Bangsaray. Idyllic beaches, tropical retreat. But where is it?
Ever heard of Bangsaray? It’s about 20 kilometres south of ‘Sin City’, Pattaya, and, so far has seemed to retain much of its charm. Remember Pattaya wasn’t much more than a haphazard fishing village 40 years ago (it might be argued that it’s not a fishing village any more but still haphazard).
20 kilometres appears to make a large difference and you can leave the glitz and bar girls of Pattaya behind whilst still within reach of Pattaya and the capital when you need your ‘city’ fix.
Bangsaray’s appeal appears to rest on plenty of natural attractions and lifestyle opportunities. With golf courses, alone, 20 nearby courses rank among the top PGA courses in Thailand. The local municipality has also been quite forward thinking with bike, running and hiking routes in the area. There aren’t a lot of tall buildings and large touristy developments in Bangsaray – you’re much more likely to find locals and smaller beachside restaurants.
Thailand has already made the Eastern Economic Corridor a ‘thing’ with a 20 year strategy to make it the country’s most significant economic driver for the Thai economy. Nearby Rayong and Chonburi are already big manufacturing centres. The Thai government says that 1.5 trillion baht ($43 billion) is slated for infrastructure projects, including the expansion of the U-Tapao International Airport and the construction of a high-speed railway between Bangkok and nearby Rayong.
U-Tapao International Airport has already had an upgrade and is attracting more direct flights into the region without people having to do the 2-2.5 hour road trip from Suvarnabhumi Airport.
Property-report.com reports that beachfront land in Bangsaray has increased by as much as 225 percent over the last 15 years.
“A 3-rai beachfront parcel now lists at about 30 million baht per rai, compared with 7 – 8 million baht back in 2002,” says Clayton Wade, MD of Pattaya-based real estate agency Premier Homes.
“This is one of the most positive aspects of Bangsaray’s rise as a boutique resort hot spot,” Clayton says.
“Land prices in Pattaya, Jomtien and Na Jomtien went up even higher over the same period but Bangsaray hung in there with some very attractive land price increases.”
“I predicted in 2007 that Bangsaray would evolve from a sleepy fishing village image to a top Thailand boutique resort in 10 years. Well, it’s been 10 years and we haven’t quite gotten there yet but Bangsaray is well on its way.”
Read more about Bangsaray and property developments there HERE.
