Mysterion
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Posts posted by Mysterion
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8 hours ago, DrDave said:
The owners of Terminal 21 in Bangkok have a very different business model when it comes to their food court. The food court's sole purpose is to drive a high volume of customer traffic through the mall, which is located on the uppermost floor. The food on offer is incredibly inexpensive, and of good quality. Why? Because the food vendors are not charged any rent, and each must be operated by a relatively well-known standalone restaurant located somewhere in the Bangkok area. It's true that due to the high value to money ratio, the food court drives a tremendous amount of traffic to the mall, but I often wonder what the return on this investment is. Quite a bit of real estate is dedicated to this non-revenue generating area, but I don't know how many of the food court's customers spend money in the mall's shops. From my many visits, it seems that the restaurants located outside of the food court and the shops in the basement (the likes of specialty food shops, pharmacies, etc) do well, but all of the shops in the rest of the mall (the other 4 or 5 floors) seem to be devoid of customers actually buying anything.
I agree. One thing is for certain, if you cant get people into the mall, you aint gonna sell anything.
The interntaional “fast fashion” brands seem to do decent foot tradfic at almost every mall i have seen in thailand. Patong malls really need an HM, Forever 21, Uniqlo etc. these are “anchor” shops that can drive allot of foot traffic.
That being said, the busiest malls, with both tourists and locals, that i have ever seen in Thailand(excluding Big C shoppers) are Paltinum and MBK in Bangkok. Both those malls mainly specialize in clothes at wholesale level prices, and they dont have cheapo foodcourts to draw-in anyone.
fun fact- there now appears to be a free shuttle bus between Central patong and central festival for anyone looking to get back and forth to those parts of the island for free.
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On 2/23/2019 at 5:30 AM, Joe Mcseismic said:
Nothing to do with "short of a few bob" and everything to do with value for money. Something that everyone, regardless of their finances, looks for.
Indeed.
Most people make spending decisions based on “value for money”.
With the exception of that one farang food vendor, there are better & real restaurants for half the price within a short walk. Thats the critical error with the Central Patong foodcurt “business plan.”
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On 2/17/2019 at 9:55 AM, Spidey said:
Looking at Kamala. Mid range. 12-1500/night. Preferably with decent pool.
Good idea.
close to Patong, but not too close. One of the best beaches on west coast.
Strongly suggest they have drinks and/or dinner at vanilla sky roof bar(Cape Sienna Hotel, Kamala). Probably the best sunset view bar/restaurant in the entire phuket.
ps- happy hour 5pm-6pm.
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1 hour ago, stuarty said:
Pad Thai at my posh golf club is 315. This is central and central patong . I am sure there is 25 baht pad Thai round the corner. So what
Street food is super cheap for a reason mate. You can probably get a meal for 10 baht if price is your only concern.
The point is, 60 baht for a pad thai in a decent restaurant(or 150 baht at a 5star hotel) just around the corner from the cramped basement foodcourt at Central in central Patong, is a deal breaker for Central Patong for many tourists and almost all locals. Thats what.
Big corporations are not immune from making bad business decisions.
i would be surprised if Central doesn’t “re-imagine”/redevelop that prime space sooner rather than later.
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50 minutes ago, stuarty said:
OMG 150 THB for Pad Thai in Central Food Hall in the most prime real estate position in the resort island of Phuket? Are you chaps short of a few bob?
150baht for the pleasure of having a pad thai in a cramped little basement foodcourt is probably not the best value experience for most tourists. Many 5 star hotels in Phuket actually charge somewhere around that price for a pad thai.
But alas, It is possible for them to get their pad thai fix in an actual restaurant with full service for only 60baht just around the corner from Central patong.
As noted earlier, 30baht gets you a good pad thai(or choice of many other thai dishes) at the Terminal 21 foodhall, in one of the most expensive parts of Bangkok. It drives huge crowds of thais and tourists through that mall all day and night 7 days a week. Wonder why they haven’t figured out that type of business model here yet.
