VictorStone

There's a Pitch & Putt Course at the Siam Royal View beach resort at the Blue Haven Bay on Koh Chang.
https://www.bluehavenbay.com/golf-course/  

You can also play Disc Golf there. 

Most of you guys seem to talk about American style pizza. If we talk about original Italian style pizza with the real Italian taste, in my opinion Trattoria Toscana on Beach Road is actually the best in town.

My recommendation: try the AMIGO Shop in Soi Diamond (between Walking Street and Second Road). They have an awesome service and in particular customized footie shirts of any club you may think of are available at very reasonable price.

When in Bangkok, go to Ekamai bus station to Pattaya for 1xx Baht. From Suvarnabhumi airport, there are also buses, and a taxi should not cost more than approx. 1200 Baht to Pattaya. No need to book a room in Pattaya in advance at this time of the year: there are many options available at short notice.

Re: Snorkeling

You can book snorkeling at every hotel and every little shop on Koh Chang. Although there are also some good snorkeling sites at the very North of Koh Chang (around Koh Chang Noi), the snorkeling boats will most likely take you to one of the smaller islands of the archipelago South of Koh Chang (like 30 minutes by boat). These are not the Similan islands, but considering to be only a car ride away from Bangkok, it will give you quite nice snorkeling or even Scuba experiences.

There is no replacement for seeing the place yourself. Is it worth checking out? I would definately recommend to have a look for yourself.

The landscape is very special, with a couple of great beaches and an interesting mountain backdrop. You can find both tranquility and entertainment.

Parts of it have been developed, but even those parts are developed without committing some of the big construction sins that characterize many of the more famous beach places in Thailand.

Personally, I have been on KC dozens of times over the past few years (can't even count) and every time there is a sad feeling having to leave when entering the ferry heading back to the city.

I would hate for a first time visitor here to read your post and assume all is well. It is not...

As I mentioned before, nobody denies that there is crime in Thailand, in Pattaya and in Soi Khao Talo.

And I fully agree with you that visitors should definitely use common sense and prudence when they go around town, but that applies to any place they may visit. However, as can be observed daily, many visitors coming to Pattaya indeed behave improperly and many crimes have a pre-story where the victim got himself involved in some silly behaviour or situation. If you just behave yourself properly, the risk of becoming a crime victim is reduced by a huge portion.

The point for my post was different: this thread tried to present Soi Khao Talo as one of the worst places in the world, similar to Bronx or the Favelas. I just made the point that this kind of statements are complete nonsense.

I maintain that Soi Khao Talo is no better nor worse than any other road in Pattaya.

I also maintain - as evidenced by international statistics (see my post above) - that Thailand has a lower crime rate than many European or American countries.

But then, do you want all the noise, pollution and traffic in your close neighborhood? If yes, then Soi Khao Talo is not for you. If you like it quiet and relaxed at night, it may be an excellent choice; quiet, yet very close to the center.

Yeez man you don't give up promoting your project do you.Do you realy think that anyone is going to buy a house in SRV because you writing utter bs here on this forum.

I live in Khao Talo for 8 years now and I can tell you that it probably is the busiest street in Pattaya.Maybe nerm plubwan is busier but I wouldn't place a bet on that.

I'm even lucky that I live about in the middle of the soi as higher up as my village it is a real getto.And that should read as in " getto ".

In my life I have learned not to listen too much to what people say, but to watch what they are actually doing. And to use utmost caution if these two things are not in sync.

And so; since you have such a negative opinion about the area you actually live in, why are you not packing up and move to a better area? Honestly, if I would share your views, I'd not wait a day and call an agent to move as soon as possible. However, I suppose you have no moving plans, since you did not mention anything of that sort.

Last night I met a British gentleman who lives in Hong Kong since many years and frequently visits Thailand. He said that it is a common phenomenon in Hong Kong that many of the long time expats keep on complaining about Hong Kong all the time. It seems to be a long-time expat phenomenon to shit on the place they live. This expat attitude problem is not limited to Thailand.

The same guy told me that he recently visited his home town back in the UK: Manchester. He said he was appalled by the violence that reigns there. He was nearly beaten up by a group of people not because they wanted his money: they enjoy going out to beat other people up JUST FOR FUN. I have never heard anything that would even come close to this in Thailand.

And by the way: if I had anything to sell, I would certainly not do that on a forum like this. I'm not that stupid.

The discussion in this thread reads like Pattaya, lest all of Thailand, is some of the worst places in the world (comparisons to the Bronx and the Rio Favelas were made), and that Soi Khao Talo is the very worst place.

Yet, nothing could be farther from reality. Such posts are completely misleading people.

