khunPer

To my knowledge an investor visa has been available for quite some time, where investing 40 million baht gave access to foreign ownership of 1 rai of land – how many have actually used that possibility over the years...????

I presume, it's not that big a problem, he already apologized... He said he thought that Mr. Jaroen was an unidentified person that he had an issue with before and apologized for stabbing and killing an innocent person.

Agree, I'm also former airline worker, i.e. educated in planning & navigation and C/D theory...

We have a previous thread about Box Jelly Fish here...

There are many, but I'm not a booking agency, so I don't drive around the island to look for signs and telephone numbers. In Maenam there are Tripple S (Google Street View-link HERE) and Madam P (next door with the ATM machine in front), the latter I think is called Maenam Bungalows, but I don't have their phone number, just sawadee the owners several times a week, when I pass. Both are about 100 meters from an Asian Top 10-beach. Then there is this one, some 300-400 meters from the beach (GSV HERE), and in Bo Phut I know this one "Meesang Garden Resort" (GSV HERE). You can actually use GSV to get around, check area and find something of interest, but mind you that the GSV-images might be 5-6 years old...????

Apart from the calendar, the weather furthermore sticks to El Nino and La Nina. The latter this year, which means more rain – some says 5 percent more downpour – it has been quite some, especially in the first half of 2022.

I've been staying both places, but mainly Maenam. Lamai beach village or area is cozy, have more restaurants and life on the beach area and more nightlife in form of beer bars (with ladies) and a square with a Thai boxing arena in action on Saturdays (I don't know if it's reopened by now after Covid lockdown); it's merely like you expect Thailand. I however don't fancy the beach as much as Maenam, more waves and miss the view to neighboring islands. Maenam beach is quite long – about 5 kilometers – and little different, depending of where you stay on that stretch; however, beach and view almost the same. In both ends of Maenam there are some few beer bars by the ring road, while in the middle section there are no nightlife like that, but cozy pubs and restaurants. Maenam is more laid down than Lamai. Personally I prefer to live in Maenam, while lamai has been great for shorter stays and bit of partying; especially earlier, when they had some late clubs – that part of the nightlife has unfortunately ceased to exist.

You don't find the good bargains for longer term rent of bungalows by calling hotels. Your best bet is to book something for the first few night and then find it locally, either by simply asking – it use to work quite well – or rent some kind of transportation and get around the island, and look for "For Rent"-signs. You can find Okay bungalows fan-only from about 8,000 baht a month and with aircon in the area from 10,000 baht a month, even within walking distance from beach, restaurants and shopping...????

I never go to fitness, and don't go much to restaurant, but takes a walk on the beach daily. I'm never bored on Samui, so much else to do and enjoy, including the party life that presumably is quite different from Pattaya, at least from what I have experienced up there. Probably, as well as everywhere in Thailand, depending whom you mingle with and how you behave – there plenty of single females visting the island – if you specific are considering a Thai girlfriend, some level of providing might also be a benefit, if not a must. And for "etc.....", yes there are also numerous rainbow-options available...????

I don't understand this line from the article – it's the "40-watt" – a typo or can some give me an explanation... According to Nissan Motor Thailand, 40-watt EV battery can supply enough power for a small family to use for 3-4 days.

Seems like the Russians are not aware of that the tourists season on Samui ends today, from tomorrow it's monsoon season until just before Xmas (Western Xmas)...

At least one pair is neighbors on Samui – so far no war – I think both of them have more problems with the local authorities than with each other...

There are Thai groups in Line or on Facebook. Only good reviews and recommendations can be seen, if you complain about others in public, you'll risk facing defamation charges. Don't forget that you are qualified plumber if you can saw blue pipes apart and glue two pieces together, electric work is more like to twist to pieces of electric wire together and wrap tape around it... I have successfully found good craftsmen by asking in building material shops if they know or could recommend someone to do a specific job – best if you have a Thai friend or partner to ask on your behalf – it has worked well for me. The building material shop will benefit from selling the materials used, so they are often interested in helping... Furthermore, some products you can buy including installation – which might be a surcharge – for example HomePro is good at offering that.

If it's a Thai school term, it's about 5 month, i.e. circa 3,000 baht per month, which seems fair for a kindergarten, which is not a bilingual- or international school. You alternative is a Kindergarten-class in a public school – i.e. K1 or K2 – if that is available. There will still be some costs for uniform and meals, plus eventual school bus.

