Pattaya has enjoyed huge growth in recent years and this has naturally lead to a dramatic increase in land prices. Not only have land prices increased, but prime land is becoming increasingly scarce forcing many developers to look at alternative locations, ones that have their own appeal but aren’t too far away from Pattaya. The most obvious and indeed the ones that are benefiting the most from this appear to be Na Jomtien and Bang Saray – both of which can be found to the south of Pattaya.
Both Na Jomtien and Bang Saray have managed to forge a reputation as extremely desirable places to live, especially with the more discerning buyers. The areas are home to unquestionably the best beaches in the region and remain largely unspoilt and true picturesque havens where you can take in the stunning sunsets across the islands towards Sattahip. However, in the past, the downside for many was always that the locations were too remote from downtown Pattaya and even Jomtien.
In recent years Pattaya has undergone massive improvements to its infrastructure and this has extended to a far afield as Bang Saray. These improvements to the said infrastructure and most notably, the road links have made both places becoming increasingly accessible which has naturally made them more appealing to a wider audience. That being said, they are still relatively quiet – certainly in comparison to the city life and there is a general consensus that the growth has had very little negative impact on the area.
There should always be an element of caution added whenever any particular region or area is promoted. This is not the first time that both locations have witnessed a surge in popularity. Indeed, in 2008, just before the global economic crisis, both areas appeared set to take-off only for this to be very much dampened by the credit crisis. All that appears to have changed if you drive down the Sukhumvit Road today, Bang Saray has not only taken off, it is now approaching its cruising altitude.
Over the last 5 years, we have seen a number of new condominiums spring up with one of the first of note being the Del Mare development, a 32 storey 385 unit project. After the initial objections complaining that high-rise properties would spoil the area, those fears appear to have been allayed and the property now takes pride of place in Bang Saray Bay. This appeared to spark some initial momentum with other developers such as AD following Porchland Group’s example.
The aforementioned AD Bang Saray Condominium has sold well seemingly managing to reach out to buyers both internationally and domestically. The Pure seems to appeal more to the domestic market with reports suggesting that many of those who have purchased units have come from Bangkok. The immediately puts to bed the inaccurate assumption that Thais were ashamed of Pattaya and indeed illustrates that Thais are still in love with the area and, in fact, their interest appears to be increasing and shows little sign of subsiding.
In the past, Bang Saray has been more closely associated with luxury private housing and upmarket villages. The increase in the number of condominiums has done little to dampen the interest in high-quality housing developments in the area. Of course, in order to satisfy the large increase in numbers of people coming to live and visit the area, some forms of entertainment need to be made available.
In the last few years, we have seen the development of two of Asia’s largest water parks in Cartoon Network Amazone and Ramayana – the largest in South East Asia, and this demonstrates that the area is reaching out more to families. Although both have only been open for a couple of years the initial impression is that both have been hugely successful and have indeed brought more people to the area.
This is hardly surprising when you consider that Pattaya and the surrounding areas have been a bolt-hole for Bangkokians for a number of years and that the area makes an ideal weekend retreat. In years gone by, the attractions were few and far between, in terms of what would appeal to a ‘typical Thai’ at least, so the new waterparks are sure to have instant appeal. The forecasts of hundreds of thousands per year nseem very credible and have proved many of the doubters wrong.
It is thought that the new waterparks will introduce Bang Saray and Na Jomtien to many Thais for the first time. Many had previously had no reason to travel so far south but with the success their success it is expected that other businesses and attractions will move to the area to try and piggyback on their success. Inevitably, this will create a snowball effect that it would be fair to assume will lead to more properties being developed.
To conclude, Na Jomtien and Bang Saray are booming areas. It is understood that Nusasiri, of Grand Kingdom, have purchased around 300 rai on the Sukhumvit Road on to which they intend to develop houses, a condominium, hotel and if reports are to be believed, another waterpark. If, as is hoped, a major retail development is also included it will mean that people in the area will no longer need to travel into Pattaya to meet many of their shopping requirements. The areas are booming and long may it continue.
