Top 10 Private Villas in Phuket by PhuketVillas.com

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Many tourists who want to explore Asian tropical beaches are going to Phuket, Thailand and Asia's premier tropical destination with more than 4 million visitors a year. Phuket is famous with its beautiful white sand beaches, delicious cuisine, spectacular lifestyle, vibrant towns and interesting culture and traditions. There are lots of enjoyable activities that you can do in Phuket like playing golf, sailing, diving, snorkeling, shopping, bar hopping and food tripping. For accommodation, you should try one of Phuket's private villas with private pool, staff, facilities and amenities. You could find them online by just searching them in Google or Bing search engines. PhuketVillas.com, a website that features Phuket villas, reviewed and rated some of the best private villas in Phuket that you should consider looking at when your planning to stay in Phuket for vacation.

VILLA AMANZI

With its acclaimed design and spectacular west-facing perch above the Andaman Sea, Villa Amanzi offers a postcard-perfect tropical escape with a modern twist. Set in a private estate that's a world away from Phuket's busy tourist districts, this lavish 6-bedroom, fully-staffed villa is a heaven-sent haven for families and groups. Book This Villa Now!

VILLA CHI 

With clear views over the ocean and Kamala Bay, the vivid 3-bedroom Villa Chi blends modern style with a gorgeous tropical seafront setting. Guests will relish Chi's spectacular sunset views, 16m waterfall pool and entertainment facilities, and enjoy complimentary access to the superb amenities at the Cape Sienna luxury resort. Book This Villa Now!

SAMSARA ESTATE

Set in an exclusive enclosed development perched on the cliffs between Patong and Kamala, this delightful, fully-serviced 4-bedroom villa with its dramatically positioned infinity pool effortlessly blends luxury and style, delivering an ideal location for a private coastal escape, minutes away from some of Phuket's best nightlife and shopping. Book This Villa Today!

VILLA BEYOND BANGTAO

Spectacular sea views and an exclusive hillside location just minutes from Surin and Bang Tao beaches make the 6-bedroom Villa Beyond Bangtao an enticing, exciting retreat for families and groups. Celebrate Phuket's tropical days and nights in style with the private pool, chef service, Sonos entertainment system and rooftop terrace. Book This Villa Now!

VILLA ZAMANI

This modern five bedroom villa with amazing sea views from atop a jungle-clad hill in Surin is truly a place for celebrating life with family and friends. Offering a stunning cinema room, top-notch technology throughout, seven friendly staff and an infinity pool, Villa Zamani offers a full spectrum of tropical delights. Book this Villa Now!

VILLA PADMA

With world-class architectural design and a amazing sea-view perch, the fully staffed, four bedroom Villa Padma presents an exquisite escape into the lush Cape Yamu region on Phuket's eastern coast. Groups and families will enjoy refreshing dips in the 25m pool and entertaining in grand style, plus easy access to yachting and golfing. Experience luxury at Villa Padma. Book This Villa Now!

L'ORCHIDEE RESIDENCES

Part of L'Orchidée Residences estate, the delightful 4 (+1) bedroomed Villa Aranda commands spectacular views overlooking the vibrant Patong Bay, Phuket's popular tourist center, on the island's famous west coast.

Book this villa now! Also visit other villas in the L'Orchidee estate here.

VILLA I

Villa I is an elegant, seven bedroom tropical villa perfect for extended families as well as groups. Located on the picturesque Kamala headland, its sweeping sea views offers the perfect backdrop for a splashy event. A carefree island escape is assured with the villa's 25 meter pool, amazing entertainment facilities and skilled Thai chef. Book this villa now!

VILLA LIBERTY

With mesmerizing views across the rugged coastline of Kamala from its imposing hillside perch, the fully staffed, six-bedroom Villa Liberty presents groups an extravagant tropical vacation. Liberty has extensive entertainment facilities, talented chef, infinity pool, two lifts and spectacular ocean-view massage room make it both a perfect party place and tranquil refuge. Book This Villa Now!

PARESA GRAND VILLA

The ultimate in cool luxury, Paresa Grand Villa serves up a heavenly hillside retreat with three (yes, three!) private  swimming pools and four elegant, modern bedrooms, all with spectacular views across the vibrant Andaman Sea. A tranquil, restorative holiday is assured for groups or families seeking a total tropical escapade. Book This Villa Today!

Top 10 Life Insurance Companies in the Philippines 2011

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From: MoneyTalkPh.com

Every year the Insurance Commission, the government agency that regulates insurance companies in the Philippines, releases relevant reports about the life insurance industry in the Philippines. One of these reports is the ranking of life insurance companies in the Philippines based on different criteria such as premium income, assets, net worth, net income and paid up capital. Out of these criteria, the ranking based on premium income is one of the most popular because it determines which company is leading in terms of insurance sales/revenues. As of December 31, 2011, the leading life insurance company based on premium income is Sun Life of Canada (Philippines) with 13.8 billion pesos in premium income. After many years of just being number 2, Sun Life was able to defeat Philam Life by 300 million pesos in premium income. The two is competing to be at the top but let us see by next year of which company will be number 1. 

