Bang Rak, Koh Samui

[gunner1981]

Hi,

I live in the UK and have been considering buying a home on Koh Samui after a beautiful holiday there last year.

I've had a look around and found this company: Twilight Pavilions which looks great, but I don't know enough about the area and can't find a great deal on the internet.

What I want to know is:

1. Is this a nice area?

2. Is it easy to get to from the airport?

3. What's in Bang Rak? Is it a large town or a small village.

Any info or links would be much appreciated.

Thanks

Martin

[limbos]

1. Haven't been on the building site, so can't comment

2. Ban Rak is very near to the airport, probably the nearest part of the island to the airport

3. It's a small village, getting bigger and bigger almost by the week. Most dive boats leave from here, the Seatran leaves here and the ferry to Haad Rin pier, the Haad Rin Queen.

Loads of bars, Thai and all kind of Western restaurants, 7-11, etc, even a post office are to be found in Ban Rak.

If you hear the name Big Budda, that probably rings a bell, Ban Rak is more or less the same as Big Budda.

It's in the north of the island and a nice and relaxed area IMHO. Not too busy and near to Lotus and Chaweng and all the stuff that one can find/needs there.

Edited July 11, 2006 by limbos

[gunner1981]

1. Haven't been on the building site, so can't comment

2. Ban Rak is very near to the airport, probably the nearest part of the island to the airport

3. It's a small village, getting bigger and bigger almost by the week. Most dive boats leave from here, the Seatran leaves here and the ferry to Haad Rin pier, the Haad Rin Queen.

Loads of bars, Thai and all kind of Western restaurants, 7-11, etc, even a post office are to be found in Ban Rak.

If you hear the name Big Budda, that probably rings a bell, Ban Rak is more or less the same as Big Budda.

It's in the north of the island and a nice and relaxed area IMHO. Not too busy and near to Lotus and Chaweng and all the stuff that one can find/needs there.

That's great! Thanks very much for your insight. It's always good to get firsthand information from someone who has clearly been there. I have heard of Big Buddha.

Thanks for your help

Martin

P.S. Did I spell it wrong? Ban Rak instead of Bang Rak?

[suegha]

Ban Rak is the more usual transliteration. One of my favourite parts of the island, in fact the whole NE of the island is great. You are close enough to everything - everwhere is the proverbial '10 mins' away! I have a house a little further on in Plai Laem. I love it.

Here's a link

http://www.samui.org/map/index.html

Regarding property purchase, go to the island and have a tour around, check out the more 'usual' estate agents, and get to know what you like. The link you posted looks very nice, but very expensive! You might prefer a property that sets you back a third of that price and it might suit your needs. Don't make any rash decisions. Oh, good luck.

ps I can recommend the agents I bought my house through!

[gunner1981]

Thanks very much for taking the time to reply to me. I have an open invitation to go and see the property (as you'd expect). I will of course do my research and take a good look around.

I'm glad I'm hearing a lot of good things about the north of the island.

Can you tell the name of the agents you used? Do they have a website?

Thanks

Martin

[Khun Jean]

Never forget about rentals. The north is a good spot. Rental places in abundance. from 8000 baht to 100.000 baht a month.

For 140.000 pounds you can rent your holiday home every year until you are 200 years old, and not be stuck on 1 single place if your ideas about a good holiday destination changes. Forget about the rental income. Too many bungalows/houses/villas available. You would be happy to make 1 or 2%, not even enough to cover for maintenance.

The ARP option is bs. There is no 6%. You pay for that yourself with the inflated price. Renewable?? You will know that in 2 years. It is possible, but with which guarantee?

And because you can not legally own the place anyway why bother buying and tying up the money.

Remax is just a franchise, nobody will be accountable because this is Thailand. Just consider those things when you make the decision.

Mister Russell will not be acountable, he would be if he was in the UK, but he is not! And if you compare it with other prices for the same size house/villa it is about 200-300% of what would be considered a good price.

In my opinion being on a holiday is not enough to make a decision. Try to go on at least an extended holiday around the same spot. 3-4 months minimum.

Before anybody trying to counter this, remember this is a personal opinion after living in Samui. The legal issues are known and they are twisted so many times nobody seems to have a good advice. I would say, stick to the written law. And interpret them yourself, not some lawyer or other person that benefits from the situation.

Edited July 17, 2006 by Khun Jean

[BKKDUDE]

Never forget about rentals. The north is a good spot. Rental places in abundance. from 8000 baht to 100.000 baht a month.

For 140.000 pounds you can rent your holiday home every year until you are 200 years old, and not be stuck on 1 single place if your ideas about a good holiday destination changes. Forget about the rental income. Too many bungalows/houses/villas available. You would be happy to make 1 or 2%, not even enough to cover for maintenance.

