Recommended Monthly Condos Naklua / Wongamat?

[Paulinho]

Am moving to Pattaya for a short-period(s). 1-2 months.

Could anyone recommend a decent condo in Naklua / Wongamat? I have just been researching and these sound like suitable areas, away from intensity of tourism etc... of Central Pattaya, and having some of their own character and lifestyle + access to beach.

I still need to get up to BKK quite often so presume better than being down Jomtien + I have been there before and it was a bit lacking for me in terms of staying there for 1-2 months in terms of character.

I'd like a place I can readily drop into for a month or two at a time:

- 20-25k

- 1 bed or big studio

- Good Wifi

- Modern or at least well refurbished. Kitchen facilities.

- Balcony

- Pretty near beach

- Desk / workspace - somewhere you could be in most of the day working etc...

- Facilities there - e.g. gym etc....

- Local motor taxis etc... if I need to get into Central for shopping or a night out

- Local places to eat ...

- Few bars : places you could hang out with some fellow expats & thais / live music would be good

That kind of thing?

I've been googling but keep ending up with broken real-estate sites, and old listings of Siam Penthouse.... or Woodlands Suites (which is too pricey).

Anyone know of anyone renting somewhere / or a decent agent etc.., or recommended Condos I could go down and check out?

Thanks in advance,

P

Edited December 5, 2013 by Paulinho

[KittenKong]

Personally I dont like Wong Amat. To me it seems to have no character at all and is just a jungle of high rise buildings and narrow sois filled with traffic. You have to walk up to the main Naklua road to find any transport or places to eat, though once there you have a decent choice of course.

So personally I prefer Jomtien which is more open, has shops, farang restaurants, bars and Thai markets and eating places all over including right on the beach road. Also transport back to south Pattaya is very easy (apart from the evening traffic jams entering Pattaya of course). For 15K/month there you can get a nice studio unit right on the beach though at this time of year a lot of the best ones will have gone or may be asking higher prices.

As for getting to Bangkok it depends on how you travel. I live a few minutes walk from the main airport bus terminal in Jomtien and I can get an hourly bus from there to the airport and then take the express train to Bangkok (not that I do it very often as I dont like Bangkok). All pretty quick and cheap and painless. The only traffic I have to get through that way is on Sukumvit in Pattaya.

[WaywardWind]

I live in Naklua, in Park Beach, right on Wong Amat beach.

There are, as you have likely seen on the internet, many condo complexes in the area. Most, but not all, would likely have units which meet your requirements. Many restaurants, taxis and motos all over the place, and a few music bars up along Pattaya-Naklua Road, or just off that road, like Leo's Blues Bar. There is a Tony's Gym just opened on Soi NAklua 16, right across from Park Beach.

If I were on the hunt again, I would visit the offices at Park Beach, Nova Mirage, Laguna Heights, R-Con, and others on Soi Naklua 16, as well as Sky Beach on Soi Naklua 18 (near the Centara). Many of those have units listed for rent, although I am uncertain as to how many would be amenable to short term rental, nor of the effect that you are looking for the same right at the front end of the high season. There are also smaller places along Soi 16 which list monthly rates, but I have no idea as to the amenities.

Check out Pattaya Condo Guide: http://pattayacondoguide.com/condominium-and-apartments-developments/In-Wong-Amat,7.html

With a bit of footwork, I am certain you will find a place.

[Paulinho]

Thanks.

I've never been to Naklua or Wong Amat - this is purely on reading up on alternative areas and clicking around on Google Street View...

How long does it take to get into South Pattaya if you are heading up there for shopping/night out? I mean, from Jomtien?

And which of the VT condos in JT would be up to my requirements? I had a look at some of them and they seem (many of them) quite old in design/decor.

Any other condos you'd recommend? I will just spin around on a bike and take a look.

Thanks, KK

[Paulinho]

I live in Naklua, in Park Beach, right on Wong Amat beach.

There are, as you have likely seen on the internet, many condo complexes in the area. Most, but not all, would likely have units which meet your requirements. Many restaurants, taxis and motos all over the place, and a few music bars up along Pattaya-Naklua Road, or just off that road, like Leo's Blues Bar. There is a Tony's Gym just opened on Soi NAklua 16, right across from Park Beach.

If I were on the hunt again, I would visit the offices at Park Beach, Nova Mirage, Laguna Heights, R-Con, and others on Soi Naklua 16, as well as Sky Beach on Soi Naklua 18 (near the Centara). Many of those have units listed for rent, although I am uncertain as to how many would be amenable to short term rental, nor of the effect that you are looking for the same right at the front end of the high season. There are also smaller places along Soi 16 which list monthly rates, but I have no idea as to the amenities.

