Spoiling Jomtien resort.

How sad the way Jomtien is being spoiled by the continual high-rise condo buildings.  They are building at a phenomenal rate.  I'll attach a couple of photos from my balcony to give you an idea.  When I moved to this apartment three years ago I had a beautiful view of the countryside.  Now I see a number of cranes in the distance, and a huge monstrosity that has gone up next to our complex.  I wouldn't mind if they were required.  The one next to me has over 500 apartments, but less than a 10% occupancy?  All around Jomtien now you can see new projects going up.  I have a feeling the bubble may be bursting as a large expensive project that is about 70% completed has run out of money and the building has stopped.

I wonder if the people who lived next to your apartments said the same thing when yours was built.
Just a thought.

I doubt it, Fred.  Our five story complex was the only one here at the end of an unmade road at the time.  We were promised views of the sea and lakes when we moved in.  The sea view has now been totally blocked by the high-rise apartments and the one built next to us is thirty story's high.  Always best to know the facts before making a negative comment.

I questioned, not commented.

It's like the old quote, "nobody goes there anymore, it's too crowded".

Any thoughts about New Lanta?

That's the point.  It's not crowded, the place is dead.  Go out at night and the bars and restaurants have a sprinkling of customers.  How they survive I'll never know.  There are literally thousands of empty apartments here?  Yet they still continue to build.  I have a huge new condo building next to me, that has over 400 hundred empty apartments?

have they cleaned the beach up i liked jomtiem i take the family every year last year the beach was filthy and the water swimming with plastic bags of to kot chang this year by order of the kids

I sorted this one out in about 5 minutes, finding out the developers are exploiting the greed of buyers, many of whom are investors.
They slowed down building last year in an attempt to create a shortage that the new places will fill when completed, but at higher prices because the shortage will increase the desperation of potential buyers who think they're onto a good thing.

Average local monthly net salary (After Tax)    is 11,250.00 ฿, or 54 years for a local to buy a small place  if they spend every penny they earn on a place to live.

Basically, these places built by developers to service a market made up of foreigners who have more cash than idea.
Of course they're going to build more - they make a fat sack of cash from people who could buy a palace at a tenth of the price of a 100m2 apartment if they lived a few miles away.

I will now expect a lot of moans from people who disagree, but haven't given a single thought about the small number of families that lived there before the Vietnam war when the whole area was just fishing villages, that changing to service industries to cater for the Americans, then more with the US base and that opened up the prostitution industry in the area. Then more and more cash came along, meaning condos and so on the locals had no hope of affording so they were forced out and have to travel in to work there.
Of course there are attractions, those including the prostitution industry and a gay beach to keep various sections of society entertained.

Who ruined the area is determined by where you're standing.

No, the beach is still filthy.  To make matters worse they have shipped out about a hundred speedboats from Pattaya, and have put them in Jomtien.  So all day you have these big boats being towed in and out.  They move a problem from Pattaya and bring it to Jomtien.  Unfortunately, the beach is never cleaned.  I went on a boat trip to Koh Larn last month and watched the crew tip four dustbins of rubbish into the sea.  They have no respect for the environment.

All Thailand has a long way to go toward being greener. Is there a way for expats to help this along?

Just have to get My 2 cents in here.... I was stationed in Sattahib 67 - 70. Pattaya had a small fishing village at the south end of a 2 1/2 mile beach  tallest building was 2 floors.  Oh ant there was a big tree in the middle of the road just as you went into the village... We called it the Honda tree because of all the GI's that ran their rented motorcycle into it...  That was it. A few guys renting motorcycles or horses along beach road. during the day maybe 30 - 50 people scattered around the beach and at night 5 or 6...In 78 it had become a smaller version of what it is today and monster it still is.... wall to wall hotels and Girly bars....
A Crotchety Old Man    lol.

mchkin wrote:

Just have to get My 2 cents in here.... I was stationed in Sattahib 67 - 70. Pattaya had a small fishing village at the south end of a 2 1/2 mile beach  tallest building was 2 floors..............

...In 78 it had become a smaller version of what it is today and monster it still is.... wall to wall hotels and Girly bars....
A Crotchety Old Man    lol.


