My Recent Songkhla Housing Search Results

[georgebkk]

Well, normally I don't give out all my hard-won information, but maybe I'll earn some good karma for this if it'll help some of you...

I was just in Songkhla recently looking for housing. Hired a taxi and went ALL AROUND that little town. COULD NOT find any detached houses (i.e. "bahn dio") for rent in Songkhla, but there were a few row houses available (ya know, the dirty, old "townhouses" that share a common wall on each side and are full of typically loud locals in the evenings...). I didn't record any info on those cuz I refuse to settle for a place like that.

So, while there were likely others tucked away in the corners or on the outskirts of town, I found only three suitable candidates. Here they are:

1. Noppakao Mansion

10 Sadao Rd (betw Ramvithee and Rachadumoern Rd)

Muang, Songkhla

(66) 74-316160-4

Daily: 450-700B

Monthly: starting at 5000B (add 300B for hot water)

This is basically just a large, furnished hotel-like room with an attached bath and a/c, in a small but newer building with a central elevator and so-called "24-hr security". The good news is it was only about a block and a half (but a long block) from Chalatat Beach. You could easily just ride your bicycle there or walk. Problems: NO nearby food sources and there is no place to cook in the room (no "kitchenette"). No frig, either. I lived out of one of these types of "apartments" for 8 months when I first arrived in TH (before I found a suitable bahn dio) and I got really tired of hunting down safe food to eat twice a day. Water was probably the usual 200B/mo or so and Elec was either 5 or 6B/unit, can't remember (but about twice the actual rate). Worst of all, NO DSL available -- only dialup internet is possible for the remaining rooms. I verified this by both talking to a german tourist who winters there and also with the front desk who said he had "only 4 DSL numbers available" (or something like that) and they were all taken already. He wasn't too clear on this, but since his English wasn't terribly great, I didn't press him for the specifics.

2. Chop-Mukda Apartment

1/3 Srisuda Rd

Tambol Boryang

Muang, Songkhla

(66) 74-311485, 315689

081-8979425 (mobile)

Monthly: 12,000B

Elec: 5B/unit

Water: 200B/mo

Maid: 1200B/mo

Laundry: 1000B/mo

This was an ACTUAL apartment (and the last one available), small, sparsely furnished, with a separate living room, bedroom, and small kitchen area which included a frig (but it wasn't frost-free, tho -- something you really ought to have in a humid environment like that, unless you like defrosting the thing constantly and having your food spoil in the process, not to mention the higher electric bills typically associated with such units...). Good news: TOT DSL was readily available. I noticed wireless Linksys routers installed in the hallways, too. They appeared to be really on-the-ball when it came to 'net access. Bad news: it is the top floor unit and there is NO elevator in the building. But if you don't mind climbing up and down 4 or so flights of steep stairs several times a day, then maybe the extra exercise won't be a problem -- especially when you've got groceries to carry up. No, seriously, ... BIG MISTAKE not to have an elevator installed in that building. This was a major drawback. No wonder nobody wants that top floor unit... Also located nearby were a few shops of one kind or another and a few noodle kitchens, but nothing useful. Relatively quiet. Not close to the beach.

3. ChokDee Inn

14/19 Vichienchom Rd. (cross street: Wichinchom Rd)

Muang, Songkhla

(66) (074) 312275

Daily: 280/380B (fan/ac)

Monthly: 3000/4000B (fan/ac)

Elec: 6B/unit

Hot water shower.

Again, this basically offered essentially what was a hotel room in an older, but nonetheless nice, clean building. I didn't inquire about DSL access, so I have no information on availability. It was near some stores and eateries, but not near the beach. Seemed quiet.

I also found some other small hotel/guest house types of places, going for 250B/day, 3000B/mo, but no hot water and definitely smaller and not really intended for long-term stay.

Since there are no large grocery-type stores in Songkhla (eg. Big C, Tesco, etc), you need to take the minibus into Hat Yai (30B) once a week or so for essentials, unless you want to settle for the limited selection of the few, scattered mom 'n pop type stores available. Since the minibus runs right past Big C, that is probably your best bet.

***NOTE: I want to forewarn you of something I discovered currently happening in Songkhla that I learned of by chatting with a particularly peeved guesthouse owner: They are currently upgrading the water main to the entire town and so the water is now going off periodically during the day FOR THE ENTIRE TOWN. This is expected to continue for the foreseeable future. Six months, maybe more, judging from how things "get done" in Thailand... These people were VERY stressed-out about this and so were some of the other guest house owners I ran into. Keep that in mind.

Obviously, it is very inconvenient to suddenly have no water and not know when it will come back on. And then, when it does, it is low pressure and unusable, because EVERYBODY IN THE TOWN IS NOW TRYING TO USE IT AT THE SAME TIME. So, you can't take a shower, wash your dishes, etc., until the surge in demand subsides later in the evening and the pressure returns. A truly exasperating situation for the residents there right now...

But the beach is nice. It ain't exactly Ko Phi Phi, but it'll do...

Well, good luck all.

[Amir]

Hired a taxi and went ALL AROUND that little town. COULD NOT find any detached houses (i.e. "bahn dio") for rent in Songkhla

Maybe you didn't look every where...

There are a lot of "bungalows with garden for rent which are new, and not town houses. Ok maybe a litle expensive.

When you drive from Hat Yai into Songkhla straight ahead until a you can until go to the right (Patani) or to the left. You take the left and at the first red light you turn right to the market and beach.

this street goes strait to the beach and just before arriving to it (before the curve) there is a very small street between poor houses on the right hand side. Take this street over a small bridge. This area looks very poor. A few km after it, you will come to a pavillion area with only bungalows. a quarter of them are for rent: 20K to 25K, 1 or 2 floors, new, furnished, garden, car park, "american kitchen"...

If you know the aquaculture hatchery from the songkhla fisheries department, it is just nearby. ok the beach is a lttle dirty from the waves and nobody cleans it as people do it on Samila (exept the sea it self).

You should have a look, it is quite nice.

[georgebkk]

Thanks for the info. Sounds kinda out of the way. No wonder I didn't see it.

Next time I'm in town I'll check it out (probably best to wait until they finish that new water main work, tho...).

[Ajarn]

Sounds the same as I found 10 years ago. Very few houses (and expensive), mostly studio apts.

As for those houses mentioned, you must drive through a muslim village to get home, and once there, you have to pray that you don't get the fumes from the fish factories that evening...

Edited March 27, 2007 by Ajarn

[mikep88]

Hmmmm

I've lived in Songkhla for 6 years. There's lots of excellent housing available to both buy and rent. The oil and helicopter companies keep the prices artificially high, but there's a great ex pat community, good schools, plenty of supermarkets, you don't need to shop in Hat Yai. Having just spent 2 weeks in CM house hunting I'll take the fish factory smell any day over the ridiculous pollution up North. The water problem right now is a drag, we have a big tank at our place and haven't run out yet, but Songkran is around the corner, it could be really bad then. Try the Corner Beer or Par Lang restaraunt (Soi Sadao) any evening for local house hunting advice.

[himalayan]

Having just spent 2 weeks in CM house hunting I'll take the fish factory smell any day over the ridiculous pollution up North...

Why are you "house hunting" in CM if you like Songkhla so much?