shdmn

VT3 pool restaurant has very reasonable prices. Had a few breakfasts and lunches there. VT2A pool restaurant is a total rip off. At least twice the price for most things.

That totally depends on the time of day. Later on in afternoon yes, in spots. There are still large open areas with no shade and the gradient is quite noticeable when it's 35c and 80% humidity.

Yes, living there and only staying for 3 months in dry season are two complete separate things.

How do you like living in 5D? What side are you on? How is the noise from the surrounding area and renovations? I can't decide between 5D or 2A for a trial run of a month or two before deciding if I want to stay longer term. 5D units tend to be bigger but also cost more. No need to cross the street to get to the beach. 2A is better for things on that side of Thappraya like the Rattanakorn and Rompo markets, and Foodmart.

I've walked from Lotus to VT2 and it's brutal in the mid day heat with no shade anywhere on that route. I was not carrying bags of groceries either. That is not something 95% of people will want to do...EVER! This is coming from someone who regularly walks several km a week. Lotus does deliver though. I know someone who lives in VT2A without a scooter and he says he just orders online and gets all his groceries delivered. So that is an option. I have zero interest in nightlife and I still think Pattaya has much more to offer. I understand why some prefer Jomtien/Pratamnak. I regularly take my scooter over to Dongtan beach to hangout. I don't need to live in Jomtien to do that. But when it comes to day-to-day things like groceries, shopping, and food courts, I prefer to be within walking distance to do those things. So living in Pattaya and scootering/baht busing over to Jomtien works better for me than living in Jomtien and scootering/baht busing over to Pattaya. Also, when there is a big event in Pattaya I don't have to worry about getting stuck in traffic because I can just walk. And then there is rainy season. Far easier to just take an umbrella and walk than get stuck in a downpour on your scooter or in a baht bus.

I've only been looking in 2A and I am only seeing 37sqm for 10k right now. I think most of those want a 1 year commitment as well. You must be talking about 5C/D for 48sqm. A quick google search shows them going for 15k right now. Again, that is assuming a 1 year commitment.

Rose colored glasses or trying to put lipstick on a pig? About those baht buses. Going over the hill a few times a week and sitting in the perpetual traffic jam near walking street gets old REAL fast. On a short stay it's ok but for anything longer you will definitely want to get a scooter. Foodmart only gets you so far grocery wise. There are not nearly as many restaurants around and things to do as there is in Pattaya. No aircon malls around to hide out from the mid day heat. The bus station is only used once when you arrive and leave. Easy enough to bolt there from Pattaya. There are a couple much nicer places near Nurun. Maxx City Condotel and LK Legend. I think they cater more to vacation rentals though. Not long term leases and sales. http://www.maxxcity.com/en/index.php https://www.lkpattaya.com/legend/?lg=0

If you think VT2 is bad you'll love Nurun. It makes VT2 look like a 5 star resort. One thing that makes Nurun better is that there is lots of stuff around within walking distance, including Big C Extra and Foodland, so not as isolated as VT2.

I just went out there today to have a look. Even on a motorbike it was a bit of a ride and part of the road is dirt, so I was inhaling dust being kicked up by cars. Not fun. The best part is that it's surrounded by a patchwork of big empty fields interspersed with other new developments, so you would have many years of noisy development going on all around you to look forward to if you lived there.

I know some people who live there. I wasn't impressed with the dirty-looking hallways. Also, the elevator is weird because it's halfway between floors.

To all the whiners here claiming retailers will just pocket the difference. You will all be proven wrong as usual. I guarantee you the big retailers like 7/11 and Big C will not do that because they don't need to. If the mom and pops don't follow suit nobody will buy from them.

It's most expats favorite passtime.

Prime example of what? Living in an embassy for seven years and finally getting kicked out because he smelled so bad he was stinking up the place?

Is there any way to hide these toxic political threads from showing up in my recent content list? I don't come to this site to read this garbage. Also, I wish the people running this site would get tougher on all the obvious trolling going on. It's making this whole forum turn into a waste of time. Seems to be very little useful info these days.

Who could have predicted Toxsin would basically spend zero time in prison. By all accounts he was just put in some five star executive hospital prison. Probably had his own wing. And Thailand wonders why they can't seem to get rid of their corruption problem. It's because it's coming from the top down.

I plan to use bestonwardticket.com for my next trip in case the airline checks. My plan B is to buy a 100% real ticket off expedia.com if they don't accept the bestonwardticket one. Apparently you can cancel expedia tickets within 24 hours.

????‍♂️

I thought nobody wanted to come back to Thailand because reasons? That is what the serial whiners around here were saying and they are never wrong. They will probably now try say that these numbers are fake without presenting any evidence whatsoever. I guess those huge lines at immigration and at the airport were just my imagination.

Perhaps, but I don't remember seeing that documented anywhere. It would be nice if they would explain what they want somewhere.

Of course not. My point is that you should not have to resort to bureaucratic hacks to get a visa when having a condo you own/rent is also completely legitimate accomodation.

They have already done a test run of this when they temporarily extended the visa waiver to 45 days. It sounds like that went smoothly, so it's not all just pie in the sky talk with zero chance of happening. They are probably considering this partly in response to the move by Vietnam to issue 90 day visas. That is another thing that makes this sound like more of a real possibility rather than just idle talk. As far as strings attached. They are already talking about adding strings to the 30 day with that new 300b tourist tax. It keeps getting postponed but sounds like it's definitely still happening. It would make that a little easier to swallow if we got 90 days for that fee instead of 30. That will also help recoup the lost revenue from issuing tourist visas. I could see them extending the visas waiver to 90 days at the same time they implement that tax.

Talk of a 3 month visa waiver on arrival is music to my ears. Still far from certain but keeping my fingers crossed.

I finally got my METV. Took about 15 days including the back and forth with the hotel booking that was initially rejected. An email confirmation was not good enough for them so I ended up getting a cancellable Agoda reservation for 30 days. Not sure how people do that when they are staying at a condo they own/rent. They are talking about extending the visa waiver on arrival to 90 days. That will make having to get this METV unnecessary so hopefully I won't have to do that next time.

TV/AN forum must have the BIGGEST group of whiners on the planet. Nothing but shameful incessant whining about anything and everything.

I only have one question about the new guy. What is his stance on recreational marijuana legalization?