From the previous article in the series “How to live and work in Thailand” you learned what to do at the initial stage of planning your trip: how to get a visa and go to Thailand. The search for accommodation in Thailand is the third most important issue after buying tickets and obtaining a visa.
The story will go to the example of Koh Samui, which is considered quite expensive compared to other places in Thailand, which you can choose.
A small reference about Koh Samui
Samui Island covers an area of 229 km ², which is 4.5 times smaller than Moscow and 4 times smaller than Kiev. Around the island there is a ring road, the length of which is 52 km. That is, the island can be considered a fairly large city (in fact Samui and is an independent city since 2008), and its settlements areas. As in any city, the “districts” of Samui differ from each other – each has its own face. The densely populated north is completely unlike the wild and quite non-touristy south, and the east with its two largest cities – the lively Lamai and never sleeping Chaweng is the exact opposite of the west with its beautiful bays for meeting sunsets and the port Nathon.
At first glance, it’s rather difficult to decide. What to prefer – the proximity of large supermarkets or a pacifying silence, a house with a view or a nice beach nearby? This is up to you, guided by photos and descriptions in advance or on arrival to the island, seeing with your own eyes. So, we came to the main question: “Where to look for housing?”
Where to look for housing, house examples and budget
Ways to find housing on Koh Samui (as well as in many other places in Asia) I know two:
1. Pre-book through the websites of intermediaries offering real estate for rent around the island.
2. Come to the place and find the house to taste yourself.
In both cases, there are a number of pros and cons.
1. Rent through the intermediary
+: it will be easier and calmer for you to go to another country, knowing that you immediately have where to live.
–: the house will cost more, you may not like the district, the place or the house itself, but the month will already be paid.
Searching for “rent houses Samui” you will find not so many sites offering housing for long-term rent. One of these sites is samuidays.ru. Thanks to him, three Kievites found themselves such a two-storey house with 2 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms, a living room combined with a kitchen, and a spacious veranda overlooking the sea.
The cost of such a house is 16,000 rubles ($ 520) per month. To this amount, you need to add another 1000 rubles ($ 32), which the guys pay monthly for water and electricity, and 700 rubles ($ 23) for the Internet.
Total per month: $ 575.
Another option found through an intermediary.
This house is practically the same in content as the previous one (also 2 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms, kitchen, living room and veranda), but the repair and furnishing here is slightly better, in the kitchen all kinds of household appliances, a good stove with oven, outside a small garden and a large pool , which is divided between 3 houses. At a cost of: 20000 rubles ($ 650), 1300 rubles ($ 42) – water and electricity, 1500 rubles ($ 48) – the Internet.
Total per month: $ 740.
In addition to sites about Samui, look for accommodation also on the agoda.com booking service, but most of the offers are there for a daily rental.
Important! Do not be afraid of the word “intermediary”. Keep in mind that in Thailand, the percentage of the transaction to the agent is paid by the owner of the house, and not by the tenant (as we are accustomed to).
2. Independent housing search
This is a very interesting and tempting, in my opinion, option of housing selection, which will be appreciated by people who are open, bold and certainly adventurous.
+: an independent choice of housing will allow you not only to save, choose the part of the island that you liked, but also to find out what the life of this average Thai is without air conditioning, swimming pools and hot water, but with vintage furniture, pets and kayaks on the beach for someone this reason will be in the minuses).
–: spending in the beginning for a daily rent, moving from place to place (although it is difficult to call it a minus if you do not have 3 suitcases), the need to communicate with Thais in sign language or very (well very) primitive English.
And here are 2 examples of such housing.
A small house at the very shore of the sea in a calm bay where fishermen live. The house has only one room, a bathroom, a summer kitchen with a minimal set of utensils and a large veranda with a huge table. Obviously, you will not be able to live in such a house with your family, but it will be completely for a lonely programmer. House: 8000 rubles ($ 260), electricity, water, internet – included in the price of the house ($ 0).
Total for the month: $ 260.
And here is another version of the tay-style dwelling.
This type of house is called shop-house. Such houses are often located in settlements along the ring road, in which the Thais live (on the second floor) and work – the door-gates open and on the first floor the store – of products, souvenirs, various useful trifles.
In the case of a house rented by three guys from Kiev, instead of a shop at the bottom of a huge living space with a sofa, tables, cabinets and everything that is necessary for life. On the second floor there are 2 rooms, surrounded by wooden walls – simply and without a claim.
Cost of rent: 10000 rubles ($ 325), electricity and water – 400 rubles ($ 13), Internet – 400 rubles ($ 13).
Total for the month: $ 351.
With the second option of renting, you should not be afraid to go “vnikuda.” The main thing that you need to do is to book a bungalow or a villa in the hotel for a short period, and after arriving to the island, to explore it on mopeds. For 7-10 days you will understand which part of the island you prefer and will surely find yourself a cozy place to live.
As a variant of a house for a daily rent for a large company (6 people) I recommend for a short time to rent one big house / villa at all. Several good options can be found on Airbnb.com. For example, here is a 3 bedroom villa with a huge living room, kitchen, pool, grill for $ 125 / day (640 rubles per person, if you live six) – a great opportunity to live a short time in comfort and luxury (consider this period as a holiday) in the “ordinary” working life.
Well, that’s all the main points about housing. The decision about choosing the place and method of rent is yours.
Try to search for interesting flights with the help of Aviasales, chances are that you will immediately find the best offers. Search is made by all popular reservation systems at the same time!
Moscow – Bangkok
Kiev – Bangkok
Minsk – Bangkok