I live in Soi Khao Talo since a couple of years now, and am passing this road up and down almost every day. I stop in shops, to draw money from ATMs, in bars to have dinner or a drink and the like very very often. At all times of the day, including well after midnight.

In all this time I have never ever been bothered by anyone. Never. All my neighbours that I have spoken to have also never been bothered.

There was also never ever an attempt to break into my car, which is often parked along the road. And I don't know anybody who had his car ever broken in on this road. Nobody that I would know of.

Now compare this to some other places that I happen to know about:

- Major cities in the UK; in many areas, the level of violence is just staggering. Not only against things, but against people. Carrying weapons such as guns and knives is notorious with many younger guys going out at night.

- Major cities in the US: try entering downtown Detroit, Miami, Washington DC, Baltimore, New Orleans, many parts of NYC (e.g. Bronx) etc. and most other major cities in the US: chances are very high you will be hurt or even killed if walking around innocently.

- Paris and other major cities in France: many areas of larger cities are totally off limits for normal people; Parisians avoid many areas because it's just too plain dangerous. Cars get broken in all the time if left parked outside. Gas stations and shops are being robbed on a regular basis. You have areas where even police is scared to go to.

- Major cities in Italy: basically every lady already had her handbag snatched. Cars less than 5 years old if left outside have a near to100% chance of being stolen or broken in. Many guys I talked to have already looked into the barrel of a gun …. and surrendered their belongings just to survive.

- in cities like Manila or Jakarta you get insistently warned by hotel staff against leaving the hotel at night.

- we don't even need to talk about most of South America and Africa, where crime rates are outraging.

Comparing to these places, Thailand looks like Disneyland. Accordingto international statistics, countries like UK, Germany, US, Finland, Netherlands, New Zealand etc. have per capita crime rates that are in the order of 10 times higher than Thailand.

Check out e.g. http://www.nationmas...imes-per-capita

or specifically looking at robbery rates, http://www.nationmas...ries-per-capita Thailand is really shining as one of the safest places in the world.

I have never been scared to walk around at any time of the night in the center of Bangkok, or in Pattaya. That is, if you behave properly yourself and don't bother other people, chance is extremely high that you will be left alone.

Now back to Soi Khao Talo: this road is no better nor worse than any other road in greater Pattaya.

Of course, in places with a lot of traffic and people, there is more police present, more "witnesses" and the like and so you could make an argument that Walking Street is the safest place in Pattaya.

But then, do you want all the noise, pollution and traffic in your close neighborhood? If yes, then Soi Khao Talo is not for you. If you like it quiet and relaxed at night, it may be an excellent choice; quiet, yet very close to the center.

Nobody claims that Thailand or even Pattaya is free of crime. But in comparison to other places in this world, it is a relatively peaceful place and enjoys a high quality of live also from this fact.

Definitely agree that the salt system is the way to go. The salt is converted to chlorine by the chlorinators over time, and this leads to a constant (minimal) level of chlorine; just enough to keep the pool in good condition. There is indeed no chlorine smell, eyes don't get red, etc.: even as a layman (which I am), you can actually easily feel the advantages of the salt system compared to the old style chlorine pools, and you don't need to keep or handle pure chlorine in your house, which is a poison and therefore a safety hazard.

With regard to pool companies, check out www.thepooldoctorsthailand.com which is also doing lots of projects in Pattaya, and the US owner lives in Pattaya. They seem to be pretty competent and to know what they are doing. (I am not associated with them!).

My 2 cents is that this is the continuation of the Chayaporn Withi Road. But as one poster mentioned, not all roads in Thailand actually have recognized names or nick names.

After reading in this Develope'rs Communities Web Site (SRV). All I can say is that it would be very bad idea to buy a property in this development!

There have been many break ins of people's homes and even Home Invasions. A Home Invasion is a robbery of a home when the residents are present. Not very nice retirement living if you think about that. Especially as we get older.

The Developer did not even place a high priority in finishing the perimeter wall. This resulted in the community not being able to be basicaly secured. The development is in the midst of a bad area. It is obvious that it will take more than an average perimeter wall to secure this village. Unless the developer takes very strong security measures, using the best technology, and professional expertise available. You will never be safe here!

My advice is run don't walk away fom buying here, and beware of big man speaking with forked tongue. It appears that they make big promises that are not kept.

As I pointed out in my other post, there have been absolutely no robberies in this village since 6 months, when the drug addicts were finally put in jail.

This proves that the security strategy that was placed here actually works, and I think other villages could learn from this experience. There was a problem, and it was resolved.

A high priority was placed on implementing a security strategy that actually works, and the actual facts prove that it was the right strategy.

Many people are very happy to live in this village, because when a problem occurs, it gets addressed. And problems occasionally do occur everywhere in the world.

I live there ...

