A peek into our Chiang Mai apartment and how we found it...

One of the first things I did after arriving in Thailand (after a few days of walking around dazed and confused, of course), was get down to business finding a place to live.  With the language barrier, I knew we’d need assistance here, so the first thing I did was email a list of probably 5 or 6 real estate companies.  Within two days, two of those companies had responded to me, sending me possible apartments we may be interested in.  The one company sent me links to places that were totally not what we were looking for (unfurnished full homes outside of town…. ) whereas the other company, sent over a couple of really good looking options.  

Before I go any further, here is basically what was on our “wish list”:

-One or two bedrooms

-Fully furnished (we came here with nothing other than our clothing and a few personal belongings)

-Full Western kitchen

-lots of natural light 

-access to a swimming pool (this sounds like it would be an added bonus, but after looking online, I noticed a lot of Chiang Mai apartment buildings have swimming pools.  And we love to swim).

I didn't think we were looking for much.  There was one thing however that would make things a bit more difficult according to Thai standards:  a full kitchen.  Typically, Thai people do not have kitchens in their homes.  Instead, they gather outside either at markets or at the road side stands to eat.  We found that apartments with Western kitchens jacked up the price quite a bit, but we decided this was something we did not want to compromise.  And by “jacked up price” I mean, the price went from extremely affordable(to the point where you feel like it’s stealing) to really affordable.  In the end, we were looking at fully furnished, modernized apartments for roughly 12,000 to 15,000 Thai baht/month ($450-$560 Canadian a month….. cheaper than what we paid for our first apartment in St.Catharines and cheaper than our flat in England even AFTER splitting the cost with another couple we lived with!).  Going from living in Cambridge, England to Chiang Mai, Thailand is night and day cost wise.  The craziest part is, we could have opted for something even cheaper (we’ve read all over the internet how you can find places to live for $250CAD/month), however we quickly realized that those places lack kitchen appliances, or are often limited to studio apartments (which we are not opposed to, but if we can afford to pay for a separate bedroom and a full kitchen we both agree that it is totally worth it).  

Three apartments: One winner

I was shown three separate apartments in total before finding the one that we now call home.  The process was nice and easy, and I thoroughly enjoyed looking at different options (I just want to see ALL of them…. lol).  I met our real estate agent at the first apartment building, and from there, she drove me around to the others in her air conditioned car, which was a VERY nice break from me walking my way all over the city, dripping in sweat).  She arranged to meet the landlords, and I really felt so taken care of.  Here’s a breakdown:

The first apartment was clean and modern, and is actually in the same building that we are now living in (but looks so different!).  I was impressed by it, but it felt cold and very basic...

The second apartment had a warmer feel to it, with more Thai style teak wood furniture.  I quickly realized how drawn in I was to the Thai style of interiors.  I do like a clean modern look, but I really felt like I could have been in a hotel anywhere in the world, while looking around the first apartment.  The Thai style excited me and really reminded me of where I am.  What this apartment lacked though, was a fully equipped kitchen.  They basically had just thrown in some lower cabinets in the far corner and added on a microwave and a hot plate.  

And then came Apartment #3… a perfect mix of both worlds.  This one bedroom corner unit apartment came with a fully equipped kitchen (even an oven! The first that I had seen), a large bedroom, a large bathroom (with a tub!), and it was beautifully and thoughtfully designed.  The landlord was there and happy to show us around.  She was proud of this apartment and I could see why.  Maybe it’s the Interior Designer side of me coming out, but small details like the dropped ceiling over the kitchen, the teak dining table, the herringbone floors, the built-in shelving with pot lights, the Thai style railing that ran beneath the floor to ceiling window… I loved it!  We even would have access to the swimming pool.  It looked like something we couldn’t afford, but the landlord offered it to us for 15,000 Thai baht ($560 Canadian) per month.  Done and done!

Two days later, we were moved in and literally all settled in (it’s easy when you have four suitcases for the two of you).  The apartment was so move in ready as well, and our landlord genuinely wanted to make sure we had everything we needed.  She even bought us a few dishes, a pot and a pan, a mop, a broom, and even put food in our fridge!  Talk about hospitable.  I’ve never experienced this with a landlord and was overwhelmed by her generosity.  We did end up buying a few things (a bigger pot, some outdoor plants for our balcony, etc.) but for the most part we have all we need here.  We’ve signed a one year contract with the likelihood of extending for next year as well.  

Main living area

We've added a few personal touches :)

The teak dining table was possibly the selling point for me.  I love it!

Bedroom:

Bathroom:

It’s now been exactly two months since moving in.  So far we have really been happy here.  Other than one cockroach and 2 little lizards, we've been spared many of the "horror stories" that we heard of living in Thailand (mainly bug problems... or things just not working properly).  Though I would have chosen perhaps a few different decor items, I have to say I am so impressed by the thought and detail that went into the design of this place.  For a rental, this is amazing!  We feel spoiled living here and I know we are really lucky to have a home like this.