Yes aside from those damn massage places there and hway kwang is there anything else? How does it compare to sukhumvit?

Same same but different, do you want HiSo or LoSo?

Not as many Farang

A few expats in that area and almost zero western tourists. It is popular with Chinese and Japanese tourists however. Sukhumvit is a 10 - 15 minute train ride away if you want it. There is a lot of great value accomodation (both short and long term) at less than half the price of something comparable on Sukhumvit. The thai food in that area is way better than sukhumvit. The nightlife there is not aimed at westerners but it does exist and can be interesting. If you want to drink imported beer at a faux British pub, you won't find anything like that on Ratchada. Plenty of shopping on Ratchada without the crowds and hassles of sukhumvit.

I agree with this statement.

A few expats in that area and almost zero western tourists. It is popular with Chinese and Japanese tourists however. Sukhumvit is a 10 - 15 minute train ride away if you want it. There is a lot of great value accomodation (both short and long term) at less than half the price of something comparable on Sukhumvit. The thai food in that area is way better than sukhumvit. The nightlife there is not aimed at westerners but it does exist and can be interesting. If you want to drink imported beer at a faux British pub, you won't find anything like that on Ratchada. Plenty of shopping on Ratchada without the crowds and hassles of sukhumvit.

thanks for this input. Appreciate it but you know what pisses me off is that i told a few thai friends that i was staying in ratchada area and they told me oh so you stay there cos you want to go to those massage places as if implying the entire ratchada area is like one big brothel with nothing else but massage places while sukhumvit didn't have those things and like you couldn't simply take a taxi/train to those massage places if you stayed elsewhere.

Bangkok is more than Sukhumvit. Check out Ratchadamri and Langsuan.

I live on the other side of the river - at Krung Thonburi and really like it - but if you have to work 9-5 around Sukmvit - the trains can be a pain at rush-hour - but if you aren't anchored by work around Sukumvit - check out Krung Thonburi and Wong Wian Yai - I haven't seen the other two newly opened stations on the SIlom line.

A few expats in that area and almost zero western tourists. It is popular with Chinese and Japanese tourists however. Sukhumvit is a 10 - 15 minute train ride away if you want it. There is a lot of great value accomodation (both short and long term) at less than half the price of something comparable on Sukhumvit. The thai food in that area is way better than sukhumvit. The nightlife there is not aimed at westerners but it does exist and can be interesting. If you want to drink imported beer at a faux British pub, you won't find anything like that on Ratchada. Plenty of shopping on Ratchada without the crowds and hassles of sukhumvit.

may i know why so few western expats hate the area?

I enjoy living at Ratchada!

You've got everything within 15 Minutes Radius, just try to get something near the MRT.

I pay 20.000 for a 46 sqm 1 Bedroom app. directly on top of the MRT, huge swimming pools, sauna, gym,...

Taxi from Suv.Airport is 240,- plus

I used to live on Ratchada soi 1, behind Fortune Mall. A fine area, but almost impossible to get a cab to go there from about 2-4 am due to the traffic from the bars letting out around RCA. But from what you've written already, doesn't sound like you're much of a night person, haha, so you should be fine.