Dear All,

We narrowly missed having severe snow blizzards here in Hua Hin and we feel very fortunate that the temperature did not fall below 19C/66F degrees. (… and that was not considering the wind-chill factor.) How I managed to keep warm without central heating and my Barbour is beyond me.

Now the temperature is a very comfortable 32C/90F thank you, and the threat of the cold spell continuing, seems to have lessened.

Welcome to Paradise at Panorama.

How has the weather been where you live?

A big ‘Thank you’ to Erich and Ursula for the photo. I felt ‘chilled to the bone’ just looking at it.

Moving swiftly on; and starting with an apology for not having posted a newsletter earlier, I am pleased to write that we are busy.

The definition of busy in this instance, means that we now have an additional five villas under construction plus one of the distressed sales being bought. So, that’s six in total.

This is keeping everyone busy and I am no exception insomuch that every new villa owner wants to have their own personal touch to their villas which requires that modifications to plans are necessary. 

Yes, we don’t just build a house with a ‘like it or leave it’ attitude, we actually encourage owners to have their own input of ideas, thus the villa becomes their ‘home’.

Look at the photographs below to see the progress on the plots that, a few weeks ago, were empty. Try to spot the ‘U’ shaped concrete structures. They house the villa’s electricity and water meters, and telephone connection point. Virtually all have been completed which means that, in a very short space of time, the electric cables will go underground.

Eureka!

I know that this is Panorama and not Syracuse, however, the joy and excitement that I will experience when the cables go underground will be enough for me to run naked around the development.

Book your tickets now to avoid disappointment. (I can already, imagine your replies – please, be nice.)

Finally, it is a pleasure to welcome new visitors and, incorporate new countries to our mailing list such as, Finland, New Zealand and the Isle of Wight. (Say ‘Hello’ to Chillerton for me.)

I wonder who will be the first to dispute that the IOW is a country.

Enjoy the photographs and; if you wish to moan – tell me. If you wish to praise – tell everybody.

Thank you and Cheerio,

Martin

Plot 57 from plot 26Plot 49 from plot 55Swimming pool pipe work plot 46-2Swimming pool pipe work plot 46Precast concrete for plot 46 Plot 46 from plot 51 Plot 44 from plot 52Plot 18 work restarted 2Plot 18 work restarted Breaking ground plot 6

Click on the image to enlarge.

As usual, your comments are welcome.

Thank you,

Martin

Please click on the thumbnail to view.

Often, it is said, that “two’s company, three’s a crowd”. Well, there are some ‘odd’ situations that spring to mind where ‘3’ is the perfect number however, you will have to read my autobiography to find out more about that.

We at Panorama Pool Villas, in our efforts to satisfy our client’s desires, have designed a two-bedroomed villa called the Nature 3.

Yes I know! Why would we give a 2-bedroomed villa an identifying number of ‘3’?

Don’t ask me. It would be easier to answer the ultimate question “of life the universe and everything”.

However, what I can tell you, is that the Nature 3 does indeed, have 2 bedrooms with a living area of just under 200 m2 (2,153 ft2), two ensuite bathrooms, an 8 x 4 m2 swimming pool, and a private sala for those masseurs/masseuses to massage and relax your body whilst you sip a Pimm’s® Number 1.

Prices start at 5,500,000 THB. That’s

102,546.00 GBP

112,344.00 EUR

163,900.00 USD

As with all our villas, the price includes the villa and the land which is fully landscaped and has planted gardens all around.

Below is a floor plan of the Nature 3. (Click on the image to enlarge.)

Over time, we have had enquiries, both from visitors to the Panorama development and from Emailers concerning testimonials.

“Other developer’s websites have real customers on them …” writes a lady from the Netherlands.

“We would like to speak to the villa owners. Can we?” requests a couple from Canada.

Now, I have never been one to regard testimonials as being worth much more than the paper that they are printed on. Take for instance the text beneath the ‘before’ and ‘after’ photographs of a woman who claims that she lost 80 pounds in 4 days due to the incredible fat-burning qualities of the wonder pill from somewhere-out-there in the universe. Is that REALLY the same person in the ‘after’ photograph? Or, the photos of the balding head of a man that miraculously sprouts hair as fine as a baby in a matter of days due to the magical concoction of a cream, the ingredients of which, can only be found in the deepest glades of the Amazon.

However, our customers are real, as indeed are our villas - and Panorama - and I.

Er-hem, moving on; so, somewhat tongue in cheek and very much cap in hand, I went to some of our clients (the calm and tolerant ones) and asked them if they thought that testimonials were a good idea and if the answer was yes, would they care to write one for Panorama.

“Yes, no problem” and, “Of course I will” were the replies so, without further ado, please read on.