Source: Insurance Commission

The Significance of Ranking

Well, this ranking may help Filipinos decide on which company they will get their life insurance. With 34 life insurance companies in the Philippines, it is quite difficult and even confusing to decide which life insurance company to choose. At least with this kind of ranking, Filipinos have some kind of criteria that will help them decide. For example, they may associate the ranking with company stability or market leadership. Filipinos are tired of companies closing down, that is why they want to make sure that they are partnering their future  and security with stable companies.

One of the reasons why Filipinos don't like the idea of life insurance is because they are afraid that the life insurance company will close down just like what happened with few pre-need companies. The Insurance Commission (IC) strictly regulates life insurance companies to protect the public. The agency makes it sure that every life insurance company has enough reserve to pay their obligations to the policyholders. Because the IC is doing a great job, no life insurance company in the Philippines has ever closed down except for mergers and buyouts which are by the way not harmful to policyholders.

What Matters

Even if your life insurance policy is issued by the last company in the list, it doesn't matter. What matters is the ability of your life insurance company to meet its obligations to you as the policyholder and to your beneficiaries in due time.

The Sad Note

The truth is there are still many Filipinos that don't have life insurance especially breadwinners or people with dependents. According to the IC, there are only 3.3 million policies that are in-force in 2010. This does not mean that there are 3.3 million Filipinos with life insurance policies because there are some people who have multiple policies. For example, my wife and I have a total of 4 life insurance policies (plus personal accident insurance from non-life companies) but we think we are not yet adequately covered. There is still a huge market for life insurance products in the Philippines but unless more and more Filipinos are being adequately educated on the importance of life insurance, there would be no significant improvement in the number of Filipino lives insured each year.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Raymund F. Camat is a licensed Financial Advisor of Sun Life Financial. For your life insurance and financial planning needs, contact him at 09179698062 or email him at raymund.f.camat@sunlife.com.ph. You may also visit his website at http://www.moneytalkph.com. Follow him at http://www.FaceBook.com/MoneyTalkPH.

Introducing LastMinuteBaliVillas.com, The Top Travel Website on Getting Booking Discount in Bali Indonesia

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Everyone loves vacation and dreams of having the perfect one with no further disruptions, impediments and delays such as picking the right villa and then ending up later disappointed to get the news from your inquiry that the villa is no longer available. These often happen on vacation spots like Bali, where villas are very popular and highly in demand. Good thing though, a site was created to solve problems like this, the LastMinuteBaliVillas.com.

Last Minute Bali Villas is a website that helps you and everyone book their dream Bali holiday villa easily and hassle-free. The island of Bali is considered to be one of the popular tourist destinations in the world. Known for its world-class diving and surfing spots, as well as for its rich and colorful culture, Bali is famed as the “island of gods”. Offering both picturesque landscapes, archaeological attractions and varied sport and water activities, millions of travelers and visitors come to this island to enjoy and experience these things every year. That’s why the island offers a great selection of accommodations from small losmens to the most famous one, the private villas complete with their staffs and top-class service.

But since Bali villas are very popular for travelers and foreigners especially during holiday seasons, most people are faced with the problem of finding an available villa to rent and that’s what the Last Minute Bali Villas wants to work out. It shows and offers up-to-date lists of only the last-minute Bali villas that are available as you search. And once you chose the perfect villa you want for, they will quickly respond with a booking confirmation with no holdups or such sorts.

The best part is if you don’t find you dream villa on this site, Last Minute Bali Villas customer service team will assist you with a late villa inquiry through our partner site, The Villa Guide. There you can find dozens of Bali’s private villas in which many display monthly availability calendars for searcher’s convenience.

That’s why if you’re looking for the right middleman to take care of your villa accommodations in Bali that will save you both from the troubles and hassles of booking during the last minute then, without any doubt, the LastMinuteBaliVillas.com is the perfect choice for you.  Because when a villa is available, there should be no other reasons to delay your booking and your dream holiday from coming true.

Top Things to Do in Canggu, Bali Indonesia

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Bali also known as the “island of Gods” had always captivated its village by its famous beaches and one of these is Canggu, a beach area lying in South Bali, south of Tanah Lot and north of Seminyak. Canggu is a large coastal area that stretches about eight kilometers and is known as home of villages Cemagi, Tiyingtukul, Nelayan, Seseh and famous beach spots Berawa, Pererenan and Echo Beach. Though still considered as a sleepy coastal locale, Canggu is a fast developing village gaining its popularity from the tourists for its surfing spots and luxurious private villas.

