Which Condo did you enjoy staying in?

[Cheesekraft]

Any condo/apartment you particularly enjoyed in Chiang Mai? What made it great?

[daveAustin]

Sakorn was nice apart from a really obnoxious yank.

[WinnieTheKhwai]

The main thing that makes a condo great on this forum is that the member owns a unit, and is selling or renting it.

As for a condo that I would personally think is great: it doesn't exist. It would be low-rise, a mix of traditional and modern Thai architecture with some breezy open spaces, a shaded inner garden/courtyard, and be located inside the old town area, ideally in the Eastern half (or two-thirds) of it. (Not even sure this would be legally feasible even if low-rise, but the end result remains that it doesn't exist.

Think something like Tamarind Village. (Which is a hotel, but it's kind of what I'm getting at in terms of ambiance and location.) Or perhaps The Chedi / Anantara hotel, re-established as a condominium with at least two rooms making up a single condo unit.

And it would likely be seriously, *seriously* expensive, of course. But cost wasn't a factor in this topic.

(And as for living in a slice of a big concrete yuppie-box somewhere up Nimman or the Canal Road...: Meh. )

EDIT: As an aside, Anantara and Minor Group are building a fancy condo across from there.. The architecture doesn't really sing to me though. (Nor could I afford it, but hey. )

[OneZero]

Quote Winnie: "The main thing that makes a condo great on this forum is that the member owns a unit, and is selling or renting it. "

That says it in a nutshell. Prior to reading Winnie's post I thought the same and expected to see such owners starting to post.

A fair question by the op, but unfortunately many replies could be quite biased.

[masuk]

I'm in a cheaper condo; all concrete, acoustics like a locker room, and due to its age, constant repairs, modifications, on every weekday.

It has the advantage of proximity to shops, nice little restaurants, transport. I miss not having a small garden to sit and relax in. Sunshine is available at a hotel nearby if you join their fitness club/pool.

Sadly, this is not a city known for its parks and green spaces and the condos reflect this.

However, the perfect condo would not be in the financial arena of most of us retirees.

[AnotherOneAmerican]

I enjoyed the Royal Lanna, nice pool, very private, good views, marble entrance was also nice.

Nakornping, nice pool, good views, but too many old foreigners watching and gossiping.

I prefer houses now.

[MESmith]

My favourite condos were those where she made me breakfast before I left in the morning

[CMKiwi]

I stayed in Galae Thong for about 6 months and liked the place but got very tired of the owner and his idiosyncrasies (Try and spell that when youre pissed). Great little cafe downstairs and good atmosphere otherwise.

Moved to Hillside 4 and never regretted it. Good internet, good swimming pool and the owner was exceptional. She always turned up with new things for the condo and asked if anything else was needed. In fact she was so good I moved out of her condo and into her house! And we have been together for about 2 years now.

Still getting back to the OP..... yeah I liked GH4, good carpark downstairs too.

[onthedarkside]

self promotional post removed

[bangmai]

The main thing that makes a condo great on this forum is that the member owns a unit, and is selling or renting it.

As for a condo that I would personally think is great: it doesn't exist. It would be low-rise, a mix of traditional and modern Thai architecture with some breezy open spaces, a shaded inner garden/courtyard, and be located inside the old town area, ideally in the Eastern half (or two-thirds) of it. (Not even sure this would be legally feasible even if low-rise, but the end result remains that it doesn't exist.

Think something like Tamarind Village. (Which is a hotel, but it's kind of what I'm getting at in terms of ambiance and location.) Or perhaps The Chedi / Anantara hotel, re-established as a condominium with at least two rooms making up a single condo unit.

And it would likely be seriously, *seriously* expensive, of course. But cost wasn't a factor in this topic.

(And as for living in a slice of a big concrete yuppie-box somewhere up Nimman or the Canal Road...: Meh. )

EDIT: As an aside, Anantara and Minor Group are building a fancy condo across from there.. The architecture doesn't really sing to me though. (Nor could I afford it, but hey. )

nice sidewalks.

[northernjohn]

Nothing in particular. Not the fussy type. For me the location and view are more important.

It is not mentioned a whole lot of times but I would suggest that when asking about a Condo

one ask about the upkeep of the building and the noise factor. Also bear in mind if you are

planning on buying is there a chance of a Karaoke Bar being built with in hearing range.

The odd time I do look at the ad's the first thing I look for is the area size.

