalating overtourism, the initiative aims to show that measuring community wellbeing and happiness…
-
Clean The Beach Bootcamp heads to Surin Beach for World Clean Up Day
On Saturday, September 15, the Clean The Beach Boot Camp crew (CBBC) will be heading to Surin Beach to take part in another of their regular clean-ups. Now in its sixth year, the team and its dedicated followers will help celebrate World Clean Up Day, which also happens to fall on the same day, by cleaning Surin Beach. Clean The Beach…
-
M Beach Club makes waves at Mai Khao
ADVERTISING Sip champagne by the sea at the new M Beach Club. Set on the broad, sandy shores of the island’s northern coast, M Beach Club welcomes you to drink, dance, dine, lounge and swim against an eminently Instagrammable backdrop. This stretch of Mai Khao Beach, just 14 kilometres north of the international airport, comes with sprawling sea views…
-
The 9th Floor September specials
The ‘Angels’ at Patong’s famed The 9th Floor restaurant are singing to the heavens about the new September seafood menu. Gourmet lovers can now savour a five-course chef’s menu paired with premium wines from France, Germany, Italy and Australia in portions compatible with the dishes and the most discerning gourmet’s palate. In September turbot, hailed as the monarch of Dutch…
-
Kata Rocks joins the World Wellness Weekend 2018 global event
The Infinite Luxury Spa is hosting an exclusive yoga session to relax the body, mind and mood in celebration of World Wellness Weekend 2018, taking place this year on September 22 to 23. The special ‘Sunset Rocks Yoga’ experience is scheduled to be held on Saturday, September 22 from 5:30 to 6:30pm and is complementary for 10 participants on a…
-
Bahrain # 1. Thailand #18. Expat Insider Survey 2018.
Where is the favourite place for expats to settle in the world? Bahrain has won the distinction again in the annual Expat Insider survey of 68 countries in the world where expats like to live. How about Thailand and ASEAN countries? Thailand didn’t even get a podium position this year in the survey. It scored fourth behind perennial favourite, the…
-
Surviving Phuket’s rip currents: everything has changed
(12 minute read) By Associate Professor Robert Brander, PhD, Coastal Geomorphologist, University of New South Wales, Sydney, Australia Daren Jenner, Marine Safety Officer, International Surf Lifesaving Association. Rip currents are strong, narrow seaward flowing currents, like ‘rivers of the sea’, that exist on many beaches when waves are breaking across wide areas. These potentially deadly currents are also responsible for…
-
Alcohol – no safe level for consumption. ‘Lancet’ report.
Just a single glass of alcoholic a day will slightly increase your risk for long-term health problems. This is the startling finding of a major study into the affect of alcohol on individuals’ health. The report says that there is no evidence that any level of alcohol consumption could confer any health benefits, a finding that runs contrary to previous…
-
Where do you live? Planet Earth or Planet Sloth?
“Houston … we have a problem” “What’s going on up there?” “Well Sir… we’re just floating around… we want to sit down sir” “Enjoy it up there, we’ve got enough to deal with down here, gravity is pulling everyone down” Let’s face facts. Planet earth is suffering from The Sloth. Remember in the movie SEVEN (SE7EN) – starring Brad Pitt…
-
“There is no safe level of alcohol use” – The Lancet
The Lancet, the world’s most respected scientific and medical journal, reports that there is no ‘safe’ level of alcohol consumption in a new report. The journal has editorial offices in London, New York, and Beijing. The findings of the study were released yesterday (Thursday). The report follows up on evidence collected in an analysis of 2016 global alcohol consumption and…
-
HoverGlide lightens the backpacker load
PHOTO: Lightning Packs HoverGlide. Marty McFly’s hovering skateboard from ‘Back To The Future 2’? A new monorail in Bangkok? No. TravelWire Asia is reporting that the new HoverGlide by Lightning Packs is being hailed as the “world’s first floating backpack.” They say it’s the perfect back-pack solution for hiking, running, commuting or just strolling around town. But it’s not floating in…
-
Kata Rock’s ‘Rainy Day Bliss Package’
Few things in life are better than pampering yourself with a luxury spa package on a rainy day. If you’re in need of quality ‘me time’ and are looking to get out of the house, Kata Rocks provides the perfect escape. Experience total rejuvenation with our ‘Rainy Day Bliss Package’, inclusive of a gourmet lunch at our award-winning restaurant. Kata…
-
Top 10 busiest airports in the world – first half of 2018
Beijing Capital International Airport is still the world’s second-busiest airport by passenger traffic, witnessing with nearly 50 million passengers passing through in the first half of this year. This from the Civil Aviation Data Analysis, a civil aviation data platform based in Shanghai. The list, comprising 17 international airports around the world, ranks airports in terms of passenger traffic as…
-
Carnage continues on Thai roads
People die on Thai roads, at the scene of the accident, at a rate of 39 per day (average for 2018). This shameful and tragic toll was exceeded on Tuesday this week when 58 people lost their lives on Thai roads. While this was the single worst day for road deaths this month, the figures are still unofficial and grow in…
Don't forget to check out some other things to do in Thailand - get help starting a business or finding a job in Thailand, buy Thailand property, rent a yacht or book a medical procedure worldwide.