Thai Life
Thailand guides, travel tips, cultural insights, and essential local information—discover everything you need to know about living, visiting, and experiencing the Land of Smiles. Get the latest from The Thaiger, your trusted source for Thailand guides.
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Sponsored Long-term life in Thailand? 5 reasons private health insurance pays off in the long run
Thailand is a great place for expats and retirees, offering a warm climate, affordable living, and rich culture. However, healthcare can be tricky for foreigners since they aren’t eligible for public health coverage, and private care can be expensive. Private...
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New GLOW for Ao Nang, Krabi
by Bill Barnett of c9hotelworks.com Thailand’s InVision Hospitality has debuted their GLOW brand in Krabi with a 130 room boutique hotel. Located in the popular tourism area of Ao Nang, this is the fifth GLOW hotel in Southeast Asia, and third in Thailand. Krabi has swiftly expanded its tourism market, between 2006 to 2016, airport arrivals surged from just over 240,000 up to…
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The economic impact of closing down Maya Bay for four months
So what impact will closing down Maya Bay for four months have? Will it be cataclysmic for Phi Phi and Krabi tourism? Will tourist operators survive? Pullawat Pitigraisorn from SCB’s Economic Intelligence Centre has done the sums and estimates that tourist earnings for Krabi Province will only suffer a 6 percent drop as tourists will continue to come to the…
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Boracay’s closure sparks global travel fallout
By Bill Barnett of c9hotelworks.com The biggest worldwide tourism story going is that of the trending closure of the iconic resort island of Boracay in the Philippines. In a bold move President Rodrigo Duterte who termed the island a “cesspool” is banning tourist visits from April 26 through October 25. For an island that last year hosted over 2 million…
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Get off our island – The Philippines’ Boracay closes down
PHOTO: Shutterstock The Philippine’s island of Boracay is closing to tourists for six months following concerns of damage to its once pristine shores. This mirrors a closure of popular Maya Bay on Koh Phi Phi Ley, made famous in the movie ‘The Beach’ for four months from this June. Asia’s first holiday island to shutdown on government orders will lose…
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TOONS TUNES – Myles Kennedy “The Year of the Tiger”
Checking new and amazing music for The Thaiger everyday with Donna Toon As we say here at The Thaiger, it is always “The Year of the Thaiger” so naturally when I heard this song from American artist Myles Kennedy it had to be a Toons Tunes! The song comes from the musicians debut studio album as a solo artist which…
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VietJet introduces more flights in Thai skies – BKK to Krabi
Thai Vietjet has launched a new service between Bangkok Suvarnabhumi and Krabi with 2 flights daily. The fully booked inaugural flight VZ340, operated by new aircraft Airbus A320 wearing “Amazing Thailand” tourism logo landed safely yesterday morning at Krabi international Airport with a full water canon salute. All passengers and flight crew were greeted with flower garlands from Krabi Governor…
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Why selling property too fast is bad business?
