It's been a while since I did an apartment review, so today I'll be doing one for Varrzon Residence located on Sukhumvit 36, in Thong Lor.
I have stayed here for 2 years in a studio (year 1) and 1-bed unit (year 2).
Varrzon Residence rental prices
Varrazon Residence has 3 types of rooms, they are:
- Studio (11,000b -13,000b)
- Duplex (16,000b+)
- 1-Bedrooms (16,000b+)
All rooms comes with a two-piece stove meaning you can cook even in the studios. It's vary rare to see studio apartments in Bangkok have a built-in kitchen, especially for as little as 11,000b in a high value location.
If you come with a Thai person you can negotiate contacts for 3-12months, if you're really slick or it's low season you may even be able to get 1-2 month contracts.
Keep in mind that this apartment is usually fully booked during high season. If you really want a room here, grease the receptionist with 500b and tell her to contact you when a room is free.
If you can speak Thai or have a Thai girlfriend she can maybe shave a thousand baht of the yearly rate.
I was able to get 1,000b off per month for my 1-bed because I stayed there before (I paid 15,000b).
If you are single and don't mind a small studio room, I don't think you'll find a better place so close to Thong Lor BTS than Varrzon Residence.
Their 1-beds are good value if you can snap it for 16,000b per month or less but I feel their duplex rooms are a little overpriced.
I'm not a fan of duplex rooms since the bedroom is not connected to a toilet meaning you have to go down stairs at night, which is a one-way street to snap city after a messy night out in Bangkok.
What I liked about staying at Varrzon Residence
The entire condo is owned by one person and the prices for the most part are fixed.
Since the condo is owned by one person, if anything goes wrong with your room it's fixed within a day or two.
The women on reception cannot speak English at all and she won't understand anything you say in English either.
During my 2 years there I saw zero ants or cockroaches in my room, the halls are cleaned almost daily and the fittings in the room look modern but are of a poor build quality. The condo itself is around 3 years old.
Often I would have small issues with the door handles being stiff or the windows needing a little extra pull to close properly.
I was told the owner left the country and when he was away the builders rushed the job which shows in the finish.
After a few weeks you'll notice that the handles on the door are not as firm as you'd like, the balcony door is not sliding as smooth as it should, and other minor things.
But for the average price of 12,000b for a modern looking studio with a kitchen in the heart of Thong Lo - you can't really complain.
What I didn't like about this condo
The first thing was the Internet, you cannot get faster than 3mb download and an upload of 0.10kbs.
For everyday browsing it's fine but you can't download torrents (it's blocked).
You can choose between following packages:
- 300b- 1mb valid for 30 days
- 500b- 2mb valid for 30 days
- 700b- 3mb valid for 30 days
You have to buy a voucher every month at reception. You can also install your own True Internet line which costs 750b/month and you have to pay the owner another 350b/month fee for the privilege (or at least that's what I was told, uwotm8?).
The Internet was fine 95% of the time, but often it would run slower than 3mb and it was not uncommon for the Internet to go down for 2-3 days every 60-90 days or so.
There were lots of coffee shops in the soi to work in when this did happen.
The reception at the desk can't help you either when the Internet is down, you have to call some support line who were actually pretty useful but rather stupid and annoying at the same time.
The other thing that annoyed me was the thin walls. If your neighbour had a girl in his room and she's a screamer, you're gonna know about it.
The walls are paper thin which means you can hear if someone is playing music or watching a loud movie.
Because I'm a sick kunt, I managed to get a corner room which wasn't connected to other rooms so none of this was a problem for me.
How big are the rooms?
The rooms here aren't big, you're paying for location and a modern looking room with a kitchen!
A studio is around 22-28sq meter. Here are a few pictures of a studio room which I stayed in 2 years ago:
As you can see it's not very big.
Here are some photos of their 1-bed units:
Rooms come in a number of different colours, from ugly green (above) to purple and sky blue which look better.
If you need a bigger space then this condo is not for you. You'll need to be spending 20k+ for a 50sq meter or more if you want to stay so close to the BTS.
How much is water and Electricity?
Water is around 20b/unit, I never spent more than 200b per month on water.
Electricity is 8b/unit, if you leave your air-con on 24/7 you're looking at a bill of around 3,200b per month which is pretty pricey when you factor in that in most other condos you'll be paying 4b/unit.
Every room comes with an average looking table, a built-in desk and chair. The beds are queen size in the studios, and big king sizes in the 1bed and duplex rooms.
You can hire a microwave, fridge and TV for 1,500b per month (better to buy your own and sell later if you stay for 12 months.) You can get this down to 1,000b per month.
Deposit is 2 month's rent, so if your room rent is 11,000b, then you must put down 22,000b. Both times I received my deposit in full, no issues.
Who is Varrzon Residence for?
If your budget is 11,000-14,000b, you want to be in a central location in Thong Lor and don't mind the minor imperfections - Varrazon Residence is for you.
If you have a 18,000b+ and want a plush room, then I suggest you stay elsewhere.
Varrazon Residence is the ideal condo for budget expats in Bangkok who want a clean room with a kitchen a central location.
Varrazon Residence is no thrills but serves it purpose well for the price. This place does not have a pool but does have a very small gym with weights going up to 5KG, a treadmill and a bike.
It's a 10b motorcycle ride to Thong Lo BTS or a 3 minute walk.
Here's a map location of Varrazon Residence:
If you have any questions about this place, leave a comment below and I'll answer them all.
