CygnusX1

I don’t know about the current crop of Russians, as I’ve not returned to Thailand for 3 years, but when I first visited Jomtien about 10 years ago, there were so many Russians that if you didn’t look Asian, you were assumed to be Russian, and I had to memorise the Russian for “I’m sorry, I don’t speak Russian”. I never found them obnoxious, and some on the beach were gracious, happy to try out their limited English, and even offering me food. I didn’t find the presence of some of the younger Russian ladies at my condo’s pool too objectionable, either. As for the nightly Pattaya to Jomtien baht bus free-for-all, I think all nationalities were equally guilty. None of the above applies to their psychopathic president, of course.

Freudian slip? My place has a very large bed and sofa, but still heaps of free space. Balcony’s a generous size, unlike some new places where you can just about squeeze onto it if you stand up. Sorry, can’t answer your question on a sun shade, but I didn’t notice any obvious external shades when I was there last. Buy shady side if at all possible. Great idea to rent a couple of units before you buy - I Airbnb’d a unit a few floors below mine before buying. Apologies for late reply, I’ve just flown to Australia’s Gold Coast today, great view from 42nd floor apartment.

I own a standard studio in VT5 D (block further from the beach). Looking at the title deed, the 48 sq m comprises roughly 39 of internal unit and 9 of balcony. Internal unit is almost perfectly rectangular, about 8.8 by 4.4 metres. Balcony depth is about 2.3 metres (all rough estimates, don’t use for architectural plans!). I think some of the studios have a longer balcony. I’d strongly advise buying on the Pattaya (shady) side. Although I was last there back in March 2020, I remember that the only time I saw the sun was in the late afternoon, in time to see the it dipping below the water at sunset. Huge advantage in being able to keep the curtains open and enjoy the view all day. Although Block D is further from the sea than Block C, I think it has the advantage of a view entirely free of nearer buildings, looking out over several streets of single story villas that I’d think would be unlikely to be converted to high rise. There’s a large vacant seafront block further away that could be developed in future, but I don’t think I’d lose too much view. Other advantage is that it’s opposite the bus station to the airport, although that could change in future, as there’s not much room for the buses. I think it’s very quiet, but I am on the 21st floor. Great swimming pool that’s good for proper laps. No gym. The annual juristic fee is amazingly low, this year just 7260 baht. Can’t answer any of your questions on modifying units, sorry.

But a comparison of deaths per 100,000 population isn’t fair, because it doesn’t take into account the higher level of car ownership and use in the US. I do agree that the far greater use of motorbikes does account for much of Thailand’s higher death rate.

The thing that confuses me about both booking dot com and agoda is that I seem to have no option over whether the payment is charged to my credit card immediately, not until I check into the hotel, or on some date or dates in between. Just tonight, I booked a hotel in Papeete through agoda for 3 nights, and the same hotel a week later for one night. The first booking was charged immediately to my card, while the second is to be paid on date of check-in. I’d strongly prefer to have the option of immediate payment, as that locks in the exchange rate, and I’m unsure if lots of hanging future charges might cause my card’s credit limit to be exceeded. I also think that a hotel will be more likely to honour a booking that’s been paid for.

The wonderful thing about electricity charges in Thailand is that the service charge - the one you pay even if you use zero electricity - is only tiny. Compare that to Australia, where the service charge amounts to over 40% of my bill, even when I’m at home using electricity the whole time. Together with no council tax and very small juristic fee, has eased the pain of leaving my Thai condo unoccupied for 3 years.

Seconded. Great pool, and best location in Jomtien. Might not be 4 stars by international standards, but was luxurious enough for me when I stayed there 4 years ago.

I appreciate my 12.9 inch iPad ever more as my eyesight deteriorates with advancing age, and having almost instant access to millions of books is miraculous.

Reminds me of a scene in the TV series “Succession”, in which the mega rich were doing their bit to save the planet by being driven to their private jets in a fleet of Teslas.

Heaps of great condos with big swimming pools for 2-3 month rental in Jomtien on Airbnb and other sites, even in what will hopefully be high season. Probably one of the easiest places on the planet to rent a condo close to the beach. Perfectly legal for a month or more.

We’ll see, I wonder how tourist arrivals in Europe are going to compare with Asia in the next year. A member of my family who’s just returned from Rome described the city as jam packed with tourists, which doesn’t seem to match descriptions of Pattaya that I’ve been reading about on this forum.

After skimming it quickly, I first thought the headline read “Thailand’s Guns and Dogs Plagues”, and for a couple of seconds thought that something was about to be done about the soi dogs…

After more than 2 years of no travel, I have more money than ever, but sorry mask lovers, I now decide where to go based on whether face masks are ubiquitous or not. I know they’re not technically required in Thailand outside of health care settings, but with just about all Thais apparently still wearing them, I don’t care to be disrespectful. That means Italy, Croatia, Rio, Hawaii, maybe Tahiti next year, but not Thailand or any other Asian country, and that’s despite the fact that I own a condo in Thailand and have an elite visa.

I put this in quotes as it’s a term used by leftists that seems to refer to only the military spending of the US, rather than that of any other country. It’s an unfortunate fact of life that countries have to waste vast amounts of resources on defence. I don’t see the relevance of the dispute over the winner of the last US election. Just about all US politicians, with the exception of a few on either the most extreme left or the most extreme right, utterly despise Putin for the tens of thousands of people that he’s maimed and murdered.

Yes, they DO do it because they love those freedom loving people. The cynical explanation isn’t always the right one. If anything, a more powerful Russia incorporating Ukraine would give the US Govt more reasons to increase spending on its “military industrial complex”.

I have fond memories of one of my last taxi rides in Bangkok 3 or so years ago. The driver was a fan of Muay Thai, and was explaining the finer points of the bouts we were watching on his mobile phone.

i’m a very strong believer in vaccination, but - in Australia, the Covid vaccine is not advised for children under 5, except for those with special health issues such as very weak immune systems. The rationale is that although the risks of vaccination are tiny, the risk of severe disease from an infection with the virus is even smaller for these children.

I think so - are you from the UK? I think that’s a term only used in that country.

OK, I stand corrected, but I’m still confused. You say “it’s not to do with the length of stay” but in the next sentence you say “the owner must have a hotel license for short term stays”. So how long is a “‘short term stay”, if not 30 days or less?

The OP says he wants to rent for 2 months, not a few days. It’s my understanding that Airbnb rentals over 30 days are legal in Thailand, but I’m not an expert on Thai property law, so please correct me if I’m wrong.

Are taxis considered public transport in Thailand?

Based on a total of around 6 months over several years that I was in Japan pre virus, there would be a very occasional person wearing a face mask, but it was rare.

That’s how I feel as well, and it’s the reason why my first overseas trip from Australia after more than 2 years will be to Rio, followed by another holiday in Europe (direct flight), rather than back to my condo in Thailand.

That’s great news for me! I’ve just started swimming laps at the local pool as a substitute for the running my arthritic knees no longer permit. My swimming technique’s hopeless, which explains why I’m quickly exhausted and breathing really hard after only a few laps.

I think it should be stressed that it would only cover UNPAID medical bills that delinquent travellers without sufficient means or travel insurance were unable to pay.