Thailand’s BEAUTIFUL BEACHES!!!
we stayed at the sheraton krabi beach resort in krabi thailand in southeast asia. visited phi phi railays beach. We just want to go back!awesome!
The Beaches Resort & Residences – Thailand?s First Integrated Resort in Bang Saray Bay, Thailand
With the support of the Board of Investment of Thailand and the Tourism Authority of Thailand, The Beaches will be the new shining symbol of the country and will be the benchmark of destination resorts in Asia.
It has also joined with True Corporation, one of Thailand’s largest technology companies, to create Thailand’s first wireless lifestyle convergent communities which will feature state-of-the-art technology throughout the entire project.
The masterplan architect and designers behind the success of The Beaches Resort & Residences are award winning world class design firms – Carl Ettensperger of C&C Studio and Terry Henriksen of Henriksen Design Ltd, who have worked on 5-star hotel projects such as Mandarin Oriental, Hyatt Hotels, Ritz Carlton, Siam Paragon Bangkok, Huvafen Fushi Maldives (2008 Worlds Best Beach Resort, Harpers Bazaar Travel), Hard Rock Hotel – Universal Studios, Florida, and many more prestigious resorts.
Set over 88 rai of landscaped gardens, man-made beaches, and water lagoons, The Beaches private community will have four grand 5-star hotels, stunning water villas and Private Residences. The Beaches Resort has the best of everything – International Waterpark and Surf Park, The Beaches Longevity & Wellness Spa, state-of-the-art fitness club, a Grande Promenade with an international village with over 20 restaurants and retail, tennis academy and a Watersport centre. It is also centrally located in the heart of Thailand in Bang Saray Bay, a tropical oasis – 10 minutes from Pattaya and only 90 minutes from Bangkok
Chairman and CEO of Pacific Shore Developments, Liakat Sultan Dhanji, has been responsible for making the brand a success. According to him, Thailand needs something distinctive if it is going to stand out against the stiff competition developing in the region.
V9 Design & Build, were invited to build the resort’s website and, from initial discussions with Mr Dhanji, ideas were centred on creating an architecture that would concentrate on eMarketing by employing Web 2.0 technologies.
Living in Bangkok, you see glitzy front-page supplements that dominate Thailand’s English dailies, full-page magazine and newspaper colour ads that abound large project launches, and the billboards that predominate the city and Skytrain. You can only imagine the cost of such publicity and its significant impact on a project’s bottom line.
That is not to say that elegantly-produced brochures and local media advertising doesn’t have merit, but it has always seemed that it is a sort of marketing overkill — a gunshot rather than rifle approach to project exposure.
Professional blogging: it increases company revenue over time through the marketing and relationship building power. The ability to write effective, interesting, and informative blog posts has proved itself be a highly cost effective option.
It is even more effective when added as a seamless addition to a resort’s website for several reasons. First, Google and the other major search engines like content and change which adds value to a site’s PageRank™; it extends keyword range; it is disseminated to the world’s largest blog directories; and it is accompanied by RSS. Article writing and press releases can be submitted to the world’s largest websites, especially two that are associated with Google and Yahoo.
Over the last few years, search engines have made it increasingly difficult to reach a targeted audience. Gone are the days of mailers, link exchanges and non-industry-related links. Even with ezines, there’s no guarantee you will be read. A great alternative to this is RSS (Really Simple Syndication). It is not a well-known method for companies to publish and distribute content in this format (e.g. publicity releases, news, newsletters and articles). Syndication means you don’t have to visit each site individually to see what’s new — you simply scan headline summaries in a reader and click to read the full text.
Most real estate projects use Flash technology that presents brilliantly-animated images but fail with their eMarketing efforts because of it. Search engines cannot see beyond the front page. There are two large property developers in Thailand, both of which have projects that have only their home pages listed. Both are poor examples of internet marketing and are therefore spending fortunes on print advertising. In contrast, The Beaches will bypass outdated marketing methods by creating a wealth of exposure, both in Thailand and internationally.
The Beaches, to our knowledge, will be the first large-scale real estate development project in Asia to employ Web 2.0 as its online publicity vehicle.
Writer: Chris Heath is the sole proprietor of Soho Properties a Bangkok based real estate agency /consultants specializing in the Thailand area.
http://www.soho-properties.com
http://www.pattayareal-estate.com
http://www.serviced-apartment.net
Thailand?s Beaches: Hua Hin or Cha-Am
Thailand has been steadily rising in popularity as a tourist destination, particularly over the last 30 years. Most international flights connect at Bangkok, which is a great city to enjoy a stop-over for a couple of days, before heading for the quieter coastal resorts. Hua Hin is within easy driving distance of Bangkok, a journey of around 190km.
