Once we spent the winter on Koh Samui, and therefore this post appeared, where we will talk about the local features of renting a house on Koh Samui. Be sure to read my instructions first - how to rent a house in Thailand, in which I told all the methods of renting housing, both independent and remotely via the Internet through an agency.
The content of the article
- one Beach selection
- 2 Season on Koh Samui
- 3 What types of housing are there on the island
- 4 The cost of houses on Koh Samui
- five Inside the ring or outside
- 6 Water
- 7 Crime
- eight Inadequate homeowners
- nine Infrastructure
- 10 Transport
Beach selection
The densest buildings and the best choice of houses are located in the areas of the island from Bang Po to Lamai, this is the northern and eastern parts of the island. If you are new to Koh Samui and are only collecting information for now, then most likely these names do not tell you anything. But you can take a look my review of all the beaches on Koh Samui. My personal favorite is Mae Nam Beach.
The rest of Samui's districts are less developed, houses are not found so often, and the infrastructure of the districts leaves much to be desired. All this is due to the fact that there are not so many full-fledged bathing beaches on the island, the whole party gathered around them.
Season on Koh Samui
There are two concepts - the season according to the weather conditions and the season according to the number of people who came to the island. The weather on Koh Samui from late October to January is monsoon rains. And from February to the end of March - the ideal period of time in which tourists try to get to in order to relax with a minimum amount of rain and maximum amount of sun.
The winterers are planning to leave Russia at the end of October - beginning of November in order to spend the autumn at home to the maximum and stop by in Thailand for six months until April-May. Accordingly, the peak of remote booking of houses falls somewhere in August-September. The most prudent begin to book housing in May, and the most trump options are usually bucked for years in advance..
From experience, I can say that it is quite easy to find housing on your own on the spot until mid-October, but further options become critically few.
What types of housing are there on the island
Unlike, for example, Krabi - any type of accommodation is offered on Koh Samui. Hotels, apart-hotels, condominiums, villas, big houses, small houses, townhouses, guesthouses, stone bungalows, wooden bungalows, «Thai apartments» - there is plenty to choose from. And what is important - the island has long understood the need for houses with a kitchen. A full kitchen, and not a squalid extension measuring two by one and a half meters, is in almost every stone house that is rented.
Despite the fact that there is a choice of apartments on Koh Samui, I would not become attached to apartments, especially during the peak season, because with houses the choice becomes much wider.
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>
The cost of houses on Koh Samui
The lower limit I know is 4500 baht per month, the so-called «Thai apartments». A long building, similar to our garages, in which sections of 5x5 meters are cut - the standard housing for low-income Thais and backpackers. They have a kind of kitchen, a shower room with a toilet and a place for a bed with a wardrobe. I also saw a separate house for this amount, but it was completely scary.
There is no upper price limit, houses and villas can be rented from several tens of thousands to several million per month of rent, I have never been interested in this housing sector - not a question about wages.
The average cost of a standard house in relative proximity to the sea, with some kind of furniture, internet, air conditioning and its own territory is about 15,000 baht, or rather from 12 to 18 thousand baht. Double bed is closer to 20-25 thousand baht and above.
Inside the ring or outside
The island is ringed by the Main Road or Island Road, which divides it into two sides - inside the circle (side of the mountains) and outside the circle (side of the sea). Unlike Moscow, living inside the ring on Samui is less prestigious than outside. In part, this affects the price tag, but do not flatter yourself. If the resort is located on the side of the mountains, but has a swimming pool and a well-groomed area, the houses in it will cost no less than those located a minute's walk from the sea.
If you need walking access to the sea, then, as a rule, it is enough to live between the ring road and the seashore, since the road passes very close to the beach. You can also live right next to the road, inside the ring, it will also turn out not far. But the easiest way is to measure it with a ruler on Google, because for one only the first line is pedestrian accessibility, and for the second, 20 minutes is not far away.
Water
Samui is an island, don't forget. Here water is either brought to the water tower of the resort, or pumped out of the well, and this is an additional expense for the owners. Less often you come across houses with a state water supply system, where water from reservoirs is supplied. Usually houses with imported water are slightly cheaper than those powered by a well. In any case, when renting a house, it is worth clarifying whether water is included in the rental price or whether you have to pay for it separately.
Crime
Although local agencies advertise Koh Samui as an island paradise, the margins are still there. Cases of robbery and theft regularly surface, the most popular of which are pulling off a bag on the go when you are riding a scooter, or robbing a detached house. So, settling into an inexpensive house on the outskirts of a residential area, it would be better to have a dog, an alarm system or video surveillance there. And the police phone is at hand.
To try to protect yourself, try to choose a house in the resort behind a fence, and so that there is also the owner's house nearby. Lattices on the windows and an additional lock on the door will not be superfluous. Safes are rare, but make sure it is bolted to the wall, otherwise it will simply be carried away. Also, I would not leave money and expensive equipment in plain sight in the house, it would be better for a thief to find it more difficult. And all the more, I would not leave it on an open terrace, from where it is generally easy to take away, while you have gone to the toilet, and there is no need to shine if the terrace is visible from the next road.
Inadequate homeowners
Among the homeowners of Samui, there are quite famous characters for their inadequacy. One is constantly cheating when billing for light, the other is a hysterical and alcoholic, the third is still with some kind of jump. If you rent a house on your own, and you have time to think, be sure to ask the question to people in the social network, in the local community, or to those who already live in this complex of houses..
Usually, normal agencies know these characters and do not contact them..
Infrastructure
Koh Samui is a 20x20 km land area, where all infrastructure is concentrated 1-2 km from the water's edge. Farther than this distance, there are individual houses, rich villas or hotels. It is clear that there is a difference between two minutes walk to the beach and two minutes drive to the beach, but if you plan to rent a car (rent a car on Koh Samui) or bike (bike rental on Koh Samui), and two kilometers from the beach you came across a cool and inexpensive house - you don't have to give it up because of the distance.
The 3 main hypermarkets (BigSi, Tesco and Macro) are located in the Chaweng area, right on the ring road. Since Chaweng is mainly inhabited by either party lovers or those who have arrived for a short time, winterers have to travel to supermarkets on a minibus, rented bike, or a car from other areas. But if you settle on Lamai, then there is also a supermarket there, though not hyper, but medium-sized, but its assortment should be enough.
Transport
In order not to feel limited in moving around the island, it is not at all necessary to rent or buy a car / scooter. The island has a well-developed route taxi system «songteo», both day and night. Therefore, if you do not consider it necessary to spend money on equipment rental, it is better to choose a house closer to large hypermarkets. These are the districts of Lamai, Chaweng, Bang Rak and Bo Phut..
