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.
-
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...
-
Phuket People: Introducing Andaman Cruises’ new GM
PHUKET: German born Christian Schwind, a marketing professional with 14 years experience in business management, marketing and PR, has been appointed as general manager of Andaman Cruises, a luxury yacht charter company based in Phuket. Prior to taking on the role of GM, he was the Managing Director of Andaman Travel, an Asia based luxury travel company which helped him…
-
Phuket Explore: Lessons from Penang
PHUKET: Despite their many similarities – architectural and historical – in terms of modern-day tourism, old town Georgetown, Penang, beats the pants off the old quarter of Phuket Town. First of all, Georgetown got World Heritage status in 2008. You can’t get a better internationally recognized advertisement than that. Second, it knows what city tourists want and supplies it in…
-
Phuket to celebrate Lord Buddha’s wisdom
PHUKET: Wat Chalong won’t be the only crowded temple in Phuket this coming Monday as Buddhists across the island celebrate Asaha Bucha to commemorate the Lord Buddha’s first teaching of Dhamma to his disciples. What started as a sermon for just 5 believers turned in to a world wide phenomenon with an estimated 400 million followers. The words “Asaha Bucha“,…
-
Double the fun from Belgium
PHUKET: On Sunday (July 21), the beer will be exceptionally cold, the waffles and chocolates exceptionally sweet, and the french fries will ditch the French connection, changing their name to friets and being served in their original style – the Belgian style. Celebrations of Belgian National Day will be double the fun this year! Not only will Belgians be raising…
-
More ways to secure Thai land – Phuket Property
PHUKET: For those of you who read my article on obtaining Thai citizenship and aren’t going down that road, I promised to come back and write about the other ways of “buying” property in Thailand (click here for article). The fact is you can go right ahead and pay for land here, but the law is clear that the land…
-
Furniture firm sets bar high in Phuket
PHUKET: Long standing property furnishing company, Modernform continues to raise the bar for local real estate, and is confident of hitting and maintaining its “beefy” monthly sales target of 8-10 million baht.With its 30-year track record in the industry, the Bangkok-based firm has several branches and dealers throughout the country, namely in Bangkok’s Central World, Sri Nakarin, Rangsit (outlet), Crystal…
-
Bee’s knees multi-purpose trees – Phuket Gardening
PHUKET: Today it is the turn of several small trees, which not only bear unusual and edible fruit, but will double-up as ornamental and shade-generating presences in your tropical garden. Baccaurea motleyanais more familiarly known to Thais as rambai or mafai farang. In common with the other trees on parade today, it is primarily grown for its fruit. But its…
-
Mind over matter – Phuket Lifestyle
PHUKET: Among the most advanced and well-versed of Western Buddhist meditation gurus in the country and the region, if not the world, Andrea Capellari is Thanyapura’s esteemed Mind Trainer. Teaching meditation regularly to hundreds of students, the Italian-born, highly proficient, intelligent and disciplined Buddhist also leads intensive meditation retreats. The Phuket Gazette‘s Steven Layne recently enjoyed an enlightening lunch with…
-
Phuket Food: A sporty Sunday brunch
PHUKET: Not too many Sunday brunches offer a side order of Zumba, Muay Thai, or Pilates, but Phuket’s Thanyapura brunch comes with a chance to work off the calories using a day pass to their world class sporting facilities and group fitness classes.But before that comes the food.Some of it comes direct from Thanyapura’s own organic farm in Surat Thani…
-
Boom in budget hotels
PHUKET: The changing regional and domestic tourism landscape is creating a lot of business opportunities. More budget hotels are opening, with investors out to cash in on the rising number of middle-class and solo travellers, thanks to the tourism boom and economic prosperity.Most operators agree that this hotel segment has good prospects. Thailand is a key tourism destination in the…
-
Preserving Phuket’s old streets
PHUKET: As sprawl and congestion take full-hold of our island, Phuket city municipality planners and engineers strive, yet struggle, to preserve the last remnants of urban historical heritage, yet continue to face a number of obstacles obstructing the way ahead. Indeed, the narrow streets in Phuket’s Old Town district are currently undergoing a drastic makeover. The electrical wires that currently…
-
“Business Landmark’ in the works on Bypass Rd
PHUKET: Keep your eyes on the look-out – Bypass Biz Town, currently under construction right smack along the middle of one of the island’s most lucrative roads, is poised to be Phuket’s latest and greatest “Business Landmark”.Building on previous successes, reputable developer Boat Development Co Ltd, is fulfilling a much-needed real estate niche with its latest project, touted to be…
-
C’est la Fete! – It’s party time!
