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Stories from the island.

Long-form pieces on the places, the people and the things worth writing about — from the people who live here.

Story · 1 October 2026

Phuket Vegetarian Festival 2026: A Resident's Guide to Nine Days of Gin Jay

The island's most significant annual event — nine days of Taoist ritual, street processions, spirit mediumship, and one of the best street food scenes in Southeast Asia.

Story · 30 September 2026

Phuket Fuel Crisis 2026: What It Means for Daily Life and Songkran Travel

From the Strait of Hormuz to the petrol station queue — how a war eight thousand kilometres away changed daily life on the island.

Story · 30 September 2026

The Best Muay Thai Gyms in Phuket: An Honest Breakdown for 2026

Every gym on the island organised by area, with honest assessments of who each one is for — from fighter camps to fitness retreats.

Story · 30 September 2026

Halal Food in Phuket: Where Residents Actually Go

An area-by-area guide to halal restaurants, street food, and markets across the island — from the resident perspective, not the tourist one.

Story · 30 September 2026

The Bang Tao Land Seizure: What Really Happened on Phuket's Beachfront

Two years of inspections, demolition orders, and military-led investigations have turned a stretch of Bang Tao Beach into Phuket's most contested piece of shoreline.

Story · 30 September 2026

International schools in Phuket: a guide for families relocating in 2026

Curricula, fees, catchment areas, and the questions to ask before you commit

Story · 30 September 2026

Phuket tours and day trips: the guide for people who live here

November is when the island wakes up. Here's where to point your guests — and where to go yourself.

Story · 30 September 2026

Supermarkets in Phuket: where to shop for what in 2026

Villa Market, Makro, Tops, Big C — each does something different. Here is how to use them.

Story · 30 September 2026

Dog-friendly Phuket: where to walk, eat out, and what residents actually need to know

Story · 23 September 2026

If not a nominee company, then what — how foreigners actually hold property in Thailand

The nominee crackdown is real. US$728 million in assets seized. A Phuket MP summoned by the DSI. If you are holding a villa through a Thai company structure, the question is no longer whether enforcement will reach you — it is when. So what are the legal alternatives?

Story · 23 September 2026

Thailand's cannabis U-turn — what it means for Phuket

The cabinet has approved a bill to restrict cannabis to medical use only. If you enjoy a smoke, or run one of the island's 1,000+ dispensaries, here is what is actually changing.

Story · 23 September 2026

Where to Get Your Garden Sorted in Phuket

The shops that are actually worth the trip — for plants, soil, tools, and tropical landscaping