Top 5 luxury villas in Phuket and Koh Samui for your next holiday

Ask people to name the most beautiful places in Thailand, and you'll often hear Phuket and Koh Samui being mentioned. Who would disagree? One is renowned for its bustling nightlife, vibrant culture, and lively beach scene, while the other is famed for its calm waters,...

4 days ago

Property Videos

  • Start-up property portal prepares to “transform’ market

    Start-up property portal prepares to “transform’ market

    PHUKET: A start-up technology company created by the same team that built the LivePhuket real-estate company says it’s ready to ‘transform’ Thailand’s property market with a ‘data-driven’ property portal. The portal, launched in Phuket on April 24, provides instant and easy access to the largest selection of newly-built condominiums, all on a platform that aims …

  • Patong Bay Hill investors offered a 7% return

    Patong Bay Hill investors offered a 7% return

    PHUKET: Patong Bay Group’s 20 years of experience developing hotel and entertainment business in Patong adds credence to the Group’s offer to investors in Patong Bay Hill apartments-hotel that they could enjoy a 7 percent return over 15 years, according to the group’s chief marketing officer. Kriangkrai Keesin said the Patong Bay Group is not …

  • Across the Land: Strong baht, fewer buyers means soft summer market

    Across the Land: Strong baht, fewer buyers means soft summer market

    PHUKET: The Year of the Goat (Sheep/Ram) was heralded February 19 and signaled the start of the Chinese Lunar New Year. After a disastrous Year of the Horse – two major airplane crashes, unrest in Ukraine, ISIS kidnappings and be-headings, social turmoil in Thailand – the Year of the Goat is much welcomed. For a …

  • Phuket Pads: Get resort feel in bay villa

    Phuket Pads: Get resort feel in bay villa

    PHUKET: This type of beachfront villa in the south of the island is rare. But, why? We should start by saying that all beach fronts on the island of Phuket have been occupied by hotels and resorts, and the cost of land is so expensive that to build a private villa, for most budgets, would …

  • Phuket’s Hideaway breaks ground

    Phuket’s Hideaway breaks ground

    PHUKET: Despite a nationwide slow-down in the property market, a new residential estate construction project is on track, according to the scion of a local tycoon family. Boon Yongsakul, deputy managing director of Boat Development Company, said Hideaway@Bypass is up and running as transfers of the company’s first project near Bypass Road, Bypass Biz Town, …

  • By the book: Phuket’s condo market surges

    By the book: Phuket’s condo market surges

    PHUKET: Phuket’s property market has changed dramatically over the past decade. One particular segment which has seen huge changes is the condominium market. More than 10 years ago, there were very few condo developments in Phuket, as the majority of new expansions were large villa developments. This was because land was much cheaper than it …

  • Across the Land: Phuket expat community living

    Across the Land: Phuket expat community living

    PHUKET: If you are living in a foreign country where there is already a well-organized expatriate community, there can be many benefits. Having catered to an expatriate society for many years, Phuket is one such destination that is popular among foreigners – and for many reasons – including, of course, the tropical climate, beautiful beaches …

  • Property Watch: Post-purchase pitfalls

    Property Watch: Post-purchase pitfalls

    PHUKET: There has always been a lot of talk about the safest way to invest in property in Thailand. We know there is a lot of very nice property out there. A less-talked-about issue is that of what happens after you make an investment – what are the common issues property owners face on our …

  • Island Fever: Lost and found in Eden

    Island Fever: Lost and found in Eden

    PHUKET: As many jaded expats living in Thailand for any length of time know, the search for enduring values in a littered landscape is often a bottomless pit. Perhaps it was that herd of stampeding elephants which obliterated those rose-colored glasses. In the heat of a sunny tropical landscape, blindness is inevitable. In some ways, …

  • Phuket Pads: Find supreme elegance at Villa Verai

    Phuket Pads: Find supreme elegance at Villa Verai

    PHUKET: In terms of value for money, Phuket has it all, especially when the vast number of mid-range to luxury villas in all price ranges and located in all areas of the island is considered. Yet there is one incredible villa on the island that is likely to evoke envy in almost everyone, and this …