Check out Pattaya Condo Guide: http://pattayacondoguide.com/condominium-and-apartments-developments/In-Wong-Amat,7.html

With a bit of footwork, I am certain you will find a place.

Thanks. The blues bar sounds up my street.

Ok - thanks for that list of offices/condos. Very helpful. I could maybe do 3 months - they might be more ammenable to that.

Thanks again.

P

[guzzi850m2]

I would go for Naklua over Jomtien any day.

Many good restaurants in both Naklua area and Jomtien but slightly cheaper in Naklua than Jomtien.

Easy access to central Pattaya, if you live in Jomtien you will have to sit in overcrowded baht buses each time you go over the hill.

Easy access to the bus station on North Pattaya road, buses to Bangkok every 15 or 20 min for 134 baht.

Okay the beach in Jomtien is better but filled with Thais each weekend.

As they say: up to you.

[Paulinho]

I would go for Naklua over Jomtien any day.

Many good restaurants in both Naklua area and Jomtien but slightly cheaper in Naklua than Jomtien.

Easy access to central Pattaya, if you live in Jomtien you will have to sit in overcrowded baht buses each time you go over the hill.

Easy access to the bus station on North Pattaya road, buses to Bangkok every 15 or 20 min for 134 baht.

Okay the beach in Jomtien is better but filled with Thais each weekend.

As they say: up to you.

That was kindof my feeling and why I been feeling like going for Naklua. Just a case of finding the right sort of condo...

[KittenKong]

How long does it take to get into South Pattaya if you are heading up there for shopping/night out? I mean, from Jomtien?

Only a few minutes to get from Jomtien to the outskirts of south Pattaya near the flyover, but there is often a big tailback of traffic from the VC Hotel area. Solution if you are on a bahtbus? Get off and walk. It's only a couple of minutes on foot from the flyover and you will generally get to the VC Hotel faster than in a vehicle if there is a lot of traffic.

You can walk from Jomtien to south Pattaya in about 40 minutes. I do it quite often.

And which of the VT condos in JT would be up to my requirements? I had a look at some of them and they seem (many of them) quite old in design/decor.

5C, 5D and 7 seem obvious contenders. 8 is much further down the beach but may suit you. VT2 has some nice units too. They may look dull from the outside but inside every unit is different (they are sold as shells) and so you can find just about any design/finish you can possibly imagine. I find this vastly superior to the modern blocks with identical (and extremely tasteless) "designer" finishes inside every unit.

There is also Jomtien Complex which again has some very different designs inside. Also a couple of other quite nice buildings in the same area right next to the beach.

As I mentioned, my objection to Wong Amat is that it's a fairly long walk to any real choice of places to eat (though it's handy for big hotel restaurants), or to safe transport to anywhere else (I wont get on motorbikes). Naklua is better, but the choice of places to stay there is much more limited and it's all too busy for my taste. Near the Jomtien Complex area you have everything within a very short walk, including a fairly reasonable beach and transport to elsewhere, and lots of places with nice open views to stay in and not too much traffic or noise. I like it anyway. Google street view gives a pretty good idea of the ambiance of both areas.

[WaywardWind]

Personally I dont like Wong Amat. To me it seems to have no character at all and is just a jungle of high rise buildings and narrow sois filled with traffic. You have to walk up to the main Naklua road to find any transport or places to eat, though once there you have a decent choice of course.

So personally I prefer Jomtien which is more open, has shops, farang restaurants, bars and Thai markets and eating places all over including right on the beach road. Also transport back to south Pattaya is very easy (apart from the evening traffic jams entering Pattaya of course). For 15K/month there you can get a nice studio unit right on the beach though at this time of year a lot of the best ones will have gone or may be asking higher prices.

As for getting to Bangkok it depends on how you travel. I live a few minutes walk from the main airport bus terminal in Jomtien and I can get an hourly bus from there to the airport and then take the express train to Bangkok (not that I do it very often as I dont like Bangkok). All pretty quick and cheap and painless. The only traffic I have to get through that way is on Sukumvit in Pattaya.

