Renting On Sukhumvit Soi 71?

[thaidiver]

Renting on Sukhumvit Soi 71

Hi

Anyone know this area? Are there stores around, massage, et cetera?

Any help appreciated

Cheers

[LAKRA]

Renting on Sukhumvit Soi 71

Hi

Anyone know this area? Are there stores around, massage, et cetera?

Any help appreciated

Cheers

I just moved into 71 3 weeks ago. Observations so far: Its one long road with Pridi sois off it and I think the last one is Pridi 50. The nearest Skytrain station is Phra Kanong and the cheapest mode of transport is a mini carrier and costs a flat rate of 6 baht regardless of where you get on. It runs from Phra Kanong station to the end of 71. There are buses which cost about a baht and a half more. Motor cycle taxis cost 20-30 baht to Phra Kanong and Ekamai (which is also the bus terminal for buses going to Pattaya) and (50-60) to On Nut. Its an extremely busy road and mega traffic jams during rush hours.

There is just one reasonable supermarket called Jusco situated near the top end (I think its Pridi 7) and in this complex are a couple of restuarants. There is a very cheap market between 71 and 73. Thai street stalls abound. I have noted that there appears to be more activity in Ekkamai but todate have not tested any of these. However, I think accommodation is more expensive there.

There are a few massage places in 71 but not yet tested. I did have a Thai massage (and I do mean massage!) in On Nut and it cost only 100 baht an hour. Very good. On Nut has a Tesco and a Carrefour and is my main venue for major items. Tesco is just off the skytrain station. There appear to be a few karaoke places along 71 but as this is not my scene, I have avoided it. Have not ventured into any of the pridi sois so cannot comment. I am still searching for a pub and a Indian restuarant! An important point to note is that there is a mosque around Pridi 32 so if you dont fancy loud early morning calls to prayer you should avoid this part!

Hope this helps.

[bkkjames]

Renting on Sukhumvit Soi 71

Hi

Anyone know this area? Are there stores around, massage, et cetera?

Any help appreciated

Cheers

I just moved into 71 3 weeks ago. Observations so far: Its one long road with Pridi sois off it and I think the last one is Pridi 50. The nearest Skytrain station is Phra Kanong and the cheapest mode of transport is a mini carrier and costs a flat rate of 6 baht regardless of where you get on. It runs from Phra Kanong station to the end of 71. There are buses which cost about a baht and a half more. Motor cycle taxis cost 20-30 baht to Phra Kanong and Ekamai (which is also the bus terminal for buses going to Pattaya) and (50-60) to On Nut. Its an extremely busy road and mega traffic jams during rush hours.

There is just one reasonable supermarket called Jusco situated near the top end (I think its Pridi 7) and in this complex are a couple of restuarants. There is a very cheap market between 71 and 73. Thai street stalls abound. I have noted that there appears to be more activity in Ekkamai but todate have not tested any of these. However, I think accommodation is more expensive there.

There are a few massage places in 71 but not yet tested. I did have a Thai massage (and I do mean massage!) in On Nut and it cost only 100 baht an hour. Very good. On Nut has a Tesco and a Carrefour and is my main venue for major items. Tesco is just off the skytrain station. There appear to be a few karaoke places along 71 but as this is not my scene, I have avoided it. Have not ventured into any of the pridi sois so cannot comment. I am still searching for a pub and a Indian restuarant! An important point to note is that there is a mosque around Pridi 32 so if you dont fancy loud early morning calls to prayer you should avoid this part!

Hope this helps.

Regarding the Call to Prayer - if by chance you are up at 5am you may here it, but they are pretty quiet about it at that hour. Same cannot be said for 630pm onwards.

[trogers]

Better off renting at Sukhumvit Plus or the Waterford Park Rama 4 behind it, both within walking distance to BTS Prakhanong.

Unless you are working somewhere towards Ramkhampang road, you will face horrendous traffic snarls towards the mouth of Soi 71 between 7-9am.

[bkkjames]

Better off renting at Sukhumvit Plus or the Waterford Park Rama 4 behind it, both within walking distance to BTS Prakhanong.

