Issue 10 | Feature brought to you by Punna Oasis
Resort-style living in the north of Thailand.
It’s no surprise that Thailand’s second city, Chiang Mai, has ranked highly in several global ‘Best Places to Live’ and ‘Best Places to Retire’ surveys over recent years. The ‘capital’ of the north is a truly refreshing change from the often chaotic capital city Bangkok. Perhaps what is most surprising is that property buyers and investors from outside Northern Thailand have yet to fully discover everything the city has to offer.
That is slowly changing as more overseas property buyers and investors discover Chiang Mai, and understand that it offers a truly Thai experience yet is welcoming enough to feel like home.
There is a thriving expatriate community, and it seems that whatever interest you have there is a club or group to satisfy you needs. There is just as vast a range in the cuisine on offer in Chiang Mai as anywhere else in Thailand, and the city is also renowned for being a cultural and artistic hub.
Outdoor life also draws many foreigners and Thais to Chiang Mai, as does the cost of living which can be as little as a quarter of that in Bangkok.
One example of the latter, and one that will resonate with readers of Thailand- Property magazine, is the cost of property. Punna Oasis, a new development in the centre of the city, has prices starting from a mere THB 42,000 per sqm – and what can you get for that price anywhere else in Thailand?
What’s more – Punna Oasis has been developed in a resort-style yet remains very close to the centre of Chiang Mai and all of the amenities the city has to offer.
Punna Oasis will offer a total of 302 units in two buildings. The first building is 80 percent sold and units have already been transferred to eager buyers and investors, while the second building will be completed in April 2016 and has already enjoyed a 60 percent sales rate.
More Thais have been buying here than foreigners – and for numerous reasons – but Singaporeans, Malaysians, Europeans and Americans have also been actively buying units at the development.
The developer, for whom this is its sixth project in the city, chose to develop a resort-style project to differentiate itself from the competition, and to provide something new for Chiang Mai. Judging by sales rates it appears to have worked well. Indeed, the reputation of the developer can be argued as being second to none within the city.
The development, unlike other projects in the city, offers a large swimming pool and has devoted more than 2-rai of the total 8-rai plot to green spaces for recreation and for the enjoyment of its residents.
Some of the rooms, which are offered as studios up to two-bedroom units, offer spectacular views of Chiang Mai’s famous Doi Suthep mountain – yet still maintain what are probably the lowest prices per sqm in Chiang Mai.
The resort-style means residents will never feel crowded. Another developer may have chosen to flood the site with thousands of units but the small number of 302 at Punna Oasis gives a totally different atmosphere and feeling than anything else in the city.
Property buyers and investors cannot afford to overlook Chiang Mai any more, and with the advent of AEC it’s very likely the city will become much more prominent in terms of business and a connection to the rest of Thailand
