Is The Trendy Condo On Soi 13 A Good Place To Live?

[TerraplaneGuy]

Hi All,

Just moved to Bangkok and staying in a Sukhumvit serviced apt. for now. I've been looking at the Trendy on soi 13 as a place to live longer term. Would appreciate comments from anybody who lives there (or did) as to overall quality, noise, neighbours, etc. - anything of interest to a potential tenant like me. Please do not answer if you are an owner looking to sell or rent!

Thanks!

TG

[ChristopherWilliamsBKK]

Not a popular soi to live.That's why it's cheap.I think you'll get a better deal 100 meters further down on the left at Sukhumvit Suites. While at ground level it looks crappy, up at the residential floors the common areas are kept clean, security is good, and you get twice the amount of space for the same price as a newer block minutes away

[johncod]

I live in Trendy and I must disagree with you Chris, the only problem with the Soi is the eyesore of the unfinished Regent and in the night the street bars at the top frequented by the darker coloured gender which I am sure will change once all the legal wranglings over the Regent are sorted and able to complete the project of the Hotel and residences. This will then open up Soi 13 and automatically remove the dross thats around there. Trendy is a great secure place and will only get better both in value and popularity when all this is done.

I am an owner and live on the higher floor facing Soi 11 and with great views, probably some of the best, for the area.

I would certainly recommend it to potential renters etc

In fact in two days time I will be sat on my balcony enjoying those views...so long as its not raining !

[canes]

having worked on the construction of the Trendy during the punch list / turnover portion, I can tell you this establishment is poorly built - leaks are prevelant and the finishes are cheap and not durable - there are too may choices in BKK that have better value -

[vpi78]

having worked on the construction of the Trendy during the punch list / turnover portion, I can tell you this establishment is poorly built - leaks are prevelant and the finishes are cheap and not durable - there are too may choices in BKK that have better value -

That might be but to the OP if you are searching for a place in the middle of Sukhumvit night life the Trendy is a great location where to park yourself for a year or so as you get your bearings on Bangkok. It is fairly new and you are unlikely to be bothered much by poor finish quality (if that is even true) in the near term.

[TerraplaneGuy]

having worked on the construction of the Trendy during the punch list / turnover portion, I can tell you this establishment is poorly built - leaks are prevelant and the finishes are cheap and not durable - there are too may choices in BKK that have better value -

That might be but to the OP if you are searching for a place in the middle of Sukhumvit night life the Trendy is a great location where to park yourself for a year or so as you get your bearings on Bangkok. It is fairly new and you are unlikely to be bothered much by poor finish quality (if that is even true) in the near term.

Good point. I (the OP) am just getting re-acquainted with Bangkok after last being here (as a tourist) 10 years ago. II'm not too worried about quality as long as the place isn't about to collapse! As for the eyesore unfinished hotel across the soi, what concerns me more than the unsightliness is the possibility that they may resume construction soon which I'm guessing could be very noisy. Are there nice apartments for rent within walking distance of soi 11 that are a little cheaper than Trendy? At Trendy people are asking THB16,000 - 20,000 for studios (which are pretty small) and up to THB30,000 for 1 bedrooms (have to admit a nice thing about Trendy is the very attractive pool & gym).

[ChristopherWilliamsBKK]

go up to soi 16.

10 minute walk from soi 13 but quiet and great views over Suan Benjakitti

[thaigold]

My suggestion is: Get out of the "Farang Ghetto" and move out of the Sukhumvit Corridor, Rents are higher there because of Japanese and foreign subsidized rents. Use the BTS and explore Soi Aree, and other outlying areas. You'll be glad you did.

[nycboy57]

Thai people say up to you, if i was able to sell I would be out of here in a second. I have just spent 100,000 baht sound proofing two rooms. It has saved me, since the walls and ceiling were removed we saw how this place was built. The situation is even more difficult because there are nine people on the Committee, three from the Plaza office owners, three from the Store owners and three from the Co owners of the 500 or so apartments.

