SGD

Agreed. Carrefour moving out was a great loss.

Are you about 17 ? We're not talking about a group of wet behind the ears nerds going large on their first trip away to Magalluf but rather a 4/5* hotel with a pool bar for sensible adults. Though I admit many here and in Pattaya are effective retards.

VT2 and VT1 have a restaurant of sorts away from the pool but by the pool, if that makes sense, but definitely nothing of the swim up variety. Nova Platinum (ex bowling alley in South Pattaya) theoretically has one but it was never being used when I looked. I thought maybe the Dusit or Royal Cliff might ?

Any relation to Red Bull King here ?

Won't be a very long list but I'll start. Avani - operational every day until 18:00/19:00

How could he ? Because he is a cowardly Thai man. They are everywhere.

Yes, always an excuse for a pathetic waste of space of a man.

Yeah, it costs $10 a year to have your own email account and Somchai is using @yahoo and can't even do better than a single page 20 year old website. It could be great but I found that crap before posting and the same listing to it from here in 2011.

I lived in VT2B on the top floor for 3 or 4 years shortly after construction and the main issues, which were largely avoided in the later developments, were the construction going on for year after year as the condos were empty shells. That is how they all were back then but later developments made life easier by moving to fully fitted out which is way more sensible. That means however that VT2 has almost 1900 potentially different fitting out qualities ! VT2B being set back from the road is annoying if walking that distance day in and day out and in hot and bad weather but with a car or truck it is fine. VT2A being nearer the road is easier I guess. VT1 was 1 pool between 2 units whereas VT2 is 2 pools. VT1 is smaller by design. VT2 has the most land given to any near modern complex and you'll never get that feeling of open space again. VT3 is ok if you lke the area but you need transport for sure. VT4 never materialised - I don't know why. VT Residence 4 is the nearest but that isn't the 4th development. My guess is that it was planned and didn't happen. VT5C is the start of the 48sqm units which was followed over into VT6. 2 buildings here, seafront and one set back, pool in between. VT6 is the most abused VT building as the Beach Road location means it is a virtual AirBnB and short time hotel. Location is great, living there is not. VT7 took years to build and was the subject of many a court case as the front building is in breach of the required distance from the shore line, which was "amended". Clearly brown bags were passed and residents who lost their view got shafted. VT8 is on the moon. No-one even truly knows where it is and no-one cares. Where would I live ? Honestly, VT2 carries some memories but from a practical point of view, to have a large pool maintained then you need a lot of condos paying for it so small blocks don't make sense. VT7 is a ghost ship most night with 20 lights on from 1200 condos. VT3 is quite nice but isolated really so perhaps VT5 or back to VT2 where there is a hub of long term residents and the space around the development makes it feel nice.

Is there a quality and safe long term place to store vehicles in Pattaya ? IK don't mean Somchai's lockup, I mean a proper place like you'd get in the west.

What would be the point of 2 x 180 day period within 5 years if not back to back or nearly back to back ? At most, you could argue 2 x winters which would be within 15/18 months. So in 2024, you fancy 5 months and you buy this visa. Unless it is the cheapest way to remain for a single 180 day stay or you want between 6 and 12 months, then there is no logic to suggest you might, say in 2027, want another 180 day stay. Poorly thought out as usual with no-one running the ideas past anyone with a western brain to see if they make sense.

Though I lived in Thailand for years on business visas previously, these days the 60 day tourist visa is about enough and of course I could extend but the 60 day waiver on entry for UK passports does change the game. No more tourist visas unless you want multiple entry because you can get 60 days on entry and a 30 day extension meaning you only need to jump ship once every 3 months or every 2 months if you cannot stand the stupidity of the immigration office roundabout or won't pay an agent to do it. Unless you live in Thailand permanently, in which case you should have a 12 month visa option, then 60/90 days should be enough and options to jump to a nearby country make it easier than before because you won't be asking nearby countries for tourist visas. However, is there a risk they may go like some western countries and impose 90 days in 180 days and 180 days in 12 months as maximums ?