Situated on the Gulf of Thailand, this once-sleepy fishing village was awakened to the real world with the laying of a railway line direct to Bangkok in the 1920s. Hua Hin soon became a popular resort destination, favored by the Thai royal family. The fishing village charm has long been lost beneath the modern development along the lovely white-sand coastline, but the town still has a relaxed local flavor. For those seeking something a little quieter, its near neighbor Cha-am may be the perfect idyllic seaside resort for you.
Ch-Am’s main claim to fame is that it has Thailand’s longest beach. Although weekend visitors flock to the beach here, during the week it is fairly quiet. There are a few local attractions but the main reason to come to Cha-Am is to chill out in your own space on the gorgeous white sandy beach. There is however a local Jack Nicklaus designed golf course for the more actively inclined. Most resorts are surrounded by landscaped gardens which offer pleasant, shady and colorful places to stroll amidst the tropical flora. There are a few local shops in Cha-Am selling the obligatory jewelry, and the tailor’s shops are excellent. Choose your fabric and style from the many samples, and you can have a hand-made, bespoke suit (male or female) within a couple of days.
The restaurants in both Cha-am and Hua Hin are excellent, serving local seafood, Thai specialties and international cuisine which is much more pleasurable than eating buffet-style at the local hotel. Cha-Am has a few local bars, but if you are seeking lively nightclubs, this is not the place for you. The seafood restaurants around Hua Hin’s fishing port are highly recommended. Both resorts also offer spa beauty treatments in the hotels including excellent massages. The Thais are masters at offering wonderful therapeutic treatments. Indulge yourself at these bargain prices and find yourself totally relaxed and rejuvenated in body, mind and spirit.
In contrast to Cha-Am, Hua Hin offers numerous bars, pubs and discos offering drinks and entertainment into the small hours. It also has a range of watersports and eight golf courses as well as a beautiful sandy beach and clear blue sea. This bustling town is easy to get around on foot or by ‘songthaew’, a hop-on taxi service. Hua Hin offers a variety of local shops and a visit to the market is a great experience. Hotel standards here are very good, wherever you choose to stay, and all have beautiful swimming pools and sun terraces beneath the palm trees. For a beach vacation which has guaranteed sunshine, sand and sea, Hua Hin and Cha-Am make the perfect destination.
Visit this website for more information.
Veronica Ho is the owner of Travel Haven, a travel agency totally dedicated to organising creative and luxury packages. Get a COMPLIMENTARY Destination Guide when you join Travel Haven Email Club. Also be the FIRST to receive Special Promotions, Destinations Update and much more. http://www.TheTravelHavenOnline.com
The moment Red Shirt rebel’s getaway left Thailand’s leaders red-faced
The moment Red Shirt rebel's getaway left Thailand's leaders red-faced
THAILAND'S prime minister put the army commander in charge of restoring order in the wake of bloody political unrest, taking the task away from the deputy prime minister after a botched raid to arrest...
Read more on Thailandnews.net
Thailand’s tourism industry rallies against political protests as hotels report low occupancy
Thailand's tourism industry rallies against political protests as hotels report low occupancy
BANGKOK, Thailand - Thailand's tourism industry called Friday on the government and its Red Shirt opponents to make peace and find a way to stop mass street protests that they say are scaring away tourists.
Read more on Canoe Travel
Thailand’s best beaches and places not to miss?
Me and the missus are going on a 30 day trip around Thialand in a couple of weeks. We are interested in seeing a few things but we must include (a) a good place to party (other than the full moon party - though comments about this are welcome) and (b) the most beautiful island/beach/paradise to spend our last week chilling.
Basically, any advice from those with experience of the country would be most appreciated.
P.S. At this point, thinking about starting in Bangkok, then up to Chiang Mai, then a slow journey down to Phuket and surrounding areas. What's in-between that shouldn't be missed?
Wow, long question! Thank you!
Many, many thanks to those who answered! I can't rate (only just signed up to this) but I really appreciate it! Great stuff! 