by Bill Barnett of c9hotelworks.com One of the most common mistakes by property developers in hot markets or with premium properties is the misconception that a fast sell-out is good. It’s often hard for real estate sales people whose mantra follow’s the ABC’s (always be closing) to understand the big picture, or more importantly the bottom line. Property projects remain…
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Dusit rolls out the new ASAI brand
Thailand’s Dusit Hotels and Resorts is rolling our a new ASAI brand which is reportedly aimed at millennial curious-minded travellers promising ‘authentic local experiences in vibrant cities and resort destinations worldwide’. Set to officially launch in the opening quarter of 2019 with its first hotel in Bangkok’s renowned Chatuchak Market, ASAI Hotels embraces a sustainable, community-focused concept, with each property…
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Air Asia launches direct daily flights to Penang from Phuket
Getting from the Pearl of the Andaman to the Pearl of the Orient just got a lot more competitive. The only way you could get from Phuket to Penang, direct, in the past has been either a hair-raising overnight passenger van ride or flying with Firefly Airlines in a twin prop plane a few times a week. Now Air Asia…
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TOONS TUNES – Paloma Faith & SIA “Warrior”
Checking new and amazing music for The Thaiger everyday with Donna Toon Paloma Faith’s new track with Sia called “Warrior” from her album she dropped at Christmas called “The Architect” is not our usual upbeat music we play here at The Thaiger 102.75 FM. For this reason we have not added the track to our rotation, (Tim my boss also…
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Thailand Event Round-Up – April
with The Sponsorship Experts – Paul Poole (South East Asia) Co. Ltd. The month of April is typically dominated by a slew of events related to Songkran, the Thai New Year, and this year is no different. One of our favourites is the Singha Songkran Night Run, which returns to Chiang Mai on 13 April. The run, which takes place…
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TOONS TUNES – London Grammar “Non Believer”
Checking new and amazing music for The Thaiger everyday with Donna Toon After a long hiatus from their debut super successful album “If You Wait” in 2013, English Indie Band London Grammar dropped their second album in the middle of last year called “Truth is a Beautiful Thing” through the Ministry of Sound. The lead single from the album was…
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TOONS TUNES – KODALINE “FOLLOW YOUR FIRE”
Checking new and amazing music for The Thaiger everyday with Donna Toon I was first introduced to Irish group Kodaline ( originally called 21 Demands ) from a good friend here on the island who has her finger on the pulse so to speak for new music Michelle Clowes. Since then I have followed them closely, and was super excited…
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The Tourist Authority of Thailand comes out of the closet
The Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) has introduced a new marketing campaign “Open to the New Shades”, a tourist-friendly platform for the TAT to finally come out of the closet and target the so-called ‘pink dollar’, the LGBT travel community. Indeed, the TAT have virtually burst out of the closet, complete with feathers, sequins and drag shows, as “Presenting Partner…
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Phuket’s new Smart Bus service
PHOTO: John Walker/iStockphoto The photos, the news, the hope. News of Phuket’s new Smart Bus service has reached all the way to international travel bogs so it must be right. Right?! “Phuket is a world tourism destination drawing a large number of travellers, but still lacks proper public transportation,” Watchara Jaruariyanon from Phuket City Development said at the launch of…
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Toons Tunes – Foster the People “Sit Next To Me”
Checking new and amazing music for The Thaiger everyday with Donna Toon American rock band Foster the People was formed in 2009 by lead vocalist Mark Foster, lead guitarist Sean Cimino, drummer Mark Pontius and keyboardist Isom Innis, they played in small clubs across LA and didn’t find any commercial success until the release of “Pumped Up Kicks” in 2010.…
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An addiction to the music beats
The 19 year old Thai-French girl who was born on the island of Phuket, Sophie Marguerite Indracusin, is widely known as an actress working with Channel 7 and has been shining in through television shows and dramas as the main role for years. Now it’s time for her to introduce another perspective of herself, through her first single ‘Mary Jane’.…
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Toons Tunes – Charlie Puth “Done For Me”
Checking new and amazing music for The Thaiger everyday with Donna Toon Baby faced American singer and song writer Charlie Puth stamped his mark on the world when he released the single “See You Again” which featured as a tribute to Paul Walker on the soundtrack for Furious 7. Topping the US Billboard Hot 100 for 12 weeks as well…
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Patong and Kamala Number One in Hotels.com survey