PHUKET: As the French saying goes – Un repas sans vin est comme un jour sans soleil – a meal without wine is like a day without sunshine. And even though there might not be quite enough sunshine in Phuket these days, there shouldn’t be a lack of wine and great food during the Bastille Day celebrations in Patong on…
-
Phuket Gardening: Bromeliads offer a true taste of the tropics
PHUKET: I last wrote about bromeliads more than a year ago, but our focus on the letter “B” prompted a re-think. Apart from their deserved popularity as shade and house plants, I have re-focused my attention on this vast genus of more than 3,000 species for other reasons (click here for article). Recently I visited the Phuket Botanic Garden (click…
-
Phuket’s QSI graduates ready for the world
PHUKET: QSI International School Phuket graduated another group of six secondary students recently. The graduation ceremony was held at Centara Karon Resort where 100 guests attended the ceremony, which included several singing and dancing performances by QIS students. After receiving their diplomas, two of the graduating students, Jasmin Jadick and Jakob Klaic gave speeches thanking the school, their teachers and…
-
Phuket’s Airshow and Family Picnic sets the bar with record turnout
PHUKET: The Airshow and Family Picnic held at Phuket’s Air Park over the weekend was a roaring success, with organizers estimating that nearly 7,000 people had attended by the time the two-day event closed last night. Navy League Phuket President Pat James, one of the key organizers, said the event was the largest of its kind ever staged in Southern…
-
Phuket Lifestyle: Rockin’ Railay!
PHUKET: For travellers looking for an active holiday, both Phuket and Krabi offer many solutions, such as snorkeling trips, scuba diving or kayaking, but many travellers have yet to try an experience that is rapidly gaining in popularity – rock climbing! Krabi and Phang Nga provinces are literally packed with dramatic limestone formations. In the last ten years, spots like…
-
Phuket’s Thanyapura serves chef weight loss
PHUKET: Successful restaurateur Eduardo Vargas is a man who enjoys the finer things in life, and this includes food. Originally from Peru, he left South America in 1989 to embark on a journey that took him to cooking school in Toronto; Georgetown University, America where he aquired a Business Administration degree; Singapore and now Shanghai as a restaurant owner. When…
-
A moment with Map Abday – Phuket Lifestyle
PHUKET: Art is the expression of human creative skills and imagination, typically in something that can be experienced visually, such as drawing, painting or sculpture. Such works are appreciated primarily for their beauty or emotional power. Indeed, many people try to define what art is, but its meaning is constantly evolving, and the concept of art means different things to…
-
Industrial real estate demand on rise
PHUKET: This fiscal year, the Industrial Estate Authority of Thailand (IEAT) has forecasted sales and rentals to cover between 3,600 to 3,800 rai (1,440 to 1,520 acres) of land in both its own and privately owned industrial estates. The 2013 Thai fiscal year began on October 1, 2012 and will last until the end of September, this year. IEAT governor…
-
Phuket Regional Blood Center calls for life saving blood donations
PHUKET: The Phuket Regional Blood Center (PRBC), often called upon to save the lives of Thais and foreigners, is low on stocks of blood type A Rhesus-negative“As this is the beginning of [the Thai school] semester period, we got blood [donations] from students that makes us have sufficient stock of blood as we maintain a daily minimum stock of 200…
-
Phuket airport’s expansion progress to ease overcrowding
PHUKET: The Airport Authority of Thailand (AoT) has accelerated the construction of a temporary terminal building at Phuket International Airport (HKT) in order to ease passenger overload ahead of the next tourism high season. Quoted in a recent report by BangkokBizNews, AoT Board Director Sitha Tiwaree announced that the construction schedule for the temporary terminal had been tightened due to…
-
Phuket Property Watch: Just how real is real?