Pär and Khun Jum, Ocean Villa, Panorama Pär and Khun Jum on their first-floor sala with the Gulf of Thailand in the background.

“I love Thailand because of the generous, smiling people (”sanuk”!), spectacular scenery, the delicious food and the overall high service level. These were just a few reasons, there are many more. Yes, I forgot one important feature, the lovely climate — it is not in every country you may go out in shorts and T-shirt every day, all the year around. (Jum smiles and nods in agreement.)”

“Love at first sight, this is the simplest way to express our feelings when we first saw the Panorama Pool Villas project. We actually decided to buy one of the larger houses the same very day. And our affection to the house and the project has grown even stronger with time.”

“The villa community is nicely secluded on the slope of a mountain hill with a fantastic sea view over the bay at Kao Tao. The site is beautifully and carefully landscaped with trees, flowers and grass lawns, and the attractive Bali style architecture blends well with the surrounding nature. The construction quality and design standards are very high, even higher than high-end Swedish standards. The interior decoration is stunning — it is easy to understand that khun Udorn Olsson, the project owner, is an esteemed interior decorator.”

“What strikes us is the love and care Khun Udorn attaches to the project. He has really put his heart and soul into it, and he is probably dreaming of it every night. He treats it like his own baby. What is also striking is how well the project management takes care of their customers. All problems, if any, can be solved, and all reasonable requests be fulfilled. The journey from signing the contract and onwards has been a pure pleasure.”

“The community is well located in the calm outskirts of the picturesque village Kao Tao, 13 km south of Hua Hin. There is a nice secluded beach and golf course in walking distance, and there is a national park nearby. There are shops and restaurants and other services in the village, and if you wish to visit a supermarket, Market Village in Hua Hin and Makro in Pranburi are just a 10 minutes drive away.”

“This is probably the best high-end project in the Hua Hin and Pranburi region. We can strongly recommend it for pure investment or for short- or long-term living.” Best regards, PJ

Hans the Swiss

“Testimonial of a very happy Swiss:”

“12 years enjoying a wonderful retirement time in Hua Hin is a great gift, first in the luxury of Baan Sansaran Condominium at the seaside and now in a well designed and perfectly constructed Panorama Pool Villa – what more can you wish for your life except good health and many more years to come to enjoy my time here in Thailand.

Thai food is great, everything reasonably priced, the climate excellent, no worries about heating and cold days with ice and fog! Just dip in the own pool and relax under a Sala with great view over the green hills to the Gulf of Thailand.” Thank you Pär and Hans. Martin

….. or, as in Panorama’s case: SELL! SELL! SELL!

Welcome to you all from the Land of Smiles. (The face of the Panorama’s CEO is living proof of that.)

Yes, June was a good month because we had a considerable increase in potential purchasers, three of whom have decided to buy.

As a result, plots 1, 3, and 16 are reserved. French, German, and Thai/American are the nationalities that have purchased and we are expecting the Dutch to follow suit soon. (I promised no ‘double’ jokes - so I will not).

In terms of what villas have been ordered, well; plots 1 and 3 are both Placid 1 villas (two-bedroomed) and plot 16 is a Nature 1 (three-bedroomed). The sale of the Nature is our first since we launched the new style villa a few months ago.

At this juncture, I suppose that I should state,

“Reserve your villa now to avoid disappointment later”.

Uhhmmm? Tacky, however I just did.

Incentives to buy abound so, write to me for more details. You know the drill: click here

This month saw the completion of Hans’ villa and he moved in on the 9th of June (969 - a lucky number according to Hans). Despite an ongoing ‘Deep Clean’ Hans and Chai were undeterred and started to make their villa look like home.

A week on and Hans tells me that; “we enjoy every day in our new home, it’s great here!” and believe me, such a statement from our most meticulous customer yet, should not be taken as a ‘pinch of salt’.

Below are some photographs of Hans and Chai having received some bubbly and blooms. David and Janet, our very first inhabitants also came along from next door to welcome Hans and Chai to the Panorama Fold suitably equipped with yet another bottle of bubbly.

Hans is the white-haired gentleman, Khun Chai is the Thai man with glasses, David is the portly gentleman, next to him is his wife (would you like a cuppa tea Martin?) Janet, Khun Dick is the General Foreman sporting the designer ripped jeans, Khun (Jack Sparrow) Somkiat is the electrical Foreman, and Khun (Huh? Orrrr!!!) Surapong is the Project Manager.

Oh yes, the debonair gentleman with exceedingly good looks – that’s me.

Please feel free to comment on any or all of the first four paragraphs only.

