newnative

My Thai partner and I have bought and renovated a number of condos in Thailand and we just finished a house. We always design just for ourselves, even though we have ended up selling the condos and moving on to the next project. I like your idea of designing for yourself and your girlfriend. Do what you want, not what someone else tells you. For example, I always like a lot of storage. I don't like to see clutter. So, I make sure there's a place for everything and it's always part of the design. Think carefully about how you live in your space--and do your plan to accommodate how you spend your time. Do you like to watch tv in bed? Plan for that. How many people do you want your dining space and table to seat? Plan for that. Do you need a place to work? Do you like to cook or is the microwave your best buddy? Etc., etc. Good planning before you actually start the work is key. Don't forget things like the placement of electrical outlets, switches, and lighting. We have found that custom can sometimes be had for little more than off-the-shelf--if you have a good source. With one project, we started with a kitchen estimate from a European company that does custom kitchens. Way too expensive. Then we asked for an estimate of our design from a large Thai retail company that specializes in tile and kitchen design. Cheaper, but we had to use standard kitchen cabinets--and the high gloss they use tends to yellow. We could have made it work with some design compromises but we weren't satisfied. So, instead, we used a Bangkok custom cabinet maker. I drew the designs, sent them to them, and they made working construction plans. They met us on-site, took careful measurements, we fine-tuned the plans, and most of the construction was done at their factory. When everything was ready, they came and did the installation, with some on-site finishing work. They also worked hand-in-hand with the granite people. The cost was a bit more than the Thai retailer but much cheaper than the European company. They have also done custom bath vanities, armoires, desks, shoe cabinets, bookcases, and, so far, anything else I dream up. We like the gloss acrylic that they use--no yellowing. They were great to work with and we have used them about 6 times. Here's an example of one project, one of my favorites--and also the most challenging as the space was so tiny. My partner and I bought a 24sqm studio condo in Bangkok as a getaway place. Came with just the kitchen and a bad bedroom armoire. Before starting the design, we thought about what we wanted and needed for how we live. In this case, our living would be once a month visits for a week or so--and using the condo to crash at after international trips. My partner would occasionally need to do some work at a work space. Even though the space was tiny, we wanted the design to accommodate: Comfortable seating for 2 to watch tv. Big refrigerator with automatic ice maker. Hidden clothes washer. Work and dining space to comfortably seat 2. Storage for large luggage. Ample clothes storage, including easy-to-access drawers. Some separation of the bedroom area so it feels like a different space from the living area. (When I am in my living room I don't want to be in my bedroom, and vice versa.) Better bathroom ingress/egress. Good lighting for reading in bed. A king-size bed with access on both sides--no crawling over the other person to get out. Some display space for art and objects. Bed side tables of some sort. We used the Bangkok furniture company to construct the custom designs we came up with: A combination refrigerator cabinet with luggage storage above. A desk/dining table with 2 drawers. New cabinet doors for the kitchen to hide the clothes washer. Twin armoire cabinets on either side of the bed, each with drawers and a pull out shelf, with a bridge cabinet across the bed for more storage, art display, and bed lighting. Bathroom door changed to a sliding door to make the small bath space function better. We were very pleased with the result. We like this company because they often improve our designs. In this case, they incorporated the sliding door into the armoire unit and added extra lighting to the armoire bridge. The company did most of the work while we stayed in Pattaya--sending us progress photos. When they were done, we hired another company to do two floor-to-ceiling screens--one separating the bedroom area and a second smaller one by the kitchen--to add a little separation to it. The finishing touch was wallpaper--two subtle but different wallpaper designs in the two areas to further suggest separate spaces. Some before and after photos. To educate yourself a bit, I would suggest watching some Youtube videos. Think of Living also does some good reviews of mostly Bangkok condo and house projects--both tv shows and also photos and project plans on their website. My partner and I like to watch videos and we also like to tour the model rooms in new condo projects to get ideas. Some of the models are really nicely done with very good quality of design--I'm almost always impressed and pick up ideas to use. I used to read Architectural Digest and Interior Design a lot when we were in the US--you could look at some magazines and design books. Make notes of things you like--and use your cell phone to snap photos to keep a record. If you're out at a store and see a sofa you like, snap a photo. I like to snap the item's sales tag so I'll have the price and usually the item's model name and dimensions. Take your time. Someone mentioned living in the space awhile before doing anything and I think that's a very good suggestion. When laying out and trying furniture arrangements, I sometimes make and use large paper patterns with the dimensions of the furniture I'm planning to buy so I can move them easily around the floor and see how they fit. I'm a visual person and I like to actually see things beforehand as much as possible--and leave as little to chance as possible. How's a large 75-inch tv going to look on a certain wall? Make a pattern, stick it on the wall, and see. Have fun and good luck to you!

Nothing wrong with efforts to attract quality and first time tourists. But, don't forget everyone else. Ideally, Thailand should be hoping for a wide mix of tourists from many areas. A strategy of quality alone is a no-go when most of your tourist areas are geared for quantity. Variety is the spice of life--shoot for that. And, make the whole experience easy, not difficult.

And, in Pattaya they were being held, not on Walking Street, but at hotels like the relatively new Mytt, which has the Vertical Ballroom that can hold 1000 people. Or at Grande Centre Point. Or Dusit, or one of the other big, nice hotels in north Pattaya or Wong Amat--about as far from Walking Street as you can get. Business must have been good--the lavish Grande Centre Point 2 is going up just down the street from GCP 1--with another new, large hotel going up across the street.

