torrenova

Single entry cannot be extended other than for retirement or business where your visa will piggy back on your work permit. A 7 day extension should usually be granted for Bt1900 or its over to the border for 30 day runs or further afield for a tourist visa.

Oil and filter change (filter my option) each 5000km on the Isuzu about Bt1000. labour free for 50,000km I think. That said, I tipped the one in Buriram when they fixed some problem and they just did a load of other stuff for free !

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

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 a

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 bu

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

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.

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 othe

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 bung

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 marke

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.