None of the co owners on the committee actually live here. Also they have allowed security to be non existent. Fifty of us have written and signed a petition to get security cameras. To get security doors with key cards before people get on the elevator. To get the three Indian Restaurants to get exhaust fans and their own toilets to deal with the multiple tour buses they accomodate.

I have lived here as a retired person for almost six years. I just want to have a clean and safe place to live out my life with my lady. I do not want a short time motel with people coming here to destroy the property that is not being maintained and when we at the Pool and gym tell the security to check the cards of the co owners and renters that we paid for, she does not do it.

Many people we have caught say that they do not live here and come from other buildings but because people do not check ID downstairs or at the gym, they come. Once in a while we call one of the many former managers to come up and check them and they ask them where is the card and they say, i left it in the room and they run into the elevator.

How many times have we caught these short time people leave trash outside the door. Party til all hours of the night, especially the small studios with the low ceilings, if you look inside the walls and ceilings and the electrical plugs you can see and smell and hear from the next door.

When I stayed in the small studios we would have problems with the little flies coming from the drains. I bought two zappers and have to spray every night the drains and cover them.

I Know for some people these are petty problems. All of these problems I have written about asking how to deal with these problems as they came up and I got majority of people say they never would buy in Thailand, and that I was stupid to buy. They never would live in this area and I was stupid to live here. When I asked about how to fight the committee and stop the illegal short time rentals of the co owners that do not live here but just want to make money. I got responses that were very abusive and that were not correct since the Nation had an article about the law that was passed in 2008 making it illegal to rent without a work permit or not pay taxes in a condo that is not set up to be a short time hotel.

With the tour buses I complained about all these people that use the Condo toilets and lobbies as Grand Central Station.

I got abuse about why should I care who comes and goes in the lobby and gets to walk up the stairs without being checked and can walk through the hallways whenever they want.

Yes I lived in Sukhumvit Suites my first year here in Bkk, and it was cheaper but security was impeccable. It saddens me to have to share this information from my experience of this Condo.

Yes I liked the jacuzzi and the pool and we fought to get them to test out the PH and chemical every day and put up a sign.

Getting them to put the rules of the gym and the pool about taking a shower, no eating or drinking and take care of your young kids was very difficult to get done.

Most people do not follow rules if they are only here for a day or two. Why should people who pay around 1000 baht and think that we have the staff to take care of the place like a hotel care about their neighbors or the condition of the property?

When the co owners use the steam or sauna we turn it off when we are done to keep it like a co owner would want to preserve it, but strangers short time do not care and that is why we went to an Attorney some of us and found out that in order to stop the committee and Juristic and the co owners that are making life miserable for some of us can be taken to court for a large sum of money and test out the laws.

When I saw the article from THe Nation about the law against short time rentals cutting into the Hotel Association and taxes we called the Association complaining what are they doing about getting the courts to stop it and they never got back to us.

We took allot of abuse from people on this TV saying we had no right to stop people from renting out and doing whatever they want to do. It is hard to bring a topic that affects the lives of people that make a large investment of their retirement money and get taken apart by people who act as if it does not matter, move, get out , who cares is their attitude.

So I can go on and on and on, the good is it is close to BTS and Supermarket for us.

It is close to the gym I go to since I really cannot use this gym here when it is crowded with short time people who break the machines.

It is close to MRT and Tops.

The bad out ways the good and when and if we can take over the committee or separate the place into residential and let the Stores and Plaza run the other side of the building or we can get people on the committee that actually live here and we get security that is actually a security company that does their job and protect the property and when and if we can stop the short time rentals and make this an actual home for those of us who invested in this place and get the original developer to take responsibility for fixing the ceilings and walls and make it sound proof then maybe this place can be as great as we had hoped when we invested but until then, I will continue to speak out against the way it is run and see if others would stand up as well.

