- Johan and Sabine Bogaerts left the Netherlands and moved to Thailand to open a beach resort.
- The couple says they always dreamed of running their own business instead of working for someone else.
- While life now feels “slower and definitely more fulfilling”, Johan, 54, says it’s not all games.
In November 2022, Johan and Sabine Bogaerts packed up their lives and moved from the Netherlands to Koh Lanta, an island off the west coast of Thailand, with their two sons.
They had traveled to Thailand countless times on vacation and loved everything about the country, but it was the pandemic that gave them the idea to move there.
“Life happens so fast and we wanted to do something else before it was too late, physically and also mentally,” Sabine, 51, a former chef, told Business Insider.
Johan and Sabine Bogaerts always dreamed of starting a business of their own. Soft mango.
The couple always dreamed of managing something themselves instead of working for someone else.
“We have agreed to change our lives a bit, get out of the rat race and do something completely different in a beautiful place we already knew,” Johan, 54, a welding engineer, told BI.
But the real decision came after they saw some Facebook ads for rental properties in Thailand, Sabine said.
They found the property online and viewed it via video call. This is what the rooms looked like before the couple renovated them. Soft mango.
“We found this piece of property online. We were interested and knew the area as we’ve been here a few times,” said Johan.
The property was located less than 200 meters from Klong Khong Beach, a popular tourist destination in Koh Lanta.
Koh Lanta is part of Krabi province and is about 45 miles from Krabi International Airport. Visitors can also reach Koh Lanta via a 1.5 hour ferry ride from Phuket.
It was already built as a resort with independent rooms, but it looked dated, with minimal furniture and basic decorations. Due to the pandemic, the original resort had ceased operations and the humid climate had left the property in a poor state.
One of the back rooms in the property before the couple renovated it. Soft mango.
Despite this, the couple saw his potential and made their decision during a video call with their agent.
Since foreigners cannot own land in Thailand, the couple rented the property for 20 years. They declined to share specifics, but estimated their total costs — including renovations — came to about 200,000 euros, or about $206,000.
The couple also said they managed to sell their house in the Netherlands, which helped cover their expenses.
Running a beach resort
Thailand has long been a popular destination for tourists and expats, thanks to its rich culture and relatively low cost of living.
In recent years, it has also been a popular destination for retirees: Thailand was ranked 10th in International Living’s 2025 Annual Global Retirement Index.
However, the couple says they knew they weren’t ready to retire and decided to start a business in Thailand.
The first thing they did after getting their keys was to remodel almost the entire place. Soft mango.
“I think retiring at 50 would be very boring for us,” Sabine said.
“You have to be really comfortable. We were doing well, but we weren’t financially ready to fully retire yet,” added Johan.
When they got the keys to the property, the first thing they did was to renovate and furnish it to their own standards.
“We took out some walls, made them bigger, redid all the bathrooms, did new balconies, new paint – everything is brand new,” Johan said.
The resort has 16 guest bungalows, a swimming pool, a restaurant and bar and a laundry area.
The property has 16 guest bungalows and is located right next to Klong Khong Beach, a popular tourist destination on Koh Lanta. Soft mango.
Their busiest season is from the beginning of December to the end of March, since then the weather is sunny and less rainy. Low-season room rates are about a third of the high-season price, Sabine said.
During low season, the cheapest room is about 1,100 Thai baht, or about $32. During high season, the same room can cost about 2,600 Thai baht, or about $75, Johan said.
The couple employs nine full-time employees. Soft mango.
The couple also employ nine full-time staff, including a receptionist, housekeeper, kitchen staff and gardeners.
One of the biggest challenges they faced during the renovations was different expectations of when things would be finished.
“With us, a deal is a deal, and an end time is an end time, but it’s a little bit different here. So we really have to adjust to that,” Johan said.
The peak season runs from the beginning of December to the end of March. Soft mango.
A “slower and definitely more satisfying” life.
One of the things they like best about their lifestyle now compared to the one in the Netherlands is that they no longer feel the need to keep up with the Joneses.
“You decide for yourself. For me, it’s that you’re not pushed by something that needs to be done. When we lived in the Netherlands, everything had to be the way things were,” Johan said. “You have a lot of wealth and you have been busy just trying to save and preserve all the wealth you have.”
The couple say life is now slower and more fulfilling. Soft mango.
Not only that, the couple can spend more time outside compared to before.
“We have a beautiful setting. We have lots of palm trees, we hear the birds and we can see the ocean from here,” Sabine said.
However, there are times when they miss Holland too – especially the weather. Thailand has a humid tropical climate and the weather is either “hot or really hot” or “it rains or it doesn’t rain,” Johan said.
“We have to say that sometimes we miss a bit of a chill,” he said. “We’re seasonal people. We grew up in the four seasons, so that’s something you tend to miss a little bit.”
Even the Christmas season doesn’t feel the same anymore.
“We certainly never wore a proper jacket, shoes or pants again,” Sabine said, adding that her favorite outfits now are sleeveless tops and shorts.
Work-life balance in Thailand
These days, the couple’s routine begins by dropping their youngest, 7, off at school before heading to the resort to check things out. Their other son, 21, returned to the Netherlands last March.
They say their youngest son is adjusting well to life on the island.
“It’s a bit harder for him to visit friends sometimes like he did in Holland, but he loves the beach life here,” Sabine said.
The rest of the couple’s day is usually spent on various tasks — such as tidying up around the property and picking up groceries for the restaurant — to ensure the resort runs smoothly.
While life now feels “slower and definitely more fulfilled”, Johan says it’s not all games.
The couple have been busy getting the resort up and running over the past few years, and they’re just starting to relax somewhat – considering they also recently opened a nearby restaurant serving European and Thai cuisine.
“People think, ‘Ah, you must be so happy that you can watch the sunset every night.’ We hardly do because we’re always busy,” Sabine said. “Right now, it’s all kind of done. Obviously, you’re never really in a resort, but all the massive projects are done. So, I don’t know, maybe life will be different now.”
Have you recently moved to a new location and found or renovated your dream home? If you have a story to share, contact this reporter at agoh@businessinsider.com.