  • Nai Harn Beach Condos on top

    Nai Harn Beach Condos on top

    PHUKET: In the highly competitive condominium arena it takes a lot to get ahead, and among those that have done so is the stunning Nai Harn Beach Condominium, which recently won applause for its low-density structures. The development is nestled into a prime location on the island, cheek by jowl to Nai Harn Beach, which …

  • Phuket Pads: Winter birds looking to cash in on Phuket property market

    Phuket Pads: Winter birds looking to cash in on Phuket property market

    PHUKET: More and more resorts and hotels in Phuket are offering excellent guaranteed rental returns for properties that buyers are looking to use themselves for only a short period each year. The rest of the year, the property is expected to generate rental income for its owners. This week’s property offers exactly that. Priced at …

  • Phuket’s secondary property sector drifts into autopilot mode

    Phuket’s secondary property sector drifts into autopilot mode

    PHUKET: A familiar term for anyone with children is, ‘Where do we go from here?’ Those inquisitive, blank, questioning looks that penetrate deep into the heart of the seemingly innocent question about what’s next? Lately, the topic seems to have shifted to adults in the island’s real-estate trade. It’s been nearly a decade since the …

  • By the book: Demand for Phuket rentals outpaces supply

    By the book: Demand for Phuket rentals outpaces supply

    PHUKET: The rental market in Phuket in recent years has been very strong, with rental prices increasing across the island, giving owners very attractive returns on their investment. This surge in strength in the rental market has coincided with increasing tourist arrivals, which has led to demand for rental properties outpacing supply. Good rental properties …

  • Sansiri says “Now or Never’ with latest Phuket campaign

    Sansiri says “Now or Never’ with latest Phuket campaign

    PHUKET: Sansiri has launched a “Now or Never” sales campaign, which will see some of the best units available in six Phuket developments up for grabs at special prices through June. The property development company held an event launching the campaign at Central Festival Phuket that concluded on April 1. “We have a limited number …

  • Property Watch: Evolution of property – Multi-pronged approach to cashing in on Phuket market

    Property Watch: Evolution of property – Multi-pronged approach to cashing in on Phuket market

    PHUKET: There is nothing wrong with short-term goals, striking while the iron is hot and being commercially opportunistic for a profit, if this is all balanced with a long- term view. This principle also applies to the property market in Phuket. I recently saw an adviser inform a client interested in property in Thailand, that …

  • Phuket’s re-sale market shows value

    Phuket’s re-sale market shows value

    PHUKET: Most re-sale properties in Phuket are priced lower than comparable new developments, a trend clearly highlighted in the data accumulated in Siam Real Estate’s 2014 Phuket Residential Market Report. In Phuket and the rest of Thailand, most buyers prefer brand-new properties. There are many reasons for this: new properties have never been lived in; …

  • Hua Hin offers lessons for Phuket’s developing property market

    Hua Hin offers lessons for Phuket’s developing property market

    PHUKET: For Thais, there is little doubt that Hua Hin remains a keen object of desire, be it for a holiday, or a property purchase. Call it legacy, or location, but the magnetic draw of the beach town continues to be a key driver of demand. A few weeks ago I visited the destination and …

  • Property: Self-centered Patong lures seven new hotels

    Property: Self-centered Patong lures seven new hotels

    PHUKET: Patong remains Phuket’s epicenter of development, as it attracts seven new hotels to its shores. Hoteliers investing in Patong see the non-seasonal beach as establishing a stable market, while some believe that other beaches such as Kata and Nai Thon are perceived by visitors as being more seasonal, explained Bill Barnett, managing director of …

  • Phuket Pads: Take to the hills for stunning views

    Phuket Pads: Take to the hills for stunning views

    PHUKET: Aside from the wishful thinkers who request beachfront properties, the majority of inquiries for properties in Phuket are for those with a sea view. Thankfully, as the island boasts 70 per cent hillside coverage, there are many properties on the island that fit this criteria. It all really depends on how close of a …