Guide to Chiang Mai, Thailand’s
This isolation has kept Chiang Mai's distinctive charm relatively intact to the present day. It is pleasant to be able to report that a destination has improved over recent years, as has been the case in Chiang Mai, where the moats have been dredged and repaired, many roads repaved in attractive red bricks, lumpy concrete lamp posts replaced with ornate ones and the city walls restored.
On the one hand, the northern Thai city still holds on to its rural roots and the earthy local culture known as âLannaâ, which literally means âone million rice fieldsâ. On the other hand, Chiang Mai has its own airport, three universities and outlets representing all the countryâs main chains of shopping malls and restaurants.
Its main attractions, however, are its style and its splendour. Wander the Old Cityâs backstreets and you will stumble on some of southeast Asiaâs most alluring Buddhist temples. There are over 300 temples in Chiang Mai and its outskirts, of which maybe be most magnificent is Wat Doi Suthep, topped by a stunning 24 metre high gilded chedi, partially shaded by gilded bronze parasols. Established in 1383 and famous for its large gold-plated chedi, it overlooks the city from its 1,073m eerie on the slopes of 1,685 metre Doi (Mount) Suthep and is visible from the city on a clear day. The site was selected by sending an elephant to roam at will up the mountainside. When it reached this spot, it trumpeted, circled three times, and knelt down, which was interpreted as a sign indicating an auspicious site. Centrally-located Wat Phra Singh templeâs small wooden Phra Viharn Lai Kham building is perhaps Chiang Maiâs most beautiful. The front of the buildingâs exterior is ornately decorated with gold leaf flowers on a red lacquer background whilst, in the interior, exquisitely carved window frames compete for the eyeâs attention with fascinating and detailed wall murals.
At each corner of the Old City moat, you will be distracted by the spicy aromas that waft from the woks used to cook the regionâs distinct cuisine, which fuses Thai, Lao, Burmese, Mon, and Chinese influences. For visitors whose bums are bored of bucket seat restaurants, the city has droves of restaurants that serve every kind of cooking imaginable, from water buffalo beef to tapas. Chiang Mai is Thailand's fifth biggest but second most-visited city and is a magnet for settlers from around the globe, many of whom are eccentric or unusual.
Meet silversmith Steve McCarthy, who designed the chalices that grace the spectacularly successful 2006 religious mystery movie The Da Vinci Code. McCarthy calls Chiang Mai âas close to paradise as you can getâ. He likes the way that locals know neither the time nor day, have few wants and no pretensions. âPeople laugh at people who spend money ostentatiously,â he says, adding that everyone who visits Chiang Mai returns.
The temples and museums are as good as culture vultures would expect from Thailandâs second city, but what you maybe wouldnât expect is that the shopping here is so good that even unreconstructed males might miraculously find themselves actually enjoying it. Chiang Mai, along with Bangkokâs weekend Jatuchak market, is one of the two best places to go shopping in Thailand. The city is the countryâs best place to buy art and sculpture, of which the value and the quality of the higher-priced items is amazing. Itâs best to buy it here as most of the best pieces never leave town: the best artists, like those the world over, are more interested in painting than selling. At the Sunday market here you can pick up beautiful oil paintings at less than a tenth of what comparable quality would cost you in the West. The market is open from 3 till 10pm, but donât leave too early, as the best painters are a bit bohemian and donât bother turning up till quite late, as they donât have to try too hard to sell their work.
Whilst in Thailand, why not visit one of the countryâs currently best three beach destinations:
Koh Lao Liang: http://www.andamanadventures.com/kohlaoliang.shtml
Ao Nang: http://www.andamanadventures.com/ao_nang.shtml
Railay/Tonsai: http://www.andamanadventures.com/railay-tonsai.shtml
Runs Andaman Sky Co., Ltd, specialising in climbing and diving trips to Thailand’s best beach destinations.
What are Thailand’s best Beaches?
I am looking to go to Thailand beginning of December, I have been to Phuket, Ko Samui and Koh Pha-ngan before, so would like to give them a miss. Am looking for somewhere, where we can spend a week or two. My idea of the best beach is pristine white sand, clearest turquoise water, not too developed. And if at all possible, somewhere that has little beach huts to stay on. When we were in Koh Pha-ngan, we stayed at Baan Panburi, www.baanpanburivillage.com, and fell in love with this accommodation, so anything like that would be a dream!
Thanks so much
Coping With Thailand’s Tightened Visa Regulations
It is the end of an era in Thailand. Political changes occur rapidly in SE Asia. Nowhere is that more evident than inside the Land of Smiles. In the wake of the John Karr / JonBenet Ramsey fiasco, Thailand has tightened restrictions on Tourism Visas and stymied the lives of tens of thousands of travelers. Officials claim the two are not connected.