The ARP option is bs. There is no 6%. You pay for that yourself with the inflated price. Renewable?? You will know that in 2 years. It is possible, but with which guarantee?

And because you can not legally own the place anyway why bother buying and tying up the money.

Remax is just a franchise, nobody will be accountable because this is Thailand. Just consider those things when you make the decision.

Mister Russell will not be acountable, he would be if he was in the UK, but he is not! And if you compare it with other prices for the same size house/villa it is about 200-300% of what would be considered a good price.

In my opinion being on a holiday is not enough to make a decision. Try to go on at least an extended holiday around the same spot. 3-4 months minimum.

Before anybody trying to counter this, remember this is a personal opinion after living in Samui. The legal issues are known and they are twisted so many times nobody seems to have a good advice. I would say, stick to the written law. And interpret them yourself, not some lawyer or other person that benefits from the situation.

Foreigners who come to buy home in ay thai island are STUPID, Unless you are millionier and don't care your money evaporate

Sorry, i'm too lazy too type WHY, the reason...

[suegha]

This is the agent I bought my house through - there are plenty of others, I just found the house I wanted through them!

http://www.kosamuiproperties.com/stock/hou...llion/list.html

[Rooo]

Plenty of money will be spent on Ban rak shortly.The road is to be re -done, new footpaths ,the new pier is being dredged right now.

[BKKDUDE]

This is the agent I bought my house through - there are plenty of others, I just found the house I wanted through them!

http://www.kosamuiproperties.com/stock/hou...llion/list.html

The price list should be 40% what published, anyone with little brain should compare local rent

that can bring to the property owner

[yetifella]

Foreigners who come to buy home in ay thai island are STUPID, Unless you are millionier and don't care your money evaporate

Sorry, i'm too lazy too type WHY, the reason...

very intelligent!

[Griz]

Martin

Khun Jean is a notorious harbinger of doom on this forum and I would advise you to disregard most of the evil she writes.

That said, twisted poisonous viewpoint aside, Martin you should spend a few weeks here and do your homework. Common sense suggests rental guarantees are built into the cost of the property at the time of purchase. There are many properties on the market so take your time and have a good look round.

Whilst the properties on the website looked quite nice, check the room sizes and there seemed to be a lack of ground floor outside covered living space, quite important in this climate.

Bang Rak is very pleasant with good bars and restaurants, convenient for the Airport and Chaweng but still fairly quiet.

Khun Jean I would love to know your story, just about everything you write is bitter and twisted. You must have had the worst experience on Samui to spend so much of your time in Farangland posting your poisonous drivel on this forum.

There must be a lot of psychologists, therapists and head shrinkers who could write a book if they could get you on a couch for a few sessions (ahem!).

[alh]

1. Haven't been on the building site, so can't comment

2. Ban Rak is very near to the airport, probably the nearest part of the island to the airport

3. It's a small village, getting bigger and bigger almost by the week. Most dive boats leave from here, the Seatran leaves here and the ferry to Haad Rin pier, the Haad Rin Queen.

Loads of bars, Thai and all kind of Western restaurants, 7-11, etc, even a post office are to be found in Ban Rak.

If you hear the name Big Budda, that probably rings a bell, Ban Rak is more or less the same as Big Budda.

It's in the north of the island and a nice and relaxed area IMHO. Not too busy and near to Lotus and Chaweng and all the stuff that one can find/needs there.

That's great! Thanks very much for your insight. It's always good to get firsthand information from someone who has clearly been there. I have heard of Big Buddha.

Thanks for your help

Martin

P.S. Did I spell it wrong? Ban Rak instead of Bang Rak?

Bangrak is a good location and Limbos description is accurate.

The site however.... not so much. I've been there and that house is very ugly (IMHO). Good thing is that the show house is up, so there's no suprises. It's been there for a while and not much has happened since. So just go and take a look if you are interested.

[TonyMontana]

Martin,

The Bang Rak area is an excellent area to live in.

There are plenty of farangs living there, the place is quiet (a few airplanes might disturb the peace tough...). Still there are a few nice bars and restaurants within walking distance.

Chaweng, with all of its nightlife and shopping, plus McDonalds, Burger King, Pizza Hut etc. is within 10 min by bike or car.

I came to Samui first time in 1982 and has through the years seen it change, leaving it up to each and everyone to determin if the change has been for better or worse...

Since about a year ago, I have been living here with wife and daughter.

We were planning to buy ourself a house, but due to the enormous amount of rental places, together with a outragious amount of new productions - we were just to afraid to buy a house.

Our neighbour had his place out for sale for two years now!

So, in your place I would highly recommend to rent a place to start with, monitor the real-estate market carefully and maybe after a year or so, take a decision Buy or Rent.

Good luck, no matter what you decide to do!

Tony

[Khun Jean]

Martin

Khun Jean is a notorious harbinger of doom on this forum and I would advise you to disregard most of the evil she writes.

