Ten Long Term Accommodation Options In Hat Yai

Introduction

Hotels are convenient for short stays, but if you need accommodation for several months hotels are expensive and not very homely. Fortunately, Hat Yai has many apartment buildings for long term stays and by Western standards they aren't expensive.

For some reason Thais often use the English word 'mansion' to describe these places. I don't know why because they're certainly not mansion-like. However, if you stay at one you will be able to tell people what happened as you left your mansion. When you see a 'mansion' you will know it is a place with long term rooms to let.

Westerners like to refer to the 'apartments' in Thailand, but most places are very basic. The majority consist of one room where you sleep and do everything else, and a bathroom with a shower. Some places do have two (or more) bedrooms and maybe even a kitchen, but there is a big jump in price.

Regarding prices, you can find rooms to rent in Hat Yai for less than Bt2,000 a month, but I wouldn't recommend these places. To get somewhere that most Westerners would be comfortable with you will need to spend Bt5,000 or more per month.

Water and electricity aren't included. Where I used to stay there was a minimum charge for water of Bt100 per month and if you used more than a certain amount they would charge you by the unit, but water is very cheap in Thailand. Electricity bills mostly depend on how much you use your air-conditioning. If you hardly use A/C your bill may only be a few hundred Baht. If you use it a lot expect a bill between Bt1,000 and Bt1,500.

Some places include Internet in the rental price, but others don't. I used to pay Bt500 per month for Wi-Fi Internet access.

Different apartment buildings include different things. Some will include a fridge and TV, but others won't. They may give you the option to rent these things, but if you stay for more than a year it works out cheaper to buy. One year's rental is about the same amount as buying these items.

A bed and (normally very hard) mattress will be provided, but no sheets. Again, these items aren't all that expensive in Thailand.

Security is normally OK in the more expensive places (Bt5,000+). Another disadvantage with the very cheap places is that there won't be any security. If security is a concern find somewhere with 24 hour security and CCTV.

Some places will insist on a minimum three months rental and all places will ask for a deposit. When it is time to leave they will carry out a microscopic inspection of your room trying to find reasons why they can keep some (or all) of the deposit. Have a good look around when you arrive and point out any problems that already exist so that you don't end up paying for them later.

Some places have a laundry facility in house but, if not, there are guaranteed to be laundry shops nearby where you can get your clothes washed and ironed.

Nothing is easier than finding a place to stay in Thailand, but many foreigners worry about it before they arrive and I have even seen foreigners with websites in Thailand offering to give advice over Skype for $200. Don't waste your money. Here's what you need to do.

The most important thing is deciding on which part of town you want to live in. When you arrive initially, stay in a hotel for a few days, put on some walking shoes and just hit the streets. Thais aren't big on listing things on-line and you can't just go to a website and find every accommodation option.

Keep an eye out for buildings that look like apartment buildings and/or are referred to as 'Mansions'. Take a look at rooms and ask relevant questions - rental rate, electricity and water charges, security, facilities, etc.

Living side-by-side with Thais isn't always a pleasant experience. Many Thais have an attitude that they can do whatever they want and have virtually no consideration for other people. If you drive, you see this every day on the roads and if you live in an apartment building you will notice this kind of thing.

When I had an apartment one guy flew his remote-controlled helicopter in the public areas and for a while I lived next door to a girl who was a nightmare. She was a Coyote dancer and used to arrive home at around 3am. When alone she would play music and watch TV at a very loud volume.

Sometimes she would come back with another woman and they would get into fights, screaming at and hitting each other. In one of these fights she fell over the balcony and broke her leg, which shut her up for a while.

I couldn't do anything about it and because of the culture of non-confrontation in Thailand the apartment management refused to do anything. Every time I complained they just told me that she would be leaving soon.

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Caveat

Some of the room rates below may no longer be current and have quite possibly increased slightly since I last checked. I will check room rates again when I pass these places, but if you know of any errors please let me know.

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