Fairly easy to answer: If you don't have a proper company set up with Thai partners, you dont rent out motorbikes. Your Thai partners will know how to handle the front office rental business, while you are investor only, if you don't have the right number of Thai employees and hold a work permit...

I didn't see any bikinis in the cover photo, but that might however be what Pattaya-bikinis looks like...

If you bought one ticket with Emirates to Samui, they'll allow the Emirates weight. If you bought a separate Bangkok Air ticket you fly domestic with Bangkok Airways and their domestic luggage rules.

No, Phangan is relaxed party life.

Not at all, serious helpful reply, as this is how you find some of the good cheap bungalows, a number of them are not offered on the Internet, and furthermore you need to check location, airbnb-images can be too beautiful compared with real life...????

It seems like long ago you stayed on Samui. Today they don't offer shared computers and the almost all email-shops have gone. Most people are constantly 4G or 5G online. There is WiFi almost everywhere, and free WiFi in malls, banks, coffee shops and restaurants. A 1 Gb fiber with 5G WiFi-router costs little less than 600 baht a month pon Samui, it's 20 baht a day, shared with N number of bungalows. Most of the small huts have disappeared and been replaced with larger more luxurious bungalows – only the ones in the back used by Thai workers are still there – however, there are still a few left in places like in Bang Por for 290 baht a night. Not 24 hour electricity is back in the happy hippie era, Samui has changed a lot since then.

Might not work that easy. Book accommodation for one or a few nights ahead and check areas and accommodation out yourself, word of mouth is often an excellent help.

You can find fan-only bungalows from around 6,000 to 8,000 baht a month – depending on season and personal preferences, fan can be all right, I stayed almost five years in a fan-only bungalow – aircon bungalows comes from around 10,000 baht a month. Be aware of possible higher prices in high- and peak-season, i.e. Xmas-New Year and from January to mid April, plus July-August, when it's not a long term (all year) rent. There are many areas with affordable bungalows close to beach – i.e. relative short walking distance from 100 meters to about 500 meters – cheapest might be Bang Por on the north coast that has both reasonable convenient store shopping and restaurants. Maenam, Bo Phut, Bang Rak, Plai Leam and Choengmon are other possibilities, but with more more tourists, which also means good shopping and restaurant facilities and slightly higher prices. Moving further inland in these areas, you will find lower prices. On the southern and western part of the island you might find little more affordable accommodation, but also fewer shopping and restaurant facilities, and a need to consider transportation. Most bungalow resorts today have WiFi, the island has fiber from 1 Gb down and 200 Mb up. With a 5G WiFi-connection you can have excellent speed. ????

There are a number of visa-run companies on Samui that arrange everything, including transport in minibus. Might be worth checking some of them. Easyway is one possibility, Samui Visa another.

You can, the new wealthy foreigners LTR-visa is a great opportunity, or you can use the for quite some time existing Elite Card...

First of all, check the land's title deed, it need to be not lower than Nor Sor 3 (Nor Sor Sarm), and preferably Nor Sor 4 (Chanute) for ownership, only the last is full ownership. Nor Sor 3 can be upgraded to full ownership, but it m ake take a while to have it done. Apart from investor visa (40 million baht) and wealthy retirement visa (30 million baht) foreigners cannot own land. The most common way around it is establishing a Thai company limited to own the land; however, the foreigner can only own 49 percent and there need to be minimum three shareholders in total with 51 percent Thai ownership. Furthermore the Thai shareholders shall show evidence for funds. With preferred shares – the are two common methods – the foreigner can be able to control the company. The foreigner can be director and have power to sell and/or transfer land owned by the company. There are costs for running a company and preferably the company needs other activities than being an empty shell for foreign land ownership. Another way to secure "investment" in land with high title deeds is, to get a loan declared as servitude – for example the value of the foreigner's investment in land and buildings – with a loan servitude the land cannot be sold or transferred before the loan has been fully paid. There are ways to get permission to use or live on a plot of land, but that does not include rights of ownership or rights to control the land, hereunder selling it. Rights to use the land can be habitation right, usufruct, or lease with a superficies right to own new build buildings on the land. Be aware of that an agreement between husband and wife can be nullified, for example in case of divorce, so do have contracts made before transferring a land title to a wife's name.