Nope. I live on Soi Naklua 16, right on the beach. Within 500 meters of my building, there are at least three spots where moto taxis and taxis congregate, 6 convenience stores, likely close to 20 restaurants, ranging from a local where a plate of kao pad gai and a beer can be had for 75 baht to the very upscale restaurants in the Pullman, the Centara (a little farther away), with a range of cuisines - Thai, Russian, Korean, seafood, etc. Best Supermarket is a 30 baht moto ride to Dolphin Circle. The Pattaya Nua bus station is 50 baht by moto, or 100 baht by taxi.

[piston broke]

Personally I dont like Wong Amat. To me it seems to have no character at all and is just a jungle of high rise buildings and narrow sois filled with traffic. You have to walk up to the main Naklua road to find any transport or places to eat, though once there you have a decent choice of course.

So personally I prefer Jomtien which is more open, has shops, farang restaurants, bars and Thai markets and eating places all over including right on the beach road. Also transport back to south Pattaya is very easy (apart from the evening traffic jams entering Pattaya of course). For 15K/month there you can get a nice studio unit right on the beach though at this time of year a lot of the best ones will have gone or may be asking higher prices.

As for getting to Bangkok it depends on how you travel. I live a few minutes walk from the main airport bus terminal in Jomtien and I can get an hourly bus from there to the airport and then take the express train to Bangkok (not that I do it very often as I dont like Bangkok). All pretty quick and cheap and painless. The only traffic I have to get through that way is on Sukumvit in Pattaya.

Nope. I live on Soi Naklua 16, right on the beach. Within 500 meters of my building, there are at least three spots where moto taxis and taxis congregate, 6 convenience stores, likely close to 20 restaurants, ranging from a local where a plate of kao pad gai and a beer can be had for 75 baht to the very upscale restaurants in the Pullman, the Centara (a little farther away), with a range of cuisines - Thai, Russian, Korean, seafood, etc. Best Supermarket is a 30 baht moto ride to Dolphin Circle. The Pattaya Nua bus station is 50 baht by moto, or 100 baht by taxi.

naklua's the winner then ?

[KittenKong]

Nope. I live on Soi Naklua 16, right on the beach. Within 500 meters of my building, there are at least three spots where moto taxis and taxis congregate, 6 convenience stores, likely close to 20 restaurants, ranging from a local where a plate of kao pad gai and a beer can be had for 75 baht to the very upscale restaurants in the Pullman, the Centara (a little farther away), with a range of cuisines - Thai, Russian, Korean, seafood, etc. Best Supermarket is a 30 baht moto ride to Dolphin Circle. The Pattaya Nua bus station is 50 baht by moto, or 100 baht by taxi.

As I pointed out earlier I dont get on motorbikes here. Nor would I ever consider taking a taxi (with or without meter). I use only three methods of transport locally: my feet, my car and the bahtbus on regular routes. Being innately idle I like to live somewhere where I can find just about everything I need within 5 minutes walk, or a short walk to a bahtbus that will take me there for 10B. I can do this easily from the Jomtien Complex area but I could not do it in Wong Amat.

From my condo within 5 minutes I can walk to:

hundreds of extremely varied international and local restaurants

a proper Thai night food market

Immigration

the Post Office

the beach

the bus to the airport (with connections to Bangkok)

many bars, massage parlours etc

a gym

all other shops, language schools, dentists, doctors, car rentals, etc

at least 10 convenience stores and a medium-sized supermarket

the bahtbus direct to Tesco Lotus and Theprasit night market (10B)

the bahtbus direct to Pattaya (10B)

Jomtien doesnt have any top hotels with restaurants but of course on nearby Pratumnak there are several. To my mind this is about the only arena in which Wong Amat scores over Jomtien.

I do know the area you mention and apart from the distance to other facilities I find the choice of restaurants in the immediate area to be much too limited for my taste. Each to his own though.

[JSixpack]

Personally I dont like Wong Amat. To me it seems to have no character at all and is just a jungle of high rise buildings and narrow sois filled with traffic. You have to walk up to the main Naklua road to find any transport or places to eat, though once there you have a decent choice of course.

So personally I prefer Jomtien which is more open, has shops, farang restaurants, bars and Thai markets and eating places all over including right on the beach road. Also transport back to south Pattaya is very easy (apart from the evening traffic jams entering Pattaya of course). For 15K/month there you can get a nice studio unit right on the beach though at this time of year a lot of the best ones will have gone or may be asking higher prices.

As for getting to Bangkok it depends on how you travel. I live a few minutes walk from the main airport bus terminal in Jomtien and I can get an hourly bus from there to the airport and then take the express train to Bangkok (not that I do it very often as I dont like Bangkok). All pretty quick and cheap and painless. The only traffic I have to get through that way is on Sukumvit in Pattaya.

