Best condo building(s) for quality of life in Jomtien?

[ToddinChonburi]

How about your Electric bill at View Talay 2 ?

Was told 6 baht per unit. That seems pretty high for electricity.

40 baht per unit for water.

Looks like that could add 700 baht to my electric bill.

I only pay 25 baht for water.

Edited May 5, 2015 by ToddinChonburi

[balo]

You don't pay government rates at VT . I think it's more than 7 baht per unit.

[ToddinChonburi]

The kid told me 6 so I used 387 units last month . and paid 1675.96

View Talay would be 2322 if my math is correct. LOL

[Me Yank]

Has anyone ever measured their condo at View Talay 2 A or B They look really small for 41 sqm

I went and looked today seems like good place with friendly staff. Anyone live in Building B with some feedback.

looks like you park your car in the sun and many many motorbikes.

Guard at main gate did not even look at us so I think could have loaded the pickup full of motorbikes and just drove off.

Interior 37 with outside 41 Park north side have shade most of the year.

[ThaiBob]

Vt2a is a 5 minute walk to Tonys gym at Jomtien. The base units are 37 sqm to my recollection. The units are individually metered for electric and water so you pay the government rate although your landlord might charge you a higher rate. There was a big increase in water rates just a few months ago. We pay 40 baht per unit at my condo which includes the 5 baht waste water treatment charge.

[swissie]

Clearly, the new condos are being built "on the cheap".

How would they stand up to an earthquake, like just happened in Nepal ?

Yes , like it or not, we are living in an extremely active geological zone. (Pacific-Rim ) Front yard of Thailand. (Tsunami 2004, giving warning for things to come).

So again, will "Cheapie-Condo-Towers" withstand a "Major rumble" ?

----------------------------------------------------------------------

Beside the point: The current government will declare earthquakes as "illegal". Problem solved !

Cheers.

[KittenKong]

How about your Electric bill at View Talay 2 ?

Was told 6 baht per unit. That seems pretty high for electricity.

40 baht per unit for water.

Looks like that could add 700 baht to my electric bill.

I only pay 25 baht for water.

Your electricity bill at VT1, VT2, VT3, VT5 or VT7 will depend entirely on whether you own or rent, and, if you rent, on your relationship with your landlord/agent and your bargaining skills.

Short-term tenants will commonly be asked to pay maybe 5 - 8B per unit, to the owner/agent. Long-term tenants with a bit of common sense will arrange to pay the bill themselves directly at the government rate of just over 4B per unit. I rented for two years and paid my bill by direct debit all that time.

Owners will always pay the government rate as none of those buildings ever bills electricity directly.

The higher cost of water is specifically designed to (partially) cover common water usage (garden, pool etc).

[funlovinkid]

In this entire thread, I don't believe anyone has made mention of what it might be like to live in the Metro Condotel (older tower, at Soi 19). Does anyone have any experience with this building? At a minimum, it looks like it would afford very nice ocean views.

[KittenKong]

Metro is OK. There were some quite serious termite problems a few years ago, and many of the nice side views have since been spoiled by the new Lumpini and Reflections developments. The central units will still have unspoiled direct sea views, but I always found these rather boring from inside the unit as all you see is sky, sea and horizon.

[balo]

How about your Electric bill at View Talay 2 ?

Was told 6 baht per unit. That seems pretty high for electricity.

40 baht per unit for water.

Looks like that could add 700 baht to my electric bill.

I only pay 25 baht for water.

Your electricity bill at VT1, VT2, VT3, VT5 or VT7 will depend entirely on whether you own or rent, and, if you rent, on your relationship with your landlord/agent and your bargaining skills.

Short-term tenants will commonly be asked to pay maybe 5 - 8B per unit, to the owner/agent. Long-term tenants with a bit of common sense will arrange to pay the bill themselves directly at the government rate of just over 4B per unit. I rented for two years and paid my bill by direct debit all that time.

Owners will always pay the government rate as none of those buildings ever bills electricity directly.

