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.

  • Savoury staples with a touch of the finest Swiss chocolate

    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

    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

    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…

  • Top 10 World Cities for Overnight Stays 2017

    Top 10 World Cities for Overnight Stays 2017

    PHOTO: Bangkok, the world city attracting the most overnight stays Where is the world traveling and where are they staying overnight? There is a big move towards Asia in the latest figures out of the MasterCard Global Destination Cities Index 2017. Travel and tourism in Asia Pacific is showing no signs of slowing down, with the region dominating visitor arrivals…

  • Mövenpick Hotels & Resorts unveils a global menu of savoury dishes and finest Swiss chocolate

    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

    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…

  • Top 10 overseas destinations for Chinese travellers

    Top 10 overseas destinations for Chinese travellers

  • Blood tests shows contamination with toxic farm chemicals

    Blood tests shows contamination with toxic farm chemicals

    “Several farmers have visited Maharat Nakhon Ratchasima Hospital since late last month, seeking treatment for exposure to farm chemicals.” Traces of toxic chemicals have been detected in the blood of 1 in every 20 farmers in Nakhon Ratchasima. This is the result of tests across 132 villages in the Bua Yai district. The Bua Yai district’s public-health office arranged blood…

  • Clean The Beach Bootcamp heads to Surin Beach for World Clean Up Day

    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

    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 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…

  • eSports – legitimate sport or teenage addiction problem?

    eSports – legitimate sport or teenage addiction problem?

    PHOTO: China Daily The Thai Mental health department is urging the government to rethink any decision to recognise online gaming. Moves to officially recognise eSports (electronic gaming sports) could lead to children becoming addicted to online games, according to health experts. A Mental Health Department adviser Dr Yongyud Wongpiromsarn says the promotion of eSports would likely do more harm than good.…

  • Bahrain # 1. Thailand #18. Expat Insider Survey 2018.

    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

    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.

    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…

  • Monsoon Valley Dinner @ Ginja Taste Restaurant, JW Marriott Phuket Resort & Spa

    Monsoon Valley Dinner @ Ginja Taste Restaurant, JW Marriott Phuket Resort & Spa

    JW Marriott Phuket Resort & Spa, in collaboration with Siam Winery, is hosting the ‘Monsoon Valley Dinner’, an extraordinary 5 course Thai set menu. The food, atmosphere and service are, as you’d expect, spectacular. But there’s a twist to this gastronomic experience. Each course is paired with a Thailand wine. The special dinner is being served until September 7 at the…

  • “There is no safe level of alcohol use” – The Lancet

    “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

    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’

    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…

  • Spectacular views and the new lunchtime menu – Kata Rocks

    Spectacular views and the new lunchtime menu – Kata Rocks

    Kata Rocks, Phuket has launched a new lunch menu at the Oceanfront Clubhouse. You know the view, you’ll LOVE the new menu. With flavours inspired by both the Mediterranean and regional gastronomy, the refreshing new menu celebrates the summer and island life by using seasonal ingredients and seafood specialities. The new menu aims to make the Oceanfront Clubhouse a destination…

  • Carnage continues on Thai roads

    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…

  • Somtam scores number 5 in the world’s top 500 Lonely Planet Eatlist

    Somtam scores number 5 in the world’s top 500 Lonely Planet Eatlist

    PHOTO: Somtam, Bangkok’s spicy contribution to the world’s Top 500 foodie finds A list of the world’s top 500 gastronomic experiences seems an impossible task to put together. Lonely Planet have sent out their culinary aficionados and they’ve come back with rankings, 1 to 500. Bangkok’s somtam, the spicy papaya salad, made it into the top ten, number 5! Asian…

  • If you can’t play big don’t even bother playing small!

    If you can’t play big don’t even bother playing small!

    Steven approached me almost two years ago to help him with his assault on Ironman Wisconsin 2017. A torn meniscus last summer put a damper on last year’s race, but didnt stop Steve from refocussing on Ironman Wisconsin 2018. A delay is never a denial. It’s been a long reconditioning process; Steve has made a ferocious commitment to himself and the process. It was at…

  • Monsanto says RoundUp is safe. A Californian jury disagreed with them.

    Monsanto says RoundUp is safe. A Californian jury disagreed with them.

    A jury in San Francisco has ruled this week that RoundUp, the world’s most popular weedkiller, gave Dewayne Johnson, a former school groundskeeper, terminal cancer. The court awarded him $39 million dollars and awarded punitive damages of $289 million to agri-chemical company Monsanto. The man’s victories is poised to set a massive precedent for thousands of other cases that similarly…

  • 23% of expats get by on less than 45,000 baht per month – Thaivisa survey

    23% of expats get by on less than 45,000 baht per month – Thaivisa survey

    PHOTO: matadornetwork.com ThaiVisa has released reports from its recent survey into life of expats in Thailand. The survey was conducted on the Thaivisa website so partly reflects the aspirations and life of readers of the site. They report that a common theme on social media and forums is that Thais think of hooking up with or marrying farangs as their…

  • Could ‘Wolbachia’ mosquitoes be the best fight against Dengue

    Could ‘Wolbachia’ mosquitoes be the best fight against Dengue

    In a big breakthrough in the battle against dengue fever, an Australian research team says an entire city has been protected from viral disease dengue for four years. The BBC is reporting that captive-bred mosquitoes with a naturally occurring bacteria were released in the city of Townsville, northern coastal Queensland, where they mated with local mosquitoes. Dengue fever is a…

  • High performance coaching for a fantastic day

    High performance coaching for a fantastic day

    by Hayden Rhodes High performance in any discipline – requires discipline. Physical health, mental well-being and business practice to name a few, are all impacted by your behavior. One cornerstone to consistent high performance is having the discipline to wake each day with routines that get you in the zone for sustainable performance. Successful people have worked out that morning…

  • Phuket’s The 9th Floor wins three top awards

    Phuket’s The 9th Floor wins three top awards

    The 9th Floor, one of Phuket’s long established fine dining restaurants, has won three top awards in the 2018 World Luxury Restaurant Awards. The restaurant won awards for best fine dining cuisine (country, Thailand), best wine selection (continent, Asia) and best Mediterranean cuisine (regional winner, South East Asia). The 9th Floor owner Bart Duykers commented: “This is a tremendous tribute…

  • World’s Top 10 off-grid hotel stays

    World’s Top 10 off-grid hotel stays

    …according to booking website Hotels.com Want to go ‘off the grid’? Escape from the bustling markets, show-pieces and tourist traps around the world? Some of these places don’t even have wi-fi. Hotels.com has launched a new Hideaway Hotels category to help you escape 21st century life for a break The booking website has seen a 60% spike in guests leaving…

  • ‘Miami Vice’ comes to Kata Rocks – Collective Series 13

    ‘Miami Vice’ comes to Kata Rocks – Collective Series 13

    Kata Rocks’ Collective Series 13 – ‘Miami Vice’ – brought the heat to Phuket, retro-1980s South Beach style, with another classic event that captured the imagination of the attending guests and loyal patrons. The evening featured exceptional pan-Latin American cuisine featuring ceviche, tacos, mini burgers and other mouth-watering canapés, plus live DJ entertainment. DJ Shane OB got the party started…