Anyone got any thoughts or opinions about the following condo/apt’s?

[NewbieInBangkok]

Does anyone have any knowledge, thoughts or opinions about 

- The Grand Villa Condominium Complex in Ekkamai?  

We can get a 200m2 2 bedroom place for the almost same price as an 80m2 high rise condo in Thong Lor and Phrom Phong.  My only concerns are mosquitoes (and other unwanted guests) and the lack of a skyline view (I can live without that).  Small looking pool and gym but then again just a fraction of the residents that are in some of the 40-storey high rises.

The area looks interesting with nice bars and restaurants within walking distance.

A lot of floor space for almost the same money as the teeny boxes in other condos.

 

- Capital Residence Thonglor?

Pool looks amazing.  Interior furniture looks bland.  Location a bit far up Thonglor but nice bars and restaurants within walking distance.  On the main road though.  15k cheaper than Grand Villa but half the floor size.  High floor so no mozzies though.

 

- HQ Thonglor?

Seems to tick a lot of boxes with location, new but not tiny (100m2), nice furniture.  Slightly odd floor plans though (washing machine right in hallway as you come through the front door to the open plan area.  At least 1 condo spotted on Air BnB but only for minimum stays of 1 month (I’m trying to avoid places that are used by tourists on a nightly/weekly plan).

 

Anyone know about these places? 

Your thoughts are much appreciated.

[Beggar]

If bars and restaurants are within walking distance this could be great. It might be not so great anymore if they are within hearing distance... 

[NewbieInBangkok]

45 minutes ago, Beggar said:

If bars and restaurants are within walking distance this could be great. It might be not so great anymore if they are within hearing distance... 

That would be the case anywhere but I’m looking for specific knowledge (even if secondhand) about these 3 properties.  From looking at a map (all I’ve got to go on from several thousand miles away at the moment) none of them seem to be on top of boisterous areas.  

 

Any specific thoughts on these properties or these parts of Thonglor and Ekkamai?

[wordchild]

Ok, fwiw, I would go for Grand villa on Ekhami. It sounds like you get good space for the money and the location is pretty ok. I walk past it from time to time as my kids do some activities at the nearby Gateway mall. It’s near to the BTS station, you have that mall close and also , nearby , the wonderful Bourbon St ( New Orleans style) restaurant/bar.
Just from the outside, my impression is that it looks a pretty nice development. Much above 6/7 floors mozies won’t bother you too much in Bangkok: depends on how much sun and wind you get, neither of which they like, and you can always keep the windows closed!

 I had friends stay in Capital Residence, they were sort of ok with it, they liked the apartment and the pool, but they moved out after 6 months to somewhere closer to the BTS, and I suspect you would do the same. 
in Bangkok easy access to the BTS or MRT is everything, as I am sure you will find. You do not have to live on top of the station but a short walk or hop on a motorcycle up a quiet soi to get to a station makes life easier here. The problem with Capital Residence is that to get to the BTS would involve a rather scary/and potentially dangerous motorcycle ride through the busy Thonglor traffic or, a rather slow taxi ride.
 

[Nyezhov]

On 11/1/2019 at 11:54 AM, NewbieInBangkok said:

HQ Thonglor

That would be my choice. Not even a klick walk to the BTS in a real nice area and convenient to everything, especially (having read your posts) for you, one who is clearly not a Cheap Charlie and someone else is paying the bill anyway. So Thong Lo is very you, watch out for Maseratis and rich kids on speed, they try to bang you for 200% more on a bag of Thai bunk weed or some dried out Cali. They eat a lot of Arugula there and folks lift their pinkies when they drink a Fussy Poosie 1993, Muffy. But that area is nice you because you dont see a lot of yobs with singlets or homeys with their hats on backwards and neck tattoos, or creepy old men sitting in open air bars drinking beer all day, drooling, and dabbling the finger pie with girls 1/6 their age. In other words, its a bit more classy.

 

Im in a Sansiri development albiet one in the lower rent district. They arent built the best, but ya aint buying it. I think Plus is the manager and they are very efficient, thats who we have and the staff is very nice.

