torrenova

No-one closes for the Queen's birthday but if the political situation carries on as it is then don't bet against another round of elections and the preceeding weekend closure forcing another 4 or 5 days shut on the non voting non Thais ! Of course, if everywhere was shut then as a business owner you'd still get all your share of the cake as people would spend more each day you were open but as some bars can flout the law you may non only lose your day's trade but much more. Another nail in the Pattaya tourist coffin I think. They've got to get to grips with the fact that your every day guy just won't keep on putting up with this shit and eventually he'll bugger off somewhere else.

If a hotel is shit or fails to sort out a simple complaint then that is what this section is for, so that others can read about it, make a judgement call based on the post and the poster and decide whether to use that information should he be considering booking the aforementioned establishment. For guys to knock people who criticise a place seems foolhardy to me.

When I had a number of bars I ran a scheme between all the venues as well as a few mates places from Naklua to Jomtien but largely as a tool to get people to visit one of my other places when in that part of town. I played with the idea of all sorts of discounts over the years from website stuff like the Atlantic used to do through to the expats clubs and a weekly raffle prize and some handouts for early doors prices. In the end I worked out that as each of my places was relatively small it was better to chuck a few freebies around rather than offer a general low scale discount. What about a loyalty card like Starbucks or Subway Dave ? Some sort of card you have to collect 10 stickers and get a free drink. Free is always better than a discount and many people lose the cards so you actually don't have to pay out on them most of the time As for discounts, then anything is appreciated but beware that you're not subsidising your existing clientele without getting any new trade to offset the costs. If you're knocking off Bt10 or 15 then your cheap charlies will still see it as expensive so I'm not sure where you win on that one.

Not sure that I'd give a $400 shirt, nevermind a silk one, to a cheap hotel laundry. Don't think I'd pay that for a shirt but it would be going to professional dry cleaners if I did.

A friend has his kid, about 9 years old, in some school which I guess is about 50/50 and he pays about Bt20k a term with transport on top.

Without going into too much technical detail I ask this simple question: How long have you guys been coming to LOS and where are you from ? I'll hazard a guess that a minimum of 90% have not been coming here since before the 1997 Asian financial crisis. Thus, all the majority of people know are artificially high average fx rates. Of course, the Euro didn't even exist then so our Euro cousins were pre occupied with getting ripped off as they changed Deutschmarks and Franks into Euros. Roughly speaking, the USD was pegged at about 25 baht to one dollar, the pound rate was floating but as it was about 1.6 USD it meant a rate around 40 baht to the pound. During the crisis the £ hit 90+ and the $ was 50+ Even after some calming down the £ "average" was just below 60 and then just over 60 and 60 became a good benchmark for a very good fx rate. The $ followed along similar lines. Roll forward a few years and we had $ rtes over 44 and £ rates in the high 70's. For people coming at ths time their lower resistance levels were placed artificially high and when the $ fell below 40 they were shocked and as it headed towards 30 I think some were suicidal. £ holders had a similar but less bumpy ride but it is still over 60 as I write today. So the doom mongerers are largely the newcomers who believe they have some "right" to USD 40 and GBP 70. Add in oil inflation, real Thailand inflation, lower income growth back home due to low inflation and crap fx rates and its no wonder they are worried shitless. I pity the badly advised guys who retired here on an income which was fair at best based upon 40+ to the $ and now find themselves below the retirement threshold. With spiralling costs and an ever decreasing income life must be very stressfull. As to where we go from here then go look up forward rates. There you will find the best guestimate of where the professionals think fx rates will be in X number of years. You can then run standard deviations against the data and various simulations if you are that way inclined or you could just lick your finger and see which way the wind is blowing. But face some facts. The $ is fucked, permanently. Long live the Euro. Sorry but the days of the $ as the world currency are numbered. Flick oil into euros and watch the US collapse. The £ is better off than the $ but you are not going to see 70+ anytime soon and I bet that 60 will look attractive in not too long a while. Previous comments about cross currency interest rates and hot money are part of the equasion I agree but the fundamentals are far more important in the longer term. Another reason why people are complaining is that they have been bloody stupid in the past. When fx rates were artificially high they were on a spending spree giving out way OTT money to girls and introducing the concept of tipping (cheers yanks). Now the girls don't give a fuck about fx rates but they now want increased cash and it is hurting the guys. Yet still there are idiots paying Bt1000 barfines and paying hookers upfront 2.5/3k for LT which the bitch turns into ST and they just shrug their shoulders and say "TIT". These are the same morons who complain that a beer is Bt5 too much in one place over another. Wake up and smell the coffee guys ! I wouldn't bank on a USD rate over 25 and a GBP rate over 50 for any medium term financial planning. Of course I hope I am wrong and Thailand could yet fuck up again and shoot itself in the foot. The next big thing will be when HM the K ides and I would not want to be here for that. In fact, I won't be. All hell will break loose and it could drive Thailand back to the dark ages or it could be the catalyst to spark Thailand into action and if so, you can kiss good fx rates goodbye.