The recent Hotel Price Index from Hotels.com revealed that Kathu District, where Patong and Kamala beaches are located, is among the top five destinations for low cost 5-star accommodation among global travellers in 2017. The HPI uncovered the Top 5 most popular destinations for low cost 5-star accommodation – from resorts and high-end chains to villas and luxury boutiques: 1.…
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Toons Tunes – Echosmith “Over My Head”
Checking new and amazing music for The Thaiger everyday with Donna Toon I love indie pop band Echosmith have done since they first hit the airwaves, not just because their music is upbeat, light hearted and fun, but because the band consists of four siblings, Sydney, Noah, Graham and Jamie Sierota. Sydney, the only female member of the family and…
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Toons Tunes – John Legend & The Roots “Wake Up Everybody”
Checking new and amazing music for The Thaiger everyday with Donna Toon I was lucky enough to venture up to Bangkok on the weekend with my girlfriends to see John Legend at Bitec. He was nothing short of incredible. Backed by a full band, horn section and back up singers, the American singer and songwriter is the full package, talented,…
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10 Destinations on the rise for 2018 – Trip Advisor
Trip Advisor has released a list of the destinations in Asia that are ‘on the rise’, either off the map and previously undiscovered by the travel agents, or creeping back into popularity. Thailand is already well-established as a tourist destination. The Ministry of Tourism and Sport is predicting up to 37 million tourists will visit the Land of Smiles this…
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Phuket gets Number Two in list of Top Asian Destinations
The trip advisor list of Asia’s top 25 destinations is in. Good news… Thailand has five locations in the Top 25 reader-voted list. Bad news, Thailand’s not Number One. The Indonesian island of Bali has come in Number One with Phuket in Number Two spot. Hanoi in Vietnam is in Number 3, Cambodia’s Siam Reap Number 5 and the mega-city…
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Milestone complete for upscale MontAzure on Kamala Beach
The developers of MontAzure, the upscale residential resort community on the west coast of Phuket gathered in Kamala with the joint venture partners to celebrate the completion of the main structure at its unique beachfront condominium development, Twinpalms Residences MontAzure. Designed to take full advantage of its unrivalled oceanfront location, the development comprises a series of low-rise clusters set amid…
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Fatties in Thai Business Class? Mai dai!
Passengers intending to fly business class on Thai Airways’ new Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner aircraft will have to first pass the waist test (that’s ‘waist’ not ‘waste’!). Flight Lieutenant Pratthana Pattanasirim, THAI’s director of security and flight standard division, says that a passenger with waist bigger than 56 inches (142 cm) cannot fly business class on the fleet’s Boeing 787-9 aircraft.…
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Phuket’s new Environmental Rules hit island development
By Bill Barnett of c9hotelworks.com A new set of guidelines that quietly come into law late last year are set to alter the state of real estate and hotel development in Phuket. The revised regulations were issued by Thailand’s Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment and apply to Phuket Province. Perhaps the most significant amendment is that buildings are no…
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5 Reasons to head to the Top Of The Gulf Regatta 2018
Now entering its 14th year, the Top of the Gulf Regatta at Ocean Marina in Pattaya has grown to become an award-winning multi-class regatta held annually in the Gulf of Thailand. Homed at Ocean Marina Yacht Club, the regatta has morphed from its humble roots into one of the largest sailing events in Asia today, and attract sailors of all…
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New Hiltons on the way for Phuket
From Bill Barnett of c9hotelworks.com One of the leading hospitality groups in the world, Hilton Hotels and Resorts has two properties in the Phuket development pipeline. Newly signed is the 177-key Hilton Garden Inn Phuket Bang Tao which is located near the entrance of Laguna Phuket. There is also the 300-key Hilton Patong Resort in Kalim underway, which is targeting to come…
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Krabi residents, “Close Maya Bay”
An initial survey by a leading marine scientist found that most residents supported the closure of the popular Maya Bay in Krabi after more than 80% of coral reefs in the area were damaged. Thon Thamrongnawasawat, deputy dean of the Fishery Faculty at Kasetsart University, said his team was compiling results from an opinion survey of more than 300 local…
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“The Great Convenience Store Gourmet Challenge” Episode 1
Can a chef prepare an amazing meal simply from ingredients in a local 7/11 convenience store? One of my favourite things about living on our little slice of paradise, we get to do funky things with creative and cool people! Here’s our first episode of “The Great Convenience Store Gourmet Challenge” with Belinda Tuckwell from Firefly in Layan, Phuket.
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