For many years now, backpackers have flocked to Thailand. It's tropical climate, gentle citizens, inviting beaches and ease of travel beckon youthful exuberance. Over time, many of us have matured to suitcases and still less-stylish travelers followed suit.
During these Golden Years of Thai travel visitors form 39 countries could enter the Kingdom of Thailand for thirty days without obtaining a visa before their arrival. Those staying on longer would simply make a border run, cross out of the country and return, often within minutes. Whish! Stamp! Boom! They had another thirty days.
Currently details of the new regulations are as clear as mud in an unlit cave. It appears starting October 1, 2006, travelers such as myself will be able to make a maximum of two border runs. We receive thirty days on arrival. Then, we receive thirty days each for the two reentries. After that we may not enter Thailand again for ninety days. In other words, after ninety days in, we must leave for ninety days. Whish! Stamp! Stamp! Out!
The tourism industry will suffer! From taxi drivers and guest houses, to massage schools and laundry services, the impact will be felt. I imagine a Tuk Tuk driver will look up this January and think, "Hey, where'd everybody go?" I like to believe the cumulative economic loss will be more than the Kingdom fathoms and policies will loosen again over time. I also still hang a Christmas stocking up for myself.
Alongside Thais, how are long-term travelers being affected by the changes? If you think the inconvenience to individuals is negligible, consider the following. Here are some examples.
Donald Wood - UK
"My sister and her family were to spend February in Thailand with me. They have canceled their trip. Why? Because, I'll be out for ninety days by then."
Kelly Laidlaw - USA
"I paid for a one month TEFL Course and two months 'volunteer' teacher training on Samui next year. That's three months total. I lose days from each 30 day allotment, because I have to do my visa border runs on weekend (to not miss class). This is what I'm left with. I leap into Thailand the day before class starts and sprint for Samui. Then, I fly out the day after I finish teaching/graduate. Perhaps a prospective school can interview me in the Tuk Tuk on the way to the airport."
Claude DeVosjoli - France
"I had many plans for my six months- sure to travel, but more. I'm always doing something. Mahout training, an expansive meditation experience, maybe I learn to cook Thai. And, there's trekking, Muay Thai courses... There's so much to do here. Now I can do only half. Half lose my francs. It's so hard to choose."
Barry Anderson - Australia
"Funny thing is Burma (a.k.a. Myanmar) lost business because of the Thai regs. I wanted to hop over there bouts for a week mid-November. Can't now. That would use up one of my precious two visa runs early. Don't wanna torch thirteen days I figure."
Kathy Taylor - Canada
"I sold my home to come to SE Asia for a couple years. The thinking was I would maintain a small apartment in Chiang Mai, take some classes, travel around a bit and have a place to nest and write in between. Now when I travel to other countries it will go lock, stock and barrel, along with my tourism dollars for many months."
Alan McLawrie - UK
"I'm currently taking classes to learn to speak Thai. I'll miss the third level now. Of course, I'll be off in Vietnam not able to practice what I just learned anyway. Also, I volunteer at a dog rescue and will miss the pups. I'm financially independent, yet too young to meet the 50 year old requirement for a Retirement Visa here. Officials actually said this new law will stop bad people and not hurt good people. Well, if financially successful, charitable volunteers who study their culture are bad guys, send me to the front of the line."
Anita Kroll - USA
"This change is a bit of a pickle for me. I have a three month course this spring. So, in December when my 90 is up, I have to leave Thailand for almost four months, not three. I'll need the whole next lot of ninety days to cover my class time. The course starts in late April and I'm out in December. I wish there had been more notice before the government changed things, though in retrospect I did not have to pay in advance."
As you see there are dozens of ways Thailand's new policies will cause little inconveniences. But, how little are they? You see, I am Anita. I am Alan. I am Kathy, Barry, Kelly, Donald and even Claude DeVosjoli. All these issues occurred for just one peaceful gal who simply loves Thailand. What else do these issues have in common? That's easy. They take money away (Whish!) from the Kingdom of Thailand and its citizens.
Nola L. Kelsey is the author of Bitch Unleashed: The Harsh Realities of Goin' Country and coauthor of the scathing political satire Keeping the Masses Down. To read more of Kelsey's work, visit her rarely up-to-date website at: http://www.nolakelsey.com