Best of
Thailand best-of guides on travel, lifestyle, entertainment, and property—discover hidden gems, top attractions, and expert tips. Explore with The Thaiger, your trusted source for the best experiences in Thailand.
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Royally-donated cancer drug reaches 215 gold card patients so far
The government says a royally-donated cancer drug has reached 215 patients so far. That’s out of 4,420 registered to receive it. Distribution continues toward a target of 23,000 boxes by October. Deputy government spokesperson Ploythale Laksameesangchan said on August 21 that the National Health Security Office (NHSO) has so far delivered 2,880 boxes of the drug, IMCRANIB, to Lopburi Cancer…
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Blue Bottle Coffee Thailand debuts at Central Park with Kyoto-style tap bar
Blue Bottle Coffee has opened its first store in Thailand at Central Park, marking the international coffee brand’s official entry into the Thai market. The store opened on August 21, 2026, on Level 1 of Central Park and operates daily from 10am to 10pm. The opening makes Thailand the seventh country globally where Blue Bottle Coffee has established a presence,…
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34 things to do in Bangkok for every mood
A monk collecting alms outside a 7-Eleven. A rooftop bar looking down on a floating market from six decades up. Bangkok runs on contrast, and most first-time visitors only scratch one layer of it. Whatever kind of trip you’re planning, there are things to do in Bangkok for every pace and every budget, from gold-leaf temples to a forensic museum…
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Phuket’s top restaurants and bars to join PHOODIE Phuket Food Festival 2026
The Phuket Hotels Association will present PHOODIE Phuket Food Festival 2026 from 20 to 29 November, bringing together 50 restaurants and bars for a ten-day celebration of Phuket’s diverse culinary scene. The island-wide programme will connect residents and visitors through special PHOODIE Road Map dining experiences at participating venues, the PHOODIE Meet walking-street-style market at Limelight Mall, and the prestigious,…
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The living will in Thailand: your legal right to refuse life-prolonging treatment
There is a document in Thailand that most people have never heard of and almost no one thinks about until it is too late. It is called a หนังสือแสดงเจตนา, formally translated as a Declaration of Intent, though most people refer to it as a Living Will. It lets you write down, while you are still healthy and able to speak…
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5 things to do in Bangkok this weekend (August 21 to 23)
Bangkok has found some fairly unusual ways to fill the weekend. A theatre festival is turning performances into interactive playgrounds, exotic pets are heading to school at Seacon Square, and a tiny book fair at BACC is bringing together reads and crafts from across Southeast Asia. Saturday night gets stranger still with comedy, beatboxing and DJs aboard Bangkok Island, while…
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No matter how fit you are, recovery matters: five ways to recover after a HYROX race
Finishing a HYROX race is only half the job. Recovery is what allows the body to rebuild after the combination of running and high-intensity functional workouts before returning to a regular training routine. According to Fitness First, effective post-HYROX recovery covers five areas: replacing protein and fluids, doing active recovery, sleeping seven to nine hours, gradually increasing training load, and…
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Inside SIMPRO Academy Phuket, the simulator centre that is serious enough for real pilots and racing drivers
A rainy afternoon in Phuket does not leave you with quite as many options as a sunny one, which is part of what makes SIMPRO Academy Phuket interesting. Found inside Soho Pool Club at Boat Lagoon Marina, it swaps the beach and boat trips for proper racing simulators in a fully air-conditioned space. It is open from 9am to 9pm…
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The exclusions you probably haven’t read will cost you in Thailand
A single night in a private room at Bangkok Hospital can run past 25,000 baht before any treatment is added to the bill. Most expats assume their health insurance handles that kind of cost without a second thought. But the truth is, the exclusions section of the policy, the part almost nobody reads past the first page, is often where…
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Why is Thai food so spicy when Thailand is already so hot?
It is a reasonable question. Thailand sits in one of the hottest, most humid regions in the world, and its food is built around chilli in a way that makes most Western cuisines look timid. The obvious follow-up is whether eating spicy food in that heat makes any sense at all, or whether it is just something people do because…
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Central Pattana reports strong Q2 2026 results as core business reaches new high
Central Pattana plc reported strong Q2 2026 results, with total revenue of 13.1 billion baht, up 8% year-on-year, and net profit of 4.75 billion baht, up 10% year-on-year, supported by continued growth across its core business. The company’s core business reached a new high for the fourth consecutive quarter, reflecting stronger performance from new shopping centre openings, asset enhancements, tenant…
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Women built Thailand’s hotel industry, but they still don’t run it
Hospitality has never had a talent problem when it comes to women. It has a seniority problem. Women make up 51.2% of the global hospitality workforce, according to industry data reported by Hospitality Investor in March 2025, yet hold only 30% of executive roles. Thailand’s hotel and tourism sector reflects the same gap, and on 3 September, a new industry…
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Why Thais give jasmine to their mothers and what the flower actually represents
Every August in Thailand, jasmine appears everywhere. As garlands, brooches, small bouquets, and school ceremony gifts, the small white flower is passed from children to mothers on August 12. To understand why, you need to understand two things: the date itself, and what jasmine means to Thai culture. A day tied to the Mother of the Nation Thailand’s National Mother’s…
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5 things to do in Bangkok this weekend (August 7 to 9)
Bangkok has a particularly playful mix of things happening this weekend, and the energy carried over from last week into something with a bit more spectacle. Dinosaurs are taking over the riverside with fireworks and outdoor films, international performers are telling stories without saying a word, and classic cars are gathering in Bangna for a market built around design, music,…
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Jurassic World Bangkok roars into its first anniversary at Asiatique
Jurassic World: The Experience at Asiatique The Riverfront Destination is marking its first anniversary in Bangkok with a month-long programme of Chao Phraya riverfront activities throughout August 2026, including fireworks, free movie screenings, and complimentary ferry tickets for visitors. The attraction, promoted as the world’s largest immersive Jurassic World experience, spans more than 6,000 square metres at Asiatique The Riverfront…
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Central Pattana launches ‘Mom Moments’ campaign celebrating motherhood across Thailand
Central Pattana plc, operator of Central shopping centres nationwide, has launched its Mom Moments: Proud Mom. Proud of My Mom. campaign for August, celebrating the love, pride, and bond between mothers and children through nationwide activities, experiences, and promotions. The campaign draws inspiration from the royal statement by Her Majesty Queen Sirikit, the Queen Mother, “I love being a mother…
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5 things to do in Bangkok this weekend (July 31 to August 2)
Bangkok’s weekend calendar has found a comfortable balance between doing absolutely nothing and having far too much to browse. You can sit silently in Benchakitti Park, hunt for home inspiration at one of the year’s biggest lifestyle fairs, explore handmade goods at a creative market, catch rarely screened Hong Kong films, or admire the precision behind Japanese craftsmanship. Whether the…
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Are you actually covered at private hospitals in Thailand, or just insured?