The higher cost of water is specifically designed to (partially) cover common water usage (garden, pool etc).

Thats news to me.

I rented for 6 months in VT1 a while ago , and the electricity bill came from the juristic office so I had no other choice than paying the bill there, I think it was 6 baht per unit. The owner of the unit received the same bill.

[KittenKong]

I rented for 6 months in VT1 a while ago , and the electricity bill came from the juristic office so I had no other choice than paying the bill there, I think it was 6 baht per unit. The owner of the unit received the same bill.

I've never lived in VT1 and I dont know what happened in your case. I always thought that they handled it the same way as other buildings do.

Proper electricity bills are issued by the local PEA and look like this:

They can be paid at 7/11s and other shops, at the PEA, by direct debit or by bank transfer. Some condo front offices offer the service of paying the bill for you for which they generally charge a fee, but in my experience all they do is send someone to the PEA office to pay the bills and get the receipts.

[ToddinChonburi]

I rented for 6 months in VT1 a while ago , and the electricity bill came from the juristic office so I had no other choice than paying the bill there, I think it was 6 baht per unit. The owner of the unit received the same bill.

I've never lived in VT1 and I dont know what happened in your case. I always thought that they handled it the same way as other buildings do.

Proper electricity bills are issued by the local PEA and look like this:

They can be paid at 7/11s and other shops, at the PEA, by direct debit or by bank transfer. Some condo front offices offer the service of paying the bill for you for which they generally charge a fee, but in my experience all they do is send someone to the PEA office to pay the bills and get the receipts.

Yes this is what my bill looks like so was trying to figure out were they come up with View Talay 2 style billing. 5 to 8 baht sounds like a great scam to me . yours looks like 0.3887 to me and that is with tax and meter fee.

[ThaiBob]

In my condo, a sticker is posted on my door telling me to come to the office to get my PEA bill(as pictured). The PEA delivers the bills to the juristic person /office in bulk.

[KittenKong]

In my condo, a sticker is posted on my door telling me to come to the office to get my PEA bill(as pictured). The PEA delivers the bills to the juristic person /office in bulk.

Yes, as far as I know that's the standard procedure. In some buildings they may put the bill directly into your individual mail/bill box.

[KittenKong]

Yes this is what my bill looks like so was trying to figure out were they come up with View Talay 2 style billing. 5 to 8 baht sounds like a great scam to me . yours looks like 0.3887 to me and that is with tax and meter fee.

That was just a sample bill I found on Google; it's not mine.

I think that when agencies and landlords charge extra for electricity they simply ensure that the real bill never gets to the tenant, and they then issue their own more expensive bill using a hand-written receipt pad or whatever.

And yes, it sounds like a particularly crooked rip-off to me also. But par for the course here.

[newnative]

A lot of the recent comments seem to be centered on the View Talays--possibly because a lot of people live in them. As did I. But, I wonder if I can reiterate that there are other choices out there. The VTs, along with a handful of others, used to be about the only game in town a few years ago. But, not any more. Some newer condos have been built and most have much better amenities and also better room plans. The VT studios are long, narrow rectangular boxes with one window exposure, giving sort of the feeling of a hotel room. Many of the newer condos have changed the design to more of a square shape with a private, separate bedroom and 2 window exposures--living room and bedroom. Opinions will vary but I like having the separate bedroom and more than one window exposure. I feel like I am living in an apartment rather than a hotel room and it's nice not cooking and eating in my sleeping space. There was a discussion as to how far Tony's Gym was from VT1--but no discussion as to why one has to travel any distance to go to a gym. I don't know of any newer condo that doesn't have its own gym for residents to use--for free. Some condos you might check are: Acqua, Gallery, Lumpini Park Beach, Reflection, The Axis, Lumpini Seaview, and Atlantis. I think Cetus opens in July.

