A View From the Peak - and Chaweng Does It Again

Thursday 14 September

Another warm morning with blue skies and white clouds dawning as I went for my morning swim, slightly earlier than usual, which resulted in me increasing my daily routine to thirty lengths in the pool. Has all this rest made me more energetic?!?! I shouldn’t think so. After breakfast I read the newspapers, and then settled down to the blog, we went to Reception to access the safety deposit box and noticed that Jean and Ray’s names were on the board – Oilvers! (I am sure the malapropism will stick!). They had been allocated the bungalow with the huge bees nest on the roof, so we asked to change them to the next one along – which puts them next to us too – hope they don’t mind – just thought the shorter staggering distance after late night beverages might be a bonus!.

Dave arrived around midday and escorted us back to the Bandara. He had been wandering around the area, visiting bathroom shops (where he has managed to buy a shower pop-up waste for a few pounds instead of the 135 GBP asked at home – he’s always good for a deal!) and other hardware shops and builders merchants, introducing himself and extracting discount for the future – as well as he could, he not speaking much Thai and they speaking hardly any English. Juz meanwhile had been sunbathing in their garden and was by now quite pink!

After drinks, it was time to meet the man from Samui Properties, who Dave had met yesterday and discussed available options in the property market. As I have mentioned before, Dave is desperate to build a property here (Juz would rather buy ready-made), and they are both keen to spend some time looking for the right site/property. The man, an ex BA Trolley Dolly, was going to show us some land and properties currently on his books, and we all set out in his Land Rover jeep – little did I realize how necessary this sort of vehicle would be.

Our first stop was to see a completed property on other side of peninsula from Big Buddha on the hills above Choeng Mon Beach. We turned off the main road, up the hillside on a windy unmade rocky track to an exclusive development of about twelve properties, in three or four tiers. The one we were taken too belongs to three BBC correspondents based in Bangkok, but doesn’t not appear to have been lived in to date, although being one of the only ones that’s complete. The building was a large sprawling, open plan, three storey abode, cut into granite hillside, one of the lower dwellings of the estate, but with all rooms having fantastic views across the bay to Koh Matland island and the start of Chaweng Beach. Other houses under development towered over us on the steep sided cliff face.

This house was on three levels – decking with snooker table and sun bathing area at roof level – surrounded by roof garden – all the buildings have flat roofs with gardens - but it very exposed to others living across the road, above us.

The main living level had two bedrooms, one on either side of the property, each with a bathroom that was really just part of the room - not a lot of privacy, but perhaps you don’t need privacy from your sleeping partner! There was also a large lounge stretching to the front cliff face of the property, open on two sides with large mattresses and squashy sofas to recline on to take in the wonderful views as you supped your tipple in the evenings. An L-shaped seawater pool and decking edged the open sides, with more sun bathing areas.

A kitchen and dining area at the rear of the property – with a large open window (well a plastic sheet that could be lowered in times of rain) still facing the bays – had black granite work and table surfaces and looked very sleek. A small room off the kitchen which I thought it was going to be a pantry, turned out to hold a mattress on the floor and small shower area, in an area of about 7 ft square, which was the maid’s quarters! No window or view for her – it seemed very disrespectful, but I expect that there were many applicants for the job. She was there, smiling at us all the time, and seemed happy. A media room was the last room on this floor – where a large drop down screen could be lowered in front of the floor to ceiling window (glass this time) to view DVDs and television. The control panel was of the latest style mounted on the ceiling. The lower floor contained the master bedroom – exactly the same as the other two – but going ‘down’ to bed would not be for me.

Several huge boulders had been left in place and the house constructed around them to make awe-inspiring features along one side of the pool (and actually in the pool at one point). Behind these rocks we found another area of decking, very secluded and quiet (you could hardly hear the construction going on around the rest of the site). I could imagine sitting here and reading in my lazy hours.

There was a small private beach area attached to the estate, and the road down to the beach and what would be the leisure area, ran below the lounge. The whole estate would not be finished for another eighteen months or so, but this house was already up for sale for a staggering 1.5 million US$, or about 750.000 GBP. Luckily we all agreed that we didn’t like the retro style as there was very little atmosphere about the place - perhaps it needed a woman’s hand in the furnishings and, of course, a jacuzzi!.

