Khao Yai Property News

PB Valley Khao Yai Winery has opened a new shop for wine enthusiasts at Palio Khao Yai.  The PB Valley Shop is open daily and offers some of the fine wines and other products from the nearby winery.

พีบีวัลเล่ย์ เขาใหญ่ไวน์เนอรี่ เปิด PB Valley Shop แห่งใหม่ ที่ Palio  เขาใหญ่  เพื่อเอาใจคนรักไวน์ และนักช้อปที่มาท่องเที่ยวในเขตเขาใหญ่  เพิ่มความสะดวกในการเข้าถึงผลิตภัณฑ์ที่มีคุณภาพของไร่พีบีวัลเล่ย์ฯ  ท่านสามารถเลือกซื้อผลิตภัณฑ์ของ ไร่พีบีวัลเล่ย์ฯ ได้  อาทิ ไวน์องุ่น น้ำองุ่น ผลองุ่นสด ผลิตภัณฑ์แปรรูปจากองุ่นมากมายหลากหลาย ทั้ง แยม ลูกเกด องุ่นกวน รวมทั้งผักสดๆ ที่ปลูกจากไร่ของเรา

A new property has become available at a prime location on Thanarat Road next to the Mittraphap intersection. This property would be a perfect business location for a hotel, warehouse, or small factory with excellent access to the main road between Bangkok and Korat (Mittraphap) as well as the main road to Khao Yai National Park (Thanarat). The land has already been filled and leveled and is ready for building. 4 rai at only 3 thousand baht per square wah, an excellent value in this prime commercial area.

More details of this prime commerical property in Khao Yai.

Land for sale at the top of a hill with beautiful views of mountains. Next to a canal and close to Kirimaya golf course. Views in all directions with great views of mountain peaks from the top of the hill. Very close to Khao Yai National Park boundary and a short 5 km drive from the park entrance. Nearby high-end developments include The Cold Mountain, Kirimaya Resort and Mutimaya Residences. 29 rai of land priced at only 1.5 million baht per rai. Another 3 rai at the same price is available directly across the road.

Photos of this Khao Yai land and more details.

Call 087-251-6076 for more information.

Despite Abhisit putting the Thanarat Road expansion project on hold the debate is not over. According to a story in the Bangkok Post, Interior Minister Chavarat Charnvirakul has thrown his support behind the project. The same contentious issues are being debated, including the argument that widening is needed for safety reasons – disputed by those who live in the area who must cross the road daily, and the fear that the contractor will sue the government for breach of contract if they terminate the work.

More details of the plan have leaked out as the debate has ensued, including the fact that they plan to widen the road its entire 24 km length from Pak Chong to the entrance to Khao Yai National Park. People who live in the area and visit consider that a travesty which will destroy much of the atmosphere of the drive toward the park. Already 128 large trees have been felled in the first 8 km stretch, including the stretch along the first curve that goes up the hill where the trees used to reach across the road forming a tree tunnel.

The expansion of Thanarat Road leading from Pak Chong to the entrance of Khao Yai National Park has been shelved, according to news reports. The story of how the road expansion project was tearing out dozens (hundreds?) of large trees 50 years old and older made the news ever day this week. The outcry from locals and visitors became quite pronounced. A stage was set up with bands playing and people invited to sign a petition against the project. Southeast Asia Greenpeace sent a letter to the government condemning the project. And finally Prime Minister Abhisit called a halt to the project.

Today we visited the area and saw that all the heavy equipment has now been withdrawn to a camp area. The biggest question now is what kind of remediation is going to be done for the area. Many are calling for the money to be spent to replant large trees along the road so that in a few years some of the atmosphere of the area can be restored. There are also calls to investigate where those old trees went because some of them are worth a lot of money on the black market.

Palio walking street in Khao Yai is a hit with Bangkok people who make the trip up, particularly on long weekends, the browse the shops and alley ways of this small replica of an Italian village. Now they can stay right in the center of it at a boutique hotel called Palio Inn.

The hotel has 12 rooms that are a mix of Standard, Superior and Deluxe class with prices starting at 2,100 baht for low season weekday and ranging up to 4,200 baht for the Deluxe room on a holiday weekend. Palio Inn is designed in the same style of the rest of the village with that old Italian village look and feel. The pricing is similar to the other higher end resorts in the area so if your budget is in that range you might give it a look.

We have seen it ourselves and were very disappointed to see so many old trees being cut to widen Thanarat Road starting at the interchange with Mittraphap. It seems we aren’t the only ones upset about it. The outcry from visitors and residents was enough that the project has been on the evening news and talk shows. Here is the scoop.

The first eight kilometers of Thanarat Road beginning at the Mittraphap intersection are being widened from two lanes to four. This required removal of many trees along the road, many of them beautiful flowering trees over 50 years old. Initial news reports had mistakenly said that the road would be made eight lanes wide.

One of the directors of the national park service made a statement that he wanted the natural atmosphere to be maintained around the park and that such a large road did not need to come all the way to the park entrance anyway. After all, there is no place for that many cars to go once they reach the park. There is a narrow winding two lane road that goes up the mountain and there are limits on the number of vehicles they allow in the park.

The local governor was interviewed and he said that the existing road is dangerous when there is heavy traffic on holiday weekends or when events are held in the area, so he approved the 69 million baht expansion project. It is true that there is heavy traffic along that stretch of road when, for example, Bonanza Ranch has a concert.

Hopefully the expansion project is kept to that first 10 km of Thanarat and the rest of the trip into Khao Yai and surrounding areas keeps its current feeling and canopy of trees along the road. The pace of development is brisk in the area so some road improvement is no doubt needed. You may also notice a new power substation under construction just past where the current road expansion ends; another sign of big things happening in the area is the need to bring in more power.

Another blogger who keeps up with Thailand’s medical tourism industry is reporting that a new branch of the Bangkok Hospital Group is under construction in Pak Chong. You may recall that last October we heard rumors that a new Moo Sii medical facility was going to be built. However, we never saw any work start and haven’t heard anything about it until now.

The latest rumor is that construction has already started but the facility isn’t in Moo Sii. Instead it is near the Fashion Outlet mall on Mittraphap Road. We haven’t confirmed anything ourselves, just hoping that this is true because it will be a big boost to the area if a large private hospital opens.

Update: Well, it seems attempts to confirm this rumor have failed. In fact, one doctor at the clinic in Pak Chong says that although there are plans to build a new facility in the area they are probably two years away from starting construction.

Of the many attractions of the Khao Yai area one of the more unique must be the number of fine wineries in the region. Nowhere else in Thailand are they this many wineries in close proximity that produce fine quality wines. Here is a short description of each with links to the wineries’ websites.

Granmonte

Located in the Asoke Valley next to Khao Yai National Park is Granmonte Estate. Granmonte produces Syrah and Chenin Blanc wines that are very drinkable. The winery is easy to reach with signs that clearly mark the turn off from Thanon Klut Khaa.

PB Valley

With 800 acres of grapes surrounded by mountains PB Valley is an impressive vineyard. The cool weather during winter months assures grapes of the highest quality for their Pirom and PB Khao Yai wines. A hotel and newly-opened restaurant are located at the vineyard. The PB Valley Syrah is excellent. It is located close to Gran Monte and is also easy to find.

Siam Winery

Famous for their floating vineyard at the Chao Praya delta, Siam Winery also has vineyards located at higher altitudes in Kaeng Koi near Khao Yai.

Village Farