Ground Engineer

Dont diss anyone from the Thai Royal family......severe consequences!

Respect everyone you meet but dont trust them until youve known them for at least 3 months.

Managed to book the Areca Lodge for the first half of my 10 day break. Recommendations from members for hotels of similar quality for the last 5 days of my stay will be most appreciated.

Hey Ferguston leave those Gecko's alone!! All in all there just another lizard on the wall!

PS Sydney I would guess that you have never stayed in a half decent hotel if you consider the Siam Hotels habitable!

For the price they cost, they are quite "habitable".

Any opinion on the Sawasdee Siam on Soi BusKhow/ Soi Honey Inn. THe big purple hotel. Ive passed it many times but never been in. Prices are cheap only 700 Bhat. Cheers!

Been trying to book the Areca Lodge from mid September but fully booked up. Thought it was supposed to be dead in Patatya!

How do you try to book? Directly with them or through AsiaRooms or one of the other on-line booking sites?

Ive tried Areca Lodge web site asia rooms and a few other web sites. Comes up the same.....nothing available!

Been trying to book the Areca Lodge from mid September but fully booked up. Thought it was supposed to be dead in Patatya!

BTW its £35 (1750 Bhat) per month for the 50MB internet through Virgin Media.

The advantages of working at a major university in Thailand.

Amazing! is that going through TOT or CAT?

Really enjoying the 50 MB broadband after suffering with crap in Pattaya for 2 years. However I would still trade Pattaya for the UK any day.

You get the fast internet, we get the LBFM with the big boobs

Yes I am missing the LBFM's big and little Boobs

Really enjoying the 50 MB broadband after suffering with crap in Pattaya for 2 years. However I would still trade Pattaya for the UK any day.

I would imagine you may be able to rent a Northpoint condo for 60K on Wongamat beach. They will be available in December this year. I think you will find it satisfies all your requirements.

Northpoint's two recently "topped-off" towers now stand proudly over the Pattaya skyline, with all phases of construction at the project site continuing to make progress through mid-March.

Now that the structures of both towers have been completed, the massive Tower Cranes have been dismantled and removed from the site, and the external block-work plastering is finished, allowing the textured and flat paintwork applications to begin.

Tenders for the majority of the trade packages have been awarded, with deliveries and works progressing smoothly at the site.

The site has been receiving major M&E plant deliveries, with the electrical distribution board mains, transformers and fire pumps all arriving in February, while the bus ducts are due in early April. The standby generator has also been delivered and installation is ongoing.

The Mechanical, Electrical and Plumbing first fix installations have progressed to level 49 in Tower A and level 43 in Tower B, while the second fix installations have reached level 41 in Tower A and level 40 in Tower B.

Also making headway well to the upper floors in Towers A and B are the installations of the Siemens lighting control wiring, air conditioning system and the lift package with landing doors and frames.

Internal fit-out works are proceeding, with blockwork walls and plaster works reaching level 47 in Tower A and level 40 in Tower B, double-glazed window frame and glass installations to levels 45 and 39, ceiling installations to levels 25 and 21, and kitchen fit-outs to levels 13 and 12. Deliveries are in line with progress.

Floor and wall tiling has reached level 44 in Tower A and level 29 in Tower B, with the majority of required tiles for the units having been ordered from Italy and received on site.

Installations of the built-in wardrobes and vanity units have progressed to level nine in Towers A and B and the frameless shower cubicle installations have reached level 12 in both towers with deliveries to the site in line with work progress.

Come and view the progress for yourselves. The new show suites are now open for you to visit on level 3 of Tower A - and represent the quality and attention to detail that will be delivered throughout this project.

Condo should have large rooms, high ceiling's and include big windows with preferably a view of some kind.

A penthouse 30 floors up a high-rise?

Sounds good. If you've got the money

RAZZ

If a penthouse is uses as a ruler to measure "the best", many condos will not qualify. I for one, do not like city apartments. And I detest 'dormitory' type of floor layouts.

