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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Who’s coming and what are they spending? Tourist numbers for 2017.
The figures for foreign tourists arrivals in the Kingdom during 2017 are going to reach 35 million visitors, according to statistics from the TAT (Tourism Authority of Thailand). There are a few surprises in the top ten list, including Laotian visitors at #4. China is still the number one source of foreign tourists with 9.92 million visits over the past…
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The new Smart Visa and digital nomads
PHOTO: neverendingvoyage.com The new Smart Visa might be a visa solution for some, but not all, of the ‘digital nomads’ that have been become ubiquitous in Thailand, from all over the world. Whereas the young professionals might have taken off around the world on a break between their schooling and the start of their professional careers, now they’re taking their…
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The Racha wins triple prestige awards
Congratulations to The Racha for winning three major hospitality awards in the one year. They’ve won the Best Island Resort Destination and Outstanding Beach Resort in South East Asia by Asian Lifestyle Tourism and the Bronze Award Winner by Exotiq Best of Thailand. The Racha’s Anumba Spa was also voted the Top Island Resort Spa in Asia in the 2017 World Luxury Spa Awards. The Racha can be…
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Accolade for Samui resort at the World Luxury Hotel Awards 2017
Thai boutique collection, Manathai Hotels and Resorts proudly announced that its Manathai Koh Samui was voted Best Luxury Island Resort at the World Luxury Hotel Awards 2017. The prestigious accolade was given during a gala dinner event hosted at the Kulm Hotel in St. Moritz, Switzerland. Khun Chatri Rattanarangsri, the resort’s Executive Assistant Manager says, “This recognition confirms what we…
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Vietjet kicks offs new direct route, Phuket – Ho Chi Minh City
At Phuket International Airport yesterday (December 15), Phuket authorities hosted the welcoming ceremony of a new direct flight, Phuket – Ho Chi Minh City by Vietjet Air. The flight VJ 809 was the first ever flying the route. Director of Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT), Phuket Office, Kanokkrittika Kritwuttikorn, says that Vietnam is an excellent potential market. There are more…
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Global Hotel Brands boosts Japan’s Niseko tourism
Mount Yotei, Niseko in summer. The Hokkaido destination is rapidly becoming as popular in the summer as it is in the winter. Image courtesy of The Ginto Residences. Japan’s famed ski destination Niseko is well on its way to becoming a world-class year-round holiday destination back the back of sustained growth in summer visitors over the past six years. Last…
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Elephant shows and rides under siege
PHOTO: (The Nation) Elephants and mahouts wait for the next group of tourists to take them for a ride. Twenty or thirty years ago many western tourists would have thought nothing about hopping on the back of an elephant and taking a ride astride one of these mighty Thai beasts. Tourists would clap in delight at the cute baby elephants…
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Chamath Palihapitiya shades Facebook. And Facebook’s response…
A former Sri Lankan-born Facebook executive admits that he feels “tremendous guilt” over his work at the social networking service that he said was “ripping apart the social fabric of how society works”. Former Facebook vice-president for user growth Chamath Palihapitiya accused Facebook of “programming” its users and said he no longer uses the social media platform or allows his…
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Southern style with KA Villas – Rawai beach life in Phuket
Our property of the month. Welcome to the KA Villas in Rawai, Phuket. If you’re looking for location, location, location you get all that with a high standard build and a lifestyle you always dreamt about. Find out more HERE.
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Mega projects to shape Bangkok’s skyline – Thailand Tourism Forum 2018
The Thailand Tourism Forum (TTF) returns for its seventh annual edition on January 22, 2018, gathering more than 650 hotel industry professionals at the InterContinental Hotel Bangkok to discuss the mega-projects that are reshaping Bangkok’s cityscape. Running under the theme ‘Megacity Bangkok – A Tourism and Hotel Futurescape’, TTF 2018 will focus on the redevelopment of the thriving Thai capital.…
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Thailand’s Boat Show Season is Here
By Duncan Worthington For a country that has such stunning cruising grounds as Thailand, it’s no surprise there are boat shows to support and promote the marine industry, however, three boat shows within 13 weeks is a bit of a stretch. Ocean Marina Pattaya Boat Show kicked off the season and was held November 23 – 26 at Ocean Maria…
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Where is the world’s most popular place for expats? You won’t believe it.
