Ahriman

Hello,

my name is Fabian and I am working for Yoga Vidya, the largest ashram outside of India. I am organising yoga holidays to Thailand for around 20 people in 2019. I'd like to go to Khao Sok and to Koh Phi Phi or Phuket.

I need hotels which are clean, comfortable, good looking and most important: They need to have a place for around 20 people to do yoga (around 50m²) and the hotel must serve only vegetarian food. The maximum hotel price is 100€ per night per person.

Does anybody know hotels in Khao Sok, Koh Phi Phi and Phuket with these requirements? For Khao Sok I am especially interested in floating hotels but floating hotels for Koh Phi Phi and Phuket would also be nice.

Thank you!

Best regards,

Fabian

New Zealand is an amazing country, with incredible natural beauty.

qft

@RedQualia

Thank you for sharing your experiences. I will definitely think about Vietnam. Greece doesn’t sound good to me cause I dislike the politics of the EU.

@khunPer

Thank you again very much for your detailed answer! I will talk to my lawyer and study more before I take any steps.

@NancyL

Thanks for sharing what you know.

@shaurene

Thank you very much! I sent you a PM

Does somebody know if the foreigners who own and rent out houses or list their rooms on airbnb to rent them out short term also have to set up a company?

@suzannegoh

Thanks for your advice. Do you know how much the police approximately asks? Is it a percentage of the income or does it depend on how good you are in bargaining?

“When you cut throught all the liberal busllshit, what it boils down to is that he's talking about moving his parents here to help him run an illegal business. But go ahead with that plan son, it will generate you much better karma than if you learn a trade and get a job in your own country.”

Why would the business be illegal? I’m very lucky I’m not your son… and I’m not doing it for the karma but the well-being of my family but that’s probably also “liberal bullshit” for you… you can keep enslaving yourself to an exploitive system but please stop telling other people to do so!

@LarryBird

Thanks for explaining me the unfair ways of Thais doing business. I can imagine it’s true I also lived on Samui for 3 years.

“You've been given a lot of opinions from people who actually live here, and are taking the time to respond to what you are proposing. Perhaps you should consider that not every person in this thread is an idiot who is out to get you.“

I don’t think that everybody is an idiot. Many people gave me good advice for what I’m very thankful but a few don’t try to give constructive critique but rather denounce my ideas.

“I would hate to see my mother of a retirement age, vomiting her intestines out, because I wanted to come here and run a yoga studio.”

As I said we would have a permaculture garden and mainly get food from there.

„Good luck.“

Thanks.

@dotpoom

If you yourself do not know, how on earth is it possible for a complete stranger to know the workings of your parent's minds?

Well, what minimaxx suggested and what I already did actually helped my parents a lot as I wrote in my last post so that should be your proof that it’s possible…

@masuk

I agree completely thanks for your post

@rijb

“I get tired of rice farmers has asking me for yoga lessons all the time. They'll be thrilled to know you're on the way.“

You made me laugh I should have explained how yoga retreats work. It’s not meant for residents to come by and do yoga but for people, mainly foreigners, to book a vacation online for several days or weeks and live, practice and eat there. I agree that with usual yoga studios it’s actually very difficult to cover the costs.

@Just1Voice

Thank you very much for your valuable advice!

“…DO NOT count on lawyers to set it up for you with "Thai Owners" you don't know….”

Alright thanks, then I would ask my Thai friend.

“2nd - "Copycat" businesses. If you have a good business going, you can bet your ass that within a year, there will be 3-4-5 others, all within a stones throw, that will open up as well, all taking business from each other, and no one really making any money.”

I just though about that and the good thing is that yoga resorts mainly advertise their costumers through the internet or by recommendations so it wouldn’t make much sense to set up a resort next to ours and if somebody still does it wouldn’t bother us much.

“3rd - Cops. You can bet your ass they will come by weekly/monthly, to collect their fee, and you will have NO CHOICE but to pay it. If you don't, they will find a way to shut you down quick, fast, and in a hurry. And it won't do you a damn bit of good to report them to their superiors, as they money they collect from you is also split with their superiors. Reporting them will only result in more headaches for you. Your licenses will come under serious scrutiny, and could easily be "revoked" by them if you don't play ball with them.”

