rent a condo or just book a hotel

[jimbo631]

Hi all,im looking forward to going back to pattaya in march for a month .i might stay in the jomtien beach area,is it a good idea to rent a place. I quite fancy the idea of playing at living their for a month.

The problem ive got is hotel prices are so cheap ,the condo im looking at is in view talay 7 and its 27500baht .

Any input would be much appreciated

[jed§]

That's very expensive for a condo, so it must be a very nice one. It depends on the depth of your pocket and it sounds as if that's on of your considerations;

"The problem ive got is hotel prices are so cheap" 

​And it depends on where you want to stay. The advantages of a condo is that it's more private, you can do your own cooking, making coffee etc. It's best to see what your'e in for first though and I mean see first hand, not just pictures, and hear too - it might be noisy depending on whether you're bothered - could be a building site in full flow outside your room. I've learnt that there aer loads of decent, cheap places to stay but they're not advertised on the internet. It's a go see situation. How cheap? We're talking 5 to 15 thou baht a month. Where? No further out than 3rd Road (up to Big C), Central Road distance. 

[CuppaTea]

I cant think of a reason to rent a condo for a month unless you want to cook, even if you stay in a place without room service you can buy a kettle for 300 baht and make your own tea & coffee.

 

Longer term a condo makes sense, say for a few months or more.

 

With a hotel or guest house they clean the room, change the bedding and provide electricity and water all for the one price. No end cleaning charge or trying to get your deposit back.

 

Sure a lot of places offer a monthly rate but want to charge you extra for electricity and water, they bump up the price of these to offset the lower monthly rates but just demand an all inclusive price.

 

If they wont do it then find a place that will.

 

There are far more places looking for customers than there are customers so the power is with us to get the deal we want, not the one they want us to have.

[dave01]

Condos, IMO, are the way to go...

Plenty of great complexes, and small complexes as well to choose from, in Jomtien.  You live like the place is yours, and generally have no interruptions. Do you really need your room cleaned daily? Or will once or twice a week do? Most condos are cleaned by on site staff for a couple of hundred baht. If they are charging more than that it is a rip off.  Some places include changing and cleaning bedding for that price.

Of course you can cook, and we do A LOT...  but in reality, it is sometimes cheaper and less bother to eat out. We do a shop at Big C or the like once a week for meat/fish/vegetables etc and prepare lots of food at home.  But that is our choice. I think food, prepping at home, or eating out is really much of a muchness.

One thing to ask about before you sign on the dotted line, is the price of electricity.  Some places will charge up to 10 baht per unit... stay clear, that is a rip off and they are pocketing about 6 baht per unit.  If you run A/C a lot, it can quickly add up..  Sub 5 baht per unit, is what I would be looking for. Unless, the place itself is an absolute bargain on the rental price.

For longer than a couple of weeks, IMO, look for a condo with a separate bed room... IMO, there is nothing worse than having your bed in your living room, just my opinion. For me, studios get old very quickly.

If you are booking thru AirBnB for example, you will have contact with the host, be sure to ask any question of him/her.  They are GENERALLY pretty good at answering the questions, and in most instances are most helpful. They need to be, to remain part of the community. 

If you are thinking Jomtien, and you are adverse to walking, stay on the Baht Bus route, it will make your time here so much easier..  but will limit your options for condos... there are some beauties not far off the BB route.

[CuppaTea]

Condos, IMO, are the way to go...

 

Plenty of great complexes, and small complexes as well to choose from, in Jomtien.  You live like the place is yours, and generally have no interruptions. Do you really need your room cleaned daily? Or will once or twice a week do? Most condos are cleaned by on site staff for a couple of hundred baht. If they are charging more than that it is a rip off.  Some places include changing and cleaning bedding for that price.

 

Of course you can cook, and we do A LOT...  but in reality, it is sometimes cheaper and less bother to eat out. We do a shop at Big C or the like once a week for meat/fish/vegetables etc and prepare lots of food at home.  But that is our choice. I think food, prepping at home, or eating out is really much of a muchness.

 

One thing to ask about before you sign on the dotted line, is the price of electricity.  Some places will charge up to 10 baht per unit... stay clear, that is a rip off and they are pocketing about 6 baht per unit.  If you run A/C a lot, it can quickly add up..  Sub 5 baht per unit, is what I would be looking for. Unless, the place itself is an absolute bargain on the rental price.