Unless you are working somewhere towards Ramkhampang road, you will face horrendous traffic snarls towards the mouth of Soi 71 between 7-9am.

True if you drive a car. I take a bike from a mid soi up Preedi to the bts in less than 5 mins. 3 mins going home after work.

[trogers]

Better off renting at Sukhumvit Plus or the Waterford Park Rama 4 behind it, both within walking distance to BTS Prakhanong.

Unless you are working somewhere towards Ramkhampang road, you will face horrendous traffic snarls towards the mouth of Soi 71 between 7-9am.

True if you drive a car. I take a bike from a mid soi up Preedi to the bts in less than 5 mins. 3 mins going home after work.

I do not fancy using motorbike taxis along main roads. Any accident and the medical bills will null the efforts in cost savings, besides leaving scars.

[MonsterP]

Suk 71 is ok, lot's of street food around the junction with Sukhumvit. It's generally a Thai area and lots of hookers live around there too. A two hour Thai massage which will have your head spinning is around 200baht... lovely. Suk 67 is a developing soi with three condo's there now less than 3-4 years old.

[bkkjames]

Better off renting at Sukhumvit Plus or the Waterford Park Rama 4 behind it, both within walking distance to BTS Prakhanong.

Unless you are working somewhere towards Ramkhampang road, you will face horrendous traffic snarls towards the mouth of Soi 71 between 7-9am.

True if you drive a car. I take a bike from a mid soi up Preedi to the bts in less than 5 mins. 3 mins going home after work.

I do not fancy using motorbike taxis along main roads. Any accident and the medical bills will null the efforts in cost savings, besides leaving scars.

I dont disagree. However, with the usual traffic jams the cars arent really moving. I will take that (touch wood) over racing in the back of a taxi schumacher wanna be across some expressway in the city.

[mrtoad]

I lived on Soi 71 for the first 14 months that I was in Bangkok. I always found it to be a pretty decent location. It was close enough to the BTS, in fact I could walk if I wanted, although often just took a bike. There are plenty of places to buy food, and there is Jusco Halfway up the Soi. I noticed the last time I was there a month or so ago, when going to play football at the Arsenal Soccer Ground (PD 21) that there also appears to be a few new bar/ cafe's on the soi. There are certainly worse places to live, but it isn't such a great place to drive.

[TerraPosse]

There is a nice coffee shop called 'Sometime' on Soi 71 near Preedi 40 that has free WiFi.  Around the corner from that coffee shop is a little restaurant called 'K's Kitchen' that does some nice Japanese food as well as your Thai regulars and some Western dishes at reasonable prices.

Down Preedi 42 (150 to 200 m at the intersection) opposite a Family Mart is a small street cafe / restaurant run by an American with his wife and he makes some awesome nosh (best lasagna I ever had) including some good vegetarian options.

As you see not really a bad area to live really.  

[jasreeve17]

Yeah, I lived there for a year or so too (5 mins from the bts).

It's not bad, especially if you're close to the bts. It's quite a friendly long term community which is far better than the inconsiderate transient neigbours where I now live in Thonburi. Lots of nice street food (reasonably priced) and Justco is good. You're close enough to Carrefour and Tesco for a weekend shop. The call to prayer was loud and irritating.

Traffic in Bkk in horrible, so avoid where possible - close to the bts is perfect, but hard to find. The traffic cutting through to Ekkami is particularly horrible.

For a cheap and reasonable location Phra Kanong 71 is fine (not up there with Ari... but fine).

[2008bangkok]

Hated it

[tw25rw]

I stayed with the gf next to Prakanong market for a couple of weeks. Two big shopping centres at On Nut, a short but inconvenient walk away.

Ekkamai is the nearest entertainment place.

As a tall person, I seemed to be bent double half the time walking down soi 71.

[worldfun]

thanks for the cafe/restaurent tips up predi 40/42

I'd say about trafic where on sukhumvit or most places around bkk isntit bad?

So that regardless I guess the mosque is worth keeping in mind either to steer clear off or experience

A shame there don't appear to be any 'shortcuts' from any of the even predi's towards onnut & its shopping centres else that would be an almost perfect place as there's plenty of very nice flats on that side. Thus predi 2 would be the most convenient, but having the mosque nearby!

