A Family Condo in Pattaya: What to Look For in the Unit and Building

Pattaya usually starts as a holiday. Then the family comes back for the winter break, then for a whole winter, and at some point the idea of a place of your own takes shape. The catch is that a condo that suits a couple for a week rarely suits parents with children for a month. This article is about the home itself: the layout, the kitchen and storage, the building, safety and the area around it.

If you are planning a full relocation, with schools and visas, start with moving to Thailand with family; we do not repeat that here. You will find no prices or dates either, because they depend on the project. A manager confirms them for a specific unit.

Layout: what “two bedrooms” does not tell you

Thai listings count bedrooms and leave out the living room. For most families two bedrooms is the minimum: parents in one, children in the other, and a living room that stays a living room when the grandparents visit. Projects with such layouts are collected in two-bedroom condos in Pattaya. On the floor plan, look for what the label leaves out:

• Bathrooms. Some two-bedroom layouts have two, others one for the whole flat. With children, a second bathroom ends the morning queue and the argument after the beach.
• The size of the second bedroom. Sometimes two beds barely fit. Compare the floor areas of different layouts in the same building.
• Where the bedrooms sit. Side by side is easier with a baby; on opposite sides of the living room suits teenagers who want their own door.
• A place for schoolwork. If the children follow lessons online from their own school over the winter, they need a desk in a quiet corner and internet you have tested, not the dining table by the television.

Kitchen and storage: a home for a month, not a week

A family staying for a month cooks. A studio kitchenette with a small hob is fine for a couple on holiday, not for breakfasts and dinners for everyone. On the plan, check whether the kitchen is closed or open to the living room, how much worktop there is, whether there is room for an oven and a full-size fridge, and whether a table for the whole family fits.

Storage runs out first in compact units: the buggy, suitcases, beach toys, inflatables and everything that stays in the flat between visits. Look for built-in wardrobes, a utility corner and space for a washing machine inside the unit rather than only a shared laundry, and think about where wet towels and swimwear will dry if the balcony is narrow. In a building under construction, ask the developer in writing what the fit-out and furniture package includes and what you will need to buy yourself.

The building: pools, play space and neighbours

Much of a family day happens in the building, between breakfast and the little ones’ afternoon nap. Look at it as a parent rather than through the brochure render. Facilities listed for a project are as stated by the developer, so check what each one is in practice:

• Pools: whether there is a shallow section or a separate children’s pool, shade in the hottest hours, and the opening times.
• Play space: a kids’ club on a facilities list can mean anything from a real playroom to a corner with a mat. Ask what is there, and for a building under construction ask to see the plan. An indoor room matters during the afternoon downpours of the rainy season.
• Lifts: with a buggy, suitcases and tired children, a working lift is not a luxury. In a completed building, ask how long the wait is at busy times and what happens when one lift is out of service.
• House rules: quiet hours, rules for children in the pool, age limits for the gym. Better to know before you buy than in the middle of the holidays.
• Neighbours: a building where most units are let by the night feels different from one where families live. On a viewing, notice who sits by the pool in the afternoon.

Safety: balconies, windows and water

None of this appears in a catalogue. Check it on site, as you would a flat at home, and for a project still being built, ask the developer in writing.

• Balconies: the height of the railing, the gap between the bars, and anything nearby a child could climb, such as a chair, a planter or the outdoor air-conditioning unit. Ask whether you may fit netting or a lock on the balcony door, since building rules sometimes limit changes to the facade.
• Windows: whether they have locks or restrictors that limit how far they open.
• The pool: whether it is fenced or gated, whether a lifeguard is ever on duty, and whether the water can be seen from the lobby or café. Assume there is no lifeguard unless the building says otherwise. The rule is the same everywhere: a child in the water, an adult beside them.
• Access: security at the entrance, key-card entry, a separate entrance for cars and a pavement from the gate to the nearest shop.

Floor height is a trade-off. Higher floors give a view and less street noise, but depend on the lift and need more attention at the balcony. Lower floors are easier with small children and sometimes come with a wide terrace or garden access, but you hear more of the pool and the road. There is no right answer, only one that fits your children’s ages, and those change faster than the flat does.

The area: a calm beach, a doctor and the school run

A family chooses an area differently from a couple. A calm beach, a promenade you can walk with a buggy, and a supermarket and pharmacy nearby count for more than nightlife. Many families start in Jomtien, with its long beach and most everyday needs within the area. Those who value quiet and greenery look at Pratumnak, and those who want a calm beach in the north of the city look at Wongamat. How these areas compare for buyers is covered in the best areas to buy a condo in Pattaya, so we will not repeat it.

If you come only for the holidays, what matters most is a doctor and a pharmacy close by and travel insurance that covers the whole family. If the children will go to nursery or school in Pattaya, choose that first and the condo second. The city has international schools and private hospitals, but curriculum, language, holiday calendar and the morning drive differ from one school to the next. Check those with the school itself, then keep only the projects on its route.

When you are not there: letting and your things

Most families use the condo during school holidays and leave it empty or let it for the rest of the year. Letting can cover part of the costs, but two things are worth knowing in advance. The northern winter is Pattaya’s high season, so the weeks your family wants are often the weeks that would let best. And short-term letting falls under its own rules in Thai law and in each building’s regulations, and not every building allows it. Check that with a lawyer before you buy, not after.

In practice, a lockable cupboard for clothes and toys, furniture that survives tenants and a management agreement that reserves your family’s dates in advance all help. Our guide to rental management covers what to put in that agreement, and the running costs are explained in the ongoing costs of ownership. Any estimate of rental income we give is an agency estimate, with its source and date.

If you are visiting Pattaya soon, use the trip: see a few buildings at the hour the children would actually be in the pool. A ROMA ThaiProperty manager can arrange viewings with developers, request floor plans and say plainly when something is not yet known. How a completed building you can inspect in full differs from one bought from plans is explained in our guide to off-plan or ready property.