[ThaiBob]

A lot of the recent comments seem to be centered on the View Talays--possibly because a lot of people live in them. As did I. But, I wonder if I can reiterate that there are other choices out there. The VTs, along with a handful of others, used to be about the only game in town a few years ago. But, not any more. Some newer condos have been built and most have much better amenities and also better room plans. The VT studios are long, narrow rectangular boxes with one window exposure, giving sort of the feeling of a hotel room. Many of the newer condos have changed the design to more of a square shape with a private, separate bedroom and 2 window exposures--living room and bedroom. Opinions will vary but I like having the separate bedroom and more than one window exposure. I feel like I am living in an apartment rather than a hotel room and it's nice not cooking and eating in my sleeping space. There was a discussion as to how far Tony's Gym was from VT1--but no discussion as to why one has to travel any distance to go to a gym. I don't know of any newer condo that doesn't have its own gym for residents to use--for free. Some condos you might check are: Acqua, Gallery, Lumpini Park Beach, Reflection, The Axis, Lumpini Seaview, and Atlantis. I think Cetus opens in July.

Yes the thread evolved into a discussion about the older well built condos which includes VT projects. Also true VT condos offer no tennis courts, gyms, saunas, etc. But it has also been discussed about the cheapness of construction of the newer projects (many are on your list), the small rooms which renders the units as basically a glorified hotel room and unusable for many people as a long term rental. These cheap condo gyms are no substitute for a proper gym membership as they are heavily used, often with broken equipment that is never maintained properly. Also note the newer VT condos seem long and narrow because they are substantially larger than the condos on your list.

[newnative]

I haven't noticed any difference in the construction between the VTs and the newer condos I have lived in or visited. Many of the newer condos offer a variety of room sizes. My condo has 3 different 1 bedroom sizes. For living long term as I do, I would much prefer a proper 1 bedroom rather than a VT studio. My swimming pools and gym are being maintained very well--the management of a condo is certainly something to look at as part of the selection process. What I appreciate most are the extra amenities that are nice to have when you are living long term--the extra elevators, parking garage, sky lounge, library, nice lobby, 24 hour staffing, good security with keycard access, walking paths, laundry rooms with coin washers and dryers, etc.

[funlovinkid]

I haven't noticed any difference in the construction between the VTs and the newer condos I have lived in or visited. Many of the newer condos offer a variety of room sizes. My condo has 3 different 1 bedroom sizes. For living long term as I do, I would much prefer a proper 1 bedroom rather than a VT studio. My swimming pools and gym are being maintained very well--the management of a condo is certainly something to look at as part of the selection process. What I appreciate most are the extra amenities that are nice to have when you are living long term--the extra elevators, parking garage, sky lounge, library, nice lobby, 24 hour staffing, good security with keycard access, walking paths, laundry rooms with coin washers and dryers, etc.

I very much agree with the importance of the building amenities. Since you seem pretty happy with your current living situation, can you share where you're currently living? Or, feel free to PM me, if you prefer.

[Pattaya46]

// Many of the newer condos offer a variety of room sizes. My condo has 3 different 1 bedroom sizes.

For living long term as I do, I would much prefer a proper 1 bedroom rather than a VT studio. //

I don't really understand. You speak as if all VT apartment where small studios !?

It's far to be the case. You have several types of apartment with different sizes in the VTs too.

It's even a general case I think in Pattaya/Thailand, because the condos who only had small units

often had owners who bought 2 or 3 or 4 of them to make a nicer apartment

PS: I don't own any VT unit and don't live in one.

Edited May 6, 2015 by Pattaya46

[Pattaya46]

I haven't noticed any difference in the construction between the VTs and the newer condos I have lived in or visited.

I did. Many new condos have far lower construction quality than older ones, at least on one point: the noise. My neighbours need to use a drill or some noisy tool for me to hear them in my old condo, but in several recent condos that I visited you rather easily hear the music or TV of your neighbours! I don't like noise and it's a very bad point for me, a point I will be very careful on if ever I move.

The drawback of my old condo is that it's very difficult to make even a small hole in the wall to put a picture.