On the other odd side there's the ekamai 'shurtcut', but fewer flats to choose from as far as I noticed.

And within 5min walk to BTS I guess it's really crammed apart from the upcoming 'condo' style getting more or less direct BTS access, but also street noise I guess!

Then december onwards there'll be the ramkhamhang BRT train line (airport line) at the extreme end of suk 71, so for those so inclined that end may be the up & coming. And 'ram' got much more 'action' so to speak like cinema, malls etc. Sure traffic may be even worse up there, so pick wisely drivers!

[Jimjim]

This was the first place I lived in Bangkok, off of Sukhumvit 71. Not a bad little area though like any place off Sukhumvit some of those long, dark sois have occasional robberies by motorbike robbers. Otherwise, it's just far enough from Sukhumvit that you're really not going to find any "pubs" and places like that where more expats will be found. A few good restaurants, though. These days there's also a few places to play football as well, with the Arsenal soccer school opening up and I saw another artificial turf little futsal place.

[MrHammer]

So, how much can you save on a 1-bedroom or studio on Suk 71 compared to Suk 77 (Soi On Nut). Are there any other decent apartments and condos there under 10K?

[GungaDin]

I had 5 weeks there, over Dec-Jan.

Never again.

[jaiyen]

Renting on Sukhumvit Soi 71

Hi

Anyone know this area? Are there stores around, massage, et cetera?

Any help appreciated

Cheers

If you want a genuine Thai massage there is a place run by blind people directly opposite the Honda motorbike shop next to the Jusco car park. These people are highly trained and very strong ! It was 300 baht for 2 hours last time I went.

Jusco is the best place to shop. There is a big Tesco Lotus at On Nut Right next to the Skytrain. Driving on Soi 71 is a nightmare, usually a big traffic jam. Use motorbikes as much as possible to get to the Skytrain or walk and check out the small shops. Food places are everywhere. There are a couple of places we often eat at between soi 14 and soi 16. Look for the one with the huge soup pot at the front. Highly recommended. A bit further up the road on the other side just past the bridge is a very good Chemist shop. She speaks English and prices are very cheap. We buy a lot of stuff there to take home to Australia. THe Phra Khanong market area is near the corner of Soi 71 and sukhumvit rd. Good place to buy fresh fruit and veg

[AJARNJACK]

Thanks for the memories and the update on Soi Klong Ton (71). I lived near the bridge over the river there for almost a year in 1974! At that time the only non-Thais I saw around there were Indian men who sold household items door to door from a basket they'd carry. I was a 22 yr. old Vietnam vet who loved Thailand so much that I returned a year after seperation from the U.S. Army to spend the rest of my life, so I connected with a taxi driver (retired Thai Army) who connected me with friend of his whose family needed a place to live too. We shared a small wooden house down a side street near the bridge where there were other families living in this community of houses on wooden stilts. The water would run under the houses and that was were they dumped all their trash. Terrible odor and not so pretty, but the rent was cheap. The main street had small open aired restaraunts where I'd have coffee in the morning and wait for the bus. I only lived there 10 months before giving up after not finding any legal jobs and returned to the States.

In 2003 I moved back to Thailand and taught English for 4 years, so I returned to Soi 71 with a girlfriend to show her where I'd lived and I was saddend at what I saw. I had a hard time determining which small side street my old rental was on and my girlfriend was very worried about this "farang" walking down those run-down paths. I found it and was sickend by the sight of my old neighborhood. Now there was only one or two wooden houses left standing and they were trashed. Not quite the scenes I'd rememberd where children had played and families washed outside near large clay water jars.

Progress marches on and although there are a lot more foreigners in that area now with things to make them comfortable, it was really more exoctic then.

[raffe]

There is actually a short-cut from Tesco to soi 71.

Go into soi 50 and go towards the toll way and then make a U-turn where there is a sign saying soi 71.

This takes you into soi 2, a taxi costs about 40 baht this way. Not sure if it was a one-way street or not unfortunately.