We fought to get a cart to help people get their luggage and groceries up in their apartments.

We fought to get the security from using the whistle in front of the garage and stop disturbing us that have screens and keep the windows open.

We fought to get the Juristic and Committee to get the owner who allowed a coffee shop on soi 13 rent to the Nigerians who had fights and partying outside til five am every night. They then moved to Sukhumvit suites who complained and they were out of there in a short time.

We now want security and cleaning and safety and people that care about this place to take a stand against those that are only interested in making money and not about people's lives.

Good luck with your decision and thanks for the question. I am sure I will take a beating for this response but it was the straw that broke the camels back.

[TerraplaneGuy]

go up to soi 16.

10 minute walk from soi 13 but quiet and great views over Suan Benjakitti

Christopher,

Thanks. Is that where the Sukhumvit Suites are that you mentioned above? I googled and found a hotel by that name between soi 21 and 23.

TG

[TerraplaneGuy]

My suggestion is: Get out of the "Farang Ghetto" and move out of the Sukhumvit Corridor, Rents are higher there because of Japanese and foreign subsidized rents. Use the BTS and explore Soi Aree, and other outlying areas. You'll be glad you did.

Thanks, I'm sure that's a good suggestion. I'm going to check it out. But here's a question: how would I feel living in those areas without speaking Thai? I'm fairly adventurous and have picked up a smattering of Thai words & phrases but am sure I won't be conversant any time soon. Can enough people speak English in places like Ari to make it liveable and pleasant (i. e. not just shopping but can you socialize in the cafes & bars)? Aside from the language issue, do the local artsy types etc. welcome foreigners?

TG

[guru]

Sukhumvit suite is a condo in soi 13 just past the rear entrance to ambassador hotel. Sukhumvit suiteS is on the corner of soi 21.

Edited July 27, 2011 by guru

[DP25]

At Trendy people are asking THB16,000 - 20,000 for studios (which are pretty small) and up to THB30,000 for 1 bedrooms (have to admit a nice thing about Trendy is the very attractive pool & gym).

20,000B per month for a small studio is very expensive for Bangkok imo. Better be very nice for that price. You get studios with rooftop swimming pools for under 10,000 too, so I'm not sure that makes it worth the extra price.

[ChristopherWilliamsBKK]

go up to soi 16.

10 minute walk from soi 13 but quiet and great views over Suan Benjakitti

Christopher,

Thanks. Is that where the Sukhumvit Suites are that you mentioned above? I googled and found a hotel by that name between soi 21 and 23.

TG

try to google these (all on soi 16)

mayfair garden

monterey place

citadines

city lake tower

somerset lake point

also, House by the Pond on Soi 22/Soi16 (they connect)

House by the pond is very reasonable and (if you stay in the old building) very unique and interesting.

[detectivethai]

If you like crap security, red light districts, cheap sex massage joints, very unhappy condo owners, shortime hookers and johns as neighbors, african pimps /drug dealers, coaches filled with fragrant budget pakistanis, indians and chinese tourist bus loads, smoking cigarettes and throwing their garbage all over the street, urinating against the wall. (the only place ive seen that has a big notice asking people not to urinate against he wall). then this is the place for you. Be Trendy, live at Trendy... the street floods over the sidewalk when it rains too washing all the garbage from up the street downward with a few dead vermin floating by for entertainment. Personally i wouldn't live there for free.

