Thailand a Thousand Villas

Villa Emerald residence

2009-07-21T01:38:00.002+07:00

Location
On the Northern coast of Koh Samui, 25 minutes from the Airport and Chaweng. In the Summer low tide season when the reef is dry for up to 100m, this opens the beach and reef up to all sorts of other activities such as beach volleyball, football or simply exploring the rock pools and collecting shellfish, a safe and ideal exciting activity for children.

Accommodation

The Emerald Residence consists of three stylish villas directly on stunning Kao Laem Noi beach with panoramic views across to the famed Angthong Marine Park and surrounding islands.

Each of these tranquil villas is made up of two buildings; a modern glass inspired sleeping wing that makes the most of the dazzling ocean vista, whilst the adjacent living quarter is set in a cozy wooden building beside the beach. Both dwellings are connected by a large wooden deck and feature large glass folding doors that create the inside-out living concept.

Although the warm iridescent sea and quiet beach are beckoning on the villa’s door-step, your sanctuary also offers the luxury of your own private infinity edge swimming pool, tropical garden and expanse of grass covering the rest of the property to enjoy.

Two of the three villas have 2 double bedrooms each with king-size bed and with en-suite bathroom, and the third villa has 3 bedrooms consisting of 2 en-suite double bedrooms
each with king-size bed, and a smaller third bedroom featuring children’s bunk beds sleeping up to 4 children. m featuring In each villa’s sleeping wing there is also a peaceful TV room which attracts the afternoon sun for that perfect siesta!

The light and airy living quarter consists of a fully equipped kitchen, dining area, lounge and the villas main bathroom. It conveniently opens out on to the main pool deck and is the perfect place to relax and enjoy the cool ocean breeze and watch the stunning sunsets that the west coast of Koh Samui is renowned for.

Facilities

* WIFI ADSL
Decking area with sun beds
* TV Satellite, DVD/CD player
* Direct beach access
Fully furnished inc. linens/towels
* Fully equipped kitchen
* All bedrooms are air-conditioned

Services

* The villa staff will visit throughout the day to ensure the villa is kept clean and tidy
* The Villa Manageress is available to cater to the guests every need
* Bed linen is changed every third day, while towels are changed as necessary
* Pool towels are provided and replenished as deemed necessary
* Shopping list on request, Thai Chef service on request and availability
* In-Villa wine selection
* Concierge service for all tours and activities; private tours can also be arranged
* Car rental with or without driver, full insurance coverage
* Baby sitting service on request and availability
* In-villa spa treatment with extended menu

Extras

* Minimum stay of 3 nights (14 nights over Christmas and New Year, 5 nights for High and Prime seasons)
* Rates shown are for a maximum of up to 4 or 6 (four or six) Guests (including children) depending on rate scheme allocated. Extra bed will be charged at US$50 per night
* Daily Rates and extra beds are subject to 10% service charge and 7% tax
* Airport transfer: US$ 30 (plus tax) per trip for a maximum of 7 passengers in private mini bus or luxury car
* Baby cot provided free of charge
* Rates include daily Continental breakfast
* For weddings and private parties, surcharge may be applicable depending on number of guests

Attractions

* Nathon town and its local fresh markets
* Taling Ngam and Angthong Marine Park
* Maenam & Bophut/Fisherman’s Village

Pricing

unless explicitly mentioned otherwise prices are quote in US$/night
and subject to additional government tax and service charges

2 br

Season Price Season Periode

Intermediate 375 May 15 - Jun 30, Sep 01 - Dec 14
High 420 Jan 08 - 31, Feb 11 - Mar 15, Apr 01 - May 14, Jul 01 - 31
Prime 440 Feb 01 - 10, Mar 16 - 31, Aug 1 - 31
Peak 550 Dec 15 - Jan 07

Baan Paradise at Patong

2009-07-21T01:04:00.007+07:00

Location
49 high class apartment condominiums, in a resort development, approximately 400 meters from Karon Beach, offering Ocean View Penthouses plus Mountain and Pool View Apartments. The Village is centrally located with the nightlife of Patong and major shopping centers only 10 minutes away. Karon Beach is less than 10 minutes walking distance from the resort, as well as shops, bars and restaurants.