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1 hour ago, xylophone said:
Went back today to have a look and the goulash, lasagne, American meatloaf etc all at 59 baht per 100 gm, as were the veges etc to accompany the dishes, and the small sauteed potatoes looked delicious!
As for the Pad Thai, well I make it at home sometimes and by the time I've bought the ingredients incl chicken, prawns, spring onions, tofu, ground nuts, bean sprouts and all that goes in it, it must be getting up there. The Pad Thai I had in the JC foodcourt was smallish and not at all tasty and was around 129-149 baht if I recall correctly.
I personally don't mind paying the prices above esp for the farang food (e.g. 118 baht for 200 gm of Lasagne) as IMO it is good value for money.
I agree on that farang food place.
I took a look at the foodcourt there on Wednesday night around 6pm and only thing that looked interesting/different & fairly priced were some of the farang foods at that one specific farang food vendor.
The rest of the foodcourt vendors offered standard thai foodcourt items, but IMO their prices were at-least DOUBLE what could be considered a fair price for mall foodcourt food in Thailand.
They also offered (unneeded) repeats of relatively pricey MK, Pizza Company, Zen Japanese, and Red Chopsticks Chinese in the basement area.
The beef burger joint also seemed relatively expensive for beef burgers. Perhaps thats why there was not a soul to be seen eating there.
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Check facebook groups.
there are several groups for Phuket that offer everything(cars, condos, houses, items etc) for rent/sale in Phuket.
put your request on there and you will be inundated with offers.
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Ask the airport security to check the CCTV footage. If she believes she had been pickpocketed inside the airport there would liekly be cctv footage.
perhaps the phone dropped out of her purse somewhere along the way, or placed it down somehere and forgot about it.
did she call her number to see if someone answered?
If it was an iphone, did she check “find my phone” online?
Did she check the lost and found at the airport, or with the taxi company(if she took a taxi)?
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3 hours ago, xylophone said:
Yes, definitely changing Patong2, although I don't find it unsettling, but I do "marvel" at the amount of money being asked for the big bars and sois here – – one large bar fronting Bangla can be bought for 50 million baht, or one could settle for Soi Freedom at 90 million baht.
Not unsettling, but perhaps crazy?
And on the subject of changing, I decided to visit the new Central store here in Patong, but the saga in getting to it was quite lengthy, with traffic backed up for a kilometre or two, not necessarily because of the opening of Central, but a combination of things such as delivery trucks, buses, minivans, traffic lights and poor driving and of course the poor planning. Only to find that when I eventually got to the Central store, I was told that I could not park anywhere and had to go and park under Jungceylon.
Now I had wondered why I had been turned away from parking under Jungceylon a couple of times previously, and it's because all of the workers and of course some of the customers are now directed to that car park and its full, and I don't know if it's because there is no parking under the new Central or because it's not ready? Far be it from me to suggest that it was lack of planning!
Anyway, I was surprised at what I saw, because there are three floors dedicated to menswear, womenswear and accessories etc, however they were set out just like the old Central in Phuket town, whereby the total floor space was like "open plan" and each brand was vying for its own little space within it, whereas the new Central seems to have gravitated more towards individual shops.
Having said that, the basement was just like the new Central and the food on display, particularly in the area serving Western-style food, looked very tasty indeed and this along with a few individual restaurants catering for other Asian needs looked to be doing well.
There is a small supermarket area which contains an area for the wine and spirits and if there was ever an indication that this new Central was aimed at a certain market (not the zero baht or cheap Chinese tourist or even impoverished expat) there were no rows of dried seaweed, dried this and that and other cheap snacks, with just the occasional little bit of dried fruit around.
In addition the wine area had no casks/boxes of wine anywhere to be seen and although I did see a couple of bottles of Montclair on display (bottom shelf and out of the way) there were many bottles of fine Burgundy and Bordeaux ranging from 3000 to 9000 baht a bottle, plus some pricey Aussie wines as well as a few nice Italian wines. Of course they had wines from NZ and elsewhere, and not always in the very expensive bracket, but the whole area did not lend itself to the bargain basement type type of shopper.