[ChristopherWilliamsBKK]

If you like crap security, red light districts, cheap sex massage joints, very unhappy condo owners, shortime hookers and johns as neighbors, african pimps /drug dealers, coaches filled with fragrant budget pakistanis, indians and chinese tourist bus loads, smoking cigarettes and throwing their garbage all over the street, urinating against the wall. (the only place ive seen that has a big notice asking people not to urinate against he wall). then this is the place for you. Be Trendy, live at Trendy... the street floods over the sidewalk when it rains too washing all the garbage from up the street downward with a few dead vermin floating by for entertainment. Personally i wouldn't live there for free.

pretty much sums up Trendy and soi 13 in general

[canes]

I live in Trendy and I must disagree with you Chris, the only problem with the Soi is the eyesore of the unfinished Regent and in the night the street bars at the top frequented by the darker coloured gender which I am sure will change once all the legal wranglings over the Regent are sorted and able to complete the project of the Hotel and residences. This will then open up Soi 13 and automatically remove the dross thats around there. Trendy is a great secure place and will only get better both in value and popularity when all this is done.

I am an owner and live on the higher floor facing Soi 11 and with great views, probably some of the best, for the area.

I would certainly recommend it to potential renters etc

In fact in two days time I will be sat on my balcony enjoying those views...so long as its not raining !

ready to move out!

[detectivethai]

Sounds fabulous for junkies, alkies and Sexpats. very convenient.

[TerraplaneGuy]

try to google these (all on soi 16)

mayfair garden

monterey place

citadines

city lake tower

somerset lake point

also, House by the Pond on Soi 22/Soi16 (they connect)

House by the pond is very reasonable and (if you stay in the old building) very unique and interesting.

Thanks, I'll check them out. I agree with the posters here who say this Soi 11/13 area is gross. On the other hand (I'm staying on soi 11 right now) it is ultra-convenient. There's the Nana BTS just steps away. And on this one block of soi 11 there are so many good restaurants of all kinds, bars etc., a Villa, a 7/11 ... and yes about 50 massage parlours (are they "cheap" as one poster says? Are there better, more expensive ones elsewhere? It's like a zoo but I checked out the Ari area and yes, it is a different world, really nice and relaxed and Thai, but even with the BTS there, I understand it's not easy to walk out at night as the sois are full of trash and it's really dismal. And frankly I didn't see even one massage shop there - so if that's what you want I suspect you'd have to get in a taxi ... I guess something in between these two neighbourhoods (in terms of ambiance) would be best.

[samran]

My suggestion is: Get out of the "Farang Ghetto" and move out of the Sukhumvit Corridor, Rents are higher there because of Japanese and foreign subsidized rents. Use the BTS and explore Soi Aree, and other outlying areas. You'll be glad you did.

No, Aree is sh*t, don't go there. Not nice. People are mean. Hardly any services for a newbie farang in Bangkok. Lousy access to public transport. Crap food. Really crap food. No decent supermarkets or coffee shops anywhere.

As someone said. Be trendy, stay at Trendy.

[strikingsunset]

How about Victory Monument area,is that on ok area for a newbie farang,all things being considered ?

[Baxer]

My suggestion is: Get out of the "Farang Ghetto" and move out of the Sukhumvit Corridor, Rents are higher there because of Japanese and foreign subsidized rents. Use the BTS and explore Soi Aree, and other outlying areas. You'll be glad you did.

No, Aree is sh*t, don't go there. Not nice. People are mean. Hardly any services for a newbie farang in Bangkok. Lousy access to public transport. Crap food. Really crap food. No decent supermarkets or coffee shops anywhere.

As someone said. Be trendy, stay at Trendy.

Ahh, so you don't want a new neighbour, do you?

[mauiguy90]

Check out Thonglo. Studios at new places rent for 15K and up, cheaper if you're lucky! There are Western restaurants all over the creation, people speak English there and everything you need is located in the same soi(Sukhumvit 55). It can be a bit pricy but if you want to live in Thailand but have all the comforts of home, Thonglo is for you!

