Fred Sanford

Villa Soi 11 has a truckload of Vegemite

That Apec card wont do americans or euros any good. I wonder why more aussies and zealanders dont take advantage. I never met anyone who had that card

Are you under 50, don't work and not married to a Thai? Pretty much the only solution to live in Thailand had been:

1. border runs for 30 day stamps --- limit now 3 months in 6

2. triple entry tourist visa --- limited to single and now limited to 3 singles

I think this new restriction will affect a great many people and I'm curious what can be done at this point?

Hello all,

the secret for me is to book hotels always from one of the big travel companies in my home country, in my case germany. They always have cheaper rates, as they buy bulk rooms for the season. I am living in Thailand, but even for my holidays here, i go through the big companies in germany to find extremely cheaper prices.

this time i went through http://www.holidaycheck.de/, 10 days ago they offered a standard room at the bayview for 27 euros, today its 37 for a superior, so its a daily search for the best deals, but overall always worth to look and book from your home country.

regards

Timo

Well, my guess is that the layman bookee on the street would not be able to figure out how to get such a rate

I'd love a link to where you got the 127 rate for the Cititel, for that matter a link anywhere on the net where you can get a 160 ringget or less rate for any room there. Anxiously awaiting

I've been going to Penang for TVs since early '04 and was never asked to show bank statements. I used NJ Books visa agent each time

Use NJ Books as your agent. He charges 200 baht and is extremely reliable. He is located on Chulia St

It's always a risk but seems to work out most of the time

Hello,

i stayed at the bayview georgetown last week, not the cheapest option, but you can book it online cheaper than the walk in rates. I was happy with it. Its very central, close to many thing in georgetown.

i paid 127 ringit, booked it online. I beleive walk in rate is aroung 160.

regards

Timo

I've noticed in this forum that a lot of you are wayyyy out of date on your hotel rates. City Bayview now is 204 ringgets or $68 and those are the facts. I dont wanna know what the walk in rate is now. http://directrooms.com/malaysia/hotels/bay...penang-2048.htm

Cititel is just even worse with a rate of 238 ringgets for stays from Oct 12 forward.

http://directrooms.com/malaysia/hotels/cit...g-835.htm#rates

These rates are for the dirt cheapest rooms which frequently are booked, the next cheapest rooms are 15% higher. I get the feeling by reading the rates people post in this forum that they stayed at these hotels looooooong ago. I stay in them quarterly so I am on top of current rates and the skyrocketing jackups they have engaged in the past year or 2

Unfortunately, the banks and moneychangers in Georgetown disagree with you. In the real world, at least the real world in Georgetown, 1 Ringgit is 10 baht , give or take a couple of percent. One could always disagree with them, and tell them that, according to Google, they are wrong, but I doubt that it would lead very far.

The last time I went, less than a month ago, the rates at Suwannapoom were even worse.

You guys really like to talk real about the real world, ok, I don't use money changers in Penang and unless the people who do earn Thai baht it would be plain stupid.

My money and the money of many tourists and expats is tied up in other currencies. When I require Ringgit I use my international ATM card (dollar account) and get the going rate on that particular day. It wouldn't be too smart to use my ATM card in Thailand and then bring those baht to Malaysia to get stung again at the money changers would it?

Have a good look at that graph again and you'll notice that the ringgit dropped to 8.6 in August and it was under 9 for a month. If what you say is true and the magic number is always 10, then the money changers in Penang at that time were reaping a 10 - 15% bonus on exchanges to people without a clue. On a currency exchange of 10,000 baht they would be short changing customers 111 ringgit or approximately 1000 baht. You guys are making these money changers rich.

please let us know what rate you get with that ATM card tropo. I'm curious

Leo isn't too bad but you can keep the singh or chang.

When can one buy a mini keg of becks or the like in bkk??

Forget about it. you cant buy any imported beer in Thailand for any reasonable price, not to mention the fact that the imports are all out of date and would have been pulled from shelves in their home countries. We're stuck with the worst beer in the world, all thailand brewed. I agree that Leo is the best of this horrendous selection. Beer Lao would have been a step in the right direction

I dont get home very often so when I do it's quite a pleasue. Great beer, see family, boating, relaxing, the good life. I know I'm coming back so what's there to miss

Play around with Air Asia for dates and get on their email list. I could have booked to go to Penang for Bt88 plus taxes if I booked before 18th September !