Many genuine tourists only visit a place once. That's perfectly normal. My partner and I visited Switzerland--once. Enjoyed it. We likely will not go a second time. Ditto for Singapore and other places we have visited as tourists. There are too many other places we haven't been to and want to see. We've lost almost 2 years of international travel with covid, still have a long list of places to visit, so that makes it even more likely that some places will get just 1 visit.

I never got anything in paper form for any of the shots. My Thai partner says the information on the 2 shots is on the Mor Phrom app, which we used.

I had 2 shots of Sinovac and was given an AZ booster. All in Pattaya.

I was just going to say the same thing. Why don't they ever have any expats in these meetings? Get some perspective on the subject--and some fresh ideas. Instead, it looks like they are just hashing over the same old lousy proposals. And, just more blah, blah, blah and no action.

Duh just means something very obvious. I just used caps to emphasize it.

As always with threads like this, I find myself wondering that if a person is struggling financially and can't afford inexpensive Thailand, how will they do back in their likely much more expensive home country?

I find myself curious as to why you are posting numerous times on a thread about Thailand if you dislike it so much and see no reason to ever visit as, in your opinion, there are so many other more desirable places to go to. Why are you even bothering to spend time here on this thread? Most tourists do not travel 9 months a year, like you apparently do. Most tourists are of the 'one and done' variety. They get a 2 week vacation a year and choose somewhere to go. Many have a list of places they want to see on their bucket lists. They go once, see all they want to see, and move on to the next country on their list when their next vacation comes up. Also true for retirees--although they have more time to travel. When my parents retired they did a lot of traveling all over the World--to most places just once. It's the same for me. I've got my list and most will be 'one and done'. For most tourists, Thailand can be a wonderful place to visit once, with easy side trips to nearby countries. That's what my 4 sisters did in 2017. They visited Thailand, had a wonderful time, and we also took a side trip to Cambodia to see Angkor Wat. It's a trip they still talk about fondly. They are likely 'one and done' with Thailand and Cambodia--but it doesn't mean they both weren't worth a visit.

Another news item for the 'DUH" file.

Not all my condo sales were to Chinese. The two Centric Sea sales were. My last condo sale was to a Swiss buyer.

I think it depends on a number of things and every case is different. Age can be a big factor. My father also developed colon cancer--his in his early 70s vs. my partner's mother in her early 80s--and he also had an operation to remove the cancerous section. Luckily the cancer had not spread to other organs. The doctor told my Dad he was confident he had got it all. And, it turned out he was right. My Dad lived to just shy of his 95th birthday, with good quality of life--although he had to use a walker the last couple of years.

It did not buy here much more time. Family health care decisions can be difficult--you always hope you are making the best choices. Hindsight is always 20/20.

I think you are wise to have insurance. I know people talk about Thais being treated for free but that was not the case for my elderly Thai mother-in-law in Bangkok. I've posted on this before. She had very complicated health issues, including colon cancer, an operation, chemo, and kidney problems requiring dialysis and sometimes the government hospitals were all booked for ICU and her other extensive health care issues. Her bills came to over 2MB. With no ICU beds available at the government hospital, rather than have her in an open ward they used a private hospital to get ICU care, which went on for a number of weeks, in and then out and then back in again. It was expensive but they wanted good care for her. I think with routine, regular things care can be inexpensive and good--I've gone to the emergency room at a government hospital when I was away from Pattaya and got sick and I had good treatment. It's good for many things but, as I say, if the health issues become very complicated with operations involved and long stays in the ICU then it can sometimes be a different story--at least that was my partner's family's experience. In other localities the story may be different and more positive. My Thai partner now carries private health insurance after seeing firsthand his mother's experience.

Thanks so much!

Best way to fix it is to can it. Then the IT staff can get to work fixing 90 day on-line reporting. Or, better still, can 90 day reporting, too. Problems solved.

Do you know if this is a recent policy change? I am on an O-A retirement visa and Jomtien Immigration would not accept my April International health care policy--even though my coverage is far more than what is required and I got a letter from April (a lot of trouble) explaining my coverage and had them do a similar 'certificate' of coverage. Only a set list of Thai insurance companies could be used. Thanks!

Less than 50 wealthy Chinese came to Thailand in 2019? Ridiculous. Try to make your false statements that you pull out of the air with never any actual backup in data be at least a little credible. I'm just 1 person but I have sold 5 condos to wealthy Chinese--who came to Thailand. A wealthy Chinese couple owned the 12MB condo next to me in Wong Amat. They came to Thailand--several times a year, pre-covid. So, that's 6 already off the top of my head just from me. Just one person's experiences--in a country of 70 million. In another post here someone commented that all the sea facing condos at Centric Sea Condo in Pattaya had been bought by Chinese. That was incorrect but a number were purchased by wealthy Chinese who came to Thailand. Just one condo project among thousands in Thailand. Only 50 wealthy Chinese came out of nearly 11 million in 2019? Think again.

Not in my experience.

Correction. Not 'ALL' Centric Sea 'sea facing' condos were originally sold to Chinese. I owned 2 sea facing units on different floors, bought before the project was completed. The unit next to the one I lived in was owned by a Thai, another sea facing unit down the hall was owned by a European. Two side-by-side units on the floor were owned by an Indian family. While we lived there we knew a number of non-Chinese owners with sea view units. However, I did sell my two Centric Sea condos to Chinese buyers.

'Some issues'. Translation: Train wreck.

Thanks! Appreciate the information.

Speed and transparency. Too rich. Those ships sailed years ago.

Under glass half full, there were 30, count 'em, foreigners gathered. I guess it's a start.