Martin is a big boy, he can make up his own mind.

This remark could get you banned btw. Be careful.

Just stating the obvious and remember people to think about the Thai law. Especially for an expensive holiday house. It is just that people on a holiday still use their own currency and homemarket to estimate prices. If you live in Samui you would know those prices are absolutely redicilous.

I just checked, balls are still there.

That said, twisted poisonous viewpoint aside, Martin you should spend a few weeks here and do your homework.

A few weeks will not be enough, i think 6 month or more is better. You have to loose the holiday spirit before making big decisions.

Common sense suggests rental guarantees are built into the cost of the property at the time of purchase.

In Thailand it is the buyer who has to use common sense, sellers have none, and read everything very careful. Rental guarantees built into the cost is NOT common sense! When a house is used for rental income you would have to use different kinds of furniture and be prepared to have damage done to your house. In short if you want to use it yourself it is not worth the trouble.

There are many properties on the market so take your time and have a good look round.

Whilst the properties on the website looked quite nice, check the room sizes and there seemed to be a lack of ground floor outside covered living space, quite important in this climate.

There is too much property available. Sometime down the road it will have its influence.

Bang Rak is very pleasant with good bars and restaurants, convenient for the Airport and Chaweng but still fairly quiet.

Bars and restaurants is more important for some people. I would like it to be pleasant in the sense of people, nature, beaches, shops , entertainment. In that regard Ban Rak is ok.

Khun Jean I would love to know your story, just about everything you write is bitter and twisted. You must have had the worst experience on Samui to spend so much of your time in Farangland posting your poisonous drivel on this forum.

You can do a search and read all about it, knock yourself out. In short "Farangs are the reason Samui is not a pleasant place (Chaweng,Lamai)". And i didn't want too live in the jungle.

Bangkok has its share of foreigners, but i would not call it Farangland.

There must be a lot of psychologists, therapists and head shrinkers who could write a book if they could get you on a couch for a few sessions (ahem!).

I think it would be a book per session, i am really twisted you know.

Five insults in one post. It must be some kind of record.

[Griz]

Khun Jean

Apologies about the "balls up"

Have a nice day

[Samui Resident]

Hi,

I live in the UK and have been considering buying a home on Koh Samui after a beautiful holiday there last year.

I've had a look around and found this company: Twilight Pavilions which looks great, but I don't know enough about the area and can't find a great deal on the internet.

What I want to know is:

1. Is this a nice area?

2. Is it easy to get to from the airport?

3. What's in Bang Rak? Is it a large town or a small village.

Any info or links would be much appreciated.

Thanks

Martin

[Samui Resident]

Hi Martin,

I've lived in Bang Rak for many years now. It has completely changed with the current growth to the island; however, is still a wonderful place.

The beaches are shallow but not too busy with many restaurants and bars. The expat community is strong with the usual mix of Europeans, English being the forefront, followed by Italians and french.

Renting for a few months deffinately recommended and then purchase a property when you have the confidence. Don't believe the hype, there are alot of happy home owners here.

All the best,

[SamuiJens]

Martin

The people here are right ( the ones that recomend renting for at least 6mo.) til you get the hang of the community and if it's right for you, believe me when I say that there isn't a easy way to buy a house here.You got to be on your toes, this is Thailand! And its let BUYER BEWARE! Else I'd say that Bang Rak is a nice enough, IMHO, place to live, but maybe NOT for you!

Be Aware, and take your time and all should go well.

One who knows!

Edited July 22, 2006 by SamuiJens

[les Dennis]

Hi Gunner.

You seem to have been given a good background into Bang Rak and what it has to offer already. In a nut shell its very nice, runs parrallel to the sea, close to Big Buddah and the airport, and has a new pier opening there soon. I am also aware of Twighlight Pavillions and have seen the show house which is simply magnificent. The materials used have been of the highest quality and the design and decor excellent. The guy you need to speak to is Russell. He is English, also a Gunner and the owner, so no middle man there. He will explain to you that as is often the way in the industry, a showhouse is built and then others sold from plan. That said, he is now back in Thailand and the second is almost completed. He can be contacted on 07811175953, which is a UK mobile but of course will work here.

Good Luck.

[John 1]

What's this free advertising, all I can say beware.

[Jiu-Jitsu]

"The property and land market in Thailand is at the beginning of its growth cycle in much the same way as Spain was 15 years ago."

What a load.....

Puts me in mind of the Emperor's New Clothes.

I think John 1 is on the right track.

Join the Samui pyramid scheme at your own risk.