The 'development' in Pattaya is struggling (which is a real pity), the following are facts ...

1. Over 50 - yes 50! home intrusions / burglaries in the last 6 months!! Even to the extent that owners cars have been loaded up with goods from their houses and driven out of the village. Some houses have been 'hit' 2-3 times in as many weeks?? The boundary wall isn't even finished and the lighting is very poor!

2. A large percentage of the residents (especially the permanent ones), are virtually at war with the developers - there are multiple law suits ongoing ..

3. The foreign execs (from Switzerland), who represent SRV are disrespectful and dismissive to the residents requests for help or complaints and disinterested in the whole concept of 'after sales care' they are rude and aggressive ... thats when they bother to respond

4. Money seems to be an issue for the devlopers - many tradesmen will no longer supply them and many houses under construction seem to be 'stalled'

4. Speaking from experience - I would be very careful about believing the 'hype'

5. The advertised infrastructure - clubhouse / retaurant, gym, shops, maid service etc just doesn't exist

I also know many unhappy customers with similar issues who have bought in Koh Chang ..

On a positive note - the house designs are really lovely and the build quality seems to improve month to month ...

Very sorry to hear about your problems there. But I am curious...can you tell me how these robberies are happening? Do the homes have alarms? If so, how are they getting around these? I would sure appreciate your thoughts on that...as I live in a development where we have had a few break-ins lately. One house was cleared out, but the owner admits the alarm might not have been turned on. Another was done in broad daylight and they just walked in and took a few items...with the owner of the house right there! Scary...

Also very sorry to hear that your village was also affected by robberies. This is a nuisance and deteriorates the quality of life considerably. Therefore, I think that the story of what actually happened at SRV might be quite useful to develop a successful strategy for your village, too.

It is correct that there was a series of robberies at SRV last year which lasted exactly until April 17, 2010. None of the robbed houses had an alarm system installed. Insofar it was "low hanging fruits". In some cases, doors or windows had even been left open. An alarm system indeed does help, and especially in times of economic downturn, a certain minimum of self-protection is indeed recommended. Security guards are on site within minutes when an alarm goes off.

It turned out that the robberies were committed by some of the staff of the security company which was hired at the time to secure the compound. After one of the robberies, the culprits were caught red-handed with stolen goods in possession and arrested by police, but they were released on bail after a few days. It was also interesting to learn that the robbers had usually come in over the finished sections of the perimeter wall directly into the private gardens of homes, which cannot be accessed by security unless there is an alarm. It was also interesting to learn that all of those involved in the robberies tested positive on drugs: it is a systematic approach of drug lords to initially give drugs free of charge to certain people until they are addict and then "teach" them how they can make money to pay for the drugs, in this case to rob houses.

The SRV management changed the security company, but the robberies started again.

However, the senior management of the new security company (former police) worked closely together with the local police, and that collaboration helped to have the culprits being arrested (again), and this time kept behind bars without bail granted. It turned out that it was the same group of former staff of the old security company that had been arrested before! The guys are to date still behind bars, and it looks like they are facing a 10 year or so sentence.

Since then(6 months ago), not a single robbery at the Siam Royal View compound.

Draw your own conclusions as to what actually works and what doesn't in terms of security management. We are in Asia, and in Asia, relations are everything. It looks like the word is out in the robbery community that they better not mess with this compound anymore. These bad guys do indeed talk to each other. Also, have the security staff tested for drugs from time to time.

There are two ways:

- either wait 2 years after refilling, and build standard foundations

- or make pilings deep enough to support the weight of the building given the underground's characteristics.

Just a homeowner, looking to protect my investment in the home purchase. I happen to believe that if SRV is managed properly, its a great place to live. Close to Pattaya, great highway access, wide roads, killer views, etc. The current challenges facing SRV have to do with overall management of the compound, ensuring a lively and active homeowner association, and continued infrastructure development.

Killer views? Not in the places I've visited, inless you sit on the roof.

i konw the original sales brochure promised killer views but the actual built result was a high wall around your property, and also around the one in fron t of you, so all you see is a wall from your garden.

Come on! Most of the posts on these threads (even the critical ones) say that they actually have great views. You seem to contradict everyone else on this thread. Actually having a look at the site yourself may be the easiest way to verify your contention.

Actually, the Thai Civil Code defines different periods of prescription for different types of claims. Once these periods have lapsed, there is no way they can be claimed in court. For periodic maintenance payments e.g., the period is 5 years. There are other periods for other types of claims. You probably need to see a lawyer to figure out to which type of claim the individual invoices refer to, and thus figure out the period of prescription for each type of claim on these invoices. Some types of claims have prescription periods of just 2 years. Most likely though, most of the invoices for the older services are invalid by now.