Condo or house rental

[thoengthaied]

I've done a fair bit of searching but no good results so far. Apologies if I've missed relevant postings....I have lived in a rented condo in Jomtien for 14 years, and to be fair, I like what Jomtien and Pattaya have to offer, and I'm reasonably happy here. However, possibly due to Covid and a lack of new people to talk to, I've been getting bored and restless now. I have enjoyed travelling in my car up to the north of Thailand, and had some nice times around Chiang Rai province. I'm now thinking of driving up again the week after Songkran and will probably stay in a hotel in central Chiang Rai for a week. During that week I would like to explore the possibility of spending the months of October to March in the province then returning to Jomtien to live April to September. This is for my future years.  So I would like to ask knowledgeable members about suitable places to look at. Also any recommended Real Estate agents to visit.

I am single 73 yr. old male. Reasonably fit and healthy. I enjoy eating out locally and do like a drink with my evening meal, and the occasional foray into local bars and gentlemen's clubs, and also the odd naughty massage. I will stress that I will never drive my car and drink so I understand that some walking would be essential. I also love the rural areas and I have a bicycle which I love to ride for about an hour every morning mainly to keep fit and active.

So my intentions would be to find a suitable area to live in future years. 

Criteria....If I choose to live in the city I would like to learn of any well managed condo blocks preferably close to public transport and offering units of at least 50sq.m. preferably 1 bedroom rather than studio. Must be quiet. Walking distance (within 500 metres) to restaurants and bars preferred.

If I choose to live in a rural area, I would like to be able to get on my bike and have a daily hour's ride on easy terrain. (The odd testing hill would be ok). I am familiar (as you may guess from my board name) with the Thoeng area and the 1020 up to Chiang Khong, also the roads through and around  Phaya Mengrai. However, I'm sure that there will be other pleasant rural areas to look at. I am open to suggestions. I assume that I would need to rent a house if I live rurally. Again, one bedroom would be sufficient, but initially I'm looking for suggestions on a nice area to look at. Having a car gives me many options. I'm particularly keen to avoid areas with inherent problems such as flooding, constant power outages, etc. such as I've been reading on this forum recently. I understand that if I choose a rural area I will not be able to nip out to bars and clubs as I do in Jomtien, but I can save that for when I return after 6 months in the sticks.

Thank you for taking the time to read my post, and if anybody has ideas of where I can look, I would be most grateful. Regards, thoengthaied.

[jharr]

A bit off topic, but...

As a cyclist living in CR I suggest, if you haven't already, you have a careful look at the air pollution for January to March. February and March are consistently bad with most days over 100 on the AQI for PM2.5. Depending on the year some of January and even December can be poor air quality as well. If you scroll down on the following page you can see historic data by day.

https://aqicn.org/city/thailand/chiangrai---gaia-station-07/

Today, 30 March, nearly all of the north is above 150 ("unhealthy").

I find active riding in anything above 120 without a proper mask fatigues me for the rest of the day.

Even longer rides in 100-120 seem to have an impact.

Above 100 we usually close up the house and run air purifiers.

This problem is not confined to CR city, it is all of the north, every year.

Frankly CR is superb in the wet season and through until about the end of the year.

Many locals and expats ignore it or claim it is not that bad.

Thai medical specialists in the north usually have a different opinion.

Many expats in the north leave permanently or temporarily for this reason.

[Poet]

The north is lovely during the second half of the year but you should avoid exposing your body to the extraordinarily high-levels of 2.5 P.M. pollution present during the first half of the year.

[thoengthaied]

Thank you, guys. I am aware of the air quality situation and would take care not to over expose myself. However, I would like to get back to the original request of advice on areas which I might be interested in living. Thank you.

[Surelynot]

Don't imagine that "rural" is idyllic unless you purchase somewhere fairly isolated........do not live at street level in the town or city unless you are 100% convinced that is what you want (dogs, parties, weddings, funerals, loud music, mosquitos, insecure).......a well managed, secure condo, excellent facilities...... every time for me.

