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 Why retirees in Thailand are choosing long-term health insurance over quick fixes
Retirees in Thailand are increasingly seeing the importance of health insurance in protecting their well-being during retirement. With insurance requirements for retirement visas and rising healthcare costs, many are moving away from short-term plans and choosing long-term coverage. Long-term health...
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AccorHotels spreads its wings
PHUKET: AccorHotels has teamed up with Avista Resort and Spa Patong Co Ltd to manage three properties in Phuket. The newly-inked agreement brings two existing Phuket properties in Kata and Patong under the new brand and management, and paves the way for the building of a brand new hotel in Karon. One of the two resorts will be re-branded as…
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Gardening: Moving pageant in your garden
PHUKET: We all know how denuded of mammals Thailand is. Most have long since been hunted down for food. And while the same is not true of most insects or reptiles, it is still the case that anything remotely edible will probably end up fried or barbecued on someone’s dinner plate. Insects, such as water scorpions, crickets and locusts, tokay…
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Quality tourism trending
PHUKET: Last year was a favorable one for tourism in Phuket, boosting confidence throughout the hospitality and property sectors with a rise in ‘quality’ tourists and investors – a trend that appears set to continue in 2016. Arrivals at Phuket International Airport soared to 6.4 million – a record number of passengers passing through the province, according to the latest…
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Blazing Saddles: Dealing with the blazing heat
PHUKET: Whether we Phuket-based cyclists like it or not, the 2016 season is going to be one of the hottest on record with the El Nino effect continuing to bring the Andaman region all sorts of problems. To keep on enjoying your riding throughout 2016, there are a number of simple responses that local cyclists should make to the extreme…
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Sansiri offers unique promotions at Central Festival Phuket
PHUKET: Sansiri Public Company Limited has launched its ‘Uniquely You’ residential campaign at Central Festival Phuket, which ends tomorrow. “The purpose of this event is to promote our outstanding designs,” said Suriya Wannabuit, Sansiri’s executive vice president of project management and marketing department. “For example, Burasiri Koh Kaew is surrounded by trees and hills, whereas the Base Height in Samkong…
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Profile: From penniless to priceless
PHUKET: Suriyan ‘Romadon’ Kos-anea, 41, originally from Phang Nga, is currently an art teacher at Phuket Vocational College. He also owns a tea shop and art gallery in Rawai. The special thing about him is the way he uses his body for painting. In 2012, he was chosen as one of the last six contestants in the show Thailand’s Got…
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Excuse Buster: Proper diet to battle cancer
PHUKET: In 2014 the British Journal of Cancer released a study that tested the relationship between a commonly used blood test for diabetics and pre-diabetics (HbA1c) and the development of several cancers. As has been widely published, diabetes increases the risks of developing several cancers, sotesting diabetes and pre-diabetes markers makes sense. The results concluded that high HbA1c did in…
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Looking Back: When two kings sat on the throne – Part II
PHUKET: In my last column, I spoke about Prince Mongkut’s journey before taking the throne. When Prince Mongkut was 47, he left the monkhood to reign as king. There was a problem, however, as Prince Chutamani had an equally legitimate claim to succeed to the throne. At the time of King Rama III’s death, some nobles claimed that Prince Chutamani…
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Gardening: Dangers lurking in Eden
PHUKET: When I was knee high to a grasshopper in rural England, there were few dangers in the countryside. True, there were scary tales of deadly nightshade that would kill you if you ate the attractive purple-black berries, and of adders lurking in the hillside bracken with potentially lethal bites. Of course I was blissfully unaware that one third of…
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Across the Land: The persistent growing pains of Phuket
PHUKET: Last month, MasterCard Asia Pacific Destinations Index 2015 announced that Thailand is the most popular regional travel destination for 2015, with three of its cities making the top ten list. Bangkok was the most popular, followed by Phuket in fifth place and Pattaya in eighth. The survey was based on 167 destinations from 22 countries across Asia Pacific and…
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Keeping our sharks out of the soup
PHUKET: Movies and fascinating documentaries depict fierce predators lurking beneath the surface of azure waters just waiting to rip unsuspecting swimmers into fleshy ribbons with their hideous teeth. Well, that image is just plain wrong, according to Brendon Sing, spokesperson for Shark Guardian, a registered conservation charity. Brendon visited Palm House International School in Rawai last week to deliver this…
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Property Watch: Twinning yachting and property
PHUKET: Twins in any language are a strange brew, whether actual biological pairs, or the symbiotic kind. Whether it is yin, or yang, or any manner of kinship, there remains an undeniable connection. As I travel often between Asia’s resort islands, I’m fortunate to have a clear perspective of what’s right and what’s wrong with Phuket. Connecting the dots between…
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Keep it Green: Mending our ways to save marine life
PHUKET: One could go on ad nauseam about the destruction of Phuket’s marine environment. Consider eutrofication, the remorseless process whereby the continental shelf surrounding our emerald isle is laced with chemicals from fertilizer and waste resulting in the growth of algae, and water so depleted of oxygen that few fish will tolerate it. Worse, the cement-laced sediment from land development…
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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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Witness spectacles at the Thailand Yacht Show
PHUKET: The very first state-sponsored Thailand Yacht Show promises a whole lot of fun on the water, showcasing the latest luxury yachts available for charter and aquatic toys, plus the latest offerings from the region’s top boating industry specialists and suppliers at Ao Po Grand Marina today through February 14. Additionally, there will be exhibitions and displays on the water,…
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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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Old Town architecture inspires
PHUKET: Even today, the Sino-Portuguese architecture of Old Phuket Town is an excellent example of practical designs that have stood the test of time. The simple and ingenious designs of shop houses and mansions built during Phuket’s tin-mining rush, and the influx of Chinese migrants in the 17th century, are often a source of inspiration for local and international architects.…
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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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By the Book: Live in Phuket, work abroad
PHUKET: There is a growing trend in Phuket for expats in Southeast Asia to relocate their families here while commuting to work in major cities such as Singapore, Hong Kong, KL and Bangkok. Phuket’s international airport provides regional business people convenient access to multiple destinations at low costs. Therefore, the option of using Phuket as a base to do business…
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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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Law and Order: When dogs attack: ownership laws
PHUKET: There are growing numbers of dog owners in Thailand who treat their animals like their children, prized possessions, or members of the family. With the surge in pet ownership, there have been more disputes involving domesticated animals. We have recently been contacted about two dog biting cases. A KIWI BITE The first case was a man from New Zealand…
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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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