A villa in Canggu

Once seen as a grassy field, Canggu is slowly changing as the best and most elegantprivate villas emerge along its rice fields all the way down to the beach. These luxurious private villas are known to be the most prevalent form of travel accommodation in Canggu, considered that the beach offers a never-ending line of villas for tourists to choose from. Including to these lists are the Villa Avalon, a villa known for its grand contemporary architecture, the Rumah Baraka, a sun-filled sanctuary and the Beach Club Villa with its open-plan layout and no-fuss design aesthetics. Designed to be architecturally unique from each other, Canggu villas can give you a personal hideaway experience for your perfect holiday vacation, complete with a group of helpful staffs to attend to your every needs and demands. These villas are no doubt a-once-in-a-lifetime treat one can give to himself, especially to those who wants to feel pampered and relax under a luxurious atmosphere.

Near these private villas, thousand of leisure and lifestyle amenities awaits for you to explore as surfing. The beaches in Canggu have dark grey or black sand with reef swells that are larger than those you will find in Kuta, which are definitely not good for swimming but offer some of the renowned and most challenging surfing spots in Bali and in the world noted by professional surfers. And while surfing, don’t you miss checking out the sunset from the perch on a surfboard probably in the black beaches of Berawa and Pererenan. While in the morning, you can observe the daily rhythms of the traditional Balinese village life.

Another must-see place in Canggu is the Canggu Club, Bali’s first and only country club which offers world-class sporting facilities and serves as family-friendly haven where members can come to relax, play sports, work out, and relax under the sun. It has a number social and leisure amenities such as a state-of-the-art gym, regular aerobics, tennis courts, air-conditioned squash courts and a 25m lap pool.

While for those who wants to pamper their selves to the fullest, Canggu is also never short of spas and the most popular of them all is the Casa Day Spa and Delivery. It is a high-street spa that offers a number of delightful spa treatments and massages to suite those aching and tired muscles. It is located in the main road Raya Canggu on the way to Echo Beach.

Canggu is also the best spot to visit in Bali if you want to stay close to Seminyak and Tanah Lot’s shopping centers, nightlife and temples, letting you experience the best of three areas that Bali has.

Top Things to Do in Phuket, Thailand

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Known to be the largest island in Thailand, Phuket is a mountainous province located lying in Andaman Sea, suspended from the southern tip of Phang Nga Province by a pair of short but substantial road bridges. Set in a backdrop of tropical paradise, blessed by nature with a number of enchanting coves and bays, palm-fringed white beaches and luminous island-spotted seas, the island of Phuket welcomes around a 5 million tourists to its scenic beaches and picturesque mountain ranges.

Phuket comprises approximately 590 square kilometers of Thailand, including thirty nine islands. By the 17^th century, the island was seen by the Dutch and English explorers as a source of tin that drew thousands of Chinese miners to the island. Today, their cultural influence can still be seen in the island’s many shops, restaurants and temples. Phuket has a long rainy season that’s why most travel guides suggest visiting the island between December and April, when the dry weather allows visitors to enjoy outdoor activities like snorkeling, boating and hiking. Phuket also offers its visitors a lot of options for its visitors from popular hotels, resorts and rental villas.

A luxurious villa in Phuket

Known as Thailand’s most popular island destination, Phuket offers a lot of accommodations. For popular hotels and resorts in popular locations, visitors should be reminded to book at least a couple of months in advance during high season like November and May to avoid any hassle. On the other hand, for visitors who prefer to spend their vacation away from the crowd of guests into a serene hideaway perfect for privacy, then renting private villas would be the best choice. Staying in one of Phuket’s private villas is simply like having to stay in your own vacation house while being served by a group of staffs who are always ready to attend to your every request and demand, giving you that sense of royalty. Checking in one of Phuket villas gives you a personal hideaway experience with an air of extravagance, to make you feel pampered and relaxed.

Yachting in Phuket

After you have chosen a place or villa to stay in, you can start travelling the island of Phuket and exploring a thousand of outdoor activities you can enjoy in the island including swimming, snorkeling, diving, yachting, jet-skiing and parasailing. Kite surfing is becoming a popular activity as well. Popular kite surfing locations include Nai Yang in the summer season and Chalong Bay in the winter season.

Snorkeling can be enjoyed in sheltered bays that can be found all around Phuket like at Patong, Karon and Kata beaches. Most popular snorkeling spots include Ko Hae, Ko Racha Yai, Ko Khai and Ko Phi Phi where fins, snorkels and mask can be rented on a daily basis from shops.

Diving in Phuket

With snorkeling also comes diving and Phuket is known to be the center of diving in Thailand. Most dive sites are off nearby islands, there are dozens of dive shops and boats to cater your needs mostly can be found near Chalong Bay. The most well-known dive site in the Phuket area is Racha Yai known for its rocky reefs and its plenitude of solid coral reefs. It is also the home to Ter Bay where there is an exciting wreck in the depths of 25 to 35 meters.

Another thing you shouldn’t miss when visiting Phuket is sailing and yachting. The island of Phuket has sailing yachts of virtually every size and for all budgets on offer to explore the surrounding beautiful islands on a yacht charter.

Offering an impressive portfolio of leisure and lifestyle amenities, Phuket is no doubt internationally recognized as one of Asia’s premier tropical island destinations perfect for those who want to spend their holiday vacation in an exquisite tropical climate.