On Nut/ Areas to live

[Cbrooks720]

Hey, My girlfriend and I are looking for a place to live in Bangkok and were wondering what the best areas are. We want to spend between 8000-13000 baht and want to be close to the BTS as we don't have a vehicle. We're both in our early 20s and like going out. We have been looking at the On Nut stop because she has been there before for a short trip and liked it. Is this a good area? are they're better areas? She is teaching English and I am a bartender (not sure if that matters) I've read a lot of other post and everyone asks to be more specific so I'm trying to include any information that will help. I haven't spent much time in Bangkok and have no idea if we are choosing a good place. Any advice will help. Thank you.

[TheSpade]

It's an OK area and cheaper than other parts of Sukhumvit. Not far from Thong Lor & Ekkamai etc (where there's a lot of nightlfe) but more better value.

The beer garden in the market beside the BTS is good. Big Tesco supermarket there too as well as fast food restaurants etc. Apparently there are other decent bars & restaurants around but I don't know the area outwith the BTS area and a friends apartment too well, which is just a couple of minutes walk.

For your price range you can live anywhere in BKK close to the BTS. There are places everywhere in that price range including areas like Siam, Asoke, Nana, Thong Lor, Ekkamai etc.

Wait until you are here and go looking in a few different areas until you find somewhere you like. You might like On Nut and you might not.

[Cbrooks720]

Thanks for the help. Ill be in Bangkok tomorrow so I guess we'll just have to ride around and see. Thanks again

[SantiSuk]

I have a condo in OnNut on Sukhumvit. We only use it as a hotel substitute (live in Isaan) and bought there for its combination of BTS and freeway access - I can be on a freeway ramp within 3 minutes of getting in my car or at the BTS station by foot. After 18 months of ownership I would buy again in On Nut for its access/convenience/value.

I suspect that a falang couple, particularly newbies to Asia or Pattaya/Phuket wallahs would find Thonglor more to their liking (if your GF is Thai then she will love On Nut, its "real Thai"). Thonglor has a much better range of restaurants, has several bars and looks more polished/trendy - but accommodation will cost you 25% more at least and many of the restaurants are accordingly poor value (in Thailand terms - just my view based on a few sorties!).

Try staying at a hotel for a week in both to get an idea. The longer you can try out an area before the commitment the better.

Yes the market/beer garden next to Lotus On Nut is good - but falang-type bars are non-existant; I don't much mind that myself! I find the range of eating in On Nut, within 15 minutes walk of my place, quite limiting - apart from the lower and middle end of Thai food, which is fine with 2 supermarkets/two buffet places/decent street food. I do mind that; even only spending a few days a month I find myself being a bit stumped some nights when I'm feeling too lazy to travel. Search on Google using "santisuk onnut thaivisa restaurant recommendations" and you will probably hit on a thread about food in On Nut.

Had not thought about it before and hate to admit it, but walking access to a big supermarket (we have two) is actually very worthwhile for an urban dweller. Car journeys in Bangkok are frustrating and the further down Sukhumvit you go the more your daily frustration will mount, unless you lock the 4 wheels away and make sensible use of foot/BTS and motorbike taxis

[rgs2001uk]

My best advice, find a place thats convenient for getting to and from work.

There is no point in living in On Nut if you have to travel all the way across the city to get to and from work.

On Nut is a big area, I sure as heck wouldnt want to be living at the Srinakarin end and trying to get to the BTS every day.

Apart from the BTS, there is really nothing special about the area.

As mentioned above farang style bars and restos forget it, dont know if the Toby Jug is still on Suk soi 50 or not.

There used to be a farang syle eating place in one of the small sois 75 or something like that, again dont know if its still there.

[Cbrooks720]

Thank yo both for the advice! I think youre right and Im just going to have to spend more when I get there tomorrow walking and riding around to try to decide if its right for us. Glad to hear its not a terrible area but I will definitely look into other areas closer to some farang style shops and bars. Thanks again for all the help and if anyone else reads this Id be more than happy to hear more opinions.