[thoengthaied]

2 hours ago, Surelynot said:

Don't imagine that "rural" is idyllic unless you purchase somewhere fairly isolated........do not live at street level in the town or city unless you are 100% convinced that is what you want (dogs, parties, weddings, funerals, loud music, mosquitos, insecure).......a well managed, secure condo, excellent facilities...... every time for me.

Thank you #surelynot. However, advice is not really what I want other than where to look for well managed condo developments or nice villages with no problems like flooding, constant power outages, and with decent rural roads for cycling. 

There are other criteria which I think are important, e.g. proximity of healthcare facilities, but once I have something/somewhere to explore, I can fathom that out for myself. 

The reason I am asking on this forum is that I do not jump in with both feet but like to do a lot of research first. When I eventually moved to Thailand many years ago I did that research and it has served me well in that somebody recommended the condo complex where I have lived for 14 years now and it was an extremely good recommendation.

That may sound arrogant, but I am an intelligent person, well travelled, and aware of the many pitfalls that may present themselves in Thailand. Once I have areas to explore I can make up my own mind as to whether a particular area/condo block is suitable for me.

 

To repeat, I would like info on 1) well managed condo blocks in CR town

                                                       2) respected Real Estate agencies in CR town

                                                       3) pleasant areas with no inherent problems in CR province

I really hope that some board members may be able to assist me with those criteria. 

Regards, thoengthaied.

[Don Dunkelblum]

The most intelligent advise would be the 'ChiangRai Condotel, in the center of CR prices are low at present and the place will be painted outside this year. Good management.

[thoengthaied]

49 minutes ago, Don Dunkelblum said:

The most intelligent advise would be the 'ChiangRai Condotel, in the center of CR prices are low at present and the place will be painted outside this year. Good management.

Many thanks, Don.

[sceadugenga]

There's nothing that can be described as a "bad area" here, most crime is either drug trafficking related or the normal domestic violence type issues.

Personally I'd come up and book in somewhere like the Condotel or maybe get a deal on a few weeks in a decent central guesthouse like Orchids on Jed Yod Road, which is in the center of the tourist/entertainment area, for a couple of weeks and spend a few evenings chatting to the local farangs about longer term accommodation options.

[blackprince]

"However, possibly due to Covid and a lack of new people to talk to, I've been getting bored and restless now. I have enjoyed travelling in my car up to the north of Thailand, and had some nice times around Chiang Rai province. "

There are far less  people to talk to in Chiang Rai than in Jomtien/Pattaya, both farang and Thai.  Assuming you speak Thai, you will find the local dialect to a large extent to a large extent incomprehensible..

And you could also check the air quality in both areas. As I speak Chiang Rai 164, Pattaya 59.

Chiang Rai/Mai have posted the worst air quality in the world over the last few weeks.

I have properties in CR and Jomtien, I am very familiar with both.

[thoengthaied]

22 hours ago, sceadugenga said:

There's nothing that can be described as a "bad area" here, most crime is either drug trafficking related or the normal domestic violence type issues.

Rural areas with no flooding, power outages? Pleasant villages with good roads for cycling? I see on another website that somebody is advertising a bungalow for rent at Doi Hang, and it sounds good but I have no idea what Doi Hang is like other than what I can see on Google Maps.

Quote

Personally I'd come up and book in somewhere like the Condotel or maybe get a deal on a few weeks in a decent central guesthouse like Orchids on Jed Yod Road, which is in the center of the tourist/entertainment area, for a couple of weeks and spend a few evenings chatting to the local farangs about longer term accommodation options.

Yes, that is my intention. Just trying to do a bit of research before I go. Somebody mentioned Chiangrai Condotel and I took a look, but the only reviews I could find were from no later than 2017, and I wasn't impressed. I have just researched Orchid Guesthouse and it doesn't look good for parking my car, and maybe a bit old for me. Some kind reviews but also some are off-putting. Well within my budget but I can pay more for more comfort.

My dates to come up to CR have changed to the end of the month and I think I'll stay at the Hi Chiangrai hotel on Phaholyothin Road. I have contacted somebody who has a condo to rent in Escent Ville and will be viewing that when I arrive. Any comments on that property, good or bad, would be appreciated.