The Base Rentals

[dirkdeee]

I thought I would make a few comments on my correspondence with the in-house rental company for The Base.  As someone that likes to have things well sorted before I hit the ground, I thought I'd check out "rental for the holidays" as I like the location of The Base.  The condos are small but new.  Prices for 30 days seem reasonable starting around 18,000/month.  After some back and forth on units that I liked, it seems that booking something in advance gives you no guarantee even though you're asked to provide a 50% deposit.  I was looking for a 30 day rental and seems like owners want the deposit but also the out if someone else wants that unit longer term.  I understand that as a owner but certainly not as a renter that's paid a deposit.  Also the calendar for each unit is no guarantee it is available for those days.  On the plus side, some units have in room washing machines and something else on the negative, most do not have in room internet. 

So if you're set on The Base, might be best to wait until nearer your arrival date or book a few days in hotel, then view units on the ground.  I'm not complaining as I understand this is not the same as booking a hotel room for a few days.  If someone has a suggestion for someone other than the in-house rental group that may be less frustrating I'd love to hear.  Max of 20,000 per month.  Also love to hear any comments from people that have or are staying there, good or bad.  I think my game plan right now is to book a hotel for a few days and then view units in person with the back up plan of my usual serviced apartment which is similarly priced.

As a side note, the in-house rental group did respond to emails in a timely fashion and got back within a couple days when checking "availability".(not guaranteed as stated earlier)

[MidniteM]

I have been looking at "Rental for the Holidays" website also, so interesting to see you post on this.  I was considering using this site next time I go.

I stayed at The Base for 10 days in June.  I booked it on Airbnb.  You can find some apartments on Airbnb at The Base for under 25,000baht a month, but not sure about 20,000baht.

I really enjoyed staying there - everything was very new in the apartment as I was probably only the 3rd or 4th person to stay there.  It is well built, with no noise coming from other apartments through the walls.  You have seen the photos, so know that it all looks good and the pool on the roof is great.  The pool was never super busy and sometimes with only less than three people in it.  There seems to be a constant flow of people in and out with lots of Asians (Chinese and Korean groups) arriving, departing and sitting in the lobbies.  Also, there is a laundry room with some good coin-operated washers and dryers.

My apartment was facing north and was a nice private view (from a high floor).  There is some noise at night from the bars, especially if they are playing loud bands, but nothing too excessive (although I think it finished at 4am or after a few nights).  Had good wifi and while the apartments isn't huge, it was very comfortable and convenient.  I will stay there again,  but happy to hear from others about similar types of apartments (newish, views, pool, convenient, etc)

[Banana Boi]

My issue with The Base was that marble hallways and the extremely loud door slamming that echoes through it.  Maybe it was just my floor but it was unbearable.  Great location but what could make it the best location in Pattaya would be a shortcut to LK Metro instead of walking to 2nd then back to LK.

[asmodeus]

Am interested in renting one of these for a month.  

 

Anyone know the email/website of this in house company? 

[dirkdeee]

7 hours ago, MidniteM said:

I have been looking at "Rental for the Holidays" website also, so interesting to see you post on this.  I was considering using this site next time I go.

I stayed at The Base for 10 days in June.  I booked it on Airbnb.  You can find some apartments on Airbnb at The Base for under 25,000baht a month, but not sure about 20,000baht.

MidniteM, as you can see there are a lot of options under 20,000 in the RFTH site.  As the prices go up, you should get some higher floor options, but with a lot of the units pricing makes no sense.  Do not assume market forces play any role!  If you see a desirable unit with all it's dates available, you can assume it's only for long term rent.  Also, I guess you know that you need to stay for minimal 30 days using RFTH.

Nice to hear you had a good experience.  Facing north keeps you from the direct sun and away from the noise of Soi Diana.  I would stay away from lower floors directly facing Diana.  I expect facing Soi Honey with the exception of "special" parties it would be quieter?  Although less privacy, I assume facing in is also quieter?  Anyone confirm this.

At this point, I'm going to make some contingency plans and circle back to RFTH closer to my arrival date or after I get on the ground.  Most of the units I asked about were not available regardless of the calendar.  And if I paid the deposit, there is no guarantee I wouldn't be bumped.(presumably for longer terms or owner wants those dates)  If you're interested in a unit and it already has a lot of blocked out dates, that "may" be a green light.  I'm not too frustrated as it's not my first rodeo, but I wanted to relay my experiences. 

If you want shorter term(or longer) and location is important and cost not so important, many agents serving View Talay 6.  Try Honey's Coffee Shop as recommended agent.

[Banana Boi]

12 hours ago, asmodeus said:

Am interested in renting one of these for a month.  

