Longer-Stay Accommodations Help

[bobo42]

Helpful advice of any kind is much appreciated, here's my situation:

I'm trying to stay in Thailand for 3-6 months or more.

I'll be trading online to keep up my income during this time, so I need to find accommodations somewhere (anywhere!) where I can get a reasonable internet connection. I don't need anything special, I just need some reasonable expectation of being able to connect to websites in the US to do some research and place a few orders every day. Basically, as long as I have a good enough connection to trade, I plan on staying for as long as I can obtain some kind of visa - but if I can't trade, I've got to go back home after a month or two - that's the dilemma.

Just about every apartment or condo rental I can find wants a year lease, but I'm very wary of signing onto a long lease without knowing if I will be able to work with the available internet (if I can't, I won't be able to pay the rent anyway).

Also, if I could find a place with a short-term lease, what are the contracts like for getting my own internet line installed? Is it even possible without a long lease/commitment? What's the install-time like?

I also have the standard wish-list of other considerations, but honestly all my other wishes can be thrown out if I could get the net connection figured out. I am currently trying to find something in Bangkok, but I would be perfectly happy considering any location in Thailand.

If anyone has any advice/suggestions for how I should go about this, or specific suggestions for places to look at, PLEASE HELP! This dilemma is eating away at me, I'm planning on leaving next month and this is really hanging over my head now.

Edit: I should add my budget, I'm trying to find a place for around 30k/month. I need to keep my total housing expense below about 60k for rent/internet/electric/water.

[jackdawson]

I need to keep my total housing expense below about 60k

dam_n , that's a lot of money

the rental offices / real estate agents r gonna' love u

u should have NO trouble finding a place if ur willing to spend $1,800 a month...

Is it even possible

anything's possible here PROVIDED u have money and r willing to part w/ it

they install /activate a phone line and DSL service pretty fast here in bangkok (a day or two)

fyi "internet/electric/water" r pretty cheap here (i.e., NOT close to 30 k a month ; more like 5 if u run the air a lot)

[Capealava]

The Narathiwas Residence. 36,000 month to month. 33,000- 6 months. Free Buffet breakfast, house keeping, swimming pool, fitness, Free Electric and wireless internet in room. http://www.thenarathiwas.com/

[bobo42]

I need to keep my total housing expense below about 60k

dam_n , that's a lot of money

the rental offices / real estate agents r gonna' love u

u should have NO trouble finding a place if ur willing to spend $1,800 a month...

Is it even possible

anything's possible here PROVIDED u have money and r willing to part w/ it

they install /activate a phone line and DSL service pretty fast here in bangkok (a day or two)

fyi "internet/electric/water" r pretty cheap here (i.e., NOT close to 30 k a month ; more like 5 if u run the air a lot)

Thanks for the reply. I know that 60k is a whole lot of money to pay, and the reason I'm posting here is that I want to avoid being ripped off by the agents! I'd much prefer to spend a lower amount, but if I HAD to pay say 10k+ to a good net connection, I would do it. I'd love to get the best price possible, so I can do the least amount of work to keep my savings intact, but without the ability to trade, I'm basically sunk, so I'd be willing to pay a premium if I had to.

Nice to know the installation times can be fast. Do you know if a long commitment is needed to have a decent DSL installed?

I'm not rich and I don't have money to burn, I can handle some fairly hefty monthly payments if I had to pay them, but what I can't do is drop loads of lump-sum payments or commit to long-term contracts.

I appreciate the advice, thanks much for posting a reply. Anybody have anything they can add to help me out?

[bobo42]

The Narathiwas Residence. 36,000 month to month. 33,000- 6 months. Free Buffet breakfast, house keeping, swimming pool, fitness, Free Electric and wireless internet in room. http://www.thenarathiwas.com/

Thanks for the suggestion. This type of place may be what I need. Do you have first-hand knowledge of the place? Is the wifi connection actually decent? Or is it like most hotels that have a single cheap connection shared for hundreds of users (ie - sometimes works ok, most of the time not)?

If the wifi works decently, then this is certainly a very good suggestion. Please let me know if you have stayed here.

Anybody else have any suggestions that fit the bill? I greatly appreciate any info.

