Originally Posted by
MikeFromTokyo
Chinmoylad, I was in Thailand at the time of the oil spill. It has been cleaned up and the water is very nice there now. I have been diving and snorkeling in Koh Samet.
The oil production is very beneficial to the Thai economy, and this particular type of oil is very well suited for petrochemical production, and therefore particularly valuable. It’s nothing to be afraid of.
I am not interested in the property, but I am sure it would be popular for corporate retreats, as well as family gatherings such as destination weddings. That’s probably the target market, not the independent high-end traveler like mosy of us on this forum.
I know - I do a fair amount of family bookings (and especially as Thailand is such a common place for Hong Kongers for the weekend) and I can't imagine any family this will appeal to - not for that price range. When I first saw the place, I was expecting a price of around ~USD 2,000/night which is definitely more appropriate.
There are a gazillion villas scattered across Thailand - even 7-bedroom+ that go for a fraction of this price - the area near COMO Point Yamu in Phuket has a few huge villas that look much nicer than that one at Rayong. Yes, the villas in Thailand vary in quality but there are some very, very nice ones out there. I'm still struggling to see the appeal.
For those families who can afford it (and many are Amanjunkies), they'd rather just go to an Aman nearby and it would probably still work out cheaper, except at Amanpuri where it would be the closest in terms in price range.