Property Spotlight: Notting Hill Sukhumvit – Praksa

Notting Hill Sukhumvit – Praksa is a 35-floor condominiums project managed by Origin located in Samutprakan, the province directly south of Bangkok. It’s a popular choice for commuters and young professionals in the area looking for modern conveniences at an affordable price point.

Community
Located within walking distance of Phraek Sa station, three stops from the southern end of the BTS green line, it’s a popular place to live among a young group of Bangkok commuters, teachers at nearby schools like Bangkok-Chicago Christian International School, as well as workers at the many factories in the area like Delta. Notting Hill also boasts a surprisingly multinational community, with residents from the US, the UK, Hungary, Sweden, China, South Africa, Kyrgyzstan and Kazakstan, to name a few.

Facilities
On the 35th floor, you’ll find a beautiful rooftop garden with 360-degree views of Samutprakan, including a stunning view of the Gulf of Thailand and Chao Phraya River at sunset. Behind the building, there is a parking garage. On the 10th floor, you’ll find a basketball court and a small walking track. On the ground floor of the main building, there is a public study room, a swimming pool and a gym. The gym has all the common equipment for cardio lovers and those who generally don’t like to work out. But for the more serious gym rats, there’s a weight rack full of dumbbells. One resident has installed his own squat rack, which anyone can use. This is a huge plus for those who want more professional weightlifting equipment. Just don’t take it for granted and expect it to always be there. Another plus of living here is the blazing fast internet. Each apartment is equipped with a high-speed optic fibre cable port, so you could have the fastest internet speeds in Thailand, if you sign up for the right internet plan, of course.

Security
Security is a big concern at condo complexes these days, so it’s important to have a trustworthy guard force. The guards at Notting Hill recently changed management, but they still do the same things and are friendly enough. Like guards anywhere, they’re trusting once they know your face. Daily duties include assisting with cars entering and exiting the parking garage, as well as flagging down oncoming traffic so you don’t get into a car wreck when pulling out of the driveway or crossing the road. The guards also manage the check out and return of various shopping/moving carts, and they can help you access your floor if you forget your elevator card.

Transportation
So how convenient is it to live at Notting Hill and commute to work in Bangkok? Well if you take the BTS, then it’s about an 800 metre walk (10-122 minutes) to Phraek Sa station, followed by a 40-50 minute commute to the city center. A trip from Phraek Sa to Asok will cost you 48 baht each way. (Promotional material shortens the walk to 600 or 650 metres, which may be as the crow flies, but it’s not the true distance, unless you’re a bird. Also, they say it’s only a 30-minute BTS ride from Phraek Sa to Asoke, which is another slant lie.)

Location
The complex is located about 800 metres from Phraek Sa station, three stops from the end of the BTS green line. The complex provides a shuttle bus to and from the station at scheduled times in the mornings and evenings, for the convenience of commuters and those who want to go shopping at the nearby shopping mall, Robinson Lifestyle Centre. It’s also located beside a large market and between two 7-Eleven convenience stores. If walking 1-2 minutes down the road to get your goods isn’t convenient enough, Lawsons recently opened a store on the ground floor and 7-Eleven installed a snack machine. The building’s address is: 188 Thanon Phraeksa, Thai Ban Mai, Mueang Samut Prakan District, Samut Prakan 10280, Thailand

Annoyances
The most annoying thing about living at Notting Hill is the elevators. Each resident is given an elevator card with access to only their floor, as well as the ground floor and the rooftop. Residents are unable to access any other floor with their card, and no floor without it. That means you cannot visit a friend’s condo on another floor when you want to hang out — you”ll have to meet them on either the rooftop or the ground floor and hav them escort you to their room. It also means you’ll be stuck in the elevator if you forget your card or it stops working. You can’t even press the button on the ground floor without a key card. After an extended period of inactivity, the elevators will shut down, leaving any stranded users in the dark until someone else presses the elevator button on another floor. But it could take a while, as there are four main elevators. If the elevators weren’t bad enough, building management has recently installed noisy electronic billboards in each one. They are very bright and annoying. And of course, they’re Chinese. So what happens if the elevators break? (Which has been known to happen.) Don’t worry, you can just take the stairs, right? Be forewarned: the doors on each level only open from the outside, meaning once you’re inside the staircase, there’s only two ways to exit — either you go up to the rooftop or down to the ground floor. Previously, a loud fire alarm would be triggered every time you exited the staircase on the ground floor. Fortunately, management has rectified this ironic fire hazard.

Contact
It’s impossible to say a set price for renting a condo here, as it depends on the size and who your agent/landlord is. Bear in mind that agents take a one-time fee, which will be included in your rental price. Contact Origin directly for inquiries or for friendly multilingual services, find a real estate agent at our partner, FazWaz. You can also call the front office: +6620044287