 

So my vote for you is Thong Lo. Try Tiny Room about 400 meters away from the condo for some fabulous food, I love that place. There are a lot of other places that serve killer food around there, prices are a little high but someone else is paying the rent, so per diem it. I try to eat at a different place over there onnce a week or so and its a foodie neighborhood. There is good streetfood on 38, across Sukhumvit. Keep in mind the area is more expensive befitting its crown as the hoi polloi neighborhood where the HiSos posture and rich expats rub elbows with whoever. So your street food will be about 40% more expensive, 60-80baht for a plate of the basics, compared to 30-40. Vegtables and fruits will be higher too, a melon in Thong Lo is say 90 baht when its 40 down in Phra kanong and 30 in Buriram. There is a Tops market right near the condo IIRC and if you walk up to Soi 10 then cut across, I think you can get to health land Ekkamai which does great massages, etc.

 

Living in BKK is not just the crib, its what around it. Some of the condos have nothing around them, not even a somtum peddler. Others are like a scene from Star Wars cantina outside. Can you imaging walking out of your half million dollar condo and seeing some armless and legless guy squirm up the sidewalk past turbansnburkhas, ladyboys and some dude from Newcastle that hasnt bathed in a week? Nope, Thong Lo isnt like that, you will like it there.

[NewbieInBangkok]

Thank you Wordchild and Nyezhov....you’ve both given me some great advice on both threads.

We will be flying over to look and choose next week.  We will see a bunch of others too that have been mentioned in the previous thread but I didn’t know much about the ones above and they also seem to offer something different to some of the small, concrete boxes that I’d been focussing on.

 

 

Thanks to to everyone who has helped me out on the 2 threads ????

[Nyezhov]

1 hour ago, NewbieInBangkok said:

Thank you Wordchild and Nyezhov....you’ve both given me some great advice on both threads.

We will be flying over to look and choose next week.  We will see a bunch of others too that have been mentioned in the previous thread but I didn’t know much about the ones above and they also seem to offer something different to some of the small, concrete boxes that I’d been focussing on.

 

 

Thanks to to everyone who has helped me out on the 2 threads ????

If you need boots on the ground, just pm me. I guide for food. Be prepared for a culture shock ????

[NewbieInBangkok]

1 hour ago, Nyezhov said:

If you need boots on the ground, just pm me. I guide for food. Be prepared for a culture shock ????

It’s a very, very quick visit next week and will mostly be guided by company colleagues but we may just do that once we move in Dec ????

[Nyezhov]

17 minutes ago, NewbieInBangkok said:

It’s a very, very quick visit next week and will mostly be guided by company colleagues but we may just do that once we move in Dec ????

thats fine dude, Im probably the most respectable person here, absent my board anonymity , I am a verifiable human who doesnt own a singlet ????

 

Where do they have you staying? Keep in mind that the cheaper the hotel, the more likely you will be exposed to the shall we say more "Lumpen" crowd? Not that that bothers me mind you.

 

I like the Intercontinental, The Hyatt, The Radisson Blu and the hotels in Chitlom and lower Sathorn myself. If you are just touring around and they are paying, make them put you up near the River. 

[Aussieroaming]

On 11/2/2019 at 7:57 PM, wordchild said:

Ok, fwiw, I would go for Grand villa on Ekhami. It sounds like you get good space for the money and the location is pretty ok. I walk past it from time to time as my kids do some activities at the nearby Gateway mall. It’s near to the BTS station, you have that mall close and also , nearby , the wonderful Bourbon St ( New Orleans style) restaurant/bar.
Just from the outside, my impression is that it looks a pretty nice development. Much above 6/7 floors mozies won’t bother you too much in Bangkok: depends on how much sun and wind you get, neither of which they like, and you can always keep the windows closed!

 I had friends stay in Capital Residence, they were sort of ok with it, they liked the apartment and the pool, but they moved out after 6 months to somewhere closer to the BTS, and I suspect you would do the same. 
in Bangkok easy access to the BTS or MRT is everything, as I am sure you will find. You do not have to live on top of the station but a short walk or hop on a motorcycle up a quiet soi to get to a station makes life easier here. The problem with Capital Residence is that to get to the BTS would involve a rather scary/and potentially dangerous motorcycle ride through the busy Thonglor traffic or, a rather slow taxi ride.
 

We live on the 26th floor and mozzies abound at the mozzie time of the year. Dont assume mozzies cant reach high flòors please.