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.
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Sponsored 5 ways retirees in Thailand lose money (and how to stop it)
Retiring in Thailand can be affordable and enjoyable, but many retirees lose money due to common mistakes. High living costs, scams, and unexpected expenses can quickly drain savings. There are five ways that retirees in Thailand can lose money and...
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Top 10 tips to sex-up your social media game
Get your social media game up to speed, or get left behind. Some tips from Phuket’s Mr Social Media, Alex Runhaar. 1. Get people to engage When using social media for your company, you want people to engage with your content as much as possible. Using high quality imagery is key. However, when uploading images to Facebook, it compresses your…
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Top 10 Hangover Cures
as researched, often, by Donna Toon There are so many wonderful benefits of living in Thailand, good, cheap, delicious food, fabulous beaches and the ability to have a massage weekly without blowing the budget to name just a few. However one negative is the extremely over inflated price of alcoholic beverages in Thailand which might encourage us to drink cheaper…
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Top 10 reasons to add some coconut into your life
We are so lucky here on the island of Phuket to have access to fresh coconuts. Lots of them. Coconuts not only feature in many local Thai dishes but they also have numerous health benefits according to some health practitioners. Whether you are drinking yours from Makro or on the side of the street you are doing your body a…
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Top 10 sources of tourists to Thailand in August, 2017
The rise in tourists to Thailand over the past two decades has been staggering. Whilst there are ebbs and flows in the tourism mix and the occasional political fracas, one thing is consistent – the rise in the tourist numbers flocking to the Kingdom. We may argue the issues in another article but here are the stark statistics which show…
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Standing in your strength
Living a courageous and passionate life requires that we embrace the sheer physicality of these concepts. Treating yourself with compassion and loving kindness starts with standing in your truth. Are you honouring yourself with standing tall,opening up more to life and leading with your heart? Are you the Predator or Prey? How does a tiger walk through the jungle? Chest…
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Retirement living comes to Kamala
Thailand’s four leading real estate developers – Nye Estate, Chewathai, L.P.N. Development and CH. Karnchang – have announced their plans to launch Kamala Senior Living, a new benchmark of luxury senior living village that will offer its residents a dynamic and exclusive lifestyle within a private and secure village. Located on the island’s west coast of Phuket, ‘Kamala Senior Living’…
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Hail Caesars Palace. Dining in Rococo style overlooking Patong.
The new ‘Caesars Palace’ is now open in Patong, three floors of kitch Italian plush with, arguably, the best view over Patong. We met up with the General Manager Michael who says they wanted to create a nice, relaxing environment with a warm and homely atmosphere. “This is a place where you can come to eat and drink or…
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Kata Rocks mixing it up with the ‘Best of Mixology’
Kata Rocks’ Collective Series 10 ‘Best of Mixology’ returned on September 2 with some of Asia’s top mixologists pouring their hearts out into every signature handcrafted cocktail. Following an amazing Phuket sunset at the resort’s hip bar and infinity pool area, Collective Series 10 proved to be a huge success. 100 guests partied into the night with refreshing handcrafted cocktails…
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9th Floor gets top gong from Exotiq Magazine
Patong’s The 9th Floor restaurant has been voted the best independent restaurant on Phuket in the inaugural 2017 “Exotiq Magazine Thailand Best of the Best” awards. The Gold Award was made after Exotiq Magazine’s readers voted over an 18 week period. Commenting on the Gold Award, The 9th Floor owner, Bart Duykers, said the “total gourmet solution” of three tasting menus with…
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The Myth of Happiness – chasing a more accepting relationship with self
The Myth of Happiness with The Thaiger Ask most people want they want from life and most will answer “I want to be happy.” What you need to remember is that happiness is a moment to moment choice. It can feel frustrating and disconnecting when it eludes us. In his book The happiness Trap Russ Haris points out how we…
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The Ultimate Currency
“A human being, like a business, makes profits and suffers losses. For a human being, however, the ultimate currency is not money, nor is it any external measure, such as fame, fortune, or power. The ultimate currency for a human being is happiness.” TAL BEN-SHAHAR If the ultimate currency is happiness, why do we keep paying high interest rates to…
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Top 10 Hamburgers in Phuket
The winner was Thavorn Beach Village & Spa, Phuket Thailand 2. 2nd place Novotel Phuket Karon Beach Resort & Spa (Photo by real Life) 3. 3rd place Pullman Phuket Arcadia Naithon Beach 4. Kata Rocks 5. Renaissance Phuket Resort and Spa 6. Dewa Nai Yang Resort Phuket 7. Diamond Cliff Resort & Spa 8. Two Chefs Bar & Grill 9.…
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Dining: Something for everyone at Moon Bistro
PHUKET: With the Cherng Talay area filled with flashy eateries, it is often difficult to decide where to grab a bite to eat. Driving down Lagoon Road, a small joint named Moon Bistro and Restaurant catches the eye at first glance. This elegantly-designed restaurant appeals to tourists, as well as long-term expats and locals, with both indoor and outdoor seating…
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Putting the fun back in Sunday
PHUKET: Those who enjoy Sunday brunch will be happy to know that Xana Beach Club relaunched its ‘Sunday Fun Brunch’ last month. The brunch is set in a scenic location overlooking Bang Tao Bay, making it ideal for spending a relaxed Sunday afternoon with family and friends. It features the largest number of live stations in Phuket, including a salad…
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Food: Fusion fare at Wok Pagoda
PHUKET: Located 10 minutes from Chalong Circle along the road to Kata-Karon, Mom Tri’s Wok Pagoda fuses gourmet Western and traditional Thai dishes together over an open-air pavilion. Nestled in the steep slopes of Phuket’s mountainous East-West divide, Wok Pagoda’s vantage captures a nearly 180-degree view of Chalong Bay, Phi Phi island and the carpet of lush terrain rising into…
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CoolSculpting: What is it and why is it so popular in Thailand?