[les Dennis]

John 1, I take your point. However someone asked for opinions on properties which I am familiar with and was able to give them an acurate answer. The fact that I gave a factual answer and not a hear say one seems to have set some alarm bells ringing in your head. After living a number of years on the island you get familiar with the fellow expats of which my is one. I can assure you I have no idea who Gunner is and I would assume he/she doesn't know me. On another thread I also gave details of swimming pool sizes but I am not involved with the Santiburi hotel chain or Blessing village!

Jiu jitsu. Whether you approve or not, property and land value in Samui is increasing at a rapid rate. Shut your eyes and pretend the westerners are not chopping down palm trees at a frightening rate if you want, but I can guarentee its happening.

Its a bit ironic that the beautiful scenery is being chopped down so that they can live in the paradise they destroyed to build their house.

[mafaso]

Is there currently a gym in Bang Rak area? If not would anyone go if a nice one was established?

[SamuiJens]

Is there currently a gym in Bang Rak area? If not would anyone go if a nice one was established?

NOT I- I swim to keep fit-and I can't speek for the others, but I think you'll only have some customers in the Peak seasons, and ther are 2 not far from Bang Rak inaround Boput. BUT this is only ME, one of many.IMHO

[unforgiven]

Never forget about rentals. The north is a good spot. Rental places in abundance. from 8000 baht to 100.000 baht a month.

For 140.000 pounds you can rent your holiday home every year until you are 200 years old, and not be stuck on 1 single place if your ideas about a good holiday destination changes. Forget about the rental income. Too many bungalows/houses/villas available. You would be happy to make 1 or 2%, not even enough to cover for maintenance.

The ARP option is bs. There is no 6%. You pay for that yourself with the inflated price. Renewable?? You will know that in 2 years. It is possible, but with which guarantee?

And because you can not legally own the place anyway why bother buying and tying up the money.

Remax is just a franchise, nobody will be accountable because this is Thailand. Just consider those things when you make the decision.

Mister Russell will not be acountable, he would be if he was in the UK, but he is not! And if you compare it with other prices for the same size house/villa it is about 200-300% of what would be considered a good price.

In my opinion being on a holiday is not enough to make a decision. Try to go on at least an extended holiday around the same spot. 3-4 months minimum.

Before anybody trying to counter this, remember this is a personal opinion after living in Samui. The legal issues are known and they are twisted so many times nobody seems to have a good advice. I would say, stick to the written law. And interpret them yourself, not some lawyer or other person that benefits from the situation.

Foreigners who come to buy home in ay thai island are STUPID, Unless you are millionier and don't care your money evaporate

Sorry, i'm too lazy too type WHY, the reason...

Ya I agree smart people rent,it's so cheap ,relatively

[suegha]

Is there currently a gym in Bang Rak area? If not would anyone go if a nice one was established?

If there was a 'good' gym in the Ban Rak area I would certainly go! To qualify 'good', a good range of equipment, cv machines, weights machines, a good yoga and Tai Chi class, and although not essential, a nice pool.

Why do you ask? Are you thinking of opening one?

[mafaso]

Is there currently a gym in Bang Rak area? If not would anyone go if a nice one was established?

If there was a 'good' gym in the Ban Rak area I would certainly go! To qualify 'good', a good range of equipment, cv machines, weights machines, a good yoga and Tai Chi class, and although not essential, a nice pool.

Why do you ask? Are you thinking of opening one?

Well, given enough time and money anything is possible.

But of course I would need some partners for some financial backing if anyone's interested.

[Huckenfell]

1. Haven't been on the building site, so can't comment

2. Ban Rak is very near to the airport, probably the nearest part of the island to the airport

3. It's a small village, getting bigger and bigger almost by the week. Most dive boats leave from here, the Seatran leaves here and the ferry to Haad Rin pier, the Haad Rin Queen.

Loads of bars, Thai and all kind of Western restaurants, 7-11, etc, even a post office are to be found in Ban Rak.

If you hear the name Big Budda, that probably rings a bell, Ban Rak is more or less the same as Big Budda.

It's in the north of the island and a nice and relaxed area IMHO. Not too busy and near to Lotus and Chaweng and all the stuff that one can find/needs there.

That's great! Thanks very much for your insight. It's always good to get firsthand information from someone who has clearly been there. I have heard of Big Buddha.

Thanks for your help

Martin

P.S. Did I spell it wrong? Ban Rak instead of Bang Rak?

G,day Martin,

Bang Rak is very convienently placed NE coast looking across to Koh Phangan i always stay there when i am on Samui. Its near to Fishermans village which has got a good French Patisserie (Croissants & coffee) One Aussie Pub and an English pub. Just far enough away from the noisey girlie bars of Chaweng to make it comfortable ! I reccomend it to all my friends.

[SamuiJens]

Martin,

Before you come you can read the news from here on www.samuiexpress.net

which has fresh news every 14th day,on net. You can check it out since I like the paper and the net-version fine as well.

PS. have nothing to do with the paper, just thought it could be used so you know what's going on.