City apartments are those that you stand at the entrance gate and see multiple floors of car parks and then greens sprouting above the car park roof followed by the apartment units.

Dormitory type speaks for itself - long dark and narrow corridors with little sunlight and ventilation.

My test of a well designed condo building is simple: people can live in it should there be a citywide power blackout from 9am to 4pm. Is there natural ventilation and light in the hallways from staircases and lifts to the entrance of the condo unit? Is the condo unit not deeper than 7m to come to a window or sliding glass door?

Sounds like Northpoint would comply with your test and more!

Nice pics. Looks like the project will be completed despite the naysers on TV. They're just envious, that's all.

Yes Barack you are right, the naysaysers are just envious. Cant wait to move in in December.

Likely a great investment too as prices have dropped 40% - 50% from when they were first marketed at the height of the WW economic bubble a couple years ago

And I suppose your so clever that your property hasnt been affected by the WW economic bubble

Nice pics. Looks like the project will be completed despite the naysers on TV. They're just envious, that's all.

Yes Barack you are right, the naysaysers are just envious. Cant wait to move in in December.

Yep...nice pics...nothing like living in a little box in the sky with 500 (or is it 1000) other boxes too. Like others have said, enjoy all the noise from your neighbors remodeling, music, partying, and crying babies too...should be a real riot. Likely a great investment too as prices have dropped 40% - 50% from when they were first marketed at the height of the WW economic bubble a couple years ago

Also, isn't there another condo going up right next door...that should provide a couple years of sleepless nights of construction noise and general mayhem on the soi.

Also, you're gonna really enjoy that walk from your car in the garage to the front entrance of the condo building itself during rainy season...and enjoy playing tennis on the roof in the mid-day sun

Where do you live thats so envious then MeettheJohnDoe?

Nice pics. Looks like the project will be completed despite the naysers on TV. They're just envious, that's all.

Yes Barack you are right, the naysaysers are just envious. Cant wait to move in in December.

Northpoint is far from finished. Are there still workers on the site?

The Northpoint construction site in Pattaya has been a hive of activity in February, and work remains on schedule. Now that both towers have been topped off and all structural work has been completed, the massive tower cranes have been removed and the site has been receiving regular deliveries, with the electrical distribution board mains, transformers and fire pumps all arriving in February.

Interior and mechanical and electrical works are making good progress. Block work walls, plastering and window frame installation have progressed to upper levels of both towers, whilst floor and wall tiling, ceiling installation, and kitchen fit-out works continue to progress up the building.

Northpoint is far from finished. Are there still workers on the site?

Wouldn't read too much into the share price, the company reported a sizeable profit and dividend for FY 2008.

I am sure you are correct. The share price is rather more important to those who bought at 2008 prices.

Recent Stock Performance:

Current Price (3/6/2009): .17

(Figures in Thai Bahts)

1 Week -5.6% 13 Weeks -29.2%

4 Weeks -34.6% 52 Weeks -82.8%

Ok you have a point and probably are someone who would sell at today's prices

Doesn't the share price reflect the value of the company?

Not really, just reflects the value of the shares.

Last week, lots of news in the Bangkok Post and the Nation about Raimon Land. Changing CEO's and canceling projects.

What effect will this have on it's two big developments in Pattaya? Will they be completed or not?

I would be very surprised if my Northpoint apartment is not handed over to me on the due date of December of this year as its almost complete. Not sure about Southshore though, as construction hasnt even started.

Theres big demand for a reasonably priced ENglish school. If shes got a good business plan then I can see being very successfull.

I lke Guiness with a Tia Maria mixer, but no one seems to sell Tia Maria in Thailand. Ive heard that Kahlua is similar to Tia Maria. Can anyone confirm this?

Seem to remember there was a skull found on site by the contractor. The forehead had been engraved with black magic symbols (Pee).

Hey does any one know if there is a New Years Eve Party at Northpoint this year. For the last 2 years they have had a Chrimbo party and a New Years Eve Party. I normally get an invite by email but have had nothing this year.