When will they learn and get an educated English person to proof read their garbage and straighten out their crap language ? DTVs OK, so they stamp you in for 180 days, probably make you hit up immigration at 90 days and for 10k. But no-one is going to give them another 10k for 180 days, extendable only once in 5 years. The only sensible interpretation is that the visa is 5 years and you can stay 180 days per visit, meaning border jumps every 6 months. Yet I know that seems illogical but the other interpretations make even less sense as everyone would be on 180+180 and done in 12 months with no need for 5 years.

Sounds like it. Depends on what paperwork they want for your nomad visa but if they link it to global income then you're going to have to pay some taxes to get it renewed. However, as I have said since the elite visas first came out, you only had to look at the cost of doing the annual visa jump to see the value or not. At 1m for 20 years, it was 50k a year and no-one, not even back then, could go back home and get another business visa or other "dodgy" visa or even go legit and get a work permit for anywhere near 50k a year but of course, 99.9% of people who would have benefited never had anywhere near 1m baht available. At the fairly recent Bt500k for 5 years, I said that it was a fair payment as you got 5 years and didn't have to do border jumps or dodgy ED visas or have to fly back home etc. I still think that if the cost is under 100k a year, whatever visa you go for makes sense.

Thanks for all the comments. In the end it is the Isuzu V Cross 4x4 auto which is being purchased. Retail is Bt1,257,000 and there is about 30k off this and a few freebies like liners, internal wheel arch protection, tank of fuel, 5 years servicing. Not a massive deal but it is a decent interior, will last 10+ years and still have a decent residual value.

Why ? I have done before at 95% of new value. It isn't insured with the dealer, it is still insured through a reputable insurance company.

Main dealer has come through with a maximum of 85% of new valuation (Bt1.3m) and whilst I've had this pushed up previously to 95% it seems to be a sticking point right now. All the online aggregators seem to max out at either Bt800k or 80% or 85% but the vehicle is brand new. We're looking at not using the dealer insurance if they cannot raise it over 85%. Any advice and is there GAP insurance in Thailand ?

Thailand could have 720 million people (look at the topic title) and it would not change the argument of how much it costs to live as an expat. Your reference is absurd. This is not how near can you live as a local but how many millions, (not hundreds of thousands) dos it require to retire in Pattaya. Over 30 years on boards, groups and forums, most history now, this subject always causes the most grief. You have what you have. It is probably less than a sensible person should migrate with but it is still what you have. You cannot spend more than whatever you have. 95% of "expats in Thailand would fail if the 65k was upgraded by inflation for the last 20 years to say 300k a month and the immigration offices didn't fraudulently stamp forms. Doesn't it tell you anything that perhaps 90% of "worthwhile" expats cannot afford the miniscule £20k to put into a bank and thus use a fraudulent way to live in Thailand.

No, you are tacky and classless to assume that your inability to have more defends that position. I had a cardboard box in London 35 years ago and I retired a multi millionaire by 29 as a banker. I gave up on sights to be a billionaire to have a better life. I inherited £0.00.

Best of what ? It isn't even the best international school. it is just the most well known.

I used to have many businesses in Thailand, mostly in and around Pattaya ranging from bars to restaurants to a hotel and later student accommodation and laundry. Let me tell you about how the economics have moved against everyone inthe small business sector. You could, even as late as say 2000, maybe even 2004/5, buy a bar which could give you a return of 200% to 400% per year. Now you would be lucky to get 25% per year outside massive investment (and the associated risk). It made absolute sense before and makes zero sense now.

I could hold out until maybe August or September (difficult) but I really need one by May / June

I have used a referenced mortgage on land and property outside Thailand where the mortgage would be at such a high interest rate that it would surpass the value of the property on day one and could never be redeemed even if prices went up 25% plus per annum. It was done as protection of course and I think a similar thing would work in Thailand.

Of course but if you join the (free to join) Hilton Hhonors) membership you get 10% off the entire bill.

We've been around forever Jacko and you and I are both right. Soe rents have bounced but bounced from 8/10k which sis where they bottomed out but no-one is going to pay 30/40k a month for VT6 in 2024 onward because the design is now 20 years old and the facilities have not been upgraded because no-one is prepared to invest, because from day one it was bought as a rental place, not a residential place. Nothing wrong with that but it means that for living there, it is not the best. Then they built Central 55555555 and loads now face the aircon or car park. It doesn't even work for the online bookings as they won't advertise the exact unit and they aggregate which is great for yield management but absolutely crap as a prospect for a visitor.