Nope. I live on Soi Naklua 16, right on the beach. Within 500 meters of my building, there are at least three spots where moto taxis and taxis congregate, 6 convenience stores, likely close to 20 restaurants, ranging from a local where a plate of kao pad gai and a beer can be had for 75 baht to the very upscale restaurants in the Pullman, the Centara (a little farther away), with a range of cuisines - Thai, Russian, Korean, seafood, etc. Best Supermarket is a 30 baht moto ride to Dolphin Circle. The Pattaya Nua bus station is 50 baht by moto, or 100 baht by taxi.

naklua's the winner then ?

Yes. And I've lived in both areas.

I might also mention the view is much better in Wong Amart because many condos have fine views over Pattaya Bay. Nice at all times but esp New Year's eve what w/ the fireworks.

However, at the moment there's quite a bit of construction of new condos going on. (As in Jomtien, I guess--I rarely venture beyond Soi 5 (Immigration office)--but Jomtien is a larger area.) Not a big issue except you'll need to choose a building that isn't next door to a construction site, unless noise doesn't bother you.

[piston broke]

Nope. I live on Soi Naklua 16, right on the beach. Within 500 meters of my building, there are at least three spots where moto taxis and taxis congregate, 6 convenience stores, likely close to 20 restaurants, ranging from a local where a plate of kao pad gai and a beer can be had for 75 baht to the very upscale restaurants in the Pullman, the Centara (a little farther away), with a range of cuisines - Thai, Russian, Korean, seafood, etc. Best Supermarket is a 30 baht moto ride to Dolphin Circle. The Pattaya Nua bus station is 50 baht by moto, or 100 baht by taxi.

As I pointed out earlier I dont get on motorbikes here. Nor would I ever consider taking a taxi (with or without meter). I use only three methods of transport locally: my feet, my car and the bahtbus on regular routes. Being innately idle I like to live somewhere where I can find just about everything I need within 5 minutes walk, or a short walk to a bahtbus that will take me there for 10B. I can do this easily from the Jomtien Complex area but I could not do it in Wong Amat.

From my condo within 5 minutes I can walk to:

hundreds of extremely varied international and local restaurants

a proper Thai night food market

Immigration

the Post Office

the beach

the bus to the airport (with connections to Bangkok)

many bars, massage parlours etc

a gym

all other shops, language schools, dentists, doctors, car rentals, etc

at least 10 convenience stores and a medium-sized supermarket

the bahtbus direct to Tesco Lotus and Theprasit night market (10B)

the bahtbus direct to Pattaya (10B)

Jomtien doesnt have any top hotels with restaurants but of course on nearby Pratumnak there are several. To my mind this is about the only arena in which Wong Amat scores over Jomtien.

I do know the area you mention and apart from the distance to other facilities I find the choice of restaurants in the immediate area to be much too limited for my taste. Each to his own though.

so jomtienski's the winner then ?

[WaywardWind]

Nope. I live on Soi Naklua 16, right on the beach. Within 500 meters of my building, there are at least three spots where moto taxis and taxis congregate, 6 convenience stores, likely close to 20 restaurants, ranging from a local where a plate of kao pad gai and a beer can be had for 75 baht to the very upscale restaurants in the Pullman, the Centara (a little farther away), with a range of cuisines - Thai, Russian, Korean, seafood, etc. Best Supermarket is a 30 baht moto ride to Dolphin Circle. The Pattaya Nua bus station is 50 baht by moto, or 100 baht by taxi.

As I pointed out earlier I dont get on motorbikes here. Nor would I ever consider taking a taxi (with or without meter). I use only three methods of transport locally: my feet, my car and the bahtbus on regular routes. Being innately idle I like to live somewhere where I can find just about everything I need within 5 minutes walk, or a short walk to a bahtbus that will take me there for 10B. I can do this easily from the Jomtien Complex area but I could not do it in Wong Amat.

From my condo within 5 minutes I can walk to:

hundreds of extremely varied international and local restaurants

a proper Thai night food market

Immigration

the Post Office

the beach

the bus to the airport (with connections to Bangkok)

many bars, massage parlours etc

a gym

all other shops, language schools, dentists, doctors, car rentals, etc

at least 10 convenience stores and a medium-sized supermarket

the bahtbus direct to Tesco Lotus and Theprasit night market (10B)

the bahtbus direct to Pattaya (10B)

Jomtien doesnt have any top hotels with restaurants but of course on nearby Pratumnak there are several. To my mind this is about the only arena in which Wong Amat scores over Jomtien.