Space & Specification
40 units of 2-bedroom and 2-bathroom apartments of 88 to 118 sq m in 10 buildings. 4 of the buildings are Thai style and 6 of the buildings are modern style. There are also 9 Penthouses at the top of the buildings which have a total area of 176 to 356 sq m, offering Spectacular Sea Views.

All apartments have two bathrooms, kitchen, living room and big balconies. The penthouses are 1- to 3-bedroom, high class luxury apartments which have a private rooftop terrace with a Jacuzzi and Sala that is perfect for small barbecues and cocktail parties, with sunset views over the ocean. An optional furniture package of high class tropical design is also available.

Interiors with real stone walls, thick hardwood floors surrounded by solid granite borders, solid teak kitchen and bathroom cupboards, granite countertops, built-in wardrobes and glass bowl sinks come standard in all apartments, as well as Franke and Siemens appliances in the kitchens. All units have WiFi internet connection, satellite TV and phone line. All buildings surround a gigantic 100 meter swimming pool with an island in the middle. Situated on this island is the Paradise Clubhouse which has a restaurant, bar, gym and reception area.

Management
A minimal monthly fee will be paid by owners to the property management company to cover all common area services, keeping the village to a resort standard.

Rental Services
A minimal 20% rental management fee is charged on rental income, allowing owners to receive a generous rental return on their investment. Owners may use their apartments at any time without restrictions.

The Legal Package
Apartments and penthouses will be sold to foreign nationals on a freehold basis. A foreign national may own 49% with the freehold title in their name while the remaining 51% can be owned on a freehold status through a controlling interest in a Thai company.

Pricing

unless explicitly mentioned otherwise prices are quote in US$/night
and subject to additional government tax and service charges

5 br

Season Price Season Periode

Low 900 May thru November
High 1400 December thru April
Peak 2200 Dec 15 - Jan 15

Samui Island

2009-07-19T00:40:00.002+07:00

Samui is the largest of about 80 islands lying off Surat Thani province. Tourists started visiting here in the early 1970s and the place started to gain popularity among the backpacker set as Phuket's rising number of visitors started making it too expensive. An airport opened in the late 1980s made the island easier to get to for the general public and Samui is now almost equal in popularity with Phuket.

Koh Samui is located in the Gulf of Thailand, about 35km northeast of Surat Thani town (9°N, 100°E). It is surrounded by about sixty other islands, most of which comprise the Ang Thong National Marine Park, but also include other tourist destinations Ko Pha Ngan, Ko Tao and Ko Nang Yuan.

The island is roughly circular in shape, and is about 15km across. The central part of the island is an (almost) uninhabitable mountain jungle (peak Khao Pom, 635m) and the various lowland areas are connected together by a single road, that covers the circumference of the island.

The old capital is Nathon, on the southwest coast of the island, and remains the major port for fishing and inter-island transportation. Nathon is the seat of the regional government, and the true commercial hub of the Samui locals. It has a charming pace, and is almost small enough to walk everywhere. The old Chinese shop houses along the middle street wisper of an exotic history.

Each of Samui's primary beaches is now also nominally considered a town, due to the number of hotels, restaurants and bars that have sprung up in recent years.

The island was probably first inhabited about 15 centuries ago, settled by fishermen from Malay Peninsula and Southern China. It appears on Ming Dynasty maps dating back to 1687, under the name Pulo Cornam. The name Samui is mysterious in itself. Perhaps it is an extension of the name of one of the native trees, mui, or it is a corruption of the Chinese word Saboey, meaning "safe haven".

Until the late 20th century, Samui was an isolated self-sufficient community, having little connection with the mainland of Thailand. The island was even without roads until the early 1970s, and the 15km journey from one side of the island to the other involved a whole-day trek through the mountainous central jungles.

Today, Samui has a population of about forty-five thousand, and lives on a successful tourist industry, as well as exports of coconut and rubber. It even has its own international airport, Samui Airport, with flights daily to Bangkok and other major airports in Southeast Asia. While the island presents an unspoiled image to the public perception, economic growth has brought not only prosperity, but changes to the island's environment and culture, a source of conflict between local residents and migrants from other parts of Thailand and other countries. Reflecting Samui's growth as a tourist destination, the Cunard ship MS Queen Victoria (a 2000-plus passenger ship) will dock at Samui during its 2008 world cruise.