 

Anyone know the email/website of this in house company? 

AirBNB.

[Farmer1]

Agoda has The Base and other Patts condo rentals available to book, although it seems like your using an agent (agoda) to book a room through a Patts agent.

[joeaf]

On 8/29/2017 at 11:46, asmodeus said:

Am interested in renting one of these for a month.  

Anyone know the email/website of this in house company? 

https://www.rentalfortheholidays.com/en/search/projects/the-base-central-pattaya

[jaynewcastle]

Plenty of apartments available to book a stay on Booking.Com as well

[blp2555]

I found some of rooms available at The base at Airbnb

[MidniteM]

2 hours ago, blp2555 said:

I found some of rooms available at The base at Airbnb

There are heaps on rooms at The Base on Airbnb.  They vary in price and what they offer a little though, so check carefully.

The Base may not be for everyone though.  The vast majority of the of apartments are all the same one-bedroom layout and are not big by stretch of the imagination, but the are comfortable and new.  Apartments can face the other building, so you effectively only have a view of the building next door, which might not suit some.  The other variable is what is in the apartment - wifi is probably the big one, so check this out, but also what the kitchen has in it and what the bathroom has.  If you like a nice rain-type shower head, then you will most likely to be disappointed. 

Also, they are not full service, so don't expect to have your towels and sheets changed every day.  You will need to confirm what the arrangement is with your apartment provider.  If you like having lots of ST fun in your room, this is definitely not ideal.  There is a good coin-operated laundry in the complex, so that is handy.

The upsides (for me) are - new, clean, great pool and nice gym, very central to lots of bars, clubs, shops and entertainment and at a reasonable price.

[blp2555]

2 hours ago, MidniteM said:

There are heaps on rooms at The Base on Airbnb.  They vary in price and what they offer a little though, so check carefully.

The Base may not be for everyone though.  The vast majority of the of apartments are all the same one-bedroom layout and are not big by stretch of the imagination, but the are comfortable and new.  Apartments can face the other building, so you effectively only have a view of the building next door, which might not suit some.  The other variable is what is in the apartment - wifi is probably the big one, so check this out, but also what the kitchen has in it and what the bathroom has.  If you like a nice rain-type shower head, then you will most likely to be disappointed. 

Also, they are not full service, so don't expect to have your towels and sheets changed every day.  You will need to confirm what the arrangement is with your apartment provider.  If you like having lots of ST fun in your room, this is definitely not ideal.  There is a good coin-operated laundry in the complex, so that is handy.

The upsides (for me) are - new, clean, great pool and nice gym, very central to lots of bars, clubs, shops and entertainment and at a reasonable price.

Got you

thank you for your advice

[asmodeus]

What's interesting is that properties on AIRBNB seem more expensive than rfh

Also, price of 1 bed places on RFH varies hugely from 18k to 30+k... Doubt floor height alone can account for it

 

Anyone used Rfh before? They don't allow reviews on their site unfortunately,  

[dirkdeee]

1 hour ago, asmodeus said:

What's interesting is that properties on AIRBNB seem more expensive than rfh

Also, price of 1 bed places on RFH varies hugely from 18k to 30+k... Doubt floor height alone can account for it

 

Anyone used Rfh before? They don't allow reviews on their site unfortunately,  

Yes for the most part AirBnB is more expensive probably due the fact they take shorter terms than 30 days and even if there is a monthly discount it's still more expensive.  The daily rate in most cases is double what've booked.

I've already mentioned there is no rhyme or reason to a lot of the pricing for RFTH.  The units are mostly the same with exception of floor, internet, and washing machine.(also tv and fridge size if it's important)  Of course the more amenities the more likely that unit will be unavailable either because it's already rented out or they're waiting for longer term renters.

I just booked a desirable unit that just took a longer term rental that ended about the time I was arriving.  It was previously unavailable.  Communication with RFTH is good and they are responsive but you may find  it frustrating as many units with a clear calendar are not available.  As with all condos you are responsible for water and electric.  You can pay deposit (50%) via wire or credit card and they charge a small admin fee.(mine was 1000 baht)  Really there's not much else to say about their services review wise unless I were to get canceled out.  I think with a solid booking of several months prior to my arrival chances of that are minimal. 

[DrBig]

1 hour ago, asmodeus said:

What's interesting is that properties on AIRBNB seem more expensive than rfh

I think what you're describing is the way that, since their rent prices are set independently, perhaps without a clear idea of exactly what the right price is, there's much more dispersion of AirBnB prices than there are of RFTH prices, which are more centrally set by one individual who should know what price is actually doing business.  AirBnB's include hopeful owners who are setting unrealistically high prices.

