Phuket Property at awesome prices

– A daily digest of news from around the world compiled by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community. World Cup? Get instantaneous scores and news updates right here on the Gazette Online (fed directly from FIFA).

PHUKET: Trends in property prices in Phuket have not been easy to discern since the end of the “boom” began to rear its ugly head toward the end of 2008. Since then, the absence of a meaningful volume of transactions, coupled with industry reluctance to comment on a ‘market’ which may not actually be one, has made the true state of affairs murky at best.

Potential buyers looking for enlightenment may find some in respected online real estate journal property-report.com.

Herewith, an extract from a June 16 entry:

“Awesome Villas has lowered the price of the ‘Villa Oom’ in Phuket from US$3.5 million to US$2.5 million. The villa, which overlooks the Andaman Sea above Surin Beach, has three bedrooms with panoramic ocean views and an office which can be converted to a fourth bedroom.

“[The] interior features local Asian stone and hardwoods, and a Western kitchen and dining room.

“In other Awesome news, the price for another property offered by Awesome Villas, ‘Satis House’, has been raised from US$3 million to US$ 4.5 million.

Located in Phang Nga province just north of Phuket, Satis House is a four-bedroom colonial style villa on a secluded stretch of Natai Beach.”

‘Oom’ down 29%; ‘Satis’ up 50%. Both on the same coastline and both in the high-end segment. Awesome news, and enlightening indeed in its confirmation that trends are a bit ‘unsettled’ at the moment.

The Open Press
Anyone who fancies a bit of sporting competition while they are staying in Phuket during July should check out the Phuket Amateur Open Golf tournament.

The event, scheduled for July 18 at Loch Palm Golf Club and sponsored by the Phuket Gazette, is part of a series of 11 monthly tournaments aimed at finding Phuket’s best amateur golfer.

There are144 places available for the July tournament, so anyone who is keen to show off their prowess from the tee should act quickly to guarantee a place.

For more information and bookings, click here.

Phuket Paresa Promotion
Asia Travel Tips
The Paresa Resort Phuket, perched on the cliff tops of Kamala, has launched a promotion to celebrate its official opening.

Until the end of August 2010, guests booking any Paresa pool suite or pool villa at the best available rate will also receive a selection of treats.

Stay a minimum of three consecutive night and Paresa will throw in a one-way airport transfer and guaranteed late check-out until 4pm.

Rates start 13,623 baht, plus applicable service and taxes, for the Talay Suite.

The Jakarta Post
Ten young researchers from Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore and Thailand will be participating at the 60th Nobel Laureate Meeting in Lindau, Germany this year, according to the Jakarta-based ASEAN Secretariat.

The researchers have been selected to attend the meeting from June 17 to July 2, 2010, the secretariat said in a statement.

The interdisciplinary meeting will bring together more than 650 young researchers from around the region and 61 Nobel prize winners in the fields of chemistry, physics, and medicine/physiology.

This is will be the second time that ASEAN is representated at the global scientific convention where great minds come to meet.

“Science and technology are critical instruments to help our region develop and increase its competitiveness,” ASEAN Secretary-General Surin Pitsuwan said.

Travel Warnings to Thailand lifted
PR Inside

Friendly Planet Travel has resumed its tours to Thailand after the U.S. Department of State lifted its travel warning.

Two months ago, Friendly Planet cancelled all of its Thailand tours without any penalties to its customers when travel warnings were issued due to political demonstrations.

With demonstrations ceased, the U.S. and many other countries have lifted their travel warnings and the Thai people are welcoming back travelers to restore its tourism infrastructure.

“The U.S. Department of State has given us the OK to resume travel to Thailand as the political unrest has died down,” says Peggy Goldman, president of Friendly Planet Travel.

“We’ve also been working closely with our partners on the ground in Thailand to monitor the situation,” she said.

Xinhuanet
Thailand’s neighbor Cambodia hopes to include its coastal areas in the ‘Club of the Most Beautiful Bays in the World’ next year in order to attract more tourists to the country’s coastal areas, local media reported on Monday.

Last month, Cambodian Tourism Minister Thong Khon submitted an application to join the Club during the organization’s 6th world congress in Halong Bay, Vietnam. The document extols the virtues of Cambodia’s 450 km coastal areas, stretching along the foreshores of Koh Kong, Sihanoukville, Kampot and Kep.

Thong Khon said, “When [we] gain [Club] status, it would help to attract more tourists to the areas, which have the potential to develop the nation’s economy.”

— Gazette Editors