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 Is private health insurance in Thailand worth it? Real costs vs risks explained
Thailand has a strong healthcare system with both public and private options. Public hospitals offer affordable care, but many people, including expats, choose private health insurance for faster service, modern facilities, and more treatment choices. To decide if private health...
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Battle the dark side of gourmet toothfish dishes
PHUKET: There are a number of reasons that toothfish, more commonly known at the dinner table as Chilean Sea Bass, are coveted by chefs – on and off the fine china of word-class restaurants and superyachts. “Chilean Sea Bass has a fabulous taste and an almost sinful mouth-feel. Its high-fat content keeps it moist during cooking and gives it a…
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Marina across the bay
PHUKET: Krabi Boat Lagoon opened in late 2012 as one of the province’s first residential marinas, adding a new freehold option for foreign investors with The Cleat Condominium – a collection of 45 waterfront condominium units in three low-density buildings overlooking the marina’s 80 yacht berths. Built by Boat Development Co Ltd, the same developers who built the Phuket Boat…
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Island View: Beauty, boats and bays
PHUKET: Waking up on a boat in Phang Nga Bay fills a person with wonder. Looking out across the bay, a magical, surreal sensation consumes you. It is not waking up from a dream, but waking up into one; the calm azure sea weaves its way around countless limestone outcroppings, the karst topography almost an extension of the water’s flow.…
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Proud Real Estate expanding presence
PHUKET: Proud Real Estate Co is launching more hotels and amusement attractions in Hua Hin and Phuket to cash in on the flood of tourists. Proudputh Liptapanlop, Proud Real Estate executive director, said yesterday that the company would also expand its flagship hotel, the InterContinental Hua Hin Resort, by adding the 40-room BluPort Wing in October. The company expects to…
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Serenity in the heart of Patong
PHUKET: Stress, lack of sleep, an unbalanced diet, air pollution, smoking – most of us are affected by one or more of these on a daily basis. So let the crew at Ryn Spa, Grand Mercure Phuket Patong Resort & Villas, melt them away for you. Every aspect of the service, from the soothing welcome drink to the lighting and…
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On Deck: At last, good news for our oceans
PHUKET: Ocean trash is growing. It’s an important issue that gets a lot of attention, at times, but little is actually done about it. Two Spain-based Aussie surfers, Pete Ceglinski and Andrew Turton, are about to change that. In a former life, Turton was a product designer who realized that the plastic products he was designing were sources of pollution.…
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Property Watch: Foreigners: beware of condo laws
PHUKET: Every year I learn a host of new rules and regulations which impact property investors in Thailand, sometimes positively but often detrimentally. This year I learned something new, which either by chance or good fortune, my clients over 13 plus years here have never experienced. Unfortunately, I view the situation as being severely detrimental and anti-foreign investment in nature.…
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Profiile: Legend of Phuket’s Green Man
PHUKET: Howard Digby-Johns presides over the most interesting estate on Phuket. His ‘Green Man Pub’ on the road between Chalong and Kata Hill looks like a gracious English manor from the outside. But upon exploring the extensive landscaped grounds, one finds a subterranean wine cellar, a temple to the Egyptian god Osiris, shrines to the Hindu god Ganesh, a parlor…
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Gardening: It’s really just a name, after all
PHUKET: Most tongue-twisting Latin names of plants are associated with so-called ‘discoveries’ by Western botanists/explorers. For example, the plumeria is named after Charles Plumier, the bougainvillea after a certain Monsieur Bougainville, the allamanda after Switzerland’s Frederich Allamanda, and so on. The original classifier of plants, Sweden’s Carolus Linnaeus, based his Systema Naturae (1735) on shared physical characteristics. Most of his…
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Sea Breeze Cafe brings a whole new level to buffet-chic
PHUKET: It is a common misconception that resort bars and restaurants are for in-house guests only. Among others, the Holiday Inn Resort’s dining venues are open to all comers. At the Sea Breeze Cafe, they offer their popular bi-weekly seafood buffet, and there is no place better suited for this delicious spread than the resort’s poolside with its view of…
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Blazing Saddles: Dreams of Bang Wad Dam mountain biking
PHUKET: Undoubtedly the Bang Wad Dam and its surrounding mountainous environs high above the Phuket Country Club and golf course could offer fabulous recreational and cycling potential if it is developed with foresight and care. I have written previously about the current plans to develop this area and why I think there needs to be a serious re-appraisal of the…
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Looking Back: When two kings sat on the throne
PHUKET: In July of 1824, King Buddha Loetla Nabhalai, Rama II, suddenly fell very ill. Not long after, he passed away. According to the palace’s succession law, the throne would have to pass on to the son of Queen Suriyendra, Prince Mongkut. Queen Suriyendra was King Rama II’s consort and according to Siamese royal tradition, only the sons of a…
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Excuse Buster: Thailand full of dieting fanatics
PHUKET: I was recently sent an article titled: ‘Consumer online searches reveal the most popular diets around the world’. The article highlighted the countries that searched the most for diet plans and for which ones. Surprisingly (for me) Thailand landed in the eighth spot. Globally, it seems that the three programs that attracted the most interest are the Atkins, Duran…
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On Deck: Best toys for seagoing girls and boys
PHUKET: For some, size is everything. Perhaps you’ve already got the superyacht and your crew are waiting on you 24/7; the question is ‘what’s next?’ Toys are where it’s at. The jetski is so 2000. The water Jetpacks and Flyboards are so yesterday. You need something better. Something newer. Here are three toys that should be on every sea-lover’s gift…
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Property Watch: Changing face of luxury villa rentals