I would also like to ask you the question I asked suzannegoh:

Do you know how much the police approximately asks? Is it a percentage of the income or does it depend on how good you are in bargaining?

@impulse

“Let them decide later whether to invest in the Yoga studio.”

They wouldn’t have to invest if they don’t want.

“Best of luck whatever you decide.”

Thank you.

@stephenterry

Thank you for the information. I know about the yoga and other spiritual places in Chiang Mai. Would it make sense to integrate the resort in one of their businesses so that the bureaucratic issues are not that high?

“As far as your mother is concerned, if her main worry is uncleanliness, better leave her in Germany, because there are far worse things to worry about. “

May you point out the worse things please?

@khunPer

Thank you for your great advice!

“It’s a great Idea and I wish you and your parents good luck.” Thank you very much!

“For each foreigner’s WP you normally need to employ 4 Thais”

Wow, I thought I only need 2 or 3 Thais per foreigner. Thanks for clarifying! Do you know if they have to work fulltime or can it be a half-day job?

“Foreigners are also expected to receive – or pay tax of – a minimum salary level, typically 40k to 50k baht a month”

Thanks, I also didn’t know about that.

“To be granted a WP for a foreigner the Thai Co. Ltd. Normally need at least one year’s statement, and showing a profit (pay some company tax).“

So in the first year I would not be able to work in the company even if I’m the second biggest shareholder?

“Thai shareholders today need to show proof of funds for their shares; i.e. the 51% that may be 2,040,000 baht.”

I also didn’t know about that. So the money of the company doesn’t have to be on the bank account of the company but on the account of each individual shareholder. Do you know if I could send the money to the Thai shareholder and she sends it back right after she gave the proof? I don’t want to hold lots of paper money for a long time cause I think there is gonna be a word wide hyper inflation soon.

@canarysun

I appreciate your advice, thank you!

@Gonzo the Face

I would appreciate your tips very much. I’m open to all opinions I just conclude my own opinion of all the information I get but for sure I don’t know if I’m right.

@Shaunduhpostman

Thank you for your honest opinion!

@nithisa78

Thank you very much! Your post gives me strength!

Thank you very much minimaxx for your constructive post.

​"- Why do your parents have to move with you in the first place? May it be possible to try it out by your own for the first months?"

Politics and economy are changing dramatically in the EU. The EU is suppressing the people more and more by taxes etc. There might even be a war in Europe because the USA want to have a war with Russia. Recently the EU set up a law which allows the police to shoot demonstrators even if they are unarmed. That’s also a reason why I would like my parents to move away from Europe.

"- What are your reasons/expectations for/in opening A yoga studio IN Chiang Mai?"

Many yogis, lots of national parks so I can offer nature yoga retreats, food is growing very good, it’s very cheap, people are even more friendly than in the south and the climate is very good.

"- What are other possible options for the near future?"

Moving to New Zealand, Canada or Indonesia and opening a yoga retreat there.

I also made a huge list of pros and cons of living in Chiang Mai already that helped my parents a lot.

“All the best!“

Thank you!

@ Impulse

“Your parents have every reason to be afraid.”

What are those reasons?

“What's your plan for registering the business and getting yourself and your parents permission to live and work in Thailand?”

My parents have lots of savings, they are pensioners with a high pension and I have lots of savings as well. My parents wouldn’t have to work there so they could get a retirement visa and I would have to set up a company.

“Who will your 51% Thai owners be? Who will your Thai employees be? “

The Thai owner will be a good friend I know for many years or I heard that lawyers provide Thai people. Does somebody have experiences with that? My employees will be a Thai housemaid, cook and gardener. I guess people from Myanmar don’t count do they?

@NancyL

“What is scary is spending your retirement years running a business in Thailand where you pour your time, energy and money into a proposition that is doomed to failure.”

555, to summarise: you know pretty much nothing about me, my parents and our plans but you already know that our business would be doomed to failure à smart conclusions. I feel very lucky being able to judge things more differentiated and not having to live with a mindset like that. Thank you god and thank you for showing me how blessed I am!

“And your parents will be stuck in Hang Dong, where they'll be isolated from other people their own age and nationality.”

There are huge expat communities in Chiang Mai, many people who come to the yoga retreat will be their age and nationality. They can always invite friends, family or other interesting people to live at the resort.