“There is a growing trend for alternative body contouring treatments. Consequently, many medical tourists turn to CoolSculpting with some incredible before and after results as well as reduced recovery time without the need for anaesthetic or incisions.” Darren Lyons from MyMediTravel has noticed the upward curve in alternative non-invasive liposuction and vaser liposuction treatments in Thailand. Known as Coolsculpting or…
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Treat yourself to Sunday tapas
PHUKET: Good food and relaxation are what Sundays are all about. The Sunday Tapas lunch at Banyan Tree Phuket provides this and more. This weekly event is about a three hour affair, which starts at noon and replaces the resort’s Sunday Seafood Brunch. The ambience at the newly relocated ‘The Watercourt’ complements the meal, a live jazz band, a view…
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Dining in secluded luxury at Big Fish
PHUKET: You won’t know about Big Fish unless you’ve stayed at the Marriott Resort & Spa in Nai Yang. The upscale restaurant is tucked against the sea-side base of the modern hotel, and is nearly surrounded by Sirinath National Park. Even after arriving, would-be diners must speak with a bellhop to be driven down by golf cart to the restaurant.…
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Indulge your cheesebuds at Only Cheese
PHUKET: Three hungry Gazette editors with a craving for cheese descended on ‘Only Cheese’ in Kathu for lunch last week, and much to the annoyance of other editorial team members couldn’t stop talking about it for a week afterward. Whether you are a cheese lover or not, there’s something for everyone on the menu. At first glance, it looks like…
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Authentic Phuket cuisine at Wanon restaurant
PHUKET: Located in the lush green surroundings of the Flying Hanuman eco-adventure park in Wichit, Wanon restaurant offers a truly unique and authentic local dining experience. Head chef Kittipong Jaramorn Burapong graduated from the Culinary Arts Institute in New York. He has extensive experience with Thai, Italian and Mexican cuisine, having lived and worked in the US for 20 years.…
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Meka Sky Lounge: Above the Rest
PHUKET: Our golf cart weaves through The Naka Phuket resort estate, climbing ever higher on the hill as we approach The Meka Sky Lounge. The building is a monolith with clean, modern cement walls rising up toward the vast tropical sky; a guard tower overlooking the enchanting and daringly-designed villa development by Duangrit Bunnag. On an island where stunning sea…
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Threesome at Chalk & Cheese
Three Phuket Gazette editors descended on Chalk & Cheese – A Brasserie by Thong Dee, located in the heart of Kathu. Three hours and ‘several’ glasses of wine later, a single opinion for three different reasons was ready to be plated up. ISAAC LOVES THEM BALLS THERE are certain balls you remember, and certainly certain balls you crave. Made from…
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Fusion food gets down in town at Surf & Turf
PHUKET: December ushered in a new air of excitement to the island. The start of the holiday season brought the streets to an even busier bustle, as did the large number of arrivals at Phuket International Airport. Along with those arrivals was the appearance of new shops and restaurants open and ready to please the hungriest of patrons for the…
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Menu changes mark new ‘season’
PHUKET: The soft sounds of warm hands playing on a baby grand in the bar area of Mom Tri’s Villa Royale rise gently above the sound of the waves splashing onto the rocks at the north end of Kata Noi Beach. It’s already high season, so the waves, catching the light of a three-quarter moon, are rolling in small and…
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Planting seeds to grow a community
PHUKET: Late last year Laguna Phuket Resort announced the launch of a new program aimed at helping underprivileged youth, under the slogan ‘Plant A Seed, Change A Life’. The ‘Seedlings Phuket’ initiative includes a nine-month food and beverage training program specializing in career and personal development at Banyan Tree Phuket Resort, with an additional nine-month work experience at the newly…
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Food: Buggy beverages – Isaan dream, health concern or mixologist magic
PHUKET: If I found a bamboo grub in my tom yum rum and coke, I would either assume the health office hadn’t been through that particular bar in Phuket in a long time, or my bartender was adding some Isaan flare to an already Thai-style cocktail. As it turns out – health code concerns aside – it might just mean…
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Confessions of a Caffeine addict
PHUKET: Located on the very busy Wichitsongkram Road, near Prince of Songkhla University in Kathu, is one of the best places in Phuket to satisfy all Italian cravings. Caffeine Food and Coffee Bar has been part of the Kathu community since October 2013. Opened by Andrea Capucci and his wife Kui, Caffeine offers up some of the best authentic Italian…
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Food: Welcome to the dark side
PHUKET: The black burger is all the rage in Bangkok lately, but unless one is actively paying attention to food trends from around the nation, one might not have had any idea that such a trend even existed. What makes this particular burger special, and gives it its color identifier, is its black bun, which has edible charcoal powder mixed…
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I did it all for the gnocchi
PHUKET: Tucked away in a small soi off Rassada Road in Phuket Town, just after Krungsri Bank, you will discover one of the island’s many hidden gems. Unlike the ever-changing coffee shop and restaurant scene in town, Spaghetti & C has been around for longer than I can remember. Nee, the owner, has been serving up some of the best…
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Serving Indian soul food
PHUKET: The dishes served up by Spice Box’s chef, Savita Sriram, are the Indian version of the Southern American soul food that makes New Orleans a must-stop destination on any foodie’s travels – they are simply everything you want from Indian food and nothing you expect. “We are not a fancy restaurant. We are not tandoori chefs. We are none…
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