The reason for visiting Samui is the sun, sand and sea. There aren't a lot of things to see on the island, but with more development comes more options. Among the highlights of things to see away from the beach are the Grandfather and Grandmother Stones, A pair of rocks sculpted by the wind and water into rather suggestive shapes. Inland from the beaches are several waterfalls, the most popular of which is the Na Muang falls. If you really want to escape the crowds, then we suggest a visit to the relatively undeveloped southern coast and the Laem Sor Pagoda.

Definitely not to be missed is Angthong National Marine Park. A day trip out of Samui will take you to this park consisting of more than 40 islands and islets. There are some very spectacular views from the largest island, and an emerald green inland lake hidden within the limestone walls of another island.

Phuket

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Phuket is Thailand's largest island, a idyllic site for the country's premier international beach resort. Much of the island's charm is that the ocean facing west coast is lined with a series of bays where white sand beaches span between two rocky points. This makes for a series of relatively intimate places rather than one big unbroken stretch of sand lined with high rise hotels and packed with people. See the Phuket beaches page for an overall map to the main beaches and towns of the island.

Phuket (formerly known as Tha-Laang or Talang) is one of the southern provinces (changwat) of Thailand. Neighbouring provinces are (from north clockwise) Phang Nga and Krabi, but as Phuket is an island there are no land boundaries. The island is served by Phuket International Airport, located in the north of the island. The ph of "Phuket" is an aspirated "p", so the name is pronounced (roughly) "Poock-get". The name Phuket is apparently derived from the word bukit in Malay which means mountain or hill, as this is what the island appears like from a distance.

Before that its old name was Ta-lang, derived from the old Malay "Telong" which means "Cape". The northern district of the province, which was the location of the old capital, still uses this name.

Phuket might not have the historical sites that Bangkok and Chiang Mai have, but it does have a few. Most visitors spend their time at the beaches and in the bars. The most heavily-hyped attraction is the Phuket Fantasea show at Kamala Beach, a self-proclaimed "cultural theme park", but comparisons to Disneyland are exaggerated at best.

Of course, we can't talk about Phuket without mentioning the tsunami which affected a wide area of the Indian Ocean on 26 December 2004. The big wave affected different beaches to varying degrees. Karon, which has a rather steep beach, was relatively unaffected, while Patong's long gentle slope allowed the water to flow several blocks inland and well past the second floor of the buildings nearer the beach. Many businesses in Patong were effectively destroyed.

As befits a mature international resort destination, Phuket has a large variety of sun and surf activities so there's something for just about everyone. Some would argue that Phuket's development as an international destination has made it a little less exotic. While this is certainly true of some places, there's still a lot of local color to be found for those willing to step away from the beach and look for it.

Welcome to Thailand

2009-07-19T00:24:00.002+07:00

Thailand is a huge country of more than 60 million people. With more than 1,000 years of history since the founding of the first Thai kingdoms, and influences ranging from China to India to Portugal, the country's major regions have each developed their own distinctive culture. Each region also has its own landscape as well. All this goes to make Thailand a varied experience for the tourist.

The central plains are dominated by the capital of Bangkok, with its royal temples, immense shopping centers and more than 100 museums. Outside of Bangkok, the central region also has the ancient capital of Siam, Ayutthaya.

East of Bangkok, the coast stretches to the seaside playground of Pattaya. To the northeast, a high flat plateau is a region Thais refer to as Isan. Here you'll find many ancient remnants of the Khmer empire that built Angkor Wat, such as Prasat Hin Phimai.

The north is something of the cultural heart of Thailand, home to what is thought to be the first Thai kingdom of Yonok. Descendants of this kingdom established the long-lived kingdom of Lanna in Chiang Mai, which remains the capital of the north and a major tourist destination. Other popular cities in the north include Chiang Rai, a popular base for exploring the Golden Triangle, and Mae Hong Son, for those looking for someplace off the beaten track.

The islands and beaches of the south are the place for dedicated sun worshippers. The most popular destinations are the islands of Phuket and Samui.