[jfchandler]

As a tall person, I seemed to be bent double half the time walking down soi 71.

I know that feeling... 6-8/ 203 cm...

[MrHammer]

Walked trough Suk 71 and sidesois today. Seemed kinda poor area to be honest, but interesting. Lots of food stalls and karaoke.

[dddave]

I've lived on Pridi 16 for several years: Asean Tower is an older building with more than 300 rooms and not in the best condition but the rooms are very large and inexpensive. Pridi 2 is one of the best sois in Bangkok for street food. There is a B100/hr massage shop a couple of blocks past the 7/11 way down the soi.

Not fast, but the #40 and #501 buses are frequent and go all the way down Sukhumvit, the #545 goes past Bang Na to Samut Phrakhan, the #22 down Rama 4 into Sathorn. It turns around on Suan Plu where Thai Immigration is now but sadly will be moving to Don Muang at the end of the month.

Some places not mentioned by previous posters:

The used book store on '71 near Sukhumvit (next to Pizza Hut) has a section of english language books: old but cheap.

Every block along '71 seems to have a karaoke bar but I've never gotten as much as a smile or a wink from the ladies sitting outside any of them. 15 Baht a minute internet shops abound but are often filled with kids and many have no printers.

I have never felt threatened, even late at night on '71 however, several years ago they had so many Thai on Thai muggings that police details were stationed at every other soi all night long.

Very good food at "M COFFEE", at the Skytrain escalator, especially the lemon chicken. There is a really nice cafe/antique shop called 'IVANA' on the other side of Sukhumvit near the Skytrain steps closest to Ekkamai

The B199 beef buffet at MR BEEF, though not that cheap is very good quality; on the even side of Sukhumvit between Phra Khanong and On Nut.

The Thai Buffet right at Suk and '71 next to Bangkok Bank is inconsistent and not very clean.

There is a western theme restaurant across from Pridi 20 called POOHS: OK food but expensive for the area; about B400 a person.

This area is changing fast: four high-rise condo's are nearing completion next to the Skytrain with more planned. These will be populated by mostly middle class Thais and that will mean even more dramatic changes for the neighborhood.

[thaidiver]

Thanx for the great informative post dddave!

[HowardV]

