Problems finding accomodation in "Paradise City"

Post by **firebird** » Wed Sep 05, 2007 3:53 pm

hi all perhaps someone can answer this question for me.

My wife and I have booked up air fares for the 29th of September to come to Thailand for approx 6 months but unfortunately we seem to be having trouble finding somewhere to rent.

So far I have found 2 sites on the net the names I wont publish on here for obvious reasons,, 1 i have called on the landline both the office number also the FAX number both of which dont answer also the mobile of the person concerned I cant even understand what he is saying.

The other company which is 1 of the biggest there whilst offering a very good selection of properties which change every 2/3 days I have tried to e-mail so far again without results this company doesnt even publish its phone number on its website so I have had to obtain their number from directory enquiries here in the UK when i try to call that number all i get is bleep,bleep,bleep then someone gabbles in Thai followed by an announcement that the line is temporarily OOS.

We are getting very close to travelling time and it is starting to look as if I will have to cancel our air fares and try to get our money back.. NOT a very good performance from somewhere that always seems to be patting itsself on the back and calling itsself ""PARADISE CITY""

I hasten to add that in the past we have had a very good holiday there in HH so I DO know my way around there but now it is fast starting to look as though thats all it will be ,,just memories.

So, just wondering if anyone there has any suggestions to make b4 it is too late .

No good calling yourself PARADISE CITY if they havent the commnon decency to aswer emails and let us know the current position,, we are NOT prepared to "come on spec"

Regards....

Post by **BaaBaa.** » Wed Sep 05, 2007 4:23 pm

Ive got a suggestion, take that huge chip off your shoulder.

You cant get in touch with a property rental company so your slating Hua Hin.

Post by **Big Boy** » Wed Sep 05, 2007 4:30 pm

firebird,

Your best bet is to book in to a guest house/hotel for the first few nights. Once you've settled down (after the journey), just take a look around - there is plenty on offer, especially for a 6 month rental. You won't have any problems.

You'll probably save a bucket load of money that way as well.

Post by **Pagey** » Wed Sep 05, 2007 4:31 pm

Plenty of other places to rent.

Post by **firebird** » Wed Sep 05, 2007 4:36 pm

BaaBaa as far as I know i dont have any chip on my shoulder if you take the time and trouble to read my post correctly you will see that I in fact have had some great times there and that is my point it makes me very sad that people there dont take at least a few moments to answer their emails promply.

I will again point out that my wife does not enjoy the best of health and I think it is only reasonable that to arrange the accomodation b4 we get there is not too much to ask.

I myself am NOT one the khao San road boys who pay 100/150 Baht per night and say yay!! that was wonderful... and yes I DO expect that when I take the time and trouble to try and contact someone about this they should at least answer their telephone...

Post by **firebird** » Wed Sep 05, 2007 4:40 pm

Thanks for that Big Boy at least it was a constructive answer..

Regards,, Davey....

Post by **BaaBaa.** » Wed Sep 05, 2007 4:46 pm

I felt your post came across as more of a rant than a request for advice. Mai Bpen Rai.

As Big Boy said, Why not book into a Hotel for a week and look around.

Seems a bit extreme to cancel a 6 month stay.

Post by **Lev** » Wed Sep 05, 2007 4:56 pm

firebird,
I have sent you a PM and passed your email on to our rental partners.

As previously mentioned in other threads you may be experiencing problems with emails being blocked by Hotmail (though that doesnt explain the telephone problems).

Let's hope you get it worked out and make it to "Paradise City". Booking into a hotel first is a good suggestion.

LJ

Post by **dtaai-maai** » Wed Sep 05, 2007 5:18 pm

I'd advise anyone coming to Thailand (not just HH) for as long as six months to spend a few days or a week in a hotel having a good look round before deciding on where to rent. That way you know exactly what you're getting for your money, warts and all.

Post by **Jim** » Wed Sep 05, 2007 5:38 pm

sensible comments all round

come to town, have a short hotel stay, find where you fancy going and then go see the agents and tell them what you want and where. Chances are you'll find the agents you now hate are actually all kosher, helpful and just IT constrained.

and I'd snap your hand off for a 6 month rent...send me a pm if I can tell you more.

Jim

Post by **Chuck** » Wed Sep 05, 2007 5:39 pm

Hello Firebird,

Sounds like you are having a bit of trouble. [ Edited: No advertorials for real estate websites please ]. Not sure who you have contacted but don't give up since Hua Hin is a wonderful holiday destination.

Looking forward to hearing from you soon!

Post by **PeteC** » Wed Sep 05, 2007 6:27 pm

Just a general comment/question as this thread is not the first one of a negative nature concerning finding "landed houses" for holiday rental.

Doesn't HH have "serviced apartments" where a person can book up to a year in advance for anything from a studio, 1 bedroom, 2 bedroom?

You pay a flat rate per month not inclusive of your water or electricity. Your apartment cleaning/linens is performed by the establishment as many days a week as you want at an additional cost. Laundry service also available and usually an "excursion desk" to help plan your outings.

Places like this on this side of the pond go from 5-15K Baht per month for a studio, 10-22 for a 1 bedroom and 18-30 for a 2 bedroom. Most have pools and restaurants attached. They're nice places, have better security than a landed house and all are usually fully booked a year in advance for the Nov-March period.

If HH doesn't have a half dozen or so of these, someone is missing out on an opportunity IMHO. Pete

Post by **BaaBaa.** » Wed Sep 05, 2007 7:03 pm

Sport Villa, a few people I know stay there 4-5 months a year.

Post by **PeteC** » Wed Sep 05, 2007 7:37 pm

BaaBaa. wrote:Sport Villa, a few people I know stay there 4-5 months a year.

That's good, at least one.

The other side of this coin is that Thailand has no multiple listing service(MLS) for property purchases, and TOTALLY forget about the rental market, be it long term or holiday 1-6 months.

We is still in the wild west or wild east as they say.

Without a central clearing house I bet dozens or even hundreds of landed houses available for holiday rental remain empty throughout high season.

Probably everyone who owns a house has a friend "in the business" who tells the owners that they can move their property in the rental market. What happens then?.....the theme of the OP's thread.....frustration, some if not most of the time. This is not just an HH issue, but over here and everywhere in Thailand as well.

The only way you solve the problem in my opinion is to get the brokers to cooperate with one another and forget about any machismo attitude concerning sharing. What they don't realize is that by sharing information and contacts, all get wealthy more quickly. Pete

Post by **gaijin** » Wed Sep 05, 2007 8:17 pm

I agree with other posters, it is a better idea to get to town and then start looking around. This is likely to be cheaper over the 6 months and you are likely to end up with a place that you can truly call home for 6 months. As an alternative, why not place an ad in the Observer or through one of the forums. HH Ex Pat has a classified section. As for agents, just navigate through this site and you will find the contact details for several agents.