All in all, despite it being upmarket, there wasn't very much on display here that could not be bought at/in Jungceylon (apart from the upmarket food and wine area) and I wondered at the logic of opening such a place.
Perhaps this is the start of a change of Bangla and its surrounds or perhaps someone is trying to provide shopping for the upmarket and the wealthy in order to draw them here, however that seems to be at odds with the marketing to the cheap Chinese, Indian backpackers and whomsoever else can afford a cheap flight and budget accommodation.
I suppose one could add that Patong is becoming an enigma............and no, I'm not starting another thread!
Thanks for the review.
It sounds like the developer wasted an opportunity to make something significantly new/different/needed in Patong.
i wonder what the pricing is like in the foodcourt?
A big clean cheap airconditioned foodcourt could have been a winner in that mall, in the basement floor or top floor.
As an example, the huge cheap & clean & air-conditioned foodcourt on the top floor of the Terminal 21 mall in Bangkok is considered by many as a Thai foodlovers paradise. It is packed with both Thais and locals all day and night. It draws in huge crowds to that mall and keeps it alive. Almost all thai dishes are only 30-40 baht each. Compare that to the 100-150 baht thai dishes in the jungceylon foodcourt.
Also there is no international “fast fashion” brands in Patong. An H&M, Uniqlo, Forever 21 would draw in big crowds. Sounds like they didn’t include any of those either?
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On 2/13/2019 at 8:36 AM, phuketrichard said:
Been in kamala ( except for 2 1/2 years) since 1996> Has all your looking for
Still love it here, although its getting busy with the new project on the north endstill 75% of the people living here were born here
BINGO!!!
Kamala beach is one of the best in Phuket. Relatively clean, and also safely swimmable in all seasons. Its the only beach in Phuket with a boardwalk and also including a selection of thai/international restaurants right on the beach boardwalk.
Kamala has a bit of a Thai Villlage atmosphere/vibe, but it is rapidly becoming the epicenter of newly built 5 star hotels on the island. Several 5 star hotel/resorts/condos are being built there right now.
There is currently a Big C supermarket and a plethora of cafe, restaurants, and pubs across the town.
Kamala is also very accessible to most of the other popular places in phuket. It is only 15 minutes drive to Patong, 10 minutes to Surin beach, 15 minutes to Bangtao, and 50 minutes to the airport.
The roads between kamala/surin and kamala/patong are currently being widened from two to four lanes. This will greatly increase already good accessibility.
Unlike bangtao or rawai, everything in kamala is within walking distance, so no need for a car or even a motorbike.
Seems to tick all the boxes of the OP.
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12 hours ago, NamKangMan said:
My question still remains to those people, what, exactly, do you think you are leaving?" If it can't be sold, even at a fire sale, and can't be rented out, what have you got????
Everything has a price and can be sold and/or leased out(unless it is a toxic waste site.)
The “wives” will end-up with a house to live in for free, or a house earning rental income, or they can sell it and use the proceeds to buy a house and/or land in cheaper locations.
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20 hours ago, anterian said:
If washed free of salt makes a good soil fertiliser.
Nothing to see here folks...
That particular type of “seaweed” is a symptom of an area of sea that is saturated with fecal matter in raw sewage.
The “seaweed” may be safe, but the water is saturated with fecies.
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The first time i came to Phuket was in 2010.
Phuket seems much more busy now compared to 2010.
There are more tourists now conpared to then, but the expansion of new hotels & restaurants has probably grown far more than needed.
As an example, the expansion of Central Festival was ill advised. In addition, too many new small guesthouses as well.
That being said, where does all the billions baht of hotel taxes go to? No improvements to sewage treatment or other basic infrastructure since 2010.
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Staycationed at both the Le Meridien and Wyndham Kalima in the last couple of months.
Both very busy with PRCs, and also many caucasians from various parts of the world.
Went to Kamala beach today, was also very busy conpared to last year.
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The authorized repair center for the battery replacement program is at Central festival Mall.
the info and phone is on the apple website.