[WinnieTheKhwai]

@Bangmai: Not just the sidewalks.. All surroundings show like it's in paradise itself, not the mishmash of dilapidated shophouse buildings.

[giibaht]

Pity those who bought based on artist's impressions

[WinnieTheKhwai]

Actual surroundings:

In the artist's impression all the power and phone cables have mysteriously moved underground, too.

But anyway, it's still a good location of course. Very central, but relatively easy to get in and out in any direction.

But guess what prices are like... starts at 12MB and goes up to 30MB.

[invex]

Chiang Mai Riverside Condo is still enjoyable to me after all these years. Beautiful Doi Suthep and Ping River views. I like the pool and appreciate being very near to shops and restaurants. Being next to the international Rajavej Hospital and Holiday Inn Hotel is a big plus to me as well. Probably one of the best best breakfast and lunch buffets in town.

However, dislike the sometimes disturbing renovations. Only a few days per week and 6 hours per day though. It is a big building so renovation noise doesn't affect all condos. Dislike the continues problems with the management as well. Those renovations and management issues seems to just never end.

Chiang Mai Riverside Condo is still one of the best condos in Chiang Mai considering location and quality. Some really nice modern studios. It is my rental favorite.

[giibaht]

Actual surroundings:

Capture.JPG

In the artist's impression all the power and phone cables have mysteriously moved underground, too.

But anyway, it's still a good location of course. Very central, but relatively easy to get in and out in any direction.

But guess what prices are like... starts at 12MB and goes up to 30MB.

Reminds me of an American acquaintance who bought a US$1 million beachfront luxury condo down south and relocated there from the US. He complained that the condo is surrounded by rundown dwellings of "poor" people. They were "noisy and inconsiderate" neighbors. How can this be called a "luxury condo", he lamented in despair. I didn't want to rub salt into his wounds by replying "TIT".

Oh, he complained about the noisy roosters in their backyards too

[WinnieTheKhwai]

^ Yes that's just very typical. Gradually over time, certain areas go up-market and eventually the poor people / riff-raff are driven out, sell up or move away.

Many sois off Nimmanhaemin were an incredible mess, but are all gentrifying nicely.

However, when a condominium project is planned, the one thing nobody can be mistaken about is the location. It's easy to see the lay of the land as it is today, and you can make educated guesses about the future.

For the above place across from Anantara I wouldn't be too worried in the long term, but in the sort term the Night Bazar of course remains a zoo, and one of the main riff-raff centers in town.

[Mestizo]

Chiang Mai Riverside Condo is still enjoyable to me after all these years. Beautiful Doi Suthep and Ping River views. I like the pool and appreciate being very near to shops and restaurants. Being next to the international Rajavej Hospital and Holiday Inn Hotel is a big plus to me as well. Probably one of the best best breakfast and lunch buffets in town.

However, dislike the sometimes disturbing renovations. Only a few days per week and 6 hours per day though. It is a big building so renovation noise doesn't affect all condos. Dislike the continues problems with the management as well. Those renovations and management issues seems to just never end.

Chiang Mai Riverside Condo is still one of the best condos in Chiang Mai considering location and quality. Some really nice modern studios. It is my rental favorite.

Agree. Out of all the places I stayed in Chiang Mai, I think I liked Riverside the most. I had a double unit facing towards Doi Suthep/ the Ping on a high floor. Beautiful views. Good pool, etc.

I ended up moving out a few years back when they were having all the juristic committee drama. During that time, I believe the staff was not being paid and they quickly shifted from super nice and friendly, to sour and nasty (can't really blame them). Luckily that timeframe coincided with my lease renewal, so I opted out.

I've heard its gotten better now, and I would definitely consider staying there again, if the opportunity ever presented itself.

-Mestizo

[WorkingTourist]

But anyway, it's still a good location of course. Very central, but relatively easy to get in and out in any direction.

But guess what prices are like... starts at 12MB and goes up to 30MB.

And 12M gets you 65 sqm on a lower floor, so the sqm. price is around 200,000 THB.

I was there roughly 2 months ago, all the one bedrooms were sold, despite not having a show room.

But it sounded like one investor had bought an entire floor, which reminds me of 2007, where investors would buy up everything, practically unseen, because “in one year, it’ll be more expensive”…

As for location, not too far from Anantara they are building The Astra and Peaks Avenue (on each side of Shangri-La Hotel), both sell for roughly half (per sqm.).

