Retirement may not be on the must-do list of Gulu Lalvani, the chairman of international electronics giant Binatone. But it's something the 65-year-old has, nevertheless, prepared for in a big way. One of the world's 10 richest Indians, Lalvani is behind the Royal Phuket Marina (RPM) on the Thai holiday isle, phase one of which, as guests at its recent launch party at the Grand Hyatt were told, is due for completion next March. The 300,000-square-metre yachting, entertainment and residential enclave apparently has a unique selling point in Asia: waterfront villas where boats can be moored in the 'backyard'.
'The trend started in Florida,' says Lalvani, who regularly flits between London, Hong Kong and Phuket. 'But homes like that in the United States cost US$20 million plus.' How much will the best villas at RPM cost? About US$1.7 million, although 1,500-square-foot apartments at pool level can be had for US$280,000.