[Bedrockguesthouse]

Well you can always stay at our guesthouse. Bedrock Guesthouse Bar and Grill. We are located in Ban Phe 2 hours by car from Bangkok directly opposite Koh Samet island. Our facility faces the ocean

We would do monthly cost for 22,000 baht aircon room. We have free wifi good speed. Have Thai Kitchen and Western grill in the Bar. Satellite TV outdoors in common area and in the Bar

If you click on our banner ad on the travel forum you can read up about us. I'm Mark (Aussie) and my wife is Aom. If you go on trip advisor you cans see some of our customer recommendations Well let me know if your interested

p.s. we would need you to pay a month in advance

Cheers Mark

[richardjomtien]

Hi my advice would be to bargain very hard I think that you will get something for 3-6 months (condo lease) it would be pretty quiet now after their problmems. Check if 3g Wireless is operating in the area you want to stay in otherwise I would try to lease an appartment with ADSL already included as you may pull your hair out trying to get a connection for 3-6 months, too much hassle from my experience unless willing to pay 'extra' money to get it happening. Avoid Pattaya if 99% reliable interent is required, I stayed there for 4months over Christmas, my ADSL wouls stop working for hours (sometimes days) or more and no one would help it was hopeless, everyone in the building with the same company had no internet for days sometimes. 'Sorry we fix soon ok' they would say...... And doesnt matter which company in Pattaya, Maxxnet or TT&T they all go down for long periods of time in my experience. I think Bangkok would be much better though.

I am a trader too. Where are you from? Been to Pattaya? It's great fun!

Good luck.

[neilf]

Helpful advice of any kind is much appreciated, here's my situation:

I'm trying to stay in Thailand for 3-6 months or more.

I'll be trading online to keep up my income during this time, so I need to find accommodations somewhere (anywhere!) where I can get a reasonable internet connection. I don't need anything special, I just need some reasonable expectation of being able to connect to websites in the US to do some research and place a few orders every day. Basically, as long as I have a good enough connection to trade, I plan on staying for as long as I can obtain some kind of visa - but if I can't trade, I've got to go back home after a month or two - that's the dilemma.

Just about every apartment or condo rental I can find wants a year lease, but I'm very wary of signing onto a long lease without knowing if I will be able to work with the available internet (if I can't, I won't be able to pay the rent anyway).

Also, if I could find a place with a short-term lease, what are the contracts like for getting my own internet line installed? Is it even possible without a long lease/commitment? What's the install-time like?

I also have the standard wish-list of other considerations, but honestly all my other wishes can be thrown out if I could get the net connection figured out. I am currently trying to find something in Bangkok, but I would be perfectly happy considering any location in Thailand.

If anyone has any advice/suggestions for how I should go about this, or specific suggestions for places to look at, PLEASE HELP! This dilemma is eating away at me, I'm planning on leaving next month and this is really hanging over my head now.

Edit: I should add my budget, I'm trying to find a place for around 30k/month. I need to keep my total housing expense below about 60k for rent/internet/electric/water.

what about pattaya-----------my friend has a studio for about 12000 month with good-----------1.6 ish meg----------connect.

he would do you 3 months for sure and 2 big pools etc.

if want to see pm me

[moe666]

Google serviced apartments Bangkok there should be a few to check out, I think they are month to month.

[bobo42]

Check if 3g Wireless is operating in the area you want to stay in otherwise I would try to lease an appartment with ADSL already included as you may pull your hair out trying to get a connection for 3-6 months, too much hassle from my experience unless willing to pay 'extra' money to get it happening.

Thanks for the good advice. Does this mean that there definitely ARE long-term contracts required to get DSL installed? Sorry to belabor the issue, but I haven't been able to find a definitive answer on this one. If anybody knows what the usual terms are like (contract length, deposit, initial fees, etc), please let me know.

I am a trader too. Where are you from? Been to Pattaya? It's great fun!

From the west coast of the US. Been to Thailand a lot of times over the years, but always for short trips. And yep, been to Pattaya as well, no place quite like it. But looking for something a little more sedate and less "touristy" if I can find it.

[Bedrockguesthouse]

somewhere sedate and not so touristy i already said in an earlier post Ban Phe opposite Koh Samet Island small fishing village population approx 3000.