[jdinasia]

https://www.onnutcondos.com/

There are places on Onnut (Suk 77) and places on Suk 81 (cheaper). I lived in a special tiny studio in S House on Suk 81 for 6 months -- was ground floor privacy wall with a long strip of private area outside. Kinda like having a massive super long balcony. I had a place at the same time off Sri Nakarin Soi 45 that was nicer but less convenient. about 7 km out from there but 1km from Seacon Sq etc ...

[ultimate weapon]

I suspect that a falang couple, particularly newbies to Asia or Pattaya/Phuket wallahs would find Thonglor more to their liking (if your GF is Thai then she will love On Nut, its "real Thai").

If you are talking about the OP's case his gf shouldn't be thai cos she's teaching english and the likelihood of a thai person teaching english is rather small.

[whybother]

Have a look at the Thailand Cultural Centre area. Close to supermarkets, cinemas, MRT. It's a mostly Thai area. Also, it's not too far from Central Rama 9 / Fortune Town.

https://maps.google.com/maps?q=Thailand+Cultural+MRT+Station+Din+Daeng+Bangkok+Thailand&hl=en&sll=37.0625,-95.677068&sspn=42.85226,86.572266&oq=thailand+cult&hq=Thailand+Cultural+MRT+Station+Din+Daeng+Bangkok+Thailand&t=m&z=15

[jdinasia]

I suspect that a falang couple, particularly newbies to Asia or Pattaya/Phuket wallahs would find Thonglor more to their liking (if your GF is Thai then she will love On Nut, its "real Thai").

If you are talking about the OP's case his gf shouldn't be thai cos she's teaching english and the likelihood of a thai person teaching english is rather small.

There are many more Thais teaching English in Thailand than foreigners.

[ultimate weapon]

I suspect that a falang couple, particularly newbies to Asia or Pattaya/Phuket wallahs would find Thonglor more to their liking (if your GF is Thai then she will love On Nut, its "real Thai").

If you are talking about the OP's case his gf shouldn't be thai cos she's teaching english and the likelihood of a thai person teaching english is rather small.

There are many more Thais teaching English in Thailand than foreigners.

OK but is their english good enough to actually teach other thais? Most thais even those grads that study abroad in the UK speak terrible english.

[asiaexpat]

I suspect that a falang couple, particularly newbies to Asia or Pattaya/Phuket wallahs would find Thonglor more to their liking (if your GF is Thai then she will love On Nut, its "real Thai").

If you are talking about the OP's case his gf shouldn't be thai cos she's teaching english and the likelihood of a thai person teaching english is rather small.

There are many more Thais teaching English in Thailand than foreigners.

OK but is their english good enough to actually teach other thais? Most thais even those grads that study abroad in the UK speak terrible english.

What has any of this to do with the Onnut area or finding a place in Bangkok? Try sticking to the issue at hand.

[Marcel1]

yes on nut have some nice places to stay with value for money, insde the street they have the songteaws up and running through the street and for Thai food it is quite ok, lived close by there for 1.5 years

on the otherside if you count up the daily songteaw and skytrain costs + you add abit money for convenience you can find a better place around thong lor / asoke area.

currently living around sathorn which also have nice places for good prices but, you will need a motorbike or car to get around or keep stuck on paying motortaxis again.

[TallGuyJohninBKK]

I think the kind of unanswered question here is does the OP and his GF already have fixed jobs in some particular part of BKK and plan to keep those? If so, then the advice about finding someplace nearby that's reasonably convenient for commuting is good advice. In that case, the living options would depend on where the jobs are, and that's not mentioned above.

Or, are bartending and teaching just their chosen work, and they'll be looking for actual jobs once they get settled. If so, especially for those without a car/cars, you really want to live close to the BTS or MRT rail lines. As long as you have one of their stations nearby, much of central BKK is within pretty easy commuting distance, again, assuming the jobs are also close to some other BTS or MRT station.

PS - I wasn't aware there's much of an available job market in BKK for 20-something farangs working as bartenders??? But some private schools do offer van transport for their farang teaching staff from central pickup points.