Panorama Pool Villas. Update May the 3rd 2009
Welcome to May and all that that brings with it, such as, blossoming trees, blooming flowers, welcoming cool breezes, the odd light refreshing shower of rain, croaking [read; trumpeting] bullfrogs at 3.30 in the morning (to each man, his own), gliding peacocks, (yes, gliding albeit somewhat inelegantly I thought) and of course, progression within the Panorama development.

No doubt you will all be familiar with the new Nature 1 and 2 villas (if not, click here http://thepanoramavillas.com/news/?p=156 and here http://thepanoramavillas.com/news/?p=160 ) and I am pleased to say that we are very excited with the response that we are receiving, both at the development and via our website. Keep your questions and reservations coming.

So what is happening? Well, almost all workers returned on time from their revelries and work is now under way again. The perimeter wall continues to elongate and the Clubhouse roof is finally being dressed. Plot 32’s Aqua is ‘imposing’, elevated as it is, and will afford the most wonderful of views much to the delight of the owners who visited recently to check on the progress.

Click on any of the pictures below to enlarge and to display the caption. Thank you for your feedback thus far. Martin

Plot 17 villaNot for consumption - even for the most hardy Thai stomach.Dave and Janets’s villaDave and Janet’s villaPlot 17 villaPlot 17 villaDave and Janet’s villaBuilding walls does not happen overnight especially when one has to surround 64,000 square metresNam Thao treeHans’ villaPlot 17 villaPlot 17 villaClubhouse roof dressingPlot 17 villaPlot 17 villaPlot 32 3rd monthHans’ villa

Songkran is here - and so am I, which, cannot be said of anyone else as, the workers have all gone home. (For an explanation of just what Songkran is and what it means to the people of Thailand, see the March 3rd post below.)

Gone home?
Don’t they do that at the end of every working day?

Actually, no, they do not. They are camped here because, for most of them, their homes are hundreds of miles away (or, if you are a Continental, even more hundreds of those kilo thingybobs) which, equates to sometimes, more than a day’s (24 hour days) travelling. This is true of many people especially those who come from and whose families still live in the rural areas.

Imagine; practically a quarter of the country’s population on the move at one time to go home to their families and celebrate the Thai New Year - Songkran. This mass migration takes place every year at this time. Meanwhile, the development will not see further development for the next week (at least).

Why “at least”?

Imagine also; the same amount of people trying to make their return journeys, masses of them filling (and in many cases – overfilling) cars, motorcycles (read: mopeds and scooters) pick ups, trains, buses, coaches, mini buses (public transport cannot cope) and the inevitable traffic jams and the subsequent delays causing many to restart work late. That is why I say one week at least.

I, for my part, will man the fort alone and spend some of my lonely hours bringing you up to date with the latest developments in Panorama.

Is there anybody out there?
Can you hear me Mother?

Are you sobbing yet? No?

Not to worry, please feast your eyes upon the latest photos.

As usual, please click on the photos to enlarge and display the caption. Thank you. Martin

(Now then, if only I could remember where I hid those d… Easter Eggs!)

Plot 32 zoomedPlot 32 from Plot 28Clubhouse from Plot 55Plot 14Clubhouse from Plot 55 zoomedEastern perimeter wallPlot 13Clubhouse from Plot 12

Good Morning Panorama Seekers.You have all seen the exterior drawings of the Nature Villas 1 & 2 and you will have noted that the villas are equally as enchanting as the Placid, Aqua, and Ocean villas. Indeed, one has to be a ‘Spot the Difference’ expert to tell the Nature and Aqua apart.

So why the vast difference in price? 8.6 million THB versus 24 million THB! How can that be I hear you ask?

Simply put, the Nature villas are approximately half the size of the Aqua villa.

“However, half the size is not proportionate to the price!” I hear you reply.

Correct, however - the Nature villas are single story (one level) villas and as such, the construction costs are far less. That saving is passed on to you.

“Does cheaper mean inferior build quality?”

Good question but the answer is a resounding; absolutely not! Moreover, less expensive they are - CHEAPER they are not!

In addition to the smaller footprint and less expensive construction costs, other items that the Aqua villas have, are not included as standard in the Nature villas such as, Spa Baths and marble tiling - expensive items and quite frankly - not everyone’s ‘cup of tea’.

That is NOT to say, that should one wish to have a spa bath, you would have to buy the Aqua. No! No! Ask, and thou shalt receive (or should receive read “bathe”).

And as for interior design? Let the pictures below answer that question.

Personally, I really love the open-sky shower in the master bedroom ensuite bathroom of the Nature 1. However, for those who are perhaps not quite that adventurous and do not wish to shower beneath the stars, please note that the very same bathroom has an additional shower that is a tad more conventional, shall I say.

Uhhmmm, fancy showering in or out this evening darling?