You'll have to stay overnight. I used the Cititel at about Bt1250 online. Good cheap room service and ok hotel.

No need for an agent. Fly in on the 7am flight, taxi to embassy, fill in forms and pay MYR100 visa fee (make sure you have the correct (large) photo size. They will refuse your application if not. Then same taxi to hotel. Do the same in reverse the following day.

There is a Nandos chicken eatery at the airport which is very nice.

As you are in Bangkok and unless you have more time than sense, no other option is remotely as easy or cheap.

do you have a link for cititel at that price or even close? I havent seen that hotel online for less than double 1250

Play around with Air Asia for dates and get on their email list. I could have booked to go to Penang for Bt88 plus taxes if I booked before 18th September !

You'll have to stay overnight. I used the Cititel at about Bt1250 online. Good cheap room service and ok hotel.

No need for an agent. Fly in on the 7am flight, taxi to embassy, fill in forms and pay MYR100 visa fee (make sure you have the correct (large) photo size. They will refuse your application if not. Then same taxi to hotel. Do the same in reverse the following day.

There is a Nandos chicken eatery at the airport which is very nice.

As you are in Bangkok and unless you have more time than sense, no other option is remotely as easy or cheap.

after the fiasco in Phuket on 1,2 go, I am leaning towards land travel to Penang from now on. My family back home urges this or non cheapo airlines as well

I would go to Vientiane LAO. Really easy and the Thai Embassy will give your passport and visa back the next day after you apply. The way I traveled there was fly airasia or nok air to UdonThani and then a mini bus to the border. From udon to the border (Nongkai) was around a 40 mins bus trip. I liked this way much more than going to Paeng.

Hi Rhino,

How much is the fare by minibus from Udon Thani to Nongkai ? And then i guess by coach to Vientiane ? How much for this trip and how long ? Is it true you lose 2 whole pages in your passport by going there, comparing with for example Penang ?

Thanks.

If you are American, this page loss thing is meaningless as we can get all the free pages we want added to our passports at the US embassy

thats excellent, penang it is, sorry for more questions, never done this before, how do i go about getting a visa agent and be sure its one that will do the job properly....can i print out an application form in advance or do i pop in and get one there or will he have them, yes im that clueless lol sorry? thanks again for your help

On past similar threads, many people have recommended Banana Guesthouse in Penang, and I used them the first time I applied for a tourist visa and had no idea what to do. They were very helpful, were able to answer all my questions, and, as someone else said, the cost was pretty minimal. They're one of the larger guesthouses on Chulia St., and your bus driver should know where they are.

Make sure you have a couple photos for your application.

And, as others have also said, the chances of you NOT getting a tourist visa are very slim.

thanks to you all, everyone is so helpful here, very nice forum and people thanks again. i will look into this as well

NJ Books chulia st is numero uno in the visa agency biz, I dont care for Bananas

check out Index furniture, I did and I'm delighted. MBK

Man this brings back memories for me. I came to BKK airport in 2002 for an onward trip to cambo, which my bro and I decided at the airport to forego in favor of a trip to Calcutta. Unfortunately we did not research the Indian visa situation prior to buy tickets at the airport. We buy tix then find out we need visa. This was not a happy time as we booked the Tai Pan Hotel near the Indian embassy thinking we could grab a quick visa the next day and be off. we find out about the 5 day wait for the visa the following day. This really annoyed us as we only had a 2 week vacation. Neither of us had spent time in BKK and were not happy that we would now be forced to. During the 5 day wait we had an outstanding time in BKK and I fell in love with the place. A BKK expat recommended that we burn the India tickets and just hang in Bangkok. We ended up doing exactly that and never looked back. I'd like to thank the Indian embassy for this 5 day policy as it enabled me to discover and move to BKK and avoid a disappointing trip to what has been described to me as an open sewer

Oh, and forgot to add that we’d sent a new teacher off with the same set of paperwork a couple of weeks ago to apply for her non B in Cambodia and there were no complications at all, in case anyone is thinking of alternatives.