At a guess you got a Bangkok taxi, legal or not which had previously taken a fare to Pattaya and had hung around until she got the call from Mt T to pick you up. As Pattaya cars and let's face it they are not legal taxis, cannot pick up at the airport, the company makes some commission from your fare which the driver pays and the Bangkok driver gets some cash rather than going back empty. It is standard practice and at the bottom end of the price barrel, that is all you're going to get.

I still reckon I'd prefer a human to have the final say. Computers cannot be taught the value of human life.

Got to agree with Eneukman here as the service charges paid before were a joke (far too little) and the sinking fund was plundered to pay for things which should have been covered by the annual maintenance payments. As one unit was a few thousand baht a year (circa 3.6k I believe) then studio owners will be in exactly the same position as before. Owners of multiple units will pay more on a pro rata basis. That is equitable. Gabor, to say that you are happy to lose Bt300,000 then you are talking crap. Even if you doubled or tripled the maintenance rates it would take nigh on forever to reach an extra Bt300,000. In the meanwhile, you would be in a condo which would likely increase in value due to proper maintenance, transparent accounting, a growing sinking fund and contracts awarded on the basis of fairness and not on the basis of nepotism and the receipt of backhanders. Of course, you could just have put your condo up for too high a price in the beginning ?

Exactly. Hopefully they will go to your wardrobe where most safes are secured, find it, rip it off the wall (secured with next to nothing) and leave to open the thing at a later time thus leaving your real posessions behind.

You don't say where you are but if you look at some of the more successful bars in Pattaya then you will often find some form of nurturing the ideal of a "local". Golf is a major force in that business model. Though not a golfer, I know a bit about how they set it up having lived here for a few years and knowing the owner of one place which does rely heavily on golf. If the bar (for want of a better word) is organising transport then you have people meet at your place. Not all will for sure as they will live nearer the course but holiday makers are unlikely to have their own transport. Breakfast could be part of the deal, some food after the game most certainly is and often in the guise of a free buffet, paid for by you. Of course, your relationships with the various courses may enable you to cover that cost internally. So you get a group of people back to your place in the low times, the late afternoon and early evening. Your food costs should be more than offset by the drinks bought. From this it leads onto birthdays and other special occassions. Competitions can be run if you get large enough, even in conjunction with another smaller competitor. I think you get the picture. That may be more then you want but think about your rooms. One guesthouse just does rooms, your guesthouse has a small restaurant, transport and golf contacts. It is easy to see which one a golfer would stay at. One thing I would advise though (and I have done some work on this) is to not skimp on the bedrooms. Flat pack furniture, poor quality showers, basically doing it on the cheap will mean 3 things. One, people will not want to pay a premium price. Two, repeats will not ne as high as you want. Three, you will end up replacing that cheap furniture as it does not last. No need to go overboard but some think about your bedroom back home and make it better than that - people want that in an hotel. Better a good bathroom than a plasma TV. Go to 5* hotel websites and get a feel, then downsize. The key is providing three income streams. Rooms (and you can include yours in the beginning), food and the bar. Food does not have to be an expansive menu, just some simple choices for breakfast, lunch and dinner. Your location will determine the menu. As to how much to invest then how long is a piece of string ? You need some economy of scale or it doesn't work. 3 rooms is too little but perhaps 12 is too much to begin with. Think about your staff multi tasking. You'll need a cleaner for the rooms but you'll aslso need someone to do the laundry unless you outsource it. A short order cook is also required as are some bar staff. Think about who can do what and what cover you have. One is to have the room maids do the laundry (including that of the customers) and potentially live in if you have room and they need a room. They can then help out in the kitchen and bar. I'm a little way off doing it for myself and most likely not in Pattaya but it is certainly one of the top 5 ideas I have and have had on the drawing board for a couple of years. The key is where to pitch the investment and that differs for every building and location.

Carrefour has the cheap ones on offer at about Bt690 now. If your place is big enough, put a cheap one with some small money and other worthless and unimportand nick knacks in it so that thieves will steal it. Don't secure it too much, let them get away with it. In a far more discreet place, put your valuables. Remember that a safe is not designed to stop thieves, only to slow them down.