[KittenKong]

The VT studios are long, narrow rectangular boxes with one window exposure, giving sort of the feeling of a hotel room. Many of the newer condos have changed the design to more of a square shape with a private, separate bedroom and 2 window exposures--living room and bedroom. Opinions will vary but I like having the separate bedroom and more than one window exposure.

Not all VT units are long and thin. You just have to look for the right ones.

And new buildings often put two bedrooms into the same size unit as my studio. I dont like that. Also new buildings tend to look all the same inside, and I dont like that either.

[balo]

I haven't noticed any difference in the construction between the VTs and the newer condos I have lived in or visited. etc.

This has been discussed several times here on Thaivisa. Developers today use a cheaper type of material, cheap labor etc. The rooms may look nice inside but the walls are very thin, try to live in one and you'll understand what I mean. I bought one unit from Matrix, Paradise Park in soi watboon, and the noise level was terrible, both from neighbors snd from the outside you could hear everything, barking dogs , loud music etc.

Try to compare that with an old condo like View Talay 1 built in the 90's. Inside the room , you will not hear anything from the outside. If your neighbor wants to play loud music or have a party theres no problem , you will sleep like a baby.

So I ended up selling my new condo just because of the noise problems. Yes the pool and gym looks nice but when they build something here they don't care about the quality, as long as it's cheap.

Edited May 6, 2015 by balo

[pmugghc]

I suggest you don't put all VTx condos in the same category. View Talay Residence 1-4 has much better quality than VTV 1-2 from what I've seen. It's important to check:

1) Building quality

2) Who is the juristic person, is it the real owners? VTR 1-2 have that, not sure about 3-4.

3) Check the title deeds! Been a mess at some of the condos

4) Who are your neighbors? From what I've seen it's a very different scene at VTV1-2 vs VTR 1-2.

Note: I don't own or have any economical interest in any condo anymore.

[johnfb]

I have several Condos in Jomtien and Pratumnak for SALE and RENT (one month +). Pm me your email address and exact requirements and I will be in touch.

[newnative]

I am well aware that there are larger studios and 1 bedrooms available at the View Talays--the front and back corner units are larger as are some units on the side on each floor. But, the majority are long box units of approx. 40-48 sqm. with balconies that are maybe a little too big in relation to the interior space. It's been awhile but if I remember correctly the original poster was looking for a rental for around 20,000 Baht a month so he would probably be looking at a regular studio unit in the newer View Talays but could maybe get a double unit one bedroom in VT1 or 2.

[funlovinkid]

I suggest you don't put all VTx condos in the same category. View Talay Residence 1-4 has much better quality than VTV 1-2 from what I've seen. It's important to check:

1) Building quality

2) Who is the juristic person, is it the real owners? VTR 1-2 have that, not sure about 3-4.

3) Check the title deeds! Been a mess at some of the condos

4) Who are your neighbors? From what I've seen it's a very different scene at VTV1-2 vs VTR 1-2.

Note: I don't own or have any economical interest in any condo anymore.

I appreciate your advice above, but can you please explain what you mean by "check the title deeds"? I don't understand why I would be doing that, how to do it, or what I would be looking for! Thanks for any feedback on this.

[newnative]

_{View Talay Residence, I believe, was built by a different builder than the VT highrises and might have better quality construction. The first condo I bought was in the VT3 highrise and I could hear my neighbors through the walls. After that, I added wall sound insulation when I bought VT5 and VT7. I never lived in VT1 or 2 so I don't know if the walls are thicker there.}

[KittenKong]

_{View Talay Residence, I believe, was built by a different builder than the VT highrises}

Yes, they are very different buildings.

[SattahipBri]

_{View Talay Residence, I believe, was built by a different builder than the VT highrises and might have better quality construction. The first condo I bought was in the VT3 highrise and I could hear my neighbors through the walls. After that, I added wall sound insulation when I bought VT5 and VT7. I never lived in VT1 or 2 so I don't know if the walls are thicker there.}

Hi,

The walls are the same thickness. What did you use for insulation?