Five-star hotel bargains and free food in Thailand – lucky couple enjoy the country as few others ever will

‘It is like Thailand must have been 40 years ago,’ says Christian, one half of a couple who stayed on in the country when other tourists evacuated amid Covid-19

Having stuck out a lockdown in Bangkok, and aware that tourism-dependent businesses are hurting, they visit as many different bars and restaurants as they can

Reading Time:5 minutes

Christian and Beatrice Meier are enjoying the empty beaches and cheap hotels in Thailand, but with its borders closed for months, the impact on the many Thais who depend for their livelihood on tourism has been severe. Photo: Red Door News/Christian and Beatrice Meier

Published: 12:45pm, 23 Sep 2020Updated: 5:29pm, 23 Sep 2020

On a hillside above Phi Phi island in Thailand, nearly deserted at the height of summer, a young Dutch woman emerged like a mirage from the lush greenery and beamed at a German couple who – for a few moments – shared her splendid isolation.

Clearly thrilled at this rare opportunity to talk with fellow Europeans, the woman chatted away and explained how she had just started managing a bar on the island when the pandemic hit and she suddenly found herself jobless and stranded thousands of miles from home. It was now August, and she had not left Phi Phi for six months.

Intrigued, Christian and Beatrice Meier asked her how she has managed to support herself. She laughed, gestured at her chest, and replied: “With these.”

“It turns out she was performing online stripteases to fund herself,” Christian Meier explains on a video call, with a smile of mild embarrassment. “However, she seemed pretty happy to be stuck there and wasn’t in any great hurry to leave.”

Bangkok’s airport has been devoid of passengers for months. Photo: Red Door News/Christian and Beatrice Meier