I've lived all up and down Sukhumvit 71 for six years now, from soi 2 (a condo called Happy Place) to soi 45 (an apt. called PP House) just before the Klong Tan bridge. I noticed a lot of people mentioning Sukhumvit Road, Pra Khanong and Ekamai BTS stations, but if you go the opposite way (take a 71 red or green bus), the street just keeps going and going, passing through Ramkhamhaeng and eventually going all the way up to Lat Phrao. There are also a couple good supermarkets if you go towards Ramkhamhaeng. Foodland is on the left just past the second light after the Klong Tan intersection, and they have meats and cheeses and breads of all kinds, plus many specialty foreign food items. You can walk from Foodland to The Mall at Ramkhamhaeng, it's so close, and there at the mall they have Home Fresh Mart. Both Foodland and Home Fresh Mart are quality supermarkets. Just up the street from the mall is a cinema and a Big C department store plus a million street vendors. It's really crowded and horrible to walk through if you're in a hurry, but if you're in the exploring mood, there are so many cheap little "Thai" things there, everywhere, that it's a great place for young ambitious types to wander. The head of the English department at Ramkhamhaeng University there told me it has the largest university attendance of anywhere in the world. I'm not sure, but it's filled with young people, lots of life, lots of college students. There's also a second BTS station being built. If you go straight through the Klong Tan intersection, the road will curve a bit, you'll come to some train tracks and you'll see Nasa Vegas and the BTS going in there. Once that gets in the whole area is going to change. Just in the past six years I've seen major changes. Sukhumvit 71 is sort of like the dividing line between rich and poor. If you stand on top of PP House and look towards Ekamai (lots of Japanese and more upscale stuff there) you'll notice lots of lights and tall buildings. It's the exact opposite on the other side of 71. Dark, poor and nothing but shanties and cheap apartment buildings. Many Thais live on one side of Sukhumvit 71 and work on the other side. It's already changing, looking more and more like the Ekamai side of the "tracks." In fact, my wife and I started a business here this past year (the one on Pridi 42 mentioned by TerraPosse) called Farang Kai Gafae because in my opinion the place is just getting started in many ways. I think we're seeing the beginning of a huge change in that area, so many new buildings, so many new, more "upscale" businesses. Someone mentioned Pooh's being expensive for the area, but based on the amount of change that's happened just in the past five years, I think in another five or ten years the area will improve so much that I doubt that Pooh's will seem out of place at all. Also, you should know that you can cut over to Ekamai or Thong Lor by driving straight through soi 31. If you go to the Thong Lor intersection and turn right, there is a Villa Market inside the second soi on the left (I think it's soi 15 --BTW you might have to turn left onto Thong Lor and then U-turn first, it's a really stupid intersection). There's a vegan restaurant near soi 41 call "rak jae," the sign's printed in Thai, but it's across from the 7-11 and in yellow. There's a 24-hour internet cafe that's huge called Ban Rai Gafae right on the corner of Ekamai and Sukhumvit. There's an Australian foods import shop right across from Sometimes cafe at Pridi Banomyong 37. If you do go to the bars, might I suggest veering away from the ones near Klong Tan? They look very seedy and having lived near there, I know there are lots of fights and lovers quarrels there, scary shady looking types hang out and get wasted drunk and high on yaa baa (dirty Thai speed). However, if you ever want to check out some wacky Thai comedians and concerts, the TOPS supermarket near the Klong Tan intersection has maw lam concerts there pretty regularly. People also float lots of kratongs there for Loy Kratong festival, which is coming up next month. P.S. I drive my own motorcycle, yes it's dangerous, yes I've wrecked, but yes I'm willing to risk it because it's still the fastest way to get from point A to point B. And to me, that pretty much sums up the heart of Bangkok: whatever it takes.

Edited September 25, 2009 by HowardV

[HowardV]

There's a brand new furnished apt. bldg. on soi 46 called 3K Mansion that's got A/C, cable and comes furnished with bed, wardrobe closet, TV stand, dining table & chairs for 5,000 baht a month. I think it's a good deal. My wife and I are renting a townhouse in a little gated community that has two floors, two BRs, two baths, full kitchen, living and dining room for 8,000 baht/month. I think there are a few other houses in the area that are available for similar prices.

[GungaDin]

Hi Howard.

Welcome to the forum.

Have you ever heard of paragraphs?

They would make your posts, a lot easier to read.

[tw25rw]

It's really crowded and horrible to walk through if you're in a hurry,

I went there with the gf to buy uni texts books.. I'd nail my feet to the floor before I'd walk there again. Some of the shops had those mist fans which helped, but it was miserable on a hot day. And it took an hour to get there by cab from soi Pridi 2 (she lives next to the market not far from the 2 7-11s opposite each other).

[jfchandler]

Do you mean the 24-hour Banrai Coffee Shop, located at the corner of Ekamai and Sukhumvit??

It's the large, brick walls outdoor patio place with a smaller indoors seating area... Thai food and music and sometimes questionable-quality singing in the evenings... But I've never noticed an Internet cafe there as part of the operation...

There's a 24-hour internet cafe that's huge called Ban Rai Gafae right on the corner of Ekamai and Sukhumvit.

[TerraPosse]

It's really crowded and horrible to walk through if you're in a hurry,

I went there with the gf to buy uni texts books.. I'd nail my feet to the floor before I'd walk there again. Some of the shops had those mist fans which helped, but it was miserable on a hot day. And it took an hour to get there by cab from soi Pridi 2 (she lives next to the market not far from the 2 7-11s opposite each other).

Well, if I'm in no mood bumping and grinding along at thai pace (which is most times) then I simply use the other side of Ramkamhaeng.  Far fewer stalls there and those are not choking the sidewalk off completely either.  Just an idea.

And yes, Welcome aboard Howard.   I agree though that paragraphs make it all a bit friendlier on the old eyes. 

Will try and pop over later.  Have run out of your bread yet again.