  • Pricing Phuket Plots: The attractive north

    Pricing Phuket Plots: The attractive north

    PHUKET: If one single fact has become evident in Siam Real Estate’s Residential Market Report 2014, it is that since the tragic tsunami on Boxing Day 2004, land prices in Phuket have tripled in value. The surge in prices has been led by land prices on the west coast, most notably in the traditional and …

  • Across the land: Harvesting monsoon bounty

    Across the land: Harvesting monsoon bounty

    PHUKET: Those of us who have lived in a tropical country nearly all our lives tend to take rain for granted. We regularly forget that it’s the rain that keeps the plants a lush green, while also providing for our everyday water-usage needs. My grandmother used to collect rainwater in big Chinese urns in the …

  • Phuket Pads: Kathu – A golfer’s paradise

    Phuket Pads: Kathu – A golfer’s paradise

    PHUKET: Kathu, in the center of Phuket, has a number of advantages over other locations on the island when it comes to residential property. Its central location means that it’s as easy to get to Patong on the west coast, as it is to visit Central Festival shopping mall, or Phuket Town on the east …

  • Property Watch: Battle of the properties

    Property Watch: Battle of the properties

    PHUKET: I was a big fan of the ideas behind Planet of the Apes and the subsequent movies, even the remakes. “Don’t touch the filthy humans!” had a good ring to it and penetrated straight through our general human – though often misplaced – feeling of superiority. In Phuket, I have witnessed a battle between …

  • Property: Working a wider Angle

    Property: Working a wider Angle

    PHUKET: One picture is worth a thousand words. Make it a panoramic picture or a virtual tour, and it becomes even more valuable, especially in the competitive world of property sales. Geoff Whitlie of Panoramas Thailand has proved this formula successful in Koh Samui – now he is expanding to Phuket. Before the internet, the …

  • Phuket Pads: Luxury villa shortage in south

    Phuket Pads: Luxury villa shortage in south

    PHUKET: The south of the island is facing a shortage of new upmarket villa developments. There are two main reasons for this: higher land and material costs, and more buyer demand for two-bedroom to three-bedroom villas on smaller plot sizes. However, a home is up for grabs in one of the first upmarket luxury villa …

  • Sri Panwa reveals modern tropical life in Phuket, Phang Nga

    Sri Panwa reveals modern tropical life in Phuket, Phang Nga

    PHUKET: The family powerhouse behind Charn Issara Development Public Co Ltd is launching new developments at Phuket’s breathtaking Cape Panwa and another just over the bridge on Natai Beach in Phang Nga. The two projects are part of a series of 11 new developments throughout Thailand, announced CEO Songkran Issara, along with his sons Vorasit …

  • Expectations high at the Phuket Real Estate Show

    Expectations high at the Phuket Real Estate Show

    PHUKET: Expectations are high among the property developers promoting the latest condos and houses for sale in Phuket at the Phuket Real Estate Show at Central Festival Phuket Visitors at the show, which got underway on Thursday, can expect to find some excellent deals and promotions at the fair from the variety of properties on …

  • Diamond Condominium: building on strong foundations

    Diamond Condominium: building on strong foundations

    PHUKET: All good projects begin with strong foundations. To make theirs even stronger, the developer of Diamond Condominium in Cherng Talay inaugurated an environmentally friendly piling system called “Hydraulic Static Pile Driver” at the initial stage of the project’s construction. Following the official land blessing ceremony in mid January, the first of 768 piles was …

  • Phuket Pads: Next stop – Layan Beach

    Phuket Pads: Next stop – Layan Beach

    PHUKET: It is common knowledge that land prices on Phuket have multiplied several times over in the past 10 years, and land prices on the west coast have become out of reach for most buyers, except for large developers, hotels and resorts. The future for smaller developers and individual private buyers is inland and north …