Monthly Archives: July 2009

Price of Samui villas still high

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Price of Samui villas still high

By Chat Anupan

THE Agency for Real Estate Affairs (AREA) has disclosed that the average unit price of a housing unit on Koh Samui remains high despite a decrease of 20-40 percent in the number of projects this year due to the economic recession and other factors.

Dr. Sophon Pornchokechai, managing director of AREA, said that at present there are 46 property projects recorded on Samui.

These projects have a total of 1,114 units, which are apparently meant for the high-end market as the average price per unit is Bt18.557 million, or US$530,000.

“The targeted customers of property developers on Samui are those looking for high- end units, and these are usually from Western countries because the average unit price is still high even though the property business now on the island is not good. But the investors do not focus on the number of villas they sell but on their target group, which has a high purchasing power,” Sophon said.

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Britney Spears, Nadal to visit Samui

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Britney Spears, Nadal to visit Samui

Britney Spears, Nadal to visit Samui

By Chat Anupan

AMERICAN pop singer Britney Spears and tennis star Rafael Nadal are coming to Samui for a holiday.

Twenty-seven-year-old Spears has reportedly chosen Samui for a much-needed rest for her and her crew after her successful “comeback tour” of Europe.

No. 1 ranking tennis player Nadal, 23, may also come to Samui in September before playing in the PTT Thailand Open 2009.

According to the Siam Rath newspaper, Spears will come to Samui for a grand vacation before resuming the last leg of her concert tour scheduled in Australia and other parts of Asia.

Siam Rath said that a list of five-star resorts on Samui was presented to Spears for her to choose from. She chose Sila Evason, which she has reportedly agreed to rent for a week for 180,000 British pounds.

However, her agent did not disclose the date of her visit to safeguard her privacy.

Foreign media, including websites (such as splashnewsonline.com) and bloggers, have also reported her trip to Samui, without any mention of dates.

A US blogger, who is a professional travel writer, said on June 16 that Spears also invited her ex-husband Kevin Federline, who has been accompanying their two sons during her recent jaunt in London, along with his girlfriend Victoria Prince, to Samui.

The Spanish professional tennis player is expected to take part in the PTT Thailand Open 2009 scheduled for Sept. 26-Oct.4 at  the Impact Arena in Muang Thong Thani, Bangkok.

According to Suwat Lipatapanlop, head of the Tennis Association of Thailand, they would arrange for Nadal to visit a destination outside Bangkok before he plays in the tournament.

They were considering Phuket, Krabi or Koh Samui, he said.

“We have not yet decided on the place. We are looking for the most suitable destination,” Mr. Suwat said.

Tourism stakeholders on the island are keeping their fingers crossed that the visits of the two famous celebrities to Samui will materialize since the visits, they said, would help a lot in promoting the island’s tourism.

The fact that Spears has chosen to come here proves that Samui still has that drawing power and magic as a holiday destination, they said. –

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27 swine flu cases on Samui?

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Provincial health authorities reported 27 suspected cases of swine or A/H1N1 flu on Koh Samui.

Earlier, it was reported that a Hong Kong tourist who had visited Samui between June 4 and 5 was confirmed last June 12 to have contracted the disease.

Dr. Natthawut Prasert-phong of the Suratthani Public Health Department said the H1N1 situation on Koh Samui was still under control, with no person being found to have been infected.

“We were informed by an official in Hong Kong that the tourist who visited Koh Samui got infected. We immediately traced where that tourist stayed and whom that tourist touched. Now we have found 27 people suspected to be infected, and we asked them to cooperate. They agreed to stay away from other people and confine themselves at home for seven days from June 12,” Natthawut said.

Suratthani Gov. Pracha Taerat, meanwhile, said that people in Suratthani, including those on Samui, are being threatened not only with swine flu but also dengue fever and chikungunya, which are spreading in the area.

Being informed and updated about the diseases is the best way to keep one’s self from infection, he said.

In a related development, Bangkok Airways, which flies to Samui from Bangkok and several Asian destinations, said they would provide protective masks and gloves, as well as necessary medical treatment inflight and on the ground.

As of June 25, Thailand’s total number of H1N1 patients had risen to 985.

Of the 86 new cases, 63 were students, according to Public Health Minister Witthaya Kaewparadai.

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