I do know the area you mention and apart from the distance to other facilities I find the choice of restaurants in the immediate area to be much too limited for my taste. Each to his own though.

I have no doubt that the facilities you list exist near your residence.

But that wasn't the issue, was it?

You posted the erroneous information that I highlighted; I disagreed,, and posted correct info concerning facilities in close proximity to Wong Amat beach.

[JSixpack]

I have no doubt that the facilities you list exist near your residence.

But that wasn't the issue, was it?

You posted the erroneous information that I highlighted; I disagreed,, and posted correct info concerning facilities in close proximity to Wong Amat beach.

For KittenKong, the issue always boils down to KittenKong, you see.

In fact the whole topic had nothing to do with Jomtien!

[seasia]

Hi

To OP I live in naklua, about 4 years now, quite like it, also do like Jomtien when I on occasion visit.

From the main naklua road, say around sois 16 - 18 it would take you about 10 minutes by bahtbus to get to Central shopping soi 9 Pattaya ( Barring very heavy traffic)

I sometimes walk by this place, on soi 18, same soi as Leos Blues bar, about 1 minute walk to Beach, about 3 to main naklua road, bars, restaurants nearby.

Never stayed there, they list some 1 bedroom apartments at 25 K baht a month( bills electric, water cleaning internet etc are extra though)

It doesn`t seem cheap although location excellent.

http://www.vtr-6.com/index.php?content=Welcome

[ace]

Baht bus from Naklua to Pattaya is WAY easier than from Jomtien i ainec. Also some of the beach in Naklua is nice the bit near the Palm condos i mean.

I live in Golden condo which is near the Ayara hotel. I like it, it's pretty quiet which is my top priority. Used to have decent view but i counted 16 new condos gone up in 3 years so now not so much except 10th floor up.

It's quite cheap too :-)

[KittenKong]

For KittenKong, the issue always boils down to KittenKong, you see.

Unlike some I'm not big-headed enough to assume that I can speak for others, or even that I necessarily have a full grasp of their point of view. They can speak for themselves, or not, as they wish. I just speak for myself.

In fact the whole topic had nothing to do with Jomtien!

Just offered as an option to the OP who apparently doesn't know either area well.

He will make his own decision, I'm sure.

[KittenKong]

You posted the erroneous information that I highlighted; I disagreed,, and posted correct info concerning facilities in close proximity to Wong Amat beach.

You may find those facilities adequate but I dont. Hence my comment.

[KittenKong]

so jomtienski's the winner then ?

I doubt there could be a winner. It's just a question of what people like, and I dont like Wong Amat. Never have, never will. I dont like Bangkok either for that matter and I make no apologies for either.

As for "Jomtienski", I think that "Wong Amatberg" also has plenty of Russians, as does "Pratumnakgrad". Hard to find anywhere in Thailand that doesn't really.

[Paulinho]

Hi

To OP I live in naklua, about 4 years now, quite like it, also do like Jomtien when I on occasion visit.

From the main naklua road, say around sois 16 - 18 it would take you about 10 minutes by bahtbus to get to Central shopping soi 9 Pattaya ( Barring very heavy traffic)

I sometimes walk by this place, on soi 18, same soi as Leos Blues bar, about 1 minute walk to Beach, about 3 to main naklua road, bars, restaurants nearby.

Never stayed there, they list some 1 bedroom apartments at 25 K baht a month( bills electric, water cleaning internet etc are extra though)

It doesn`t seem cheap although location excellent.

http://www.vtr-6.com/index.php?content=Welcome

thanks, seasia.

I will swing past and see them next week when I am down.

Will possibly go down to the Blues bar as well. Maybe I should buy you guys a beer for all your help.

PM me if you fancy a beer etc...

Thanks again, all

P

[Paulinho]

Baht bus from Naklua to Pattaya is WAY easier than from Jomtien i ainec. Also some of the beach in Naklua is nice the bit near the Palm condos i mean.

I live in Golden condo which is near the Ayara hotel. I like it, it's pretty quiet which is my top priority. Used to have decent view but i counted 16 new condos gone up in 3 years so now not so much except 10th floor up.

It's quite cheap too :-)

Cheers, Ace. Will add that to the list of places to check out. That is on Soi 16 as well, right?

P

[ace]

No it's soi 25. You can PM me if you need somewhere and I can check availability. It can be quite hard to find a place this time of year.