three-month long vacation - bangkok

[john_polonia]

Expats in Thailand!

I'm a 28 year-old Pole who's traveling over to Bangkok for a three-month vacation in early December. Must say that this forum answered many of my questions in regards to Bangkok and Thai culture in general.

Have been making some offers on serviced-apartments in anticipation of my visit - naturally on the "touristy" Sukhumvit road. Is anybody here familiar with the Omni Tower hotel...? They've upgrade me to a deluxe one-bedroom apartment - 35,000 Baht/month. Judging from the reviews, people either love this place or hate it. Any comments/info on Omni would be appreciated.

Don't wanna over-do-it and exceed 40,000 Baht/month. Looking for a large studio, but would prefer a one-bedroom apartment - must be on Sukhumvit road or nearby, including:

*24h security
*safe neighborhood
*air-conditioning
*fully-furnished kitchen (same goes for the apartment)
*reliable internet access

It's possible for me to pay up-front for the entire three-month stay, if it warrants a discount.

Also, would love to get a recommendation on a professional lawyer that anybody here had a chance to deal with - going over the lease and future reference.

Well, let me thank in advance for any helpful comments.

Best regards,

John

[nickto21]

Wowza, a $1,000 a month for an apartment. I'm planning on being there for the same amount of time that you are, middle December to middle to late March.
I'm on alot more of a budget than you are though.
Nickto

[john_polonia]

Originally Posted by nickto21

Wowza, a $1,000 a month for an apartment. I'm planning on being there for the same amount of time that you are, middle December to middle to late March.
I'm on alot more of a budget than you are though.
Nickto

Hey Nick.

Interesting... you think BHT 40,000 is too inflated for an apartment in Bangkok? What places are you looking at, if you don't mind me asking? Thanks.

[nickto21]

Originally Posted by john_polonia

Hey Nick.

Interesting... you think BHT 40,000 is too inflated for an apartment in Bangkok? What places are you looking at, if you don't mind me asking? Thanks.

Hey John,
Actually, I somewhat misspoke . What I meant was that I'm going to be in Thailand during that time. I'm going to stay in hostels and the like, and am hoping to spend around $15/day on a room. I've seen listings for apartments in Bangkok for around $400/month on the net, but that was around a year ago. I don't remember where I saw the listing, but googling "bangkok apartments" should do the trick.

I just was surprised by the $1000 figure because I've always thought of Thailand as being cheaper than in the U.S.. My last apartment was only $400/month. I live in Ohio though.

Anyways, it seems like you could get alot cheaper accomodations if you wanted to.
Nickto

[frogblogger]

It's all relative, the price for an equivalent place in Chiang Mai would probably be around 15K - 20K Baht.... certainly no more, and there are some very decent condos around 12K - 15K.

Of course on Sukhumvit that's another matter, although I would check a few places around the area. I stay in a 4 star hotel there occasionally, and that's around 1500 baht a night.

I've rented places on 3 and 6 month leases, and I've never bothered with a lawyer to check the paperwork. Although I've paid up front before, I wouldn't recommend it. Not easy to get a discount, and paying monthly gives you extra flexibility. There's usually a month's deposit. I've always managed to get this back on leaving, with no arguments.

Anyway ref the rates on and around Sukhumvit, this site shows you the options. Your 'upgrade' to a one bedroom apartment seems to be the standard entry price at the Omni Tower... not so much of a great discount deal then!

[frogblogger]

Nickto21 - in Chiang Mai I rent a three-bedroomed house for 10,000 baht a month.

Right at the bottom of the range, slap bang in the centre of town, you can rent a studio apartment - clean, quiet, but not exactly newly furnished - for 5,000 baht a month.

Out of the centre there are just about ok rooms available for 2000-3000 baht. Any less though, I wouldn't take the risk!

Obviously Bangkok is more expensive but there are still good deals to be had.

[john_polonia]

Originally Posted by nickto21

Hey John,
Actually, I somewhat misspoke . What I meant was that I'm going to be in Thailand during that time. I'm going to stay in hostels and the like, and am hoping to spend around $15/day on a room. I've seen listings for apartments in Bangkok for around $400/month on the net, but that was around a year ago. I don't remember where I saw the listing, but googling "bangkok apartments" should do the trick.

I just was surprised by the $1000 figure because I've always thought of Thailand as being cheaper than in the U.S.. My last apartment was only $400/month. I live in Ohio though.

Anyways, it seems like you could get alot cheaper accomodations if you wanted to.
Nickto

Nick, I don't think you'll have any problems finding a $400/m apartment in a decant area of Bangkok - just reading about the wide variety of places available really caught me off guard, well, maybe with a comparison to Warsaw.

For me personally, location is key - Sukhumvit road is a must-be. Since this is my first trip to Thailand, alone and somewhat out of the blue. I'm looking for more up-scale accommodations that cater to tourists - lol, I guess a reliable and safe "home-base" is what I have in mind.

Are you going to travel all throughout Thailand, or spend the majority of your time in Bangkok, like myself?

LOL - thanks for helping me get this thread going.

[john_polonia]

Hey Frogblogger.

Thanks for the link, its much more convenient getting a comprehensive grasp for the prices from it as oppose to looking at individual apartments. I think the quote for a deluxe one-bedroom over at Omni is BHT 42,000/m and BHT 35,000 for a studio (which is rather small). The one thing that worries me... Omni seems to have a reputation of a "party hotel" - catering to drunken tourists. Don't get me wrong can't wait to enjoy the nightlife of Bangkok myself, however, am a bit sick of Western Europeans going over to Warsaw, especially Krakow for nothing more than a weekend of binge drinking. Have met some really great British expats over in Poland, but in-all-honesty, I'm more concerned in dealing with shady Western guys than local Thais. Again no disrespect intended - just going by my experiences in Warsaw - its not my intention to put anybody down.

Yeah...you do make a good point about losing much flexibility by paying up-front - even with a reasonable discount. Read some horror stories recently about the Bangkok airport - duty-free shoplifting scam. That's why I wanna get "lawyerded-up" just for the sake of a positive mind-set.

[nickto21]

Originally Posted by john_polonia

Nick, I don't think you'll have any problems finding a $400/m apartment in a decant area of Bangkok - just reading about the wide variety of places available really caught me off guard, well, maybe with a comparison to Warsaw.

For me personally, location is key - Sukhumvit road is a must-be. Since this is my first trip to Thailand, alone and somewhat out of the blue. I'm looking for more up-scale accommodations that cater to tourists - lol, I guess a reliable and safe "home-base" is what I have in mind.

Are you going to travel all throughout Thailand, or spend the majority of your time in Bangkok, like myself?

LOL - thanks for helping me get this thread going.

I'm going to check out Pattaya. Probably wander into Cambodia. Who knows?
Nickto

[frogblogger]

Originally Posted by nickto21

I'm going to check out Pattaya. Probably wander into Cambodia. Who knows?
Nickto

Compared to Chiang Mai, Cambodia is pretty much on a par with prices here. Vietnam is cheaper...