Galare Thong Tower

The building's water is clearly not acceptable for living here long term. After just one week, the filter in my attached photo had turned dark brown. I'd lived here for two months before installing it, and during that time my girlfriend and I both developed dandruff and widespread skin problems. The water quality was extremely poor. Smoke was another constant problem despite the official ban. Residents regularly smoked marijuana and cigarettes, apparently ignoring the rules, and smoke came into the apartment all day. If you're hoping to open the windows for fresh air, don't live here. I had to watch the window and shut it whenever the smell came in, around 30-40 times a day. It was exhausting and unhealthy. For one and a half months, I repeatedly complained to the administration and the agent about smoking in neighboring apartments, and provided clear photo and video evidence. Warning signs say smoking inside the building is prohibited. At first, management said they were handling it; later, they made clear they didn't care and that residents should deal with it themselves. This place falls short on basic comfort, hygiene, and management responsibility. I strongly don't recommend renting or buying a unit here.

The apartment had what I needed, with plenty of hot water and working AC, and the bed was quite comfortable. I wouldn't call it a true two-bedroom, though: it's really one bedroom and a loft, and you have to walk through the bedroom to reach the loft. The apartment isn't luxurious. Having a washing machine was a plus, though there's also a laundromat on the first floor. It's not a hotel building. I assume the apartments are individually owned, and the shared areas are a little rundown. The lobby staff were super friendly, though they aren't employed by the apartment owners. I'd stay again and think it's a good setup for a family with kids. The location is why I gave it four stars. It's in what looks like a middle-class neighborhood, with the only tall building around. I liked the views during the day and at night, and on clear days you can see the mountains. In the morning, watching the city come alive and hearing the birds was refreshing. I also liked being away from the tourist areas, though the old city is only about a 20 minute walk away.

Stay away. It's nothing like the pictures. The furniture was dirty and broken, and the couch had hair built up from generations of people. The floor was dusty and spotty, and it looked like it had never been swept. Water damage on the walls had been painted over, with mould underneath. Most of the light bulbs were broken. The bath was broken and the shower head barely worked. One AC remote was broken, and the second AC didn't work at all. There's a taped-over door to another room, and you can hear everything through it. The WiFi was useless. A bar 500m away played its subwoofer loudly until 1am. In the morning, dogs or neighbors in the other room would wake you up. After booking, they gave us several phone numbers, but the host never answered calls, SMS, or WhatsApp. Even Agoda took days to reach them.

There were bed bugs in my first room, running across the tile toward me. There must have been a lot: I had to squash eight. In the second room, the shower curtain had mold. It wasn't the worst I'd seen, but multiple people had already given that same room one star. The night after sleeping there, I found a huge bed bug with blood. I spent my last night on the couch. Terrible experience. I could, and probably should, sue.