Ah, I was right :D

So has the population of Thailand doubled or tripled since then? :)

I did smile when I read some of these posts this morning.  My original post was really about the amount of high rise condo blocks being built in Jomtien.  I was saying there is no demand for them.  I live in a complex of around one hundred condos, it's five years old, yet still we have empty apartments here, not sold.  At a very competitive price as well.  Next to me, they have built a twenty-seven story high (I think twenty-seven, maybe thirty)  Out of 500+ apartments they have less than 10% occupancy.  Now through desperation, they have turned 50% of it into a motel.  So each day we are now seeing maybe eight to ten coaches ferrying in Chinese tourists, to bring some money in.  I did hear they were struggling to pay the staff?  So the whole of Jomtien is being spoiled by these huge places that they can't sell and are spoiling the outlook.

So I was surprised to see little digs thrown in.  Mchkin?  You're mentioning things from 50 years ago?  Show me a resort that hasn't changed beyond recognition in fifty years?
Crotchety old man?  I assume you're talking abut Pattaya which is a completely different resort and subject?

Thanks for your input Fred?

Yeah, I saw this coming about the high rises. I bought a 36 m2 condo at a smaller resort called Park Lane Resort. Only 4 buildings in a square and only 8 stores high. My view is the swimming pool from the 6th floor. It's a real 1-bedroom unit. I have it up for sale and I rent it out over the holidays.

I saw what happen to buyers the purchase a sea view condo; only to have it blocked 2 or 3 years later by the same developer.

If you are planning to buy a condo for a sea view; make sure it across the street fro the sea. Other wise; a developer will build a high rise and block your sea view.

Have fun and see everyone in November.

As a foreigner here. I see no advantage to owning a small condo here. Rent it and move when they get run down and not fixed up. Or, when the view is blocked. It is a renters paradise.

The thing is, building is the nature of these places.
The first development is small but overpriced by local standards, then 'rich' foreigners make the developers' time very profitable.
That just feeds their want for more cash so new stuff goes up and even 'richer' foreigners buy into a dream until the place is so developed all the reasons for living there have gone.
The issue is following the other sheep without any real thought or thought for reality.
Each new generation gets complaints raised from the last lot about how the new stuff is destroying their dream.
It isn't your dream, it's an illusion created by property developers who care for nothing after they've got your cash.

We bought a LPN Condo, 19 floors, we are on the top floor with the Bangkok Skyline view, on a nice clear day it's nice, but for 5 years we have been fighting with the management to maintain the building. The pool is never clean enough to swim in. We kicked out the Original LPN management & now have a private company running it. The pool is finally clean, but there is a lot of repair that needs to be done. They don't even water the plants till after they are dead. The balcony's are all in need of repair, and they claim you must pay 5,000 baht before they can begin repair's. So of course the building is falling apart. Most of the building is empty, but  most condo's are bought for investment only & left empty, expensive cars are left in the parking lot that belong to these empty condo's with a inch of dust on them. It's nice in a way not to have noisy neighbours, but sad to see them just get old. This is the way of Thailand. You just learn to accept things as they are & live you life peacefully. I would never buy a condo anywhere in Thailand again.

hoistman wrote:

I did smile when I read some of these posts this morning.  My original post was really about the amount of high rise condo blocks being built in Jomtien.  I was saying there is no demand for them.  I live in a complex of around one hundred condos, it's five years old, yet still we have empty apartments here, not sold.  At a very competitive price as well.  Next to me, they have built a twenty-seven story high (I think twenty-seven, maybe thirty)  Out of 500+ apartments they have less than 10% occupancy.  Now through desperation, they have turned 50% of it into a motel.  So each day we are now seeing maybe eight to ten coaches ferrying in Chinese tourists, to bring some money in.  I did hear they were struggling to pay the staff?  So the whole of Jomtien is being spoiled by these huge places that they can't sell and are spoiling the outlook.

So I was surprised to see little digs thrown in.  Mchkin?  You're mentioning things from 50 years ago?  Show me a resort that hasn't changed beyond recognition in fifty years?
Crotchety old man?  I assume you're talking abut Pattaya which is a completely different resort and subject?

Thanks for your input Fred?


Well, somebody must have had an impression that lots of tourists and expats were coming their way. In the best of circumstances, development is a gamble. In other countries, perhaps there are more regulations, but hey welcome to LOS.

Prices should then be dropping, but a quick glance shows a lot of studios for 3 million baht. (?)