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2 hours ago, LivinginKata said:
Just want to report that in the past few weeks we have had a flood of long term rental enquirers in Patong leading to 5 tenants already installed. This is most unusual from our long years of experience. Only have 2 homes left for rent in Patong. Maybe Patong is not so dead. At least not for us .... ????
Great to hear that. Rumours of your so-called “dead assets” seem to have been greatly exaggerated.
Good to also know that west coast rental market is strong.
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14 hours ago, LivinginKata said:
Far question - to me our 2 Patong buildings and land are now dead assets. We still make some rental income, but 30-40% down compared with 5 years ago.
To be honest we don't even actively advertise our homes other than a FOR RENT sign on the gate. If we aggressively sought guests we could fill up but we don't want short term, don't offer discounts, don't want pets, kids, or people that look like they cannot pay. In short we are quite selective.
Our properties paid back 3+ fold. They could stand empty for all I care.
I cannot see any upswing. No realist buyers. Have to be fire sale price. Wife (and I) not interested.
No such thing as “dead” property assets in west coast of phuket.
It sounds like you are just too lazy to monetize your property further, or deep down you really do believe that there is potential for cap gains in the future.
You claim to have already made a substantial net profit(cap gain + income) since you bought it. If one really believes that there is no more possible cap gain upside potential in patong, and one is too lazy to actively attract/manage renters for maximum yield, they should probably sell at market value and be happy with the overall profit, and enjoy the simplification and risk reduction of their smaller asset portfolio.
If a lazy person wants to hold older properties, they should consider renovating them and getting a property manager to manage the long/short leases, or tear them down and sell the land.
Bring those assets back to life old sport!
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1 hour ago, xylophone said:
Oh dear you do have a problem reading and understanding don't you, but there again what can one expect from a real estate scammer.
It's obvious that you have an IQ level much lower than mine, and I don't want to get dragged down to your level, but I will reiterate for you that the freehold term you are using does not agree with the definition of the word or what is understood by farangs (as you agreed).
Obviously I can't let your misinformation go by unchallenged, so it is bye bye for now until your next load of rubbish is posted.
Beware of condo tout spouting forth nonsense!
As i have already informed you, real estate laws are different in every country of the world, to one degree or another.
If you are uncomfortable with foreign freehold condos in thailand, you can be a good old sport and continue as a tenant in your soi nanai palace.
Yet again, you told us you would “leave” this discussion. But yet again(for the love of zeus!) you can’t keep a promise for more than an hour. This tells us allot about your character.
Again. on behalf of the majority of users who desire accuracy or balanced opinions, please leave the real estate discussion to the mature informed posters, for once and for all.
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3 hours ago, stuarty said:
Ahem... : Anything new or interesting in Phuket?
Hehehe
Not much has significantly changed unless you are into new malls, new hotels, and new condos, which are popping-up here and there.
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20 minutes ago, xylophone said:
Pretty clear to the intelligent readers here but you seem to have missed the point though, so the following should help you...…...but then again perhaps the name given to you by another poster is correct!
NKM in response to your post re freehold:
It is You who is spreading "misinformation."
YOU use the word "freehold" to describe foreign property ownership here. It is a word that is misleading, particularly to westerners. A foreigner CAN NOT own land here in the "freehold" sense of the word used to describe western property ownership. That condo doesn't float in mid air. It sits on 51% Thai owned land, the same as every other foreign owned property.
He followed with: "The condo sits on land that can not be owned by a foreigner in the same way a house does. Now, is that correct? It's a yes or no answer.
"Foreigners owning a foreign freehold condo own their proportionate share(up to 49% of the units)" - since when is 49% "freehold?"
Then NKM also said: I have posted the Wiki meaning of the word "freehold."
Here's the Webster dictionary meaning.
https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/freehold
Plus others quoted in the post.
NOTE: "Permanent and absolute tenure of land or property" A maximum 49% share of land, with a 30 year usage land certificate IS NOT "permanent and absolute" - is it????
You will see all links state there is no time limit on ownership. As I said, condos don't float in mid are. They are built on a plot of land. That land ownership, in any form, IS NOT freehold for foreigners.