In addition to floor height, internet and washing machine, important factors in what rent can be achieved are 
whether the terms are eg 6 month minimum, I'd expect many of RFTH's are 6 month minimum.
whether the small unit is 30 sq m or 35 sq m, ie whether it has the big balcony, and 
in which direction it faces so what the view is like.  I'd be happy to pay 30-50% more for a condo with the big southwards view towards WS, ie in the tower with the roof pool.  To me the inwards-facing condos and the north tower are much less attractive.  
A few condos have a safe, and I'd pay more for that.

[MidniteM]

23 hours ago, dirkdeee said:

Yes for the most part AirBnB is more expensive probably due the fact they take shorter terms than 30 days and even if there is a monthly discount it's still more expensive.  The daily rate in most cases is double what've booked.

I've already mentioned there is no rhyme or reason to a lot of the pricing for RFTH.  The units are mostly the same with exception of floor, internet, and washing machine.(also tv and fridge size if it's important)  Of course the more amenities the more likely that unit will be unavailable either because it's already rented out or they're waiting for longer term renters.

I just booked a desirable unit that just took a longer term rental that ended about the time I was arriving.  It was previously unavailable.  Communication with RFTH is good and they are responsive but you may find  it frustrating as many units with a clear calendar are not available.  As with all condos you are responsible for water and electric.  You can pay deposit (50%) via wire or credit card and they charge a small admin fee.(mine was 1000 baht)  Really there's not much else to say about their services review wise unless I were to get canceled out.  I think with a solid booking of several months prior to my arrival chances of that are minimal. 

With RFTH, is there any cleaning service?  Also, what would the expected electricity be for a month (if using the air-con sensibly)?

There are apartments on Airbnb for about 21k for a month, so there are deals to be had.  Also, with Airbnb you may be able to discuss a discount with the owner if you stay for a month.  The apartment I stayed in (from Airbnb) would definitely be worth paying more for as it had a nice view, was very well appointed (large tv with heaps of channels, great wifi and full kitchen utensils) and the bathroom was better finished than others with a super-nice shower.  It is a personal preference I guess on how much you want to pay.

Next time I go, I may try to get the same Airbnb as last time, or just roll up on the day and see what RFTH have to offer and choose the best one that suits me.

[dirkdeee]

8 hours ago, MidniteM said:

With RFTH, is there any cleaning service?  Also, what would the expected electricity be for a month (if using the air-con sensibly)?

There are apartments on Airbnb for about 21k for a month, so there are deals to be had.  Also, with Airbnb you may be able to discuss a discount with the owner if you stay for a month.  The apartment I stayed in (from Airbnb) would definitely be worth paying more for as it had a nice view, was very well appointed (large tv with heaps of channels, great wifi and full kitchen utensils) and the bathroom was better finished than others with a super-nice shower.  It is a personal preference I guess on how much you want to pay.

Next time I go, I may try to get the same Airbnb as last time, or just roll up on the day and see what RFTH have to offer and choose the best one that suits me.

None was mentioned or expected.  With monthly rentals I've always cleaned myself and if you're not cooking it's really no chore at all to occasionally sweep the floor.  Having in room washer is nice to have fresh bed linens and towels, but as you mentioned they have coin machines in the lobby.  Electricity is charged at 7 baht and water 40 baht per unit.  I'm a low end user of a/c and have always found my utilities to be less than 1500 baht.  I mostly use a/c to cool the room down and then a fan.

Your Airbnb unit sounds good.  If you're happy with their monthly price, I would go with what I know.  Most of the RFTH units are very basic.  You need to do some due diligence and look for things important to you, like floor, view, internet, washing machine etc.  Gather your intel from the pics as amenities are not always accurately described.  One advantage to RFTH is unlike hotels, there is no premium for high season.

If you're going in high season, you may find the most desirable units with RFTH to be already taken.  I'd at least view their inventory online and have an idea of which units are suitable and available.(whether you book or roll up)  If one particularly jumps out, then I'd probably just book it.  I had the same idea as you to roll up but made a high season booking as there was a unit available with the right mix of amenities and price. 

[DrBig]

If you're often having different ladies in your condo, then daily room cleaning might suit you well.  Depends upon what your lady plans are.

