Please share your experience of living in the Nong Han area of San Sai

[Logosone]

I am about to rent a house in that area and am particularly interested in your experience of traffic driving into town, restaurants and cafes you liked, where you do shopping, schools, and any other likes or dislikes.

 

The area I mean is on the border of San Sai, past Maejo university. Speaking of which would also like to hear from people who use the facilities of Maejo Uni, what you like and can do in Maejo University.

[Gweiloman]

OP, it would help if you would give more details about yourself and the sort of lifestyle you like. 

[stillhereandlovinit]

If you are the guy that just moved in to our street yesterday with the big removal truck, pop by and say hello. I live in the top house of the opposite road. 

[noise]

Some personal details would help us reply.   For example, the traffic on Hwy 1001 into town during rush hour can make it a 1/2 hour trip from Mae Jo to the 121 intersection.  Traffic is heavy both ways.   Do you have to go into town to work 5 or 6 days a week?   I am glad I do not have to.

 

Do you have a car or motorcycle?   Do you want to reply on baht buses to get into town?   I would say you have to have a car.

 

While there are a couple of restaurants/clubs along 1001, going to one of them means having to make U-Turns to get there or leave.   For example there is a pizza place I like about 1/2 km from my house on the west side of 1001 but I have to drive another kilometer plus to make a U-Turn when I leave and then drive 2+ km south to make another U-Turn and drive back north 2 km to get home.   I just don't go there unless someone else drives.

 

We do not know of anything around Mae Jo that interests us in the way of restaurants, shopping, etc.  We never go there, we only go down to Rim Ping Plaza or into town.

[Logosone]

Stillhereandlovinit, thanks for the invite, I'll be sure to look for you. I'm not that guy, but still good to know hospitable people live in that part of Chiang Mai.

 

Noise, no, I don't have to travel into town for work every day. I may have to get my kids driven by a driver to a school half an hour away in town, at 7.30 am and have them picked up at 3.30 pm. I will have a car, probably a moped as well. I won't need replies on buses.

 

I will want to go to Central Festival regularly. 

 

I gather Meechok, Tesco Lotus will be regular places to go to. There do seem to be a number of restaurants on google maps, but yes the u-turn thing is an annoyance.

 

[Logosone]

Okay, just been to Tesco Lotus, it's pretty bad. Should have moved next door to L'Opera for the baguette

[chingmai331]

Wouldn't Makro in Mae Rim be easier food shopping than Tesco at MeeChok? Of course, across the street from Tesco both Tops and Rimping supermarkets offer more western foods. 

Anyway, will tell you that the swimming pool at MaeJo university is the best i have found in this area. Clean, usually few swimmers, 50 baht per all day, large Olympic size, and unlike all the others, totally covered by overhead roof, but open air.  Love to go there and put in my kilometer of butterflies.

[lordblackader]

7 hours ago, Logosone said:

Okay, just been to Tesco Lotus, it's pretty bad. Should have moved next door to L'Opera for the baguette

The Tesco Lotus you refer to is the basic one, not the bigger version. Useless for all but very basics. As others have noted you do have Rimping and Tops at that intersection but if you keep heading <10 minutes into town there's a big Tesco Lotus in Kamthieng off the Superhighway. Given your interest in Central Festival there's also a Big C Extra on the Superhighway just past Central Festival heading south. Personal opinion but I find Big C Extra better for cost and variety including farang food. 

Is it a slight pain to travel - sure, I live in San Sai but off the 118 towards Doi Saket. In non-peak it takes me <20 minutes to drive to the Tesco Lotus on the Superhighway, less again to the Big C Extra.

 

It's not that much further versus living in town and trying to get to either with traffic I should add. I spent a few years spitting distance to L'Opera (agree with you 100% on the baugettes) but it's different out in the sticks versus necessarily that much longer time wise depending on the time of day. 

[Logosone]

LordBlackadder, oh that's interesting, there's a bigger Tesco Lotus. I went to the one opposite Meechok, so that's not the big one, good to know. If the Big C Extra is closer, I'll actually head there, like you I was happy there with the offering.

 

I have not checked out Tops yet, maybe that one is okay. I thought Rimping was not bad. 

 

Chiangmai331, people have told me the Makro is close, I have not been there, I will definitely check that out as well. Thanks for the info on the pool at Maejo. It sounds like being close to Maejo is a major advantage. I heard they also have a good gym, and probably have nice cafes and restaurants.

[pgrahmm]

My daughter goes to Maejo.....So far, in my trips inside I've only seen open style cafeterias + a few vendors.....

Personally, I could never see myself living out that way....

Horrid traffic conditions & getting worse over the years, limited convenient shopping, limited western eateries.... Housing looks to be cheaper....I actively looked there years ago & did not find it to be somewhere I'd like to live.....Now, with one or two trips to Maejo every month it has reaffirmed my prior observations......

But, I'm not a city type & never have lived in snarled, congested traffic areas.....

Not trying to disparage the area, just my thoughts.....

[canthai55]

On 12/11/2019 at 7:38 PM, lordblackader said:

 Given your interest in Central Festival there's also a Big C Extra on the Superhighway just past Central Festival heading south. Personal opinion but I find Big C Extra better for cost and variety including farang food.

Keep going on the frontage road a few KM past Big C Xtra (the old Carrefour) and there is a large Big C just before the overpass. Hard to spot the sign - and has an underpass if you wish to exit and head North on the frontage road

[1FinickyOne]

On 12/7/2019 at 10:14 PM, Logosone said:

a school half an hour away in town,

you can spend 15 minutes at some of the traffic lights on the way into town... 30 minutes is no traffic and not at the rush hours you mention...

 

Mee Chok is my favorite shopping supermarket... not as cheap as Big C nor as pricey and specialty oriented as Festival...

 

Viva Doi Saket! - you are pretty far out there... 

[Logosone]

Chiangmai331, went to Makro, loved it. Thanks for the tip!

 

Canthai, thank you, will keep an eye for that.

 

Ken, I live 20 minutes from Central Festival. So I figured it is actually more convenient than some places in town. But you're right, rush hour did add ten minutes, instead of 30 minutes to school it was 40.  I am thinking of getting a bus driver organised for the kids. 

 

Pgrahmm, I checked out the pool at Maejo, it's an Olympic size beauty. For 50 baht. Yet to see the gym and cafes, but it is a nice option. The traffic is actually easier there than in many parts of town, like Nimman. In 20 minutes I am in Central Festival, it is actually better than living in most parts off town. Shopping  is not an issue at all, in fact it's hard to decide if I should go to Makro, Rimping, Tops, Tesco or Big C. There's a 7/11 and Tesco Express close by as well as coffee shops and a cafe on my street. Housing like everywhere, is a mixed bag. There are huge villas, I happen to rent one with pool that is super luxurious with antique furniture and fine woods everywhere, I love the house here, which is why I moved to the area. It's a nice, quiet street. The only downside are loose dogs.

[stillhereandlovinit]

CNX Gym 2 is opposite Mae Jo university on the ols 1001 road that goes to san sai. Forgot what number they have changed it to, but basically the road that turns left after the Uni rather than heading towards Mee Chok. 100 thb a session or 1100 a month, its very quite during the day as most of the members are uni students.

[Logosone]

That's interesting pricing. The Virgin Active in CentFest was giving away memberships for 490 a month, but they then raise it to 980. That is a great gym though. 

 

So shopping and sports is covered.

 

How about restaurants? Anything worth going to in the area?