Qinlin (Lynn) is from Shanghai, China and has lived in North America for many years. Pat has lived all over the United States, but has spent most of his time in San Francisco and Seattle. We met years ago while working at the same uber-giant software company in Redmond, Washington, where we eventually married. Life was good, but after losing Pat’s parents, we decided to get closer to family and moved to Qinlin’s original home of Shanghai.

After working many years as software engineers, we decided to call it quits and move to Thailand. What a great place to live! We have a home up in Chiang Mai where we live with our parrot, Gibby Haynes. Here he is enjoying a tasty drink!

We wanted to have another home we could spend part of the year at. After looking in other parts of the country, we settled on Phuket Island and purchased our villa at The Coolwater in Kamala Beach.

Phuket is such a beautiful place and we don’t regret it for a moment. Our villa is centrally located and it is quite easy to get to all the most interesting parts of the island. It’s so nice to sit out on the deck and enjoy the quiet evenings with a cocktail.

It wasn’t long before we found ourselves actually managing all of The Coolwater. It’s been an amazing learning experience and we enjoy interacting with you and all the guests before arrival. And we’ve been privileged to help put on some pretty amazing parties.

Qinlin is a native Mandarin speaker and this has helped a lot. We welcome Chinese guests and she is available to help you enjoy your stay. Make sure you download the FAQ (frequently asked questions) that she wrote. It is very helpful, especially if it is your first trip to Thailand.

But the real heart of The Coolwater is the permanent staff. We are fortunate to have them. Literally every one of them has worked at The Coolwater for years and with any luck, we will keep them for years longer. Khun Por, our general manager, is an experienced chef and restaurant manager from some fine restaurants in the area. She has even trained the staff of other restaurants. It is her connections that bring in some such excellent chefs to prepare your meals at The Coolwater.

Lastly, we just want to say that if you come from far away, do consider blocking out some time to visit Chiang Mai. It is a very different experience from Phuket. We are blessed with a very peaceful culture up here as well as an active creative community. The area is mountainous and serene. We don’t have a villa for you to stay at but we might be able to find you one.

Thanks for visiting The Coolwater on the Web!

Qinlin Tang & Pat Styles