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,...

3 days ago

Property Videos

  • Passing on your condo – Phuket Property Legal

    Passing on your condo – Phuket Property Legal

    PHUKET: Pursuant to the current Condominium Act of Thailand, and per the common practices used at the Thai land offices, the transfer of ownership of your freehold condominium unit to your spouse or children, in whole or in part, can pose a problem to those who wish to make such a transfer. Section 19 of …

  • Phuket Town to hit new heights: condominium

    Phuket Town to hit new heights: condominium

    PHUKET: Local developer Phanason has broken ground on its next “city-living” project – the Height Condominium, an eye-catching medium-rise development in Phuket Town. The 15-storey project is sure to attract wide interest among buyers and speculators in the city’s ever-fluid, yet lucrative residential real estate market. Elaborating on the project’s concept, Phanason marketing manager, Cheurchan …

  • Condo commercial compliance

    Condo commercial compliance

    PHUKET: There are a number of condominium developments in Phuket where commercial entities do business, be it a travel agency, rental agency, spa or restaurant. Although such businesses may benefit the owners, juristic persons should make sure that commercial use of space in residential condominiums is compliant with the Condominium Act. Compliance with the building …

  • Savitri plans Phuket hotel

    Savitri plans Phuket hotel

    PHUKET: Savitri Ramyarupa, managing director of Chatrium Hotels and Residences, shared her vision and plans for the next three years. She said she is planning to add two more properties in Bangkok and Phuket, along with expanding an existing property in Yangon, Myanmar. This is an attempt to cash in on the expected influx of …

  • Blame it on the rain – Phuket Property Watch

    Blame it on the rain – Phuket Property Watch

    PHUKET: I was channel surfing the other night when the Hollywood classic “Singin’ in the Rain” came up on screen. Settling deep into my comfy TV chair as my dog Koko lay nearby chasing dream rabbits across imaginary landscapes, things came to an all-too-sudden and conclusive end. Lightning struck near to the house and within …

  • Kamala to get Hyatt Regency

    Kamala to get Hyatt Regency

    PHUKET: Hyatt Hotels Corporation announced last week that a Hyatt affiliate has entered into a management agreement with Kamala Bay Ventures Co Ltd for a Hyatt Regency branded resort in the Kamala area. The hotel will be the first Hyatt-branded resort to open in Phuket, one of Southeast Asia’s premier resort destinations. Expected to open …

  • A new lease on island life – Phuket Property

    A new lease on island life – Phuket Property

    PHUKET: When is leasehold more valuable than freehold?: “In over 35 years in the property industry in the United Kingdom, Hong Kong, Thailand, and having worked in many Asian countries, I would have said until very recently, never. “However, I have to acknowledge that with the arrival of some excellent leasehold properties, the Thai property …

  • Thai realtors prepare for Asean integration

    Thai realtors prepare for Asean integration

    PHUKET: The Real Estate Sales and Marketing Association of Thailand (RESAM) and the National Association of Realtors (NAR), a leading global real estate association, joined forces recently to host a networking event in Phuket. The international real estate business network event, called Thailand CIPS (certified international property specialist) 2013 was an education and work program …

  • Phuket Property: To raise one’s roof or not to

    Phuket Property: To raise one’s roof or not to

    PHUKET: I am often asked how much one should spend on a primary residence, and while this is an area open for debate, my answer usually surprises people. I have always been baffled by arguments about mortgage interest being tax deductible and many other reasons to sink way too much into one’s primary residence. This …

  • Phuket Property Watch: Things I hate about hotels

    Phuket Property Watch: Things I hate about hotels

    PHUKET: I have spent more nights in hotel rooms around the world than I could even start to remember. Barring a diary, an ankle-long list or a photographic memory, there are more than a few things that stick out, not unlike a Mohawk on a punk rocker or a toothpick out of a canape – …