[dirkdeee]

I wanted to bump this as I just finished my month stay.  I used the in house rental without any hitches.  Their rental office is right on main floor of B tower.  This to me is big advantage over searching for your Air BNB host.  Utilities were in line with my expectations and damage deposit was returned with minimal inspection.  So I wasn't bent over when I departed.  The space was fine for one person with occasional guests.  I did have a high floor(still got some construction noise) with in room internet and washing machine.  A huge 55" tv with 42" in bdrm.  Luckily I had a tv box because all the channels were in Thai.  Rooms I found quiet due to layout and fact I had stairway on one side.  Location is brilliant but as others have noted, elevator wait along with the need to walk out to 2nd Rd only to go back the other direction along Soi Diana got to be a bit tedious after a while.  Not bad enough though to discount as everything is very close.  It's too bad there aren't ground floor businesses like in View Talay 6.  That 7-11 in nearby Soi Honey seemed always packed.  Note there is major construction on site beside 2nd Rd, so you do get noise.  Some nightlife noise also apparent but not bothersome, to me anyway.  If I were to get similarly appointed unit for same price(20,000/mth) I'd do again.  I see the unit I had has gone to minimum 180 days now.

[blix99]

Plenty better places to stay. Can you handle a TV setup with only Thai language channels? Of course this not disclosed before renting, ticked me off since was useless to me. Rooms small. Constant flow of Chinese couples and groups setting up housekeeping to rent to others I assume; if you like the idea of living in a beehive this might well suit. Unresponsive agent who asked for cash payment but refused to give a receipt so I in turn refused to pay. Lot of drama that can easily be avoided by staying in another condo/hotel in the same area. YMMV since others seem to like it...

[sr20mofo]

16 hours ago, blix99 said:

Plenty better places to stay. Can you handle a TV setup with only Thai language channels? Of course this not disclosed before renting, ticked me off since was useless to me. Rooms small. Constant flow of Chinese couples and groups setting up housekeeping to rent to others I assume; if you like the idea of living in a beehive this might well suit. Unresponsive agent who asked for cash payment but refused to give a receipt so I in turn refused to pay. Lot of drama that can easily be avoided by staying in another condo/hotel in the same area. YMMV since others seem to like it...

Care to share what other places that are better value?

[blix99]

8 hours ago, sr20mofo said:

Care to share what other places that are better value?

Just about any hotel in the same area and price range will not have the hassles I noted...but may well have others! Check out the reviews and choose your poison...

[dirkdeee]

For sure there are differences between staying in a condo and a hotel.  But in my case, you would be hard pressed to find a hotel with similar amenities/location at 670 baht/day.(in my case 20,000/month)  Using the in-house RFTH, I was given a deposit confirmation via email and paid via credit card.  Condos are individually owned so in case of Thai owned, probably Thai TV channels.  So good warning for those seeking to watch some TV.  I made sure I had in room internet and used a small tv box to get all the programming that I would get at home.  

As Blix has noted, renting a condo can be a hassle.(or at least at The Base)  Also, the probability that you won't have house-keeping, so clean towels and linens are your responsibility along with utilities.  So at The Base some due diligence and self sufficiency is needed.  A good compromise may be a serviced apartment in which you'll have your reception to handle problems, English TV channels, and likely 2-3 times a week linen service.  Something like D Apartments on Soi Bukhaow.  Also at VT6, well established agents Dancewatchers and Honey's make the process very easy, though rentals are quite a bit more costly than The Base.  There are also many hotels which also offer discounts on monthly stays.

[taylor1975]

1 hour ago, dirkdeee said:

For sure there are differences between staying in a condo and a hotel.  But in my case, you would be hard pressed to find a hotel with similar amenities/location at 670 baht/day.(in my case 20,000/month)  Using the in-house RFTH, I was given a deposit confirmation via email and paid via credit card.  Condos are individually owned so in case of Thai owned, probably Thai TV channels.  So good warning for those seeking to watch some TV.  I made sure I had in room internet and used a small tv box to get all the programming that I would get at home.  

How did you make sure you had in room internet? their listings don't seem to state it ...just as an optional extra.

also, can you tell me how much extra it was please.

[dirkdeee]

1 hour ago, taylor1975 said:

How did you make sure you had in room internet? their listings don't seem to state it ...just as an optional extra.

also, can you tell me how much extra it was please.

Have a look at the room details and pics.(you'll want to know what floor units are on and furnishings anyway)  They will always show a pic of the TV in the living area and next to the TV, see if you can spot a router.  Many of the pics now specifically show the router.  Reconfirm internet with agent once you've decided on a room.  It's only important if you have the need to use a tv box or to stream, otherwise just grab a data pack for your phone.  For Line messages and browsing etc, I grabbed a 1mbps unlimited data package from AIS for 300 baht/month.  I didn't pay anything extra for the in room internet and it was running at 30 mbps.  I'm sure I read somewhere as well they rent internet dongles but not sure how much(600 baht?) or even how they work.