Phuket Property Watch: It’s Wednesday and far too early in the day for an epiphany. I’ve just been online trying to book a trip to Nirvana and even my trusty sidekick Jimmy Zen can’t help. No leap of faith here, no walking on water, just an aisle seat on the big bus. In the whole wired world of travel, more…
-
Aqua Villas: East coast luxury
PHUKET: Located down a quiet soi in Rawai, 150 meters from the beach, Aqua Villas will have nine luxury private villas with three or four bedrooms. The custom built four-storey tropical villas, ideal as holiday homes or permanent residences, will be designed to envelope owners in a totally unique tropical living experience that brings them closer to the natural seafront…
-
The B-list: Exotics and also rans – Phuket Gardening
PHUKET: Barleria, bixa, begonia, bismarkia, bromeliad, brownia, brugmansia, brunfelsis. What do all these words have in common – apart from the obvious fact that each word starts with the letter B? Well, dear Phuket Gazette reader, of course, you got it in one. They are all tropical plants. Moreover, once you get away from these Latin-based botanical names, the list…
-
![Phuket Food: Inspired – Re-think Thai desserts [VIDEO] | Thaiger](data:image/svg+xml;base64,PHN2ZyB4bWxucz0naHR0cDovL3d3dy53My5vcmcvMjAwMC9zdmcnIHZpZXdCb3g9JzAgMCAyMzUgMjIwJz48L3N2Zz4=)
Phuket Food: Inspired – Re-think Thai desserts [VIDEO]
PHUKET: A renaissance in the world of traditional Thai desserts has taken hold, away from the sand and seas of Phuket, in the heart of the province. Nestled in the center of the island, Ms Vachiraya “Yulie” Thitalohakul has turned back to her cultural heritage after years of working as a western-schooled patissiere. With over a decade of experience as…
-
Experienced GM heads to Anantara Vacation Club [VIDEO]
PHUKET: Talking to Lyndon Ellis, it is easy to see how his great sense of hospitality makes him perfect for the position of General Manager of the newly opened Anantara Vacation Club. Mr Ellis brings a wealth of management experience to bear on this brand’s new signature resort in northwest Phuket, which offers a truly luxurious escape amid fantastic tropical…
-
![New operations manager fits in at Phuket’s TSLC [VIDEO] | Thaiger](data:image/svg+xml;base64,PHN2ZyB4bWxucz0naHR0cDovL3d3dy53My5vcmcvMjAwMC9zdmcnIHZpZXdCb3g9JzAgMCAxNDYgMjIwJz48L3N2Zz4=)
New operations manager fits in at Phuket’s TSLC [VIDEO]
PHUKET: Brian Finniss, the newly appointed operations manager for Thanyapura Sports and Leisure Club lives by this simple motto: “Be committed to do what it takes to have what you want.” For many people, managing an international brand like Thanyapura is something that comes with age, but this young Canadian export is a definite exception to the rule. Mr. Finniss…
-
Siam Square most expensive for 8th straight year: AREA
PHUKET: The Thailand Real Estate Information Center recently published a report about Thailand’s most expensively valued urban, commercial zones, which as usual, were all in the central part of Thailand’s capital, Bangkok. Published by the Agency for Real Estate Affairs (AREA), topping the list were plots in the shopping district that is centered around Siam Square. The report notes that…
-
Patong beachfront most expensive land on Phuket
PHUKET: THE beachfront in Patong Bay comprises Phuket’s highest valued roadside real estate, while the most expensive land plots in Phuket Town are valued only 7% less.According to Phuket’s official road and street-access land value summary covering 2012-2016, plots along Taweewong Road in Patong (the beach road), had been valued from 70,500 to 150,000 baht per square wa (sqw), which…
![Phuket Food: Inspired – Re-think Thai desserts [VIDEO] | Thaiger](https://thethaiger.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/08/phuketlifestyle_A_rose_by_any_other_name_21481_kzuzVoiBmA_jpeg.jpg)
![Experienced GM heads to Anantara Vacation Club [VIDEO] | Thaiger](https://thethaiger.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/08/phuketlifestyle_Lyndon_Ellis_has_worked_all_over_the_globe_Photo_Anthika_Muangrod_21467_kEKchBHmFB_jpeg.jpg)
![New operations manager fits in at Phuket’s TSLC [VIDEO] | Thaiger](https://thethaiger.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/08/phuketlifestyle_Brian_Finniss_Operations_Manager_at_TSLC_21465_UVDqeMhuhs_jpeg.jpg)
Don't forget to check out some other things to do in Thailand - get help starting a business or finding a job in Thailand, buy Thailand property, rent a yacht or book a medical procedure worldwide.