Sanuk Residences | Project
Click on the picture for an enlargement.
Even though there is still much construction to be done, the general lay-out is already clearly recognizable. A natural stream is used to supply an extensive system of canals, lake and water features, here or there with a drawbridge. The whole project site has already been developed and we are now in the process of finalizing it and planting fresh growth. Most of the already completed houses have beautiful gardens, many of them with a private swimming pool, whereby the future style of the residence park is already clearly recognizable.
Within the 'Sanuk Residences' complex, a number of separate residential areas have been developed, each with its own features. We have named them as following:- Baan Melanie
- Garden village
- Water-park
- Hill-view
- Lanna valley
- Lanna village
- Lanna lake
The project, sometimes also called a resort, is situated 400 meters away from the provincial road number 1020, which leads from Chiangrai to Tung. This road is a side road of the main highway that runs through a number of cooperating Asiatic countries (ASEAN), and that leads from Singapore to New Delhi. This very beautiful road, which is very fittingly called the 'Asia 1', makes it possible to travel to nearby cities, undisturbed by traffic jams and instead, enjoying the diverse scenery. Even Bangkok is accessible enough for a daytrip, leaving you with enough time and energy to go out in the evening. You must realize that driving in Thailand is a pleasure and is seen as a form of relaxation. It cannot be compared to a trip through overcrowded Netherlands or Europe.
A short distance away from the project, the world famous golf courses 'Santiburn', and a little further, 'Waterfort' are situated. The location of the project is truly ideal. It lies just three kilometres outside the city border, adjacent to an authentic Thai village, surrounded by stunning scenery, where rice fields are interspersed with forested hills and small streams that form from natural springs. Everywhere walking tracks can be found. Within reach by bike, there is a large National Park with a handful of uncultivated lakes. Within a radius of less than 25 kilometres, there are numerous other natural wonders, such as waterfalls, mountains covered in tropical rainforests and green valleys. Go off on foot, by bike, scooter or car or take a trip by long-tail boat or bamboo raft. In fact, you can even travel by elephant. Indeed, anything is possible and within a few minutes, you find yourself in the middle of a tropical dream that then becomes a reality.
Because the project is within reach of the city by bike, it is possible to enjoy all of the advantages of a peaceful Thai village, where the typical problems of city life are unknown. However, the city is also easily accessible for all the amenities needed to maintain a comfortable lifestyle and to attend to your personal matters. A short distance from the project there is a shopping centre with a large supermarket. Also within easy reach is a hospital with an efficient outpatient's clinic, which is adapted to Westerners, and is comparable to the general practitioner in the Netherlands. A long journey is unnecessary in order to access banks, utilities and various service companies, as well as for relaxation activities. Close by, there is a bowling alley and a little further, a cinema is located, which includes two viewing halls. Films are often in English with Thai subtitles, or the other way around. An inexhaustible variety of restaurants, with dishes and prices that would cause you to smile, make an own kitchen seem superfluous. Markets, shops, delicatessens, temples, churches, sport, as well as the bistros, bars, clubs and many events complete the list. Inhabitants, who have already gone before you, say that one misses little of what one was accustomed to in the Netherlands.
For real nightlife experiences, extensive shopping sprees, or for all sorts of specialty shops, the metropolitan of Chiangmai is a two hour drive away. These activities are often combined with a 'weekend away.'
Baan Melanie
This is the oldest part of the project and the construction has already been completed. The old entrance is located here, which will still be used, even though a new entrance has been built. This is partly due to the fact that the complex facilities are located there, next to the side entrance. These facilities include: a 25 metre recreation- and instruction swimming pool, a restaurant with a bar and a language centre. The residences in this part are relatively close together, which is not a disadvantage, because of their elevated position. Each house, therefore, has its own splendid view of the entire complex, with the hills and mountains in the distance. The residences of this project entity have a simple construction and often the building plans of the houses have been used as a basis for the adapted construction of the more luxurious homes on other sections with a higher quality of construction. Another component of this section is an apartment building with a utility room and a row of seven linked, simple apartments, which are occupied by Thai families. The apartments have a European touch and the roofs are coloured Siam Blue.
Garden village
This entity has recently been bought and built on. The main entrance to the entire project is located here. Behind the entrance is the reception building with a car park next to it. In addition, there are plans to build a playground and a service building, which will include a laundromat, a mini supermarket, a maintenance department and a swimming pool retailer. For all residents and visitors, the reception will be the contact point for all project business such as the maintenance of the garden, swimming pool and house, and also for additional services, such as assistance with disturbances or technical complications.
Just a little further than the entrance, the residential area begins. On one side of the road, a large island borders on the one side on a rice paddy. Due to the unique location, which allows for a view of the entire project and an uninterrupted view of the famous hills and mountains of Chiangrai, the sections have been given plenty of space. The property offers a lot of privacy, even though it is part of a living community. The generously proportioned sections allow for plenty of room for a swimming pool and a large garden with an outhouse. On the other side of the road, there are three properties, which border onto a stream running through the resort. These sections are quite large, in order to allow for plenty of privacy and the possibility for a spacious garden.