The Astra is high-rise, so perhaps not directly comparable, but Peaks Avenue seems similar, but with two advantages (IMHO): located at the end of a cul-de-sac, so no traffic passing by, and units are facing east/west, west means mountain view (from the higher floors). For The Anantara, the units are facing south/north; I wouldn’t want a south-facing unit in Thailand (during summer).

[giibaht]

And 12M gets you 65 sqm on a lower floor, so the sqm. price is around 200,000 THB.

I was there roughly 2 months ago, all the one bedrooms were sold, despite not having a show room.

But it sounded like one investor had bought an entire floor, which reminds me of 2007, where investors would buy up everything, practically unseen, because “in one year, it’ll be more expensive”…

As for location, not too far from Anantara they are building The Astra and Peaks Avenue (on each side of Shangri-La Hotel), both sell for roughly half (per sqm.).

The Astra is high-rise, so perhaps not directly comparable, but Peaks Avenue seems similar, but with two advantages (IMHO): located at the end of a cul-de-sac, so no traffic passing by, and units are facing east/west, west means mountain view (from the higher floors). For The Anantara, the units are facing south/north; I wouldn’t want a south-facing unit in Thailand (during summer).

They skipped BKK, and launched the project first in HK where they sold several units on the roadshow. I guess these rich folks buy into the Anantara brand.

As for Astra, I get dizzy every time I look at pics/models of the two elongated, monstrous-looking 17-storey condo blocks. Would have been far nicer if it were just 4 or 7 floors instead. In terms of quality, its really not that different from the new high-end condos going up in Nimman, so I've difficulty understanding why they are asking for much higher prices. The saleslady justified the location as being close to Night Bazaar

West facing units are worst in terms of getting the full brunt of the afternoon sun. North/south facing units are the coolest. South facing is preferred as the breeze usually comes from that direction. Correct me if I'm wrong.

[OneZero]

Actual surroundings:

Capture.JPG

In the artist's impression all the power and phone cables have mysteriously moved underground, too.

But anyway, it's still a good location of course. Very central, but relatively easy to get in and out in any direction.

But guess what prices are like... starts at 12MB and goes up to 30MB.

Where is this..exactly?

[WorkingTourist]

It’s across the street from Anantara Chiang Mai (hotel) on the northern corner of Sridonchai and Charoen Prathet.

Interesting if they sold units in HK, you gotta wonder how familiar the buyers there are with the Chiang Mai real-estate market, and whether that was part of being able to sell at 200K/sqm.

Although as an investment, as I understood the setup, the existing Anantara Chiang Mai will handle tenants, who will get access to Anantara’s existing facilities like fitness, swimming pool, and the lobby, and they will offer short-term renting, so in a way, they are expanding their hotel with serviced apartments and offering the public a share.

Buying one of their units for your own exclusive use is probably a bad deal, but as an investment where the goal is short-time renters then perhaps it’s OK, although not good enough for Anantara to take the long-term risk.

[masuk]

@Bangmai: Not just the sidewalks.. All surroundings show like it's in paradise itself, not the mishmash of dilapidated shophouse buildings.

..broken footpaths, motorbikes blocking them, and kilometres of ugly black cables hanging down from every pole.

Where ere the trees?

[northernjohn]

kkk<script type='text/javascript'>window.mod_pagespeed_start = Number(new Date());</script>

Chiang Mai Riverside Condo is still enjoyable to me after all these years. Beautiful Doi Suthep and Ping River views. I like the pool and appreciate being very near to shops and restaurants. Being next to the international Rajavej Hospital and Holiday Inn Hotel is a big plus to me as well. Probably one of the best best breakfast and lunch buffets in town.

However, dislike the sometimes disturbing renovations. Only a few days per week and 6 hours per day though. It is a big building so renovation noise doesn't affect all condos. Dislike the continues problems with the management as well. Those renovations and management issues seems to just never end.

Chiang Mai Riverside Condo is still one of the best condos in Chiang Mai considering location and quality. Some really nice modern studios. It is my rental favorite.

Agree. Out of all the places I stayed in Chiang Mai, I think I liked Riverside the most. I had a double unit facing towards Doi Suthep/ the Ping on a high floor. Beautiful views. Good pool, etc.

I ended up moving out a few years back when they were having all the juristic committee drama. During that time, I believe the staff was not being paid and they quickly shifted from super nice and friendly, to sour and nasty (can't really blame them). Luckily that timeframe coincided with my lease renewal, so I opted out.

I've heard its gotten better now, and I would definitely consider staying there again, if the opportunity ever presented itself.

-Mestizo

Did you not find it rather hot in the afternoons. Where I live we face east and view the mountains and the Ping River. In the afternoons it is warm. On the other side facing west the afternoons are unbearably hot.

[Mestizo]

kkk<script type='text/javascript'>window.mod_pagespeed_start = Number(new Date());</script>

Chiang Mai Riverside Condo is still enjoyable to me after all these years. Beautiful Doi Suthep and Ping River views. I like the pool and appreciate being very near to shops and restaurants. Being next to the international Rajavej Hospital and Holiday Inn Hotel is a big plus to me as well. Probably one of the best best breakfast and lunch buffets in town.

However, dislike the sometimes disturbing renovations. Only a few days per week and 6 hours per day though. It is a big building so renovation noise doesn't affect all condos. Dislike the continues problems with the management as well. Those renovations and management issues seems to just never end.

Chiang Mai Riverside Condo is still one of the best condos in Chiang Mai considering location and quality. Some really nice modern studios. It is my rental favorite.

Agree. Out of all the places I stayed in Chiang Mai, I think I liked Riverside the most. I had a double unit facing towards Doi Suthep/ the Ping on a high floor. Beautiful views. Good pool, etc.

I ended up moving out a few years back when they were having all the juristic committee drama. During that time, I believe the staff was not being paid and they quickly shifted from super nice and friendly, to sour and nasty (can't really blame them). Luckily that timeframe coincided with my lease renewal, so I opted out.

I've heard its gotten better now, and I would definitely consider staying there again, if the opportunity ever presented itself.

-Mestizo

Did you not find it rather hot in the afternoons. Where I live we face east and view the mountains and the Ping River. In the afternoons it is warm. On the other side facing west the afternoons are unbearably hot.

No, not really. My room was actually equipped with working AC and window blinds

-Mestizo

[invex]

kkk<script type='text/javascript'>window.mod_pagespeed_start = Number(new Date());</script>

Chiang Mai Riverside Condo is still enjoyable to me after all these years. Beautiful Doi Suthep and Ping River views. I like the pool and appreciate being very near to shops and restaurants. Being next to the international Rajavej Hospital and Holiday Inn Hotel is a big plus to me as well. Probably one of the best best breakfast and lunch buffets in town.

However, dislike the sometimes disturbing renovations. Only a few days per week and 6 hours per day though. It is a big building so renovation noise doesn't affect all condos. Dislike the continues problems with the management as well. Those renovations and management issues seems to just never end.

Chiang Mai Riverside Condo is still one of the best condos in Chiang Mai considering location and quality. Some really nice modern studios. It is my rental favorite.

Agree. Out of all the places I stayed in Chiang Mai, I think I liked Riverside the most. I had a double unit facing towards Doi Suthep/ the Ping on a high floor. Beautiful views. Good pool, etc.

I ended up moving out a few years back when they were having all the juristic committee drama. During that time, I believe the staff was not being paid and they quickly shifted from super nice and friendly, to sour and nasty (can't really blame them). Luckily that timeframe coincided with my lease renewal, so I opted out.

I've heard its gotten better now, and I would definitely consider staying there again, if the opportunity ever presented itself.

-Mestizo

Did you not find it rather hot in the afternoons. Where I live we face east and view the mountains and the Ping River. In the afternoons it is warm. On the other side facing west the afternoons are unbearably hot.

Well northernjohn, I think you live somewhere else. Facing East means away from Doi Suthep and the Ping river right? How can you have that view facing East if the Ping and Doi Suthep are in the West?????? A new Miracle Condo?

[CMKiwi]

Agree, Doi Suthep is in the West when situated in town. Remember the sun always rises in the East.....now go figure that out.

[onthedarkside]

Profane post removed.

[WinnieTheKhwai]

Did you not find it rather hot in the afternoons. Where I live we face east and view the mountains and the Ping River. In the afternoons it is warm. On the other side facing west the afternoons are unbearably hot.

Well northernjohn, I think you live somewhere else. Facing East means away from Doi Suthep and the Ping river right? How can you have that view facing East if the Ping and Doi Suthep are in the West?????? A new Miracle Condo?

He said mountains, not Doi Suthep specifically. There are mountains all around and you can definitely see the Mae On range looking East. From May to January anyway.