The big crux comes from the lease / own issue. You can own the lease for sure but you cannot own the building so you are always at the behest of the landowner and the length of contract you can negotiate (and pay for). If you buy the building then you have to sort something out for the land ownership such as a Thai company or a Thai person. Both are not ideal to say the least. Next you have to look at your clientele, the rates you can charge, occupancy, seasonality etc. Work out if you will be offering other facilities such as laundry, a restaurant, bar etc. I suspect that without the other anciliary income streams that a guest house alone cannot make money. I would think of it more like a bar with rooms rather than a guest house and sort the location where people need or want a bar / restaurant but are also prepared to stay. Of course, you coule find an idyllic location but what about getting people to stay there ? Without experience, contacts and cash for advertising, you are better off with somewhere where there is significant passing trade and complementary businesses. Yes it is competition but at least you are in with a chance. Finally and sorry to piss on your bonfire but with 2k USD at today's rates, you don't qualify for a retirement visa. Do you have Bt800k in the bank ? What access to capital do you have and how would using capital affect your actual income ? If done right, it is a fairly easy business (not easy, just relatively). You have effective free food for you and your fa,ily if you have one. You can live in to save rent costs and you have a bar to have a few drinks in and meet people who will help pass the time of day. All of this is at minimal cost and must be considered.

To me the San Mig here is unpaletable and the Light is just as bad. I wouldn't drink either even if that was all that was available. If you are used to San Mig from Spain as I am, then this rubbish here is just that, utter rubbish. Strangely popular though but it did take 2+ years to catch on as when I first got free samples of both I could not even give them away.

Not here and no Dandilion and Burdock either !

Either you sell that draft shit which is the cheapest to buy or you have to charge too much to allow people to drink proper bottled beer or spirits. Would you pay Bt200 per hour for draft ? Would you pay Bt350-400 per hour for Heineken ? Other problem is that in Pattaya you have places selling beer much cheaper than others. So perhaps some of the more expensive bars could do it but then their "average" price may still be higher than the cheapest place.

Sorry to disappoint you but someone is pulling your leg. You would not get that house for anywhere near the Bt2m you quote and more likely between Bt4.5-6m. Why ? because I know houses like that and the general area. For general information, Bt1m will get you some tiny terraced bungalow (they call then town houses) like Chok Chai where the living room will be about 3m x 3m and other rooms smaller ! These can cost less than 1m but rent out for about 6-8k if you know what you are doing or 10k if you are stupid. In the same area as the photograph you would get a nice 2/3 bed detached bungalow with some garden and a couple of bathrooms. That would cost about 2.5-3m to buy and rent out around 15k or so. The double story house like the photographed ones would be going out at around 25-30k.

What about those houses in between View Talay 1 and View Talay 2 ? I used to live in VT2 and I could see some of them were for rent just by signs on them. I'd suspect you'd be looking at reasonable money for renting but they would be on the baht bus route. Other end is Naklua where you can get some very near to the bus routes. Chateau Dale or View Talay villas and the like are probably out of budget as Bt50-150k per month.

I think you're wise to buy in VT2 whatever other people say. You live there, I lived there for years and whilst it is not the Ritz it is a good plot (you'll never see that much land given over to a condo block again) and the two pools along with more than adequate services and on the doorstep facilities makes it a nice place to live. Without the baby I'd still be living there. Why go pay Bt100k per sqm in some "trendy" block with an unproven history ? Sure there are sinking fund and management issues but even an increase in fees is hardly going to break the bank. If I were in the market for a condo, I'd be back there like a shot.

Sorry but you should know by now that Fair Properties are not exactly the most "transparent" of agents. Their prices are ludicrous and so much of their "stock" is not available. Many people here less time than you wouldn't touch them with a barge pole.

VT 2 studios range from 37sqm to 48sqm. VT1 are as stated 32sqm. Aren't Niran something like 28sqm ? I wouldn't want one on the 2nd floor but I'd happily invest in VT2 on the upper floors. Unlike some detractors, I lived there for quite a while (on the top floor).

If the tourist visa would still be valid when you return, you can enter the first time on a 30 day stamp and use the visa for the second entry. You would have to tell the immigration when you arrive though or they will use your visa.

Just leave it outside your old place and it will get recycled.

You're an honest bunch here ! Just package it up and maybe put some brown paper on it so that it does not look like a TV box then walk it through the green channel. On the trolley, it will be fairly well hidden by a suitcase or other baggage anyway. In any case, any temporary import should not attract taxes as it will, at some unspecified future date, be expoerted again. That date never comes around because it breaks beforehand and has to be thrown away. On a technical note, the TV signal here is crap on Sophon and UBC so that HD 1024 models actually make the picture worse. DVDs are awsome but the regular telly is shit. Go to BigC and ask them to put the TV on. They will refuse.

Jacko is right about a long departed ferry as I researched this myself some years ago and my ex girlfriend was from Phetchburi so it would have been ideal for us as well. We used to drive. I reckon you'll take about 5 to 6 hours. You should plan when you are going to skirt Bangkok (avoid rush hour). The drive to Hua Hin is a nice one and fairly trouble free.