Jimmy Canuck update re buying a condo in Hua Hin/Cha Am

[margaretcarnes]

ChaAm is certainly heaving with Thai people weekends and bank holidays - it's a popular beach destination for them (and lets face it the beach is better than HuaHins') But HuaHin is also heaving at weekends in the town centre. Both with Thai weekenders. The problem with Cha-Am is that one long access road down from Petkhasem to Beach Rd, and the concentration of visitors in the beach area. HuaHins' weekenders seem to gather more in the Night Market area and park randomly on Petkasem and around the Temple. Which in itself causes congestion.
At the end of the day both towns have their advantages and disadvantages for expats, and both are magnets for the local Bangkok escapees, whether they arrive on cattle class train or in 4 x 4's. Both are worthy of a good look-see at different times of the week which takes time - and sadly involves a lot of lounging around in bars and restaurants! It's hard work, but worth the effort.

[migrant]

I guess too that it depends on your life style.

When I used to live in Maine, it was in a tourist area so summer weekends were heavy duty traffic. I would plan on early escapes and late returns to avoid it, plus stay away from the hot spots.

[TypicallyTropical]

Will look up Palm Hills as we respect your opinion... Jimmy

I'm sure there are better qualified people than me to give you input on this forum, and I know "quality" has a different meaning to everyone. Please note that Palm Hills is totally different than the Samudra, it's a golf course subdivision, and I don't know whether they have a rental program or not since I never asked.

[hhfarang]

As I said, that was a while ago and I haven't attempted to go (to Cha-Am) on a weekend again. It could have been a three day holiday. The missus and I had gotten into the habit of going to a restaurant we liked up there about once every week or two, but we usually went during the week. This time, we went on Saturday around noon and it was total gridlock from the traffic light down to the beach, worse than I've ever seen in Hua Hin; reminded me more of Bangkok. When we go on a weekday, there is next to no traffic at all.

Maybe this was just an anomaly as I swore off going there one weekends after that and haven't been back on a weekend or holiday. Lots of members live in Cha-Am and could give a better description of ongoing weekend traffic conditions.

[Jimmy Canuck]

2nd chile, awesome! Member... does that mean I can drink with you guys now??

Yes, but you have to buy!

When we visit we usually stay in Cha Am and the main road to the beach, and the beach road, get real busy but that is all we see. Could be we aren't there enough though.

thanks for info. can fully understand that a mere 'member' would have to buy at least the first round for a 6 chile ace like yourself! entirely acceptable. jimmy

[Jimmy Canuck]

Both are worthy of a good look-see at different times of the week which takes time - and sadly involves a lot of lounging around in bars and restaurants! It's hard work, but worth the effort.

thanks! that's a real shame, that we would have to apply ourselves to a nice beachfront restaurant or bar to fully get the feel of the diff locations, when we could be enjoying the joyous minus 10C weather here in January instead... is there no way around that?? Jimmy

[migrant]

2nd chile, awesome! Member... does that mean I can drink with you guys now??

Yes, but you have to buy!

When we visit we usually stay in Cha Am and the main road to the beach, and the beach road, get real busy but that is all we see. Could be we aren't there enough though.

thanks for info. can fully understand that a mere 'member' would have to buy at least the first round for a 6 chile ace like yourself! entirely acceptable. jimmy

You, me, as long as someone buys!!

[Jimmy Canuck]

Will look up Palm Hills as we respect your opinion... Jimmy

I'm sure there are better qualified people than me to give you input on this forum, and I know "quality" has a different meaning to everyone. Please note that Palm Hills is totally different than the Samudra, it's a golf course subdivision, and I don't know whether they have a rental program or not since I never asked.

fair enough TT, but so far you are the only poster we've heard from that has seen both Samudra, and other condos to compare it to... point taken though, as we are looking more for an ocean atmosphere rather than golf course. ps: rental pools is something we are trying to avoid, partly as they are not entirely reliable, and also because it seems you kind of lose possession of your unit for the interim.. also, keep wondering if a say, 6% return guarantee, is b4 or after 'deductions'?? Jimmy

[TypicallyTropical]

...fair enough TT, but so far you are the only poster we've heard from that has seen both Samudra, and other condos to compare it to...

Well, I have spent a whole week doing nothing else but looking at condos both in Hua Hin and Cha Am, but I obviously do not have enough information about other factors like traffic in the area, desirable for expats or tourists, stores nearby (especially in Cha Am) and so on. I probably have higher expectations in regards to "quality" than most others, especially since I live in a nice resort condo in Hawaii, so only a handful of the condos "passed my test" in Hua Hin/Cha Am. (I actually was buffled by seeing totally misdesigned condos there, like "The Breeze" where the terraces are facing each other instead of facing the opposit way where they would have views!) Good luck to you finding what you want!

[charleyboy]

The traffic congestion has eased recently in Cha-am due to the local authority building a new roundabout. It's about 300 metres before the lights if you're coming from Bangkok and takes you to the north side of Cha-am beach.

[Jimmy Canuck]

...fair enough TT, but so far you are the only poster we've heard from that has seen both Samudra, and other condos to compare it to...

Well, I have spent a whole week doing nothing else but looking at condos ... (I actually was buffled by seeing totally misdesigned condos there, like "The Breeze" where the terraces are facing each other instead of facing the opposit way where they would have views!) Good luck to you finding what you want!

Thanks TT, I feel the exact same way re the design of many condo developments, fueled mostly by greed I guess, where several buildings are crammed into a piece of land with the balconies facing each other! More the norm than the exception from my research. That's one of the things I most liked about Samudra - only 1 unit deep + all facing out toward ocean, but... there is a big chunk of undeveloped land in front though, currently marked on title deeds as belonging to the King, or royal family, but who knows for sure if you would end up looking at a new building rather than the ocean someday? Still like the place though. They prob could have got greedy and had 2 units deep with the back ones facing west. Jimmy

[Jimmy Canuck]

The traffic congestion has eased recently in Cha-am due to the local authority building a new roundabout. It's about 300 metres before the lights if you're coming from Bangkok and takes you to the north side of Cha-am beach.

Thanks Charleyboy, that is helpful. Jimmy

[squire]

... there is a big chunk of undeveloped land in front though, currently marked on title deeds as belonging to the King, or royal family, but who knows for sure if you would end up looking at a new building rather than the ocean someday? Still like the place though. They prob could have got greedy and had 2 units deep with the back ones facing west. Jimmy

I looked at the Samudra project when it was initially launched...it was the uncertainty of that tract in land in front which put me off.
Back on the topic of Cha-am beach traffic, I often have seafood picnics at the southern end of the beach (a bit further past the S&P restaurant). So I enter the beach area from the Grand Pacific Sovereign Hotel soi at the far southern end and in that way not affected by potential weekend traffic.