This city is the winner of the 2017 Expat Insider Survey. I’ll admit, I’ve never heard of it. Where is the best place in the world to live as an expat? Mexico? Thailand? Malaysia? Bahrain? BAHRAIN?! No way, surely not. But yes. Manama, the capital of Bahrain, has come out on top in a survey of the world’s best places…
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The rich get richer, the poor get poorer
The poor are getting poorer, while the rich are getting richer due to the government’s policy approach to welfare and social enterprise, according to academics who presented at a seminar on civil state policy held at Thammasat University yesterday. Official statistics show a trend in which the rich tend to get more benefit from the government’s policies than the poor,…
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Phuket’s gay scene gets another chance with Chinese GLBTI
PHOTO: ZAG Nightclub performers, TheGayPassport.com This article first appeared in The Nation courtesy of AFP. It’s an insight into the rebirth of one of the more ‘tatty’ ends of Patong – Soi Paradise, the ‘gay zone’ – where gay bars have opened and closed over the years struggling to attract a consistent flow of customers. For one of south east…
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Bangkok’s Number Two. Who’s Number One?
PHOTO: skyscrapercity.com Euromonitor International has released its annual Top City Destinations Ranking for 2017 covering 100 of the world’s leading cities in terms of international tourist arrivals. This year’s report includes forecast data up to 2025 and incorporates future travel trends to give further insight on how travel trends are borne out of the opportunities and challenges that cities face.…
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4K TV – Is it worth it? Three times when it might be for you.
Ben Hobbs from Phuket’s H3-Digital knows his smart homes and home theatres. Here’s his thoughts about 4K TV… First off – 4K TV, what is it? 4K refers to the horizontal resolution of around 4,000 pixels – Mostly 3840 x 2160 pixels (dots on the screen) of a TV picture. More pixels means more detail and a sharper image, think…
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Celebrate the third anniversary with a spectacular brunch at Kata Rocks
Kata Rocks is marking its third anniversary on Saturday, December 2 with a ‘Champagne Brunch of The Year’ Anniversary Pool Party that celebrates Phuket’s luxury lifestyle. The resort’s DJ-fuelled brunches are legendary for their stylish party atmosphere. This year’s event is centred around an enticing combination of excellent entertainment, delicious food and chilled ‘bubbles’ plus an exclusive fashion show next…
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‘A Prayer Before Dawn’. About to HIT our screens.
‘A Prayer Before Dawn’ is a 2017 British-French drama film directed by Jean-Stéphane Sauvaire. It was shown in the Midnight Screenings section at the 2017 Cannes Film Festival and stars Joe Cole as Billy Moore. Bar girls, drugs, a young farang in Thailand to have a good time… what could possibly go wrong?! The film’s screenplay has been adapted from…
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Residences on the rise
Bill Barnett from c9hotelworks.com reports on the rise and rise of the residential living properties with hotel branding and management…. Property developers across Thailand are experiencing a magnetic attraction for hotel branded residences in order to spur price premium points and buyer demand. Currently there are 29 new hotel residence projects countrywide with nearly 90% of these located in resort…
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Phuket’s Burasari Group Expands Into Hotel Management
Bursari Phuket. Photo courtesy agoda.com by Bill Barnett, c9hotelworks.com One fast emerging Phuket borne hotel chain that is stretching out into expansion is the Burasari Group. Starting out on the island in Patong the current Burasari Phuket now has 184 keys. In a bold move to Bangkok the Shanghai Mansion is in the now trendy Chinatown/Yaowarat area with 76 rooms and…
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Investing in Phuket – Strong fundamentals in a beach location
ADVERTISEMENT Phuket Property Perspectives presented by Phuketbuyhouse.com With Phuket now being ranked as the fifth top holiday destination in the world, tourism is hotter than ever, attracting more and more buyers per year than ever before. Whether it be for investment or residential purposes, the demand is rapidly growing and we can now see a range of properties available to…
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Renovating a property in Thailand? Read this first.