[kibal]

The inside of the building is fine, or ok, or "fair," but the alleyway "road" that you'll have no choice but to use each time you arrive or leave home is pretty bad. If I remember it's a one-way and gets clogged easily at the first Thai driver who decides to stop and talk on his phone, or pick someone up. If it is indeed a two-lane, I'd say it's more like 1 1/2, meaning one lane the cars must always stop while the oncoming traffic goes by. Also, the Soi is loaded with Nigerian hustlers that walk up into my face and say things like, "you all right man?" Admittedly I didn't sense any real criminal danger... The good side is that it's almost right around the corner from Asok/Ratchada, Robinsons, and then Nana the other way

[Kaoboi Bebobp]

1) 20,000 baht a month, as has already been pointed out, is very overpriced. Look up some apartments in the online classified service that starts with a guy's name and ends in "list". Lots of apartments going begging all over. BTW, all rents are negotiable in this overstocked market.

2) On soi 13 corner at Sukhumvit, every single night of the year is a street bar with some of the most down and out customers to ever hoist a bottle, plus around 2 am-3 am, the Africans take over. The soi is one long urinal. I know, I used to go there 2-3 years ago. It's gotten worse since, based on a recent one-time tour of the street bar strip. Never again.

Other posters offered good alternatives.

[partington]

I know someone living at Trendy, and have to say the descriptions of the street level of Soi 13 are dead right, with rivers of urine flowing underneath the signs forbidding public urination, vast crowds of cheap package tour(?) Indians and Pakistanis herding in and out of the 3 noisy restaurants in the ground floor of the building, and yelling, jeering Nigerians occupying the mouth of the garbage, piss and rat infested street after midnight...

Once you get up to the apartment levels it isn't terrible, if the window of the apartment is facing away from the construction, ie away from Soi 13 itself. They are shoddily constructed, so if your neighbours are noisy, you will be disturbed, as soundproofing is non-existent. The air conditioners are noisy too, and on my friend's floor he pointed out massive water stains along the entire corridor, coming from the same place just adjacent to the front door of each apartment. I was told, don't know how true this is, that toilets in that entire floor were installed unsupervised by untrained workers, who unpacked the toilets and threw away the packing containing the O-rings that were meant to seal the toilet into the waste pipe. So every single one leaked when people moved in and used them.

There is a lot of single week/single day rental too, so if you are near a group of these you may have problems with short termers. There's no laundry room so you must have a washing machine or pay huge Sukhumvit Road prices for laundry.

On the other hand : it is located in a spot that has easy access to BTS, shops, and day or night food and drink. Also you will never be bored as watching vibrant street life in the local sois is better than HBO. The apartments aren't that bad if the leaks are fixed, and you don't see the bad Soi 13 scene from the upper floors. If you can bargain down to B15000 I'd consider it.

Ari is nice, but you'd be lucky to get anything under B16000 there, it's getting popular. Victory Monument seems nice too, though people have warned me that side sois there are "not safe", and decent apartments also seem around the B16000 mark-though I don't say you couldn't get them for cheaper as I didn't look very hard there.

New places at On Nut and Phram 9 seem to be around the B12-14000B mark for the same kind of apartments as Trendy, but a lot newer and slightly bigger. BTS access means expense unfortunately

[rott]

A regular poster on TV, ''zorro1'', was always a staunch advocate of The Trendy - I think he owned a few there. Wonder what he thinks of it these days.

[rgs2001uk]

A regular poster on TV, ''zorro1'', was always a staunch advocate of The Trendy - I think he owned a few there. Wonder what he thinks of it these days.

I would imagine he is pretty cut up about it.

Walked by there this afternoon, first gentleman asked me, "allright brother", second gentleman, "anything you need my friend".

Of course it would be Politically Uncorrect of me to point out stereotypes, lets just say it wasnt BillyBob from Tennesse, an understanding of the lingua franca would have come in handy.

