Santipran Place, Udon Thani

[Craig krup]

Not a single hit on the search function for this place.

http://www.santipranplace.com/

Anyone tried staying there long term? I was shown around, and I also saw the half-house you could have for 6,500B quite near by. It all seems very new and nice. The only things that jump out are, 1) the basic studio is a bit tight at 24m, 2) the bigger "one bedroom" is really the same 30m that you might expect to get, divided up and 3) you're quite near the "Top Man" area, so I don't know if you're likely to get beer-monster co-tenants arriving back at three in the morning and watching full-volume belt fighting from Lithuania on Eurosport.

But it seems pretty groovy. That said, anywhere that had a decent desk and chair in the room, a farang-size armchair and an outside balcony kitchen would suit me.

A lot of the new places (like this) seem to be 5,000-5,400, and a lot of the older places are 3,000-3,500.

I'm thinking that if you could get the little room for 5,000 on a longer lease that would be reasonable deal, and you just have to buy a couple of decent chairs? What do you think? Is there anywhere around UD town that has gorilla-size furniture and a balcony kitchen? I can't ever again spend any time sitting on garden furniture. After a month my arse had more seams than Dolly Parton's coat of many colors.

[SunsetT]

Looks really nice, sssshhh! keep it to yourself! It seems reasonably priced too, I think, for what you get. It is rare to get a kitchen area (pantry) in Thailand, though it is catching on.

Im writing this in my big comfy armchair in the UK but I have got quite used to sitting comfortably propped up with pillows on the hotel/apt. room beds in Thailand. Unless the mattress is too hard. I always ask for an extra pillow or 2 when I check in.

[Craig krup]

Im writing this in my big comfy armchair in the UK but I have got quite used to sitting comfortably propped up with pillows on the hotel/apt. room beds in Thailand. Unless the mattress is too hard. I always ask for an extra pillow or 2 when I check in.

I wrecked a memory foam pillow by using it on the plastic furniture: it decided that the shape of my backside was a memory it couldn't forget.

Udon's quite a place for sudden, unexpected, purpose-built condo complexes: they're everywhere,. You can get a pretty okay roof over your head for just over 3,000, but the "new flat screen and fresh paint" option looks like 5,000, maybe a little more or less.

[KhunBENQ]

With the search funtion you mean in the forum?

Google reveals some stuff (FB site, Trip advisor, lonely planet etc.).

[oxo1947]

The lady owner---has a not so good reputation for returning bond etc....it is a high volume student area == lot of parties etc.....its very close to the (back of the airport) although at the moment there are not many late flights.

I would go onto the local forum to get more details if you are seriously considering it..............

[SunsetT]

The lady owner---has a not so good reputation for returning bond etc....it is a high volume student area == lot of parties etc.....its very close to the (back of the airport) although at the moment there are not many late flights.

I would go onto the local forum to get more details if you are seriously considering it..............

I think you are mistaken as according to the map on the hotel's website it is nowhere near the airport or the university student area. It is north of the railway station beyond Centre Point. I hope you are not maligning the wrong 'lady owner'.

[Craig krup]

The lady owner---has a not so good reputation for returning bond etc....it is a high volume student area == lot of parties etc.....its very close to the (back of the airport) although at the moment there are not many late flights.

I would go onto the local forum to get more details if you are seriously considering it..............

Thanks for that. That's exactly the kind of information I was hoping for. I spoke to the owner on the phone - the cleaner showed me around - and she certainly fitted what seemed to be a stereotype: tough as boots middle aged female. I drew to her attention the "discounts for long leases" bit and it was very much [Churchill dog], "Oh, no, no, no, no..." I felt like saying, "Wait until I've signed and paid before trying to shaft me".

You're quite a way from the airport - five minutes from the train station. Go North a couple of hundred yards and turn right/East across one of the little bridges and it's a Thai residential area. There's a studio block in there for 2,000 a month, and I don't think the local folk would listen to a late party for long!

I had a good long bimble South of the airport and it seems that you're only looking at the odd internal flight turboprop: I think the ring road probably delivers more pollution. Once you go South of the airport - and there's a couple of cracking apartment blocks - it's a bit of a nightmare getting back to UD town. You'd have to use a scooter/bike.

[Craig krup]

The lady owner---has a not so good reputation for returning bond etc....it is a high volume student area == lot of parties etc.....its very close to the (back of the airport) although at the moment there are not many late flights.

I would go onto the local forum to get more details if you are seriously considering it..............

I think you are mistaken as according to the map on the hotel's website it is nowhere near the airport or the university student area. It is north of the railway station beyond Centre Point. I hope you are not maligning the wrong 'lady owner'.

I think from the picture it looks like some of the places just east of Rajabhat, south of the Pho Si road, but as you say it's just north of the train station. Very convenient, although with the obligatory pain-in-the-arse dogs in the haulage yard next door.