Opinions Please

[ChiangMai101]

Greetings and good tidings Chiang Mai habitants

Been doing some research online for a suitable moo baan to rent a 3 bedroom family home. Would be nice if the moo baan had a clubhouse with pool but it’s not essential I suppose.

Would appreciate some opinions on the following moo baans. Especially in relation to general moo baan upkeep, building quality, flood problems, location – close to major roads, shopping areas, airport, satellite tv reception, internet services and frequency of power failures. Thanks for taking the time. I value your opinion. Other suggestions welcome too!

I have narrowed it down to the following (no particular order):

Laguna - Sansai

Koolpuntville 12 - Saraphi

Urbana - Muang

Siwahlai 3 – San Kampaeng

Home in Park – Hang Dong

Laddahrom - Muang

Pimeuk 4 – Sansai

Emperal 1 – Muang

Background:

Been to Chiang Mai before – check

Want to live in Chiang Mai - check

Qualify for retirement visa - check

Aware of Chiang Mai cost of living – check

Prepared to get stuck in and learn the language (or try at least) – check

Enjoy Thai food – check

Like hot weather – check

Take out comprehensive health insurance – check

Can fit into Thai clothes – check

Adaptable - check

[Femme]

You did your homework -check

I'm in the process of finding a house myself and soon I will post what I think of the 20+ neighbourhoods I have seen.

For now:

Laguna Home 2,3,4,5, etc... San Sai

They are building like crazy between Chiang Mai-Mae Jo road and CM-Doi Saket and before 2nd ring road. Ricefields are disappearing. Anyway..

Laguna 2,5,7 also have 1 floor bungalows with up to 3 bedrooms. The rest are only 2 floor houses (I was told at the office)

Clean, safe, nice neighbourhoods, with playground for kids.

Laguna basically 'owns' the north side of the area before 2nd ringroad with 1000 houses. It's a village on its own but each Laguna (2, 3, 4..) has its own entrance.

All Laguna residents can join clubhouse activities: gym, pool with slide, sauna.

I am thinking about living there, and these clubhouse activities are one of the reasons (because "far" away from city facilities, but conveniently Laguna provides gym, pool and sauna)

By car:

Easy acces to city 15 minutes (6-7 km)

Shopping plaza (with Mac Drive) 2 minutes

Near Supermarkets Tesco Lotus and Rimping. + near markets

Flood free. (check map)

Sorry, food & friends are waiting, hope other members fill in!

floodareamap.pdf

Edited December 3, 2011 by Femme

[iainiain101]

You did your homework -check

I'm in the process of finding a house myself and soon I will post what I think of the 20+ neighbourhoods I have seen.

For now:

Laguna Home 2,3,4,5, etc... San Sai

They are building like crazy between Chiang Mai-Mae Jo road and CM-Doi Saket and before 2nd ring road. Ricefields are disappearing. Anyway..

Laguna 2,5,7 also have 1 floor bungalows with up to 3 bedrooms. The rest are only 2 floor houses (I was told at the office)

Clean, safe, nice neighbourhoods, with playground for kids.

Laguna basically 'owns' the north side of the area before 2nd ringroad with 1000 houses. It's a village on its own but each Laguna (2, 3, 4..) has its own entrance.

All Laguna residents can join clubhouse activities: gym, pool with slide, sauna.

I am thinking about living there, and these clubhouse activities are one of the reasons (because "far" away from city facilities, but conveniently Laguna provides gym, pool and sauna)

By car:

Easy acces to city 15 minutes (6-7 km)

Shopping plaza (with Mac Drive) 2 minutes

Near Supermarkets Tesco Lotus and Rimping. + near markets

Flood free. (check map)

Sorry, food & friends are waiting, hope other members fill in!

That flood map is from 6 years ago. This years flooding was a bit different, with early floods hitting the Maejo road area and San Kampang. The bigger flood at the end of September also flooded areas not flooded in 2005, especially east of the river near Saraphi.

[ChiangMai101]

20+ moo baans femme? Wow! Thanks for your info on Laguna. I will rent a car and set aside a week or so to look around in early March.

About finding your way around – has anybody downloaded the Thailand maps for tomtom? Did they work OK or are they completely out of date?

Ianian: what should I be looking for to detect evidence of previous flood damage?

[scorecard]

20+ moo baans femme? Wow! Thanks for your info on Laguna. I will rent a car and set aside a week or so to look around in early March.

About finding your way around – has anybody downloaded the Thailand maps for tomtom? Did they work OK or are they completely out of date?

Ianian: what should I be looking for to detect evidence of previous flood damage?

We bought a home in Urbana, so far very happy, clubhouse and pool have just been completed and look pretty nice. The shopping complex just outside the front gate is 99% complete (I think about 24 shops). Close to the city, easy drive to airport and Airport Plaza and Big C Extra etc. Just last week the management sent a very detailed polite but direct reminder letter to all owners and renters to remind them that dogs must be kept quiet, loud music is not allowed, rubbish cannot be accumulated on the footpath outside your house etc. So far so good.

There are many houses for rent within the village.

[Hooters]

You did your homework -check

I'm in the process of finding a house myself and soon I will post what I think of the 20+ neighbourhoods I have seen.

For now:

Laguna Home 2,3,4,5, etc... San Sai

They are building like crazy between Chiang Mai-Mae Jo road and CM-Doi Saket and before 2nd ring road. Ricefields are disappearing. Anyway..

Laguna 2,5,7 also have 1 floor bungalows with up to 3 bedrooms. The rest are only 2 floor houses (I was told at the office)

Clean, safe, nice neighbourhoods, with playground for kids.

Laguna basically 'owns' the north side of the area before 2nd ringroad with 1000 houses. It's a village on its own but each Laguna (2, 3, 4..) has its own entrance.

All Laguna residents can join clubhouse activities: gym, pool with slide, sauna.

I am thinking about living there, and these clubhouse activities are one of the reasons (because "far" away from city facilities, but conveniently Laguna provides gym, pool and sauna)

By car:

Easy acces to city 15 minutes (6-7 km)

Shopping plaza (with Mac Drive) 2 minutes

Near Supermarkets Tesco Lotus and Rimping. + near markets

Flood free. (check map)

Sorry, food & friends are waiting, hope other members fill in!

'I'm in the process of finding a house myself and soon I will post what I think of the 20+ neighbourhoods I have seen."

You cant be serious?

[Femme]

Dare me, Hooters. I actually wrote a review about visited moo bans, but posting failed and lost all the data. And now I am trying to overcome laziness and start writing the same words again.

OP, I guess you've seen the other topic about the same subject? (eveningson, who also plans to come in March)

[ChiangMai101]

What a shame you lost all your data femme! Would have been so helpful... how is the rewrite coming along... or is that wishful thinking?

Yes I have been reading the thread by eveningson - he sounds like he could be a valuable addition to the expat community.

scorecard: Urbana sounds promising. I also like the handy location and will check it out thoroughly.

[scorecard]

What a shame you lost all your data femme! Would have been so helpful... how is the rewrite coming along... or is that wishful thinking?

Yes I have been reading the thread by eveningson - he sounds like he could be a valuable addition to the expat community.

scorecard: Urbana sounds promising. I also like the handy location and will check it out thoroughly.

A couple of more points about Urbana:

- When the Ping river flooded a couple of months back there was no water near Urbana.

- My (adult) Thai son says there is discussion about a big shopping complex development (son thinks it's Robinson) within about 1.5 to 2 kilometers of Urbana. Other members perhaps have more detailed knowledge of this. This would of course (if true) serve many other moo baans in this overall area.

Edited December 5, 2011 by scorecard