[zorro1]

A regular poster on TV, ''zorro1'', was always a staunch advocate of The Trendy - I think he owned a few there. Wonder what he thinks of it these days.

living here coming up to 5 years now and have no intention to sell

benefits

1. Nana bts 5 min walk

2. villa 1 minute walk

3. Asok bts 10 min walk

4. Sofitel nearly finished and 5 star

5. Terminal 21 (new shopping mall) just opened for biz

6. in the heart of the tourist district

The whole area from the corner of soi13 untill ASOK bts will be clear of street vendors within 6 months when the Sofitel opens and the showroom./sales office is currently under construction at the regent (across the road) which will be a 5star hotel/residence when it is finally completed.

Trendy has a great pool and a descent gym with both steam room and sauna.

It also has an upmarket day spa/massage center right next to the pool which is a lovely addition

The foyers is big, modern and clean with and Indian and Pakistan restaurant downstairs. Im not fussed about them but the Indian place delivers to my room and a large selection of buffet is 200bht.

the only downside is the soi is a shithole at the end of 13 with drug dealers hookers in the street bar late at night but I never walk that way as its quicker to walk past villa in the arcade to get to soi 11 and 4 etc and the problem will be removed when the regent is completed transforming the soi rather dramatically. Theres also two bars with hookers inside the building some may like it but I dont.

In summary 3 supermarkets in walking distance a family mart in the building and 7/11 next door with nana BTS 5 mins away

I have a one bedroom 73sqm 2 bathroom CORNER unit bought new for 4.7mill bht. its quite and comfortable. I don't have any "leaks" or noise problems.

Am I "cut up".. no.. considering the location and the new condo being built just next door is asking for a starting price of double what I paid for mine.

[ThreeProperty]

We have done several lets at the Trendy and 70% of the time the client is not satisfied and doesn't stay the full duration.

I have stopped recommending it unless a client insists, and in my opinion there are far better properties out there for cheaper.

I know someone living at Trendy, and have to say the descriptions of the street level of Soi 13 are dead right, with rivers of urine flowing underneath the signs forbidding public urination, vast crowds of cheap package tour(?) Indians and Pakistanis herding in and out of the 3 noisy restaurants in the ground floor of the building, and yelling, jeering Nigerians occupying the mouth of the garbage, piss and rat infested street after midnight...

Once you get up to the apartment levels it isn't terrible, if the window of the apartment is facing away from the construction, ie away from Soi 13 itself. They are shoddily constructed, so if your neighbours are noisy, you will be disturbed, as soundproofing is non-existent. The air conditioners are noisy too, and on my friend's floor he pointed out massive water stains along the entire corridor, coming from the same place just adjacent to the front door of each apartment. I was told, don't know how true this is, that toilets in that entire floor were installed unsupervised by untrained workers, who unpacked the toilets and threw away the packing containing the O-rings that were meant to seal the toilet into the waste pipe. So every single one leaked when people moved in and used them.

There is a lot of single week/single day rental too, so if you are near a group of these you may have problems with short termers. There's no laundry room so you must have a washing machine or pay huge Sukhumvit Road prices for laundry.

On the other hand : it is located in a spot that has easy access to BTS, shops, and day or night food and drink. Also you will never be bored as watching vibrant street life in the local sois is better than HBO. The apartments aren't that bad if the leaks are fixed, and you don't see the bad Soi 13 scene from the upper floors. If you can bargain down to B15000 I'd consider it.

Ari is nice, but you'd be lucky to get anything under B16000 there, it's getting popular. Victory Monument seems nice too, though people have warned me that side sois there are "not safe", and decent apartments also seem around the B16000 mark-though I don't say you couldn't get them for cheaper as I didn't look very hard there.

New places at On Nut and Phram 9 seem to be around the B12-14000B mark for the same kind of apartments as Trendy, but a lot newer and slightly bigger. BTS access means expense unfortunately

For around the 16,000THB range you can get some superb condos that rival the trendy's small studio. Here is a couple of examples, Ivy Ratchada, Le Luk, Villa Sathorn, Sense Sukhumvit, Condo One Siam .

Three Property

http://www.three-homes.com/

082-202-9139

Edited October 14, 2011 by ThreeProperty