That's interesting. By all reports, the Thai Embassy in Phnom Penh is about the last place anybody would want to trek seeking a visa.

LOL, that's an understatement OM

No specific branches being mentioned here for the OP. I know what he's going thru, I went thru same. I havent opened an account recently but had success at Bangkok Bank btw Soi 10 and 12 on sukhumvit

This is the end of soi 11. 5 star all the way. GP is a dump I agree

Special offer for my Thai visa friends. Brand new 5 star building near the end of exclusive Sukhumvit Soi 11, a cul de sac soi. I am offering this condo on thaivisa for 30K and other sites for 35K. The building is in the spectacular location of Soi 11 surrounded by 5 other 5 star building including 2 other brand new ones in this exclusive block. Nana sky train station is a 10 minute walk. Fantastic soi 11 is packed with upscale clubs and excellent restaurants. Nearby are the Bed Supper Club, Q Bar and The Ritz. This condo is for someone who wants luxury in their Bangkok living. The building has first class facilities including a 9th floor pool, jacuzzi, weight room and spa. I am the owner of this unit and a westerner. I offer flexible terms for a qualified tenant. Unit will include at no extra charge: linens, towels, dishes, cutlery, 2 large 29 inch TVs with DVD players. Also the unit has a great large refridgerator and front load washer that are non existent in other Bangkok 1 BRs. Dining table is large with 4 large padded dining chairs. Bathroom is huge with a separate shower unit and bathtub on opposite side. Plenty of built in shelving around the living room TV. Huge sofa sectional with coffee table. Office desk in bedroom with nice new western style bed with mattress and box springs. Great 10th floor city views from living room balcony and bedroom. Everything is brand spanking new in this unit and this is my only rental and it was done right, not cheap. This is an exceptional value for someone looking for quality and location in Bangkok. Comparable units, if you can find one, in this area rent much higher than my offer. I don't expect this to last so act quickly. 1st come 1st serve. One final thing, I am including top speed dsl wifi internet with the rent. You can PM me here or call my mobile at 086-997-7845 or 085-900-9283. cheers, Fred

See pics below

Don't carry cash, carry American Express Travelers Checks. This is Karl Malden

This building just opened next door to mine. I dont anticipate this unit lasting much longer. I have a very interested party from another ad listed at 35K. I'm just going to put out a likely last alert on this place for TV members. cheers, Fred

http://www.bahtsold.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=1585

Fraser Suites to open Sukhumvit location

source: Bkk Post

The property developer Chaiyos Land Development Co Ltd tomorrow will open Fraser Suites Sukhumvit, a serviced apartment worth one billion baht, said managing director Rohit Sachdev.

He said the company targeted to break even within eight years at expected occupancy rates of 65%, 80-85% and 90% respectively in the first three years while the internal rate of return was targeted at between 10% and 11% per year.

''Thailand's tourism industry remains strong, as it is one of the best tourist destinations in the world. With a clearer political situation, business outlook in the country will resume,'' he said.

Fraser Suites Sukhumvit is located on Soi Sukhumvit 11, comprising 118 rooms at rates between 4,500 and 10,500 baht per night or 90,000 to 240,000 baht monthly for sizes ranging between 52 and 160 square metres.

It is the third apartment managed by the Singapore-based serviced residence management firm Frasers Hospitality, following the 129-room Fraser Place Urbana Langsuan and the 142-room Fraser Suites Sathorn. The three serviced apartments have a combined value of about four to five billion baht.

Chaiyos Land also has some plots of land in the Sukhumvit area, on Suksawad Road and in Lop Buri province. It plans to develop new serviced apartments on a one-rai site near its Sukhumvit project over the next two years.

Set up in 2004, Chaiyos has registered capital of 400 million baht, with Fraser Suites Sukhumvit as its first project, said Mr Sachdev, who is the third generation of the Sachdev family.

The company is a subsidiary of the 50-year-old holding firm MR Amarnath Group, a family-owned business that operates trading, textile, chemical, hospitality and property businesses.

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pool

jacuzzi upper left

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