 

For longer than a couple of weeks, IMO, look for a condo with a separate bed room... IMO, there is nothing worse than having your bed in your living room, just my opinion. For me, studios get old very quickly.

 

If you are booking thru AirBnB for example, you will have contact with the host, be sure to ask any question of him/her.  They are GENERALLY pretty good at answering the questions, and in most instances are most helpful. They need to be, to remain part of the community. 

 

If you are thinking Jomtien, and you are adverse to walking, stay on the Baht Bus route, it will make your time here so much easier..  but will limit your options for condos... there are some beauties not far off the BB route.

Can I ask what reasons, other than cooking, do you have that makes renting a condo for a month better than staying in a hotel or guest house ?

 

I'm not being critical of your choice but am curious as I listed all the reasons why not to for such a short stay.

[JKam]

27500 for a month so about 900 baht a night. Call it 1000 baht a night with fairly regular cleaning (2 or 3 times a week). Assume the price includes utilities.

 

It doesn't sound too bad to me but I don't know what you'd pay for a hotel usually in that area. I would personally consider a hotel or condo up to 1000 baht a night if it was nice enough. What's the security like? I always thought of Jontiem as a bit cheaper as it's further out.

[dave01]

Can I ask what reasons, other than cooking, do you have that makes renting a condo for a month better than staying in a hotel or guest house ?

 

I'm not being critical of your choice but am curious as I listed all the reasons why not to for such a short stay.

 

I like a larger place, privacy etc...  You can set the place up to your liking..  Pricing is "generally" better than a similar style of room in a hotel. Most condos have a security dude (for what it is worth)... 

 

IMO, when you take a woman back to your condo, she will probably appreciate the lack of "judgemental stares" from other guests... There is no knock on your door, so the cleaning lady can clean when she feels like it. In a condo, you set the time, if you want, when a cleaner will turn up. Internet is usually a dedicated router... usually but not always.

 

I am talking about my place atm, and previous experience when holidaying.  When holidaying, I stayed at  hotels, guest houses and eventually condos.  I will stay in hotels if I am going somewhere for a short stay, say 4 or 5 days.  The thing that sways me towards condos, is all my working life I stayed in hotels at least 6 days out of 14.....  and I am over them 555

[jimbo631]

Thanks for the input,the condo im looking at is inclusive of electric and water it also has wifi which is a necessity these days.

I think your right about cooking and eating out,why bother cooking .

[LRanger]

Of course polar opposite views as always.

 

I stayed VT6 in Central Pattaya once, great room 26-1004 through Dancewatchers. Great view but all the charm of a Soviet era hospital. Lots of great places especially in off season, and options to move around too.

 

Abs unnecessary to be cooking.  You can eat for as little as 150 baht for breakfast, 200 for lunch and 200 for dinner....wtf wanna cook.

 

For some comparisions look at

 

Residence Garden

April Suites

Whitehouse Condotel

 

Each of these will offer discount rates for a month - contact them direct not through booking sites

[adammike]

Condos, IMO, are the way to go...

Plenty of great complexes, and small complexes as well to choose from, in Jomtien. You live like the place is yours, and generally have no interruptions. Do you really need your room cleaned daily? Or will once or twice a week do? Most condos are cleaned by on site staff for a couple of hundred baht. If they are charging more than that it is a rip off. Some places include changing and cleaning bedding for that price.

Of course you can cook, and we do A LOT... but in reality, it is sometimes cheaper and less bother to eat out. We do a shop at Big C or the like once a week for meat/fish/vegetables etc and prepare lots of food at home. But that is our choice. I think food, prepping at home, or eating out is really much of a muchness.

One thing to ask about before you sign on the dotted line, is the price of electricity. Some places will charge up to 10 baht per unit... stay clear, that is a rip off and they are pocketing about 6 baht per unit. If you run A/C a lot, it can quickly add up.. Sub 5 baht per unit, is what I would be looking for. Unless, the place itself is an absolute bargain on the rental price.

For longer than a couple of weeks, IMO, look for a condo with a separate bed room... IMO, there is nothing worse than having your bed in your living room, just my opinion. For me, studios get old very quickly.

If you are booking thru AirBnB for example, you will have contact with the host, be sure to ask any question of him/her. They are GENERALLY pretty good at answering the questions, and in most instances are most helpful. They need to be, to remain part of the community.