PHUKET: Islands by nature change and evolve over time. Since the late 1980s, Phuket has witnessed sustained upward growth in luxury private pool villas and even today there are no signs of the sector slowing down. One important byline has been a growing emphasis on holiday rentals, and this has in fact shifted through the last two decades. In recent…
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Across the Land: Evolution of Phuket’s property scene
PHUKET: The property market in Phuket has seen an increasing amount of supply over the last five years with both Thai and foreign developers jumping on the bandwagon, building projects all over the island. The island continues to witness the growth in construction and some clients have commented that since the last time that they were in Phuket (which was…
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Diving: Go pro with PADI freediving courses
PHUKET: The branding and professional support provided by PADI, as it moves into the freediving industry with an entire set of courses specific to the sport, looks to create new opportunities for those wanting to become professional freediving instructors. PADI has a massive background in marketing and supporting businesses, which means that a sustainable career in freediving will likely become…
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Property Watch: Inside look at the hotel licencing crisis
PHUKET: Crisis? What Crisis? At long last the ticking time bomb of unlicenced accommodation establishments in Phuket has finally made headlines. The furor of action was capped as the Thai Hotels Association (THA) Southern Chapter issued a formal letter of complaint to the Governor’s Office asking for action, given an out-of-control spread of hotels operating without licences. To fully understand…
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Layan luxury at Pavilions Phuket
PHUKET: Holiday makers to Phuket’s shores are spoiled for choice when it comes to choosing a vacation spot. Boasting more than two dozen beaches, Phuket offers plenty of variety and flexibility for all tastes and budgets. For seasoned travellers who value tranquility and privacy above all else, Layan Beach is a good option to explore. One of Phuket’s lesser known…
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Up in the air: Aviators hit Hat Yai for huge airshow
PHUKET: For the second consecutive year, a large contingent of recreational aviation enthusiasts from Phuket flew southeast to Songkhla Province to take part in what may have been the largest and most exciting air show in Thailand’s history. The show was staged for Thailand’s National Children’s Day, an annual event which is celebrated on the first Saturday after New Year.…
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On Deck: When only a fraction is enough
PHUKET: What happened to fractional boat ownership? In the not-too-distant past, shared ownership of boats seemed to be the ‘thing’. A great way to introduce non-boaters into boating, and then retaining leisure boaters, with a cost-effective form of ownership. A panacea. In Phuket the concept caught on, but was short-lived. Early pioneers included Simon James, Royal Phuket Marina and Twinpalms,…
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Gardening: Choosing the right insecticide
PHUKET: A good friend, Graham, an airline captain, asks “Can you recommend an all-round weed-killer, not for the garden but for the grass and weeds out in the road by my house?” He adds: “For the last two months, we have fed the pretty caterpillar population (green with blue eyes) and love the butterflies into which they develop, but we…
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Sansiri launches Baan Mai Khao development
PHUKET: Sansiri Public Company Limited has officially launched its recently completed Baan Mai Khao beachfront condominium development. The development includes 206 ready-to-move-in units with up to three bedrooms, including single units, duplexes and penthouses, explained Uthai Uthaisangsuk, senior executive vice president at Sansiri. Prices start from 13.5 million baht with a guaranteed yield of six percent for two years. Baan…
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Blazing Saddles: Making new year resolutions fun
PHUKET: Making (and often immediately breaking) New Year’s resolutions is an age-old tradition all over the world, as we pass from one year into the next. Hope, and its close cousin self delusion, are abundant at this time of year as we promise to be better and brighter versions of ourselves. In Phuket, in fact, you get not just one,…
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By the Book: Off-plan vs completed properties
PHUKET: With high season well under way, many visitors to Phuket over the next few months will also be property buyers. There are many different considerations for buyers to think about when making a purchase, and one of the first to be made is whether to buy an off-plan property or a completed one. Both options come with benefits and…
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Excuse Buster: Surviving the holiday season
PHUKET: Need tips to surviving the holiday period? Here is a compilation of different ideas suggesting how to successfully handle the festive period and still have a good time. PICK YOUR CHEAT MEALS Aim for 80/20 in favor of healthy eating over the holidays. The festive season does not have to be a non-stop session of overindulgence, nor do you…
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On Deck: Double-edged sword of marine tourism
PHUKET: 2015 has been an ‘interesting’ year tourism-wise for Phuket, and, in my opinion, will go down in history as the one when Phuket’s visitor demographics shifted seismically. The ‘Asian Century’ is truly here. In Phuket’s marine world, the number of people out on the water, enjoying the island and its marine treasures, is at an all time high, thanks…
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Keep it Green: Introduction of alien invaders
PHUKET: One hot and dusty afternoon years ago I was driving along a remote Colorado road when I passed a large wayside bundle. Curious, I stopped. It was a huge carp, out of its natural element but still gasping for air under a blazing sun. I picked the slimy thing up, all of thirty pounds, wrapped it in a towel…
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Sun sets on another Superyacht Rendezvous
PHUKET: On December 18, the Asia Superyacht Rendezvous drew to a close with a grand VIP gala dinner hosted by Kata Rocks Resort, whose Hospitality Team took first place at the fun-filled Feadship Challenge model boat race the previous evening. Yacht owners and the creme de la creme of Thailand gathered in opulent surroundings to celebrate luxury yachting over three…
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Paul Oakenfold takes on Xana
PHUKET: The atmosphere at the Xana Beach Club was electrifying as guests poured in for the opening night of the DJ festival, running from December 12-20 and featuring nine of the best local and international DJs. Despite the pouring rain, the venue was quickly filled to capacity as guests waited for the first performer of the night – three time…
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