My reply: Technically NKM was right when he said, "A foreigner can own 100% of the "strata" - the air space. Like I said, they can do what they want in their four walls. However, it sits on land that is 51% owned by a Thai, or Thai's, and you think that is "freehold" as in western property ownership "freehold." Give me break".
I stated: And his point was that freehold, as we understand it in the Western world, does not have the same meaning here in Thailand, so for many expats what they think they are getting, they are not. In some respects it could possibly be viewed as misleading advertising especially if it is aimed at the Western/farang market.
In common law jurisdictions (e.g. England and Wales, United States, Australia,[1] Canada, and Ireland), a freehold is the common ownership of real property, or land,[a] and ownership of it must be of an indeterminate duration. If the time of ownership can be fixed and determined, it cannot be a freehold.
Also in my post I hypothesised as to what could be viewed as another angle in the "freehold ownership" statement, when you look at it again in a different way, but I did not state that this was the case, only that it could be viewed that way – – an alternative way to look at the NKM argument, which I believe holds water.
And again I stated that if the 49% farang shareholders wanted to claim their part of the land should the condominium block be demolished, they would have no chance as land ownership for them is forbidden in most cases.
In summary, freehold here in Thailand has a different meaning and a potentially different outcome to that which is understood by most farangs……..and that was the main point.
And your reply to me was: Yes, you are correct that the foreign freehold condo structure is a slightly “different” model from what’s typical in the west.
So you were in agreement with my statement in which I (and NKM) was trying to prove re freehold here is not the same as we westerners know it......acquiesced in fact.
As for this piece of pathetic posting....childish, grow up. "You are also insinuating NKM Is somehow a deviant because he is an expert on bar girls and gambling. How dare you!"
Having proven my point I will take my leave and as another (and others) have said, "bye, bye, condo troll".
Thanks for reposting what I said. If you would stop your blind hate for facts, you would easily see that i only acknowledged a “slight difference in structure that had no significant real world Impact”. A far cry from agreeing with your and NKMs willful falsehoods.
On behalf of all of us who value accurate and balanced information, thank you for taking “leave”.
In addition, we hope to never see you or NKM post your nonsense faslehoods regarding real estate here, or elsewhere on TV again.
Finally, in the name of decency, please do us all favor and keep your offensive racially-biased(to put it lightly) and judgemental comments about NKM or others confined to the patong wake thread where it seems to be tolerated.
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9 minutes ago, xylophone said:
On the contrary the posts supporting NKMs actually debunked your beliefs and you even acquiesced to my post regarding the meaning of freehold here being misleading.
Leave it alone as it has become obvious over many threads and posts where your interests lie and no need to insult a poster if he disagrees with you, esp if he is right.
Give it a rest xylo. Once again, you are entangling yourself up in the faslhoods that NKM attempts to spread. You argue for the sake of arguing, rather than presenting anything reasonable. Rather immature of you, especially at your age.
You are also insinuating NKM Is somehow a deviant because he is an expert on bar girls and gambling. How dare you!
Who made you the judge of NKM’s personal activities? You may not agree with NKM’s personal activities, but as long as he does not do anything illegal or spread false information, you should live and let live.
BTW, nobody acquiesced to anything. Re-read the previous posts again if you don’t understand them.
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48 minutes ago, NamKangMan said:
I don't know what legal "structure" you have for your property, but I can guarantee you it is not "freehold" ownership in the manner that you think it is / should be.
No matter what "structure" is set up, a foreigner can not own 100% of the the land, in their name, that any building sits on here.
Give it a rest man.
We already debunked your misunderstandings/misinformation a couple of weeks ago.
You need to focus on the only things you know best...bar girls and gambling.
Black water flows across Kamala Beach
in Phuket News
Posted
Hopefully this problem will find a fix soon, as the big 5 star waterfront hotels(Novotel, Sunwing, Mont Azure, Cape Sienna and Andara) will lose fortunes in lost room occupancy if the problem persists for any significant period of time.
tripadvisor and the other hotel review sites will be overloaded with “stinky blackwater” reviews, and that should drive these big hotels to either find a long term remedy or go bankrupt.