If you are thinking Jomtien, and you are adverse to walking, stay on the Baht Bus route, it will make your time here so much easier.. but will limit your options for condos... there are some beauties not far off the BB route.

Arrived in Jomtien yesterday staying in Z by Zing down in soi 12.Its 540baht a night it's a bit far out so

had a wander around the 2-7 soi's looking for a place for a month the 20-30k places seem booked out

a couple in the 10-15k wanted 10 baht a unit electric uh uh.saw one room 8000 all in but it was dire only one small window dark and dingy,a lick of a light paint etc some decent led lighting dump my granny's bedspread it might just work,but then the useless owners would have to put down the beer and get off there arse.

Gonna look at a place tomorrow 15000 month all in plus breakfast,not optimistic.will wander about

tonight up near domtang.

[LRanger]

Best bet for a condo rental may be to check with Jomtien Real Estate

[joeaf]

Cable TV and in-room wi-fi are usually included in most hotels, but not necessarily in condos and may depend on who you are renting the condo from, juristic office or Airbnb.  With Airbnb, the owner Host must sign a 12-month contract and pay this bill when the condo is not rented so you must check if these services are included.

 

Deposits, prepayment, and cancellation vary with Airbnb vs juristic office.  When booking any Airbnb rental >28 days, the LT cancellation policy takes effect, and you prepay 100% at time of booking, and lose your prepayment if you cancel.  When you book direct with the juristic office, you must wire them a deposit (may be non-refundable), pay the balance when you arrive, and put up an additional one month deposit.  I tried Airbnb condo rentals for two 1-month rentals in 2016 and I was disappointed and based on my experiences, I would lean to book direct with the juristic offices.  The juristic office manager was more responsive to my issues, while the Airbnb Hosts were amateurs and one tried to cheat me on 2 occasions by violating Airbnb rules.

 

Gym facilities will vary, and I found most condos have better Gyms than hotels, but VT 6 next to Central Festival does not have a gym so you must check. Most hotels include a safe, while condos may/may not have a safe.  Some condo juristic offices require 3-month minimum rental.

[tps]

I've come across a few guesthouses (over)charging electricity at 10 baht per unit - what would you estimate that would likely come out to over a month?

[CuppaTea]

I've come across a few guesthouses (over)charging electricity at 10 baht per unit - what would you estimate that would likely come out to over a month?

That is an excessive rate as you know but to guesstimate your electricity bill is almost impossible, it can though be given a maximum.

 

Less than 4000 baht.

 

Its not just the rate its what age and state the air-conditioner is, also the water heater for the shower.

 

If they are both old and in poor repair they will eat electricity.

 

I did post earlier here that guys would be far better off requesting an all inclusive rate eg including Electricity, water etc rather than accepting extra charges for these.

 

These discounted monthly rates sound good as headline prices but if you must pay the extra charges on top, especially at 10 baht per unit for electricity the real price is not that good at all.

 

Insist on an all inclusive monthly price and if they refuse then simply find another place that will.

 

Most of the year I guess that occupancy rates are around 50% so they need us,

 

its a buyers market not a sellers one so treat it as such.

 

.

[jed§]

I've come across a few guesthouses (over)charging electricity at 10 baht per unit - what would you estimate that would likely come out to over a month?

 

It's always best to ask first. At the one I stayed at (Canterbury Tales) my bill for elec for the month was 240 baht - no, I haven't missed a '0' off!! And yes, there was air con in the room and 2 ceiling fans.

[jimbo631]

Thanks for all the adice ,i will take it all on board . Still not sure what to do , if i coild find a good source for short term rental i might be able to do a bit better, please dont say look on airbnb thats the worst website ive ever been on. I insralled the app twice and deleted it twice.

[davidge]

I've switched to condos from hotels and won't be going back.

Definitely cheaper than equivalent standard hotels, I like the extra space and being able to use my coffee machine to have a good coffee to go with my toast in the morning.

 

I stayed in VT7 (with the same agent by the sound of it) and it was good. It's more expensive than other condos in Jomtien due to location. In this case, electricity & water is included. I recently stayed in VT5C with another agent and they cost me 3100 baht for the month.

