Our second home on Koh Samui (Maenam): eurostyle + pool + territory
Well, so we moved :) Initially, I was not very happy with our first home, which reminded me «plywood» summer house in the Crimea or a summer cottage. But Daria insisted that she wanted to live with a beautiful view from the window, plus it’s much more convenient to go swimming with Yegor. As a result, the general cleaning of dust and debris, a month of living with a view of the Gulf of Thailand, and the opportunity to be in the sea in 30 seconds after leaving the house, did their job - we generally liked the house. And when I rode and looked for more accommodation in Bang Po, Maenam, Chongmon, I generally understood that the first line for 15 thousand baht per month is a very, very good price, given that our house is really large in area (for us it is very important), and electricity bills are at government rates! Conde works for us 14 hours a day, which adds a good amount per month. So, let anyone write that our first house is expensive / bad or something like that, but for this money, really, there are very few such options..
The content of the article
Thought, doubted
If you are renting a house, then read my post-booking instructions: How to book a house in Thailand - 5 ways. I also remind you that we have personally collected directory of houses on Koh Samui, where more than 70 houses with a map and a photo. Accommodation for a short period, while you are looking for a house, you can book through RoomGuru, this is just a mega-service, you can immediately see in which booking system (Booking, Agoda, Hotels, etc.) the desired hotel is cheaper.
It used to be like this
And now like this :)
In general, for a long time we doubted whether to leave here or not. I will even say more, there is already a queue lined up for this house, because people cannot find something like that. In Bang Po, this is almost the only option, because those houses that are better and more expensive are booked for years in advance, and not everyone will be willing to pay 30-40-50 thousand. By the way, the Bang Po area is considered not only by me to be a good place: it is quiet and calm, the entrance to the water is shallow and without stones, which is ideal for small children, there is never anyone on the beach, there are very few people here, either Europeans or Thais. Imagine, you go to the beach, and there are a couple of people all over, a fairy tale! This is what Bang Po is valuable for. Yes, at the same time there is no infrastructure, but if there is car or bike, then 4 km and you're on Maenam, where the market and cafes, or 11 km and you're on Bo Phut near BigC / Tesco and in the center of teeming life.
Once again I am convinced that we have some kind of non-standard views on housing and beaches, however, like our friends-acquaintances of longsteers :) Very often, agents or those who type more know tell me one thing (you won't find housing, you can't take the car off, the beach is awful), but in reality it turns out completely different.
Why did we decide to move
If everything is so good, then why did we leave? It's simple. Firstly, in any case, we need to check whether we really need the first or second line from the sea, or whether a 10-20 minute walk or a 5-minute car accessibility is enough. Perhaps we will return to Koh Samui next year, and then we will have a better idea of which criteria are in priority. Secondly, we now get tired of everyday life rather quickly, so it should still be more comfortable. Although in fact, so far none of our friends understood why we need to move, because all of our «taps flow», «levels are different», «furniture is not very», «the bars on the windows are rusty» did not convince anyone :)
I still remember our past trips as I lived in the closet, or how we lived in house with worms. Oh, how great it is when there are few requirements, housing is looked for very quickly and you do not need to lay a significant budget on it. And I also miss traveling with a tent ... The dream is to load the car with all kinds of camping accessories and go to Europe, or even to some Pine paradise in Arkhipo-Osipovka.
Our second home on Koh Samui
I'll clarify right away what I mean by Eurostyle. In my understanding, thaistal is when the kitchen near the house is on the ground, that is, on a different level, as well as those small houses that are made of wood and look more like bungalows than solid buildings. That’s all that’s not that Eurostyle for me. I don't know what to call it anymore. So here in Tae almost all housing in this price category is thaistal and does not look like European cottages and chalets.
Initially, we thought of settling in a house for 12 thousand, 2 minutes from the sea (near Maenam Resort). There is a good green area, clean and comfortable houses, a wifi access point right in the house, a great beach, but, unfortunately, a small area, and our crawling boy would become very, very bored in a day. So I found a bigger house. I was accidentally thrown off a link to an agency where there was infa about good houses, but where they were specifically on the site was not said. Thanks to Uncle Holmes' deduction method, I eventually figured out their whereabouts, although now I understand that it was hard not to notice them if you were driving in that area..
If you are traveling to Thailand for the first time, then I recommend booking a house or apartment in advance. This is done only through a realtor. Yes, they do not deal with the cheapest housing and take a commission, but this allows you to avoid unnecessary hassle in an unfamiliar country. Believe me, independent searches on the spot are difficult and not worth it. You are going to rest.
Send me a request to advise a trusted realtor, whom I myself trust. And then recently there have been a lot of scammers.
Send request>
Price
Rent - 15,000 baht / month (through agent 18 thousand)
Wifi - 1000 baht / month.
Water - 300 baht / month.
Gas - 390 baht per medium cylinder because it was empty.
Electricity - 8 baht per unit.
In total, we can assume that the house costs 16690 baht / month, since usually everywhere the Internet and water are free. Plus, for electricity, a big bill will come, because 8 baht / unit is a bit too much. But in my opinion, even the total price is quite normal. Although, to be honest, it was possible to not connect the Internet, I have enough of my mobile 3G via DTAC. We were also promised cleaning once a week, if it turns out to be normal, then this is a saving of 1000-1200 baht per month, you can deduct from the cost.
House
The house is large: a spacious bedroom (two beds would fit), a small living room that turns into a kitchen, a typical sauna and a rather large veranda consisting of two parts. In one we have a hammock, in the other there is a table where we tear durians to pieces with our bare hands, and I periodically work. The kitchen is equipped with a gas stove, refrigerator, thermopot and toaster. The house is clean, solid and bright, we really like it. Mosquitoes are not everywhere, but it is enough for us, because we do not open the windows in the bedroom, there the air conditioner often works, and in the rest of the rooms, in any case, the doors are wide open. In addition, there are also fewer mosquitoes here..
Our house is outside
Spacious bedroom
Kitchen
Living room turning into kitchen
Typical bathroom
Veranda - part with a hammock
Veranda - part with a table
By the way, due to the fact that there are two exits to the veranda from the house and everything is now on the same level, it is easy to trace where Yegor is crawling. There used to be a kitchen, one might say separately, and it was very inconvenient.
Internet
The Internet, as I said here, is expensive. Ty's standard speed is 3 / 0.5 Mbps or so. Since wifi is shared and shared among all houses, it periodically drops, but for my needs it is quite normal.
Approximate speed
Beach
Walk to the beach for about 10 minutes. Beach - Maenam near Lompraya pier. Not the best place on this beach, but you can walk along the coast a little further from boats and ferries, and it's already pretty good there, people from neighboring resorts seem to like it. We will periodically go to Bang Po..
Mae Nam Beach and Lompraya Pier in the distance
Mae Nam Beach
Territory
The plus of this place is also the territory, the grass near the house is a very necessary thing. Although there is still enough veranda for crawling. There is also a pool, in which, according to reviews, a lot of chemistry is thrown, it even tingles. But I swam and I'm fine, either the skin is not so sensitive, or the reviews are outdated.
Green area around
Swimming pool in the common area
At this stage, we like everything, although we miss the view from the window to the sea. And now Daria will jerk me almost every day so that I can take them to the beach. Unfortunately, sometimes we only have 10-15 minutes to swim, and if you go on foot, then you come and immediately go home, in fact, you don't have to go. Therefore, we will travel most often by car. By the way, I am again rented a car and again for 12 thousand baht, this time Honda Jazz.
P.S. Other houses, and ours in particular (card + contacts), look in directory of houses in Koh Samui. Made specially :)