Life and Law in Thailand with Robert Virasin As land prices in prime locations in Thailand go up, condominiums are getting smaller and more expensive. Many people have chosen the option to purchase larger, less expensive properties with the goal of renovating the property. There is a risk to making this choice. There is a lot of misleading and inaccurate information…
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Hot hotel trends – Branded residences
by Bill Barnett of c9hotelworks.com Asia’s property developers are jumping into bed with hotel groups as branded residences flourish. Southeast Asia’s real estate love affair between property developers and hotel brands is morphing into a feeding frenzy. With nearly 100 mainstream hotel residence projects and over 21,000 units completed, the next three years is set to take the sector into…
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When can I get my hands on a new iPhone in Thailand?
We revelled in the hype, we read all the leaks, we watched the launch. So when can we actually get our hands on a new iPhone in Thailand? Apple has now confirmed the release dates for the iPhone 8 and iPhone 8 Plus in the Land of Smiles. Roll the drums…. November 3rd. So how much will the new iPhones…
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Punching above its weight – Rayong, Thailand
Singapore has been crowned as the Asia-Pacific city of the future by the Financial Times. The city/state was able to attract the largest share of investment in the region in the period 2012 – 2016, putting on top of the Economic Potential category. Asia-Pacific Cities of the Future, by Economic Potential: 1. Singapore 2. Tokyo 3. Shanghai 4. Hong Kong 5.…
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Ao Sane and Nakkerd Mountain under DSI investigation for encroachment
The DSI deputy director-general, Pol Lt Col Prawut Wongsinil, along with his DSI team, Forestry officers and local authorities, visited two alleged encroached land plots including at Ao Sane Beach (Baan Laem Krating) near Nai Harn beach and Nakkerd Mountain in Karon. The first spot visited was Nakkerd Mountain following complaints about an illegal land deed covering 20 rai of…
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Should you pay more for a sea view?
While Phuket is an island, most property buyers are led to believe that sea views or proximity to the ocean are a key driver of real estate value. Fact or fiction? According to data from leading online marketplace FazWaz.com the answer lays inside the numbers. Looking at Phuket’s primary and secondary condominium sector and analysing pricing points from the ocean…
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DSI checking alleged Phang Nga National Park encroachment
The DSI (Department of Special Investigations) are checking two luxury houses located on Pa Kuantohla and Pa Laemsam mountains alongside another 2,000 rai of land that is alleged to have an illegal land deed. After checking the land document at the local land office, DSI have found that the names of landlords are a famous millionaire and his children who…
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Phuket Waterworld – New ‘off beach’ condo for Bang Tao
A new 555-unit hotel managed residence project named Phuket Waterworld is now offering apartments for sale. Located ‘off beach’, near to Casuarina Shores and the Outrigger Laguna Beach Resort, the project is being developed by the New Nordic Group. Phase one units range for studios from 26 square metres, one bedroom apartments and two bedrooms up to 104 square metres.…
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Upcycling the Oceans – sustainable solutions for Thailand’s ocean plastic
Photo from Marca España Thailand says it will be the first Asian country to join a global initiative to clean up its oceans and waterways around Bangkok, Koh Samui, Koh Tao and Phuket. Lonely Planet reports that Upcycling the Oceans is an effort spearheaded by the Ecoalf Foundation. The projects gets local fishermen removing plastic from the waters. Once collected,…
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