  • Phuket Property: Commercial real estate investment soars

    Phuket Property: Commercial real estate investment soars

    PHUKET: Direct commercial real estate investment in the Asia Pacific region has exceeded market expectations in the first half of 2013, reaching US$59.7 billion, 21% up on the first half of 2012. According to the latest Jones Lang LaSalle capital markets research, transaction volumes in the region have also increased quarter on quarter, topping US$32.6 …

  • Phuket Property: Green living condo town

    Phuket Property: Green living condo town

    PHUKET: Rising demand for residential properties in Phuket is being driven by both locals and tourists, evidenced in the rapid growth in both Phuket Town and beach-side areas. Sam Kong is a popular residential neighborhood where there are a number of property projects under construction, including both houses and condominiums. One such project, the Green …

  • Phuket Property: Hideaway above Patong

    Phuket Property: Hideaway above Patong

    PHUKET: A new luxury 5-star hotel concept by Avista, the Avista Hideaway Resort and Spa in Patong Bay is located on Patong Hill close to Tri Trang beach. The new hotel will build on the island’s reputation for high-end tourism and its strong economic base. The contemporary ultra-luxury property is set on a peaceful hill, …

  • Phuket Property Legal: Ensuring land claims are legit

    Phuket Property Legal: Ensuring land claims are legit

    PHUKET: In the last three to four weeks, some changes occurred in the application process and consequently the approval of registration for companies to purchase land, long term land leases, usufruct, superficies and/or lifetime living rights for foreigners. Depending on which land office one is applying for registration of certain rights, the current handling of …

  • Sea-view condo in the heart of Patong

    Sea-view condo in the heart of Patong

    PHUKET: Sansiri last week unveiled their latest Phuket medium-rise project – “THE DECK”, a brand-new condominium to be built in the heart of Patong, setting its sights on Phuket’s holiday home market.Speaking at the project’s media-launch event, Mr Uthai Uthaisangsuk, Senior Vice President for Business and Condominium Project Development, Sansiri PCL, revealed that: “THE DECK …

  • Phuket Property Watch: Same old game – new players, rules

    Phuket Property Watch: Same old game – new players, rules

    PHUKET: It’s been said that all that glitters is not gold and real estate is an example of the vast wealth that simple plots of dirt can conjure up. But bringing on the bling can certainly attract some of the more adventurous souls out there. Last week, an image of a Phuket property man’s life, …

  • More ways to secure Thai land – Phuket Property

    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 …

  • Furniture firm sets bar high in Phuket

    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, …

  • Boom in budget hotels

    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 …

  • Preserving Phuket’s old streets

    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. …

  • “Business Landmark’ in the works on Bypass Rd

    “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 …

  • Industrial real estate demand on rise

    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 …

  • How to legally own Thai land

    How to legally own Thai land

    PHUKET: I think there is a common misconception in Phuket, and in Thailand generally, that is often reinforced by many long term expats, who are always very eager to give their opinions to new-comers. It goes like this: As long as you remain a foreigner in this country, you will always have to use one …

  • Phuket airport’s expansion progress to ease overcrowding

    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 …

  • Phuket Property Watch: Just how real is real?

    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 …

  • Aqua Villas: East coast luxury

    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 …

  • Connext to work, life, play downtown

    Connext to work, life, play downtown

    PHUKET: Local developer Phuket Thanee Co Ltd launched Connext Condo this week in its latest drive to transform “downtown” Phuket into a thriving residential community. When finished in December 2015, Connext Condo and Fit Sports Club will be part of the skyline on Sakdidet Road, near Sapan Hin and Suan Luang Park (click here for …

  • Siam Square most expensive for 8th straight year: AREA

    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 …

  • Patong beachfront most expensive land on Phuket

    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 …

  • Organic living at Phuket’s Saiyuan Estates

    Organic living at Phuket’s Saiyuan Estates

    PHUKET: The Attitude Club Co Ltd, who own Saiyuan Estate, are trying to reduce the environmental impact their developments have on Phuket. Saiyuan Estate is a new luxury boutique pool villa development nestled among the hills in Saiyuan, one kilometer south of Chalong circle. The Oriental Essence and Onyx Essence villas have been built with …