A patient with private health insurance in Thailand is admitted to a hospital in Bangkok, and the hospital still asks for a deposit before it will begin treatment. That isn’t a clerical error or a rare exception. It’s how the system is designed to work, and most expats only discover it once they’re standing at the admissions desk with a…
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How to watch the 2026/27 Premier League Season online in Thailand
Thailand’s football fans have a settled streaming landscape for the 2026/27 English Premier League (EPL) season. AIS Play and MONOMAX, which took over exclusive rights last season, are back for year two of what is a six-season deal, so the platform is familiar, the coverage is comprehensive, and the prices remain among the most competitive in the world for top-flight…
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Phoenix Manufacturing announces new 925 Silver Jewelry collections ahead of trade fairs
Phoenix Manufacturing Co., Ltd., a Samut Prakan-based sterling silver jewellery manufacturer and wholesaler, has announced new 925 Silver Jewelry collections ahead of upcoming international trade fairs in Bangkok and Hong Kong. As transparency and ethical sourcing gain attention from celebrities and influencers, “Made in Thailand” has found its way onto more sourcing lists over the past five years than ever…
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7 things that will void your health insurance in Thailand
Health insurance in Thailand rarely lets you down at the point of purchase. It fails at the point of the claim, usually for a reason you never saw coming, whether you’re a working expat, a retiree on a long-stay visa, or a family that’s relocated here for good. That’s exactly why expat health insurance in Thailand deserves a closer look than most…
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How Four Twenty is advancing cannabis health benefits under Thailand’s 2026 medical framework
Thailand’s cannabis market looked very different three years ago. At its peak, more than 18,000 cannabis establishments operated across the country with minimal oversight. Today, over 7,000 of those shops have closed after failing to meet the conditions of a sweeping regulatory overhaul that transformed the industry from an open retail market into a strictly controlled medical framework. What is…
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5 things to do in Bangkok this weekend (July 24 to 26)
Bangkok feels fairly easy to enjoy this weekend if you do not want to rush it. You can step into a full-scale anime pop-up at ICONSIAM, browse pre-loved luxury finds at centralwOrld, drift through an exhibition at JWD Art Space, catch a free live music afternoon at BACC, or head to River City for something a little more reflective. It…
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Vaccinations for Thailand travel 2026: what you need, what you don’t, and what the law requires
Thailand has no mandatory vaccine entry requirements for most nationalities arriving from Western countries. But that does not mean vaccinations for travel to Thailand are a formality. The country is tropical, the food and water carry real risks, and the gap between what is required and what is genuinely recommended is wide enough to cause problems if you ignore it.…
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5 moves to make with your expat health insurance in Thailand before 60
Expat health insurance in Thailand gets harder to buy the closer you get to 60. If that birthday is creeping up on you, you’ve probably already wondered whether your current coverage will actually hold up when you need it most. Insurers don’t just charge more as you age; they also treat your medical history very differently depending on when you…
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Local or international health insurance in Thailand? (2026)
Most expats either buy local or international health insurance in Thailand to satisfy a visa officer, not because they’ve actually worked out what they need. It’s a box to tick, a document to upload, and then it’s forgotten about until something goes wrong. That approach has always carried some risk. In 2026, it carries more than usual. A handful of…
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5 things to do in Bangkok this weekend (July 17 to 19)
Bangkok has a nicely mixed weekend ahead. You can stay up late for the World Cup final with a crowd in Railway Park, step into a cursed Korean palace in Song Wat, spend time around custom cars and motorsport culture at IMPACT, browse some of the best student art in the city, or keep things simple with a food-heavy stop…
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EVOLVE MMA opens first academy in Thailand at EmSphere, Bangkok
EVOLVE MMA, Asia’s championship martial arts brand, has opened EVOLVE EmSphere in Bangkok, marking the brand’s first academy in Thailand and the beginning of its long-term plan to grow the martial arts community in the country. Located at EmSphere in the heart of Bangkok, the academy offers 5-star training facilities designed for all ages and experience levels, from complete beginners…
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Have a furry friend? What is available, what it costs, and where to look for pet-friendly condos in 2026
Bangkok has more pet-friendly condominiums than it did five years ago. That is the good news. The less good news is that they still represent roughly 10 to 15% of the total market, according to FazWaz data, which means finding one that also fits your budget, your preferred neighbourhood, and your BTS commute takes more work than a standard condo…
