The Astra Condo Chiang Mai
I have had my eye on the 17-story Astra Twin Towers for nearly a year. After a few Airbnb
stays I zeroed in on a floor plan I liked.
stays I zeroed in on a floor plan I liked.
Front entrance with guard gate and “Tower A” in view
Residents are saluted at the door
“Tower B” guests are driven by golf cart to the back building
Night view of front sign
Lobby entrance
The elevator only takes you to your floor (based on your card key). Once off the elevator you have to use your card to go through an electronic lock to each hallway. Your Key Card will only let you go onto the floor your unit is located on (because of the fire stairs outside the door to the left).
Stairwell
16th floor Tower A rectangular rooftop infinity pool. On this lip the pool is only a few inches deep for the two pool chairs. Padded deck chairs available too.
16th floor Tower B u-shaped rooftop infinity pool. Gym in the background.
View from the front door. Only a small window ahead. This floor plan reminds me of a bowling alley.
It’s impressive that the units have fire sprinklers and smoke detectors, but unfortunate that they left the red construction covers over some of the smoke detectors in some of the units. Which means they won’t work when needed. And the building is over a year old!
It’s impressive that the units have fire sprinklers and smoke detectors, but unfortunate that they left the red construction covers over some of the smoke detectors in some of the units. Which means they won’t work when needed. And the building is over a year old!
View from the front door - This is NOT the same unit, but a clandestine shot of a neighboring unit with a much larger living room. This gives you an idea of the difference in unit floor plans.
The deck is off the Master in this unit
The solar tint level of the slider door is impressive
Daytime view from 9th floor deck
Night view from same deck
The Astra parking garage has sensors to let you know where the available parking spaces are.
Original VIDEO (1 min 30 sec) See Notes Below . . .
2nd VIDEO (4 min 55 sec) - A few more floor plans.
VIDEOS - {If the thumbnail doesn’t load, click the red link above to play the video}
A few shots showing the layout of the unit I finally rented on the 6th floor
in Tower B for $500 a month. It’s the same floor plan as shown at the 4:41
mark in the 2nd video above. With the deck located in the corner of the unit.
in Tower B for $500 a month. It’s the same floor plan as shown at the 4:41
mark in the 2nd video above. With the deck located in the corner of the unit.
Opposite view from the bed through the window
Night view from living room
Night view from bedroom
The rooms have a washer but the common laundry rooms have large commercial washers and dryers in each building and feature large laundry-folding tables. Reverse osmosis water dispensers are also located in these rooms (2 liters for 1 baht or about $0.03 per 2 liters.) You can’t drink the tap water in Thailand.
Random thoughts about the Astra building . . .
The Astra area of Chiang Mai is much like Bangkok with fewer world famous food chains within sight but tons of Ma & Pop food shops and food carts on the street. Old-school Thailand. But the Night Markets come to life every night.
You can order room service from the Shangri-La Hotel next door. Spa services in the Astra are run by the Shangri-La Hotel too.
Ample covered bike and motorcycle parking in the massive multi-level parking garage.
The rooms are absolutely silent. You can’t hear anybody on either side or above you. Not even chairs scooting above you. No neighborhood dogs barking. The Play Condo suffers from noise.
7-Eleven is only 1/2 a block away. That’s a big deal in Thailand. You pay your bills at the 7-Eleven counters.
Kaba brand entry locks (using RFID cards) will also work with the Apple Watch.
The rain shower-head kicks butt and the hot water temperature stays stable throughout. However, both bathroom sinks and kitchen sink are cold water only. The Play Condo bath sink has hot water.
Room air conditioners are quieter than Play Condo. “Mitsubishi Heavy Duty” units.
Tower B’s pool is somewhat smaller than the A Tower pool, but a better configured pool and deck. And crystal clear water. After multiple visits to this property, there’s still something off-putting about the Tower A pool and deck area.
No bar-style areas to read at either pool. I’ve been spoiled at the Play Condo pool reading area. But there is a small deck in my unit to sit outside and large common area decks on multiple levels with nice chairs and views.
In the “bowling alley” room configurations the toilet area has zero plugs and no possible way to power a Toto Washlet. All the other floor plans have a plug nearby.
The Astra area of Chiang Mai is much like Bangkok with fewer world famous food chains within sight but tons of Ma & Pop food shops and food carts on the street. Old-school Thailand. But the Night Markets come to life every night.
You can order room service from the Shangri-La Hotel next door. Spa services in the Astra are run by the Shangri-La Hotel too.
Ample covered bike and motorcycle parking in the massive multi-level parking garage.
The rooms are absolutely silent. You can’t hear anybody on either side or above you. Not even chairs scooting above you. No neighborhood dogs barking. The Play Condo suffers from noise.
7-Eleven is only 1/2 a block away. That’s a big deal in Thailand. You pay your bills at the 7-Eleven counters.
Kaba brand entry locks (using RFID cards) will also work with the Apple Watch.
The rain shower-head kicks butt and the hot water temperature stays stable throughout. However, both bathroom sinks and kitchen sink are cold water only. The Play Condo bath sink has hot water.
Room air conditioners are quieter than Play Condo. “Mitsubishi Heavy Duty” units.
Tower B’s pool is somewhat smaller than the A Tower pool, but a better configured pool and deck. And crystal clear water. After multiple visits to this property, there’s still something off-putting about the Tower A pool and deck area.
No bar-style areas to read at either pool. I’ve been spoiled at the Play Condo pool reading area. But there is a small deck in my unit to sit outside and large common area decks on multiple levels with nice chairs and views.
In the “bowling alley” room configurations the toilet area has zero plugs and no possible way to power a Toto Washlet. All the other floor plans have a plug nearby.