“P.S. -- this is your dream, not theirs.”

I already wrote that my parents want to create a yoga retreat with me they also think it’s the thing to do.

@LarryBird

“There's a yoga studio on every corner now. It's the latest fad, (although an old one.)”

We don’t even have to make any money from the resort cause we have enough savings. We open the resort because we want to be around of other holistic and spiritual people if we would only have 10 students per month that’s totally fine. Besides we could also export dried and fresh organic fruits from our permaculture garden to first world countries many people are willing to pay lots of money for organic exotic fruits.

“Why can't you open a studio in Germany where you will have the benefit of a reasonable just system, culture, and competitors will look to actually compete with you, rather than find new and improved ways to report you to law enforcement?”

See above what I wrote about the EU, the judge system changed dramatically in Germany, foreigners who did honor killing or rapists got set free because it’s part of their culture and this is unfortunately not a single case. Many other things like that are happening as well.

“competitors will look to actually compete with you, rather than find new and improved ways to report you to law enforcement?”

Could you explain me this part again please?

@worgeordie

“So good luck with trying to get your parents to move here,especially

if you want them to invest in a business.”

Thanks for wishing me good luck my parents would not even have to invest their money it’s alright if they pay a small part from the rent of the house.

@arunsadka

“Agriculture is a prohibited profession for foreigners so these competitors may grass you to the labor department for example if you are seen working in the garden instead of Thai employee.”

Wow, I didn’t know about that. The work I’m planning to do in the garden would probably be just enough to feed my parents and me so I guess that’s legit but I still can imagine that it might cause troubles.

“Don't forget the crooked policemen who will stop by regularly to fleece every Pfennig they can bleed from you.”

I didn’t think about them as well :/ Do you think they even demand protection money from yoga resorts?

@CNXBKKMAN

“I would say do it but dont invest more than your happy to lose, profits could be slim or non at all? Would you still be happy doing it if that was the outcome?”

Yeah, I do it mainly to live together with my parents in a warm country with other interesting people having the same interests as us and eating lots of organic fresh food and you are right, we are a vegetarian family.

@elgordo38

“A lot of good advice in the above post and baby steps is the best idea start small.”

I agree baby steps are the way to go.

Hello,

I want to move with my parents in a suburb of Chiang Mai, Thailand in order to open a yoga resort with permaculture garden where I would teach yoga.

My parents want to create a yoga resort with me. Thailand is only unfamiliar to them and therefore they are afraid. They have already visited me on Koh Samui and they liked it only my mother found the people very unhygienic (mainly how people handle the meat at the local markets). The biggest problem is probably the fear that they don't know exactly what to expect and how the future will look like but in fact they also don't know that if they would stay in Germany.

What are methods to take this fear from my parents ?

I have already found an optimal house that is very low in rent and I would like to sign the lease soon. But both my parents still have to work until the end of the year therefore they can't come to Thailand again to get their own impression of Chiang Mai. But if they don't like it the worst case would be that they move after 6 months or so back to Germany or in another country and I will operate the retreat alone at least until the contract runs out.

Many thanks for your help!

each of us works and as I said we were here for 10 days only. We already tried to hire a maid for example we told the real estate agent that we need one and she said "yeah no problem I've a good one for you" but the she didn't answer again.

We also saw an ad at Tesco and I wrote down the number but somebody stole my mobile. That's just unlucky.

But I don't have to explain u anything. I just want to know how difficult it is for the landlord to kick us out.

@BWPattaya: That's correct I wouldn't he happy but I wouldn't kick out the tenants without any advance warning just because it's dirty. I mean everything was completly clean in not more than 2 hours and we didn't damage anything.

Hi,

my 4 friends and I rented an apartment on Koh Samui and we would like to know how often the landlord can visit his apartment? In Germany it's this way that he has to announce it at least 24 hours before he would like to see it.

He also said that there were several complainings of other guys who live in the same house and if that happens again we have to move out. But we get along very good with each of our neighbours we guess that he want's just to kick us out because our apartment was pretty dirty after 10 days without a maid because each of us is used to have a maid so nobody was cleaning etc. but we were not able to hire one but now we have one.

Is it easy for a landlord in Thailand to kick his tenants out?

Thank you.

Hektor