One of the most frequent complaints by foreign buyers is that they cannot own landed property in Thailand.

As such, many foreigners have to acquire such property using a lease agreement or by proxy, who is sometimes their local spouse.

Recently in Pattaya, however, Wise Power Land, the developer of La Royale Beach Condominium, has come up with an option that breaks new ground on how this dilemma can be overcome.

Its six exclusive beachfront villas, currently being built on a 10-rai seafront estate, are probably as just good if not better than freehold properties.

Being situated on a shared podium that houses low-rise and high-rise units, they form an integral part of the superstructure. They can, therefore, be sold as freehold condominiums.

Overseas buyers can use their own name to buy. That is of course, unless local big shots buy them first.

The managing director of Wise Power Land, Sombat Chancharoensin, says: "The biggest house at La Royal is built on an area that is equivalent to about 240 square wah. But its built-up space is nearly 2,000 square metres, which is the combined space of 10 single detached houses."

The three-level houses, the brainchild of company chairman Eric Lai and his team of local architects, provide a six-bedroom mansion with high ceilings that open up to spectacular ocean vistas, as well of views of each mansion's swimming pool and gardens.

A huge upside to owning such a mansion is the buyer need not worry about getting gardeners or maids to tidy up the place, a major time-consuming undertaking when the home is built on an individual plot. The cost of maintenance and the risk of failing to secure dependable workers can be detrimental to the property's value, of course. At the condominium, however, the supply of manpower is taken care of by estate managers. For a reasonable maintenance fee, a 2,000-square-metre unit will always look clean and inviting.

The estate's masterpiece houses - revealed over the weekend - show they are among the most prestigious trophy homes available in the area.

Sombat says the two biggest units carry a price tag of Bt78 million. "On the surface that may sound dear. But when compared with what people are selling properties for in exclusive beach estates, what we are asking is really quite reasonably priced."

A housing estate next door is asking Bt40 million for a house that is less than a third of the size, and the price does not include furnishings.

"The prices of all La Royale homes include everything: built-in items, furniture, kitchen, electrical appliances," Sombat adds. "The actual cost per square metre is just Bt70,000 for a fully furnished unit."

 A show unit at the site, at the far end of Jomtien Beach, illustrates this point.

"What you see here is what you get," says Lai, an architect by training. His career experience includes a distinguished post as the head of Hong Kong & Shanghai Hotels' property development division.

Among his well-known successes are the retail zone under the Peninsular Hotel, which is owned by the group, and the Repulse Bay apartments.

Another new phase called "Villa Lofts" is being built there, featuring 32 low-rise deluxe condominiums overlooking a 60-metre pool and garden area.

These private homes target younger couples and bachelors who like to entertain friends in a more secluded part of the estate. "All they need to do is drive up to the car park, take the private lifts and they are home," says Sombat.

The loft units are built over four floors on eight blocks, each with their private lifts from the parking floor below.

Essentially La Royale offers what the old pristine Pattaya used to provide visitors: beauty, privacy, security and a healthy clean environment.

Pattaya today is overcrowded, chaotic, noisy and badly polluted. At the weekend, the three-day music festival wrought horrific results. After being stuck long hours on the overly jammed highways, visitors faced circus-like arrangements and utter discomfort as Beach Road was closed to house an army of vendors whose cheap wares would be too low grade even for Chatuchak.

"What Pattaya needs is better infrastructure and trained city planners, not another awful festival fiasco," said one irate visitor. "A new highway or rail link would be appropriate."

The Bangkok-Bang Pakong elevated tollway now makes travelling halfway to Pattaya a quicker trip.

But once you reach this point, you will be stuck in a bottleneck at the Chon Buri bypass where slow, heavy industrial convoys wreak daily havoc on commuters.

Itthi C Tan

The Nation