I need to head to Malaysia this weekend and when I make my way back to Thailand I'd like to rent a bungalow on an island long-term.

I would prefer to stay in a nice bungalow somewhere outside a tourist resort.

I only need a 1 bedroom with decent internet access. It would also need to have a kitchen, and a beach close-by.

I would pay up to 12,000 per month, but closer to 10,000 would be nicer.

Which island would I be better heading to?

Cheers

Which island - I suppose you mean Samui, Phangan or Tao? Depends entirely on what you're looking for. Most members here live on Samui and feel that Phangan doesn't offer enough amenities and activities. I'm the other way around - the less amenities and activities, the better.

I live in a modern (less than 2 year old) roomy bungalow in a row of four (two currently unoccupied) set outside resorts above Had Yao West on Phangan. ADSL, a glimpse of the sea from the balcony and 5 mins walk down to the beach (though the return trip'll take longer seeing it's uphill!). 10K a month, a skilled negotiator prepared to offer to pay several months up front could probably knock off another grand or two. Places like this aren't difficult to find on Phangan and apparently not on Samui either. When I was looking around, I could find an OK bungalow in a similar location for 7K, but lower standard (older), especially in terms of electricity and bugs. I like lots of the former and none of the latter

PM me if you're interested in details.

Thank you for the reply.

That's the area I was looking at on the west coast of the island.

It's great to know there are bungalows available at that price.

I know Samui is more popular, but I'm just looking for a quiet life.

It would be great if there was a local market close-by, but Tesco is pretty close too.

I drive to Thong Sala most days, but I mostly eat fruit and it's more plentiful and cheap in Thong Sala than anywhere else on Phangan. You could find a similarly priced place closer to Thong Sala or, say, Chaloklum or some other place where you have all you need within walking distance. I don't mind driving... for now.

I work from home (translating) so internet access is important and I've been happy so far. Not super fast (5/1) but gets the job done.

That sounds great, cheers.

I'm glad the internet is good enough for you to do your job. I don't think I'd like to live in the middel of town, but it's great to know cheap and tasty food is just a short drive away.

I'll probably be setting my bungalow up with a few simple essentials so I can make lots of stir fry's and fruit smoothies.

You can also look at the dedicated real estate thread

http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/612982-2013-bungalows-houses-apartments-for-short-long-term-rental/

or the free Thaivisa Classifieds.