The main purpose of the excursion (you wouldn’t believe it by the way I have gone on about the first house) was to see the some land at The Peak, by it’s name, a tall pointed mountain, this time overlooking both Big Buddha Beach to the right and Bophut Beach to the left and the surrounding islands, still covered in trees and bushes. The plot for sale is on a small plateau to the side of the actual peak, with the surrounding land dropping steeply away to Sabai Thani below – an estate of about a dozen properties on a small peninsula jutting between the two bays,that Juz and Dave viewed last year. Juz had loved one particular property here, but when she mentioned that fact to BA Trolley Dolly on two occasions, his only reply was that they were ordinary – more suited to Milton Keynes! This was not the way to make a good impression on Juz!

At present whole site has just one track up one side of the valley, round the middle of the mountain and down the other – this is where the four wheel drive jeep came in use- the track is like a roller coaster ride for most of the way, almost vertical in ascent and descent, apart from being very rutted and with large boulders to avoid. The plot we were viewing was to the side of the actual peak, edged by the track on one side and a very steep drop on two sides. The fourth side was another plot of land already sold. This plot is 2 ri in size – approx 6500 square metres – huge - and could be subdivided into four plots with plenty of room for a house with swimming pool and terraces around for privacy on each. The views were tremendous, between the trees, that will be removed when the construction starts, probably some of the best views on island. But this is reflected in the price, costing 7 million baths per ri, or over 200, 000 GBP for the whole plot – and that’s just the land.

The plot is only a very small patch in a massive planned building programme including a 6* hotel, condominiums, houses and apartments envisaged for this site. Over the other side of the Peak, it is intended to build water centre, with wave machines, go-kart track and other leisure amenities, all leading down to the main road near Tescos, where there is already a10 pin bowling alley and a multiplex cinema.

It is very tempting, if you can afford it, just as an investment – but if considering living here, you would still have to build your property, with architects, lawyers, labour and materials to consider, and even then you would probably end up as a small bug in a very large nest.

On to the next property – as it happens, just down the main road from Bophut Village entrance – turning down a small side road away from the sea, which started out tarmaced but very soon degenerated into an unmade track, winding through local Thai housing - some wooden ‘sheds’ and other smarter properties on stilts with blue tiled roofs (the Thais like these colourful roofs apparently). At the very end, in a coconut grove was an estate where 56 houses are being constructed by the Happy Elephant Construction Company – we had been told the owner of the restaurant had fingers in lots of pies here and controlled a lot of what happens in Bophut and we had seen his construction workers wearing Tshirts with logos advertising the Happy Elephant Construction Company working on the new bar in the village.

These houses were aimed more at the middle market – no views, just two and three bedroomed, single storey properties of reasonable size, with decent sized pools and terraces, set in peaceful countryside. Cost 12.5 million baths - about 180,000 GBP. A 31 year old lady from Portsmouth had bought one earlier in the day for her retirement, but they were not at all what Juz and Dave had in mind.

After quick trip back to the Office to collect some papers, we wandered back to the Bandara for drinks around the jacuzzi and to cogitate all that we had seen.

We later returned to the bungalow to check emails, shower and change for dinner and meet in the Beatles Bar for much deserved cocktails – it had been a busy day! Dinner tonight was to be at La Sirene, the French/Thai restaurant we had visited soon after we arrived. Juz and Colin shared some ‘carpaccio of prawns – raw prawns “cooked” in lemon juice and garlic. They were very delicious – but not for Dave, who likes things “a little more cooked than that”.
I had spicy Tom Yum soup, and there was also breaded prawns, deep fried calarmari with Thai sauces, and garlic bread all to start. For main, well I just had to have moules and frittes again – this definitely are one of the most delicious dishes for me. Colin had shark with garlic and peppers, Juz and Dave shared Thai red curry with duck, chicken rice and ………

Colin still had room for a banana split, just like the old days when you got a scoop of each of vanilla, strawberry and chocolate ice cream in a long dish, with a large banana split down each side and covered in cream and chocolate sprinkles. He loved every spoonful of it.

We just had enough energy to wander home, check the emails and send a few, before retiring to bed – a more energetic day than we have been used to, by far. There is so much building going on here on the island at present, and it is easy to see how the island culture is going to be destroyed in a few years – take the Peak development, there will probably be accommodation for upwards of two or three thousand people, and where are they going to go when they want a day or evening out – Chaweng, close at hand by car/taxi but also Bophut (just a mile or so to the entrance of the village). Would Bophut be able to serve such an infux of people? – not without losing its small and friendly charm and the quaint characteristics of the village – and unfortunately people are greedy, so there will always be someone willing to sacrifice charisma for money!