 

The only downside of VT7 was I had to change my own bed and towels. The shops downstairs would clean the condo for 350 baht but wouldn't do the bed etc. Next trip, in another condo, I'll be paying 500 baht a time but it will include bed & towels.

 

I've stayed twice with http://dancewatchers.comonce in VT2A and once in VT5C and they have their own cleaning service where I paid about 1500 baht a week for 5 days cleaning including bed & towels.

 

I won't use AirBnB.

 

If you're staying longer term, I can suggest other agents as well.

[adammike]

When I booked my flight I debated with myself the merits of a hotel,condo,guesthouse,as it's a seven week trip came down on the side of a Guesthouse mainly for the social contact and budget constraints,condos were ditched as I imagined myself shopping for food and cooking just for myself like home really,hotels because they can be impersonal and people think you are weird if you try to talk to them. guesthouses tend to be a bit rundown and

basic to say the least but at least the ones that have a few tables and chairs outside will have people there to chat with and hang out there.

I have booked one on soi2 Jomtien for a month 15000

all in with breakfast seems to have good Wi-Fi run by a Norwegian and his Thai wife,small clean fridge and flatscreen TV,balcony(a must),basic but with a few scented candles and joss sticks and some of them lovely cashmere and silk shawl I saw on the night market at 100baht( Trotter tradings)finest I shall soon have it smelling like a LBs boudoir.

[Kim Jong Il]

I stayed in VT6 in March 2016 with a room on Walking Street side. Normally I stay in hotels for months on end with work so for me it was just a nice change and I want to do so again this year. Cost was 30K baht plus 4000 for water and electric.....not the cheapest maybe but the location was great and the room was quite nice.

[adl1500]

I stayed in 3 Jomtien hotels last month, 1 week in each: Jomtien Thani, Villa Navin and Palm Beach. Total cost was about 32K, breakfast included.

The problem for me is that I can't eat the same food for more than a week, even if only for breakfast.

 

I think this was the last time I stayed in hotels for so long. Even the best of them, Palm Beach didn't cut it for me because the guests were mainly fat european oldies who fought for chairs on the pool every morning at 6,30. The location and the pools were great and free internet in the room and on the pool, but alltogether not something I want to repeat. In small hotel like Villa navin I could interact with people much easier, but the service was not very good.

 

I'm coming back soon for another 4 weeks and this time it will be a 40m2 Acqua condo with 1 bedroom, two A/C units, flatscreen TV, balcony, several pools, gym etc. Unfortunately no internet in the room. Location is good, close to Night market. The cost will be slightly over 20k, water and electricity included. I'm testing the waters for next year when I'm coming to Jomtien for 3 months.

[George810]

+1 for condo, for many of the reasons Dave mentioned.  If that 27.5k price is all inclusive, it seems decent. There is better and worse, but time is money, and headaches are expensive in my opinion.

If you like Jomtien beach area, View Talay 2A is fairly reasonable and comfortable in my opinion.  I rented thru Dancewatchers.com, but there are others.  It is not the cheapest, but again, I refer back to time and headaches and their cost.  It is on the baht bus route.  Many of the better prices are for 6 or more months of rental.  hotel prices can vary from 600 baht to 300 a night, so that is a huge topic and too many comparisons to make.  I should also add that I am a coffee snob and must make my own, and do enjoy cooking breakfast or other small items, but do eat out most dinners and lunches. 

One more big thing to consider, the kitchenette and having a dinning table that you do not get in most hotels has 2 great advantages:

1.  Prep area for cutting fresh fruits and other things, as well as having a table/eating area for order-in nights. 

2.  The right Thai girl in a kitchen with even the basics can be a terrific thing, my friend!

Will not bore everyone with all the other details of VT2/jomtien  beach, PM me if you want more info.

[legalis]

I loved my time in VT6 last year, was only for a week. Loved the privacy, but missed the huge pools and room service of hotels. Still considering where to stay this year, think China Gardens for 6 days, LK Empress or Areca Lodge for the other 6.

[Bastos60]

Have rented from http://www.Dancewatchers.com for many years now. They offer great rooms, but I usually go for their rooms that have a weekly rate as they are the bigger ones at a very reasonable price.

The weekly rate usually comes down to about 680 Baht/night with electricity and water included (except for the monthly rates).

They have a great service and you can check in early if the room is available and clean, in-room cable router with fast internet and all the equipment to cook yourself.