Water-park
This is a very unique part of the project! Who does not dream of living on a tropical island? This is not situated in the ocean, but it is a tropical island. Along the meandering road, which makes its way through the entire project, there are nine impressive sections that are completely surrounded by water. You enter onto the property by way of a drawbridge. This part naturally offers plenty of privacy, in this case by means of the water that surrounds the houses. In the evening, or in the case of absence, you can draw the bridge up by a remote control and the property is completely cut off. A few of the houses have already been taken, one large and a few smaller islands are still available. The aim of our project is to offer flexibility and therefore, if desired, sections can be combined or subdivided in order to create an attractive property of the desired size. The type and size of the house depend on the wishes of the individual resident. The houses that have been built in this part of the complex are all very spaciously laid out with large terraces. The architectural and building style is a mix of western and central Thai. The construction is very solid. A few residents have built a swimming pool on their island, which in combination with a splendid garden quickly creates an ideal setting. The houses of Water-park have brown roofs that harmonize well with the surrounding hills.
Hill-view
Here, water also has a central role. But now the sections are grouped around a water garden. In order to ensure sufficient flow of the water, the pond is connected with the other waterways of the project by means of two canals. This has resulted in extra privacy for a few properties. The row of sections along the stream are spacious and in taking the aims of the project into consideration, it is planned that smaller houses will also be built along the stream. More than half of Hill-view has already been sold and at present, some houses are being completed. The roofs of the Hill-view residences have been fittingly given nature green colour.
Separated by a large orchid of fruit trees and plants and situated in a splendid park-like landscape, a little further south lies our showpiece, the Sanuk 'Lanna' project.
Lanna Valley
This is yet another unique part of the project, which is entirely different from the already-mentioned entities. Situated between the stream that meanders a great deal through this section and the hill that the whole project faces, and enclosed as it were, in a valley, are a number of beautiful and extensive properties. The natural surroundings of 'Lanna Valley' impact on the each section. A road runs through the middle of the project. On the side of the hill, three sections are located with slightly sloping gardens. Houses that are built in a slightly raised position are built here. The Lanna house model Meesuk is very well-suited to these sections, but at present there is a new kind of house on the architect's table. This envisages the entire house and swimming pool in a raised position with the garage and service rooms underneath. This type of construction allows for fantastic views from the front side of the house overlooking the spacious gardens, the planted-out hill and the whole park-like project beyond. The constructions allows for maximum privacy as well as giving these three sections the best possible view. Behind the house, is a forest track that leads south and ends at a lake, and if followed in a northern direction, it leads to other walking tracks that are situated in the hills.
South of the already-mentioned sections are three further plots. They are also very spacious, but are situated differently from the three northern ones, as they lie between the hill and the village. The feature of these three sections is that their privacy is entirely due to the natural surroundings. The southern-most section borders on two streams that join. They are completely surrounded by beautiful trees, through which a large area of rice paddies is visible. These sections are most suited for the 'Lanna' house models Chokdee and Karun.
To the north of the just-mentioned sections and facing the sections on the hill described earlier, are three further properties, which are beautifully situated along the stream. The feature of these sections is the sense of space. This feeling is created by an undisturbed view of the hill, bordering onto the river, the further view of the agricultural field beyond it and the view of the rest of the resort. This therefore, is particularly suited for the resident who wishes to have a sense of plenty of space. These sections are suited for any type of 'Lanna' style house.
If you go around the roundabout, which has a gigantic rainforest tree trunk in the centre, and if you follow the road that leads to the bridge across the river, you enter the next project entity.
Lanna Village
This is another part of the project, which due to the success of Hill-view, has been developed in the same way. In the centre is a long lake, with a large number of medium-sized sections around it. Five sections are situated between the road that leads through the project and the stream, and they border onto water at the front as well as at the back. At the most northern part of Lanna Village are two sections at an L-shaped pond, of which especially the corner section is unique as it is surrounded by water on three sides. The southern sections border directly onto the central Lanna Village lake. A lovely garden layout to the water is therefore possible. They are of course very suitable for a terrace or an open pavilion at the water. A further series of three sections are a little more enclosed and the middle one has a view of the lake across the road. Although there is a nearly open view in all directions, just as elsewhere in the project, what gives this 'Village' its charm is the lake at the centre. Fish have been introduced into the lake in order to give residents something to grill on the barbeque. The 'Lanna' houses Karun and Chokdee are perfectly suited for all the sections of Lanna Village. Especially suited to this part of the project, a smaller type of house is presently being designed. The drawings for this model, the costs as well as the building approval ought to be finalized before the end of December of 2007.
If you follow the road through Lanna Village, you reach one of the side entrances of the project. On the right side is the last residential entity of the Lanna project.
Lanna Lake
This is a part of the project that stands apart in all aspects and therefore has a completely unique identity. Its identity is due to the privacy. There is a private entrance, which is at the village road. Lanna Lake is of course also 'Sanuk' and therefore homely. In this part of the project there is also a centrally located water garden in an L-shape that helps create the atmosphere. There are three spacious sections, which allow plenty of room for any 'Lanna' house, but which are most suited for the house type Meesuk because of the view. On the other side of the pond are two sections that belong to the first part of the project, Baan Melanie. We envisage that these two section be combined to create one spacious plot, for which a house could be especially designed to make best use of the view. Such a house would need to be integrated in the right way with already existing houses of Baan Melanie. It would, however, also be important that this house be built in the style of 'Lanna'. In this way, partly due to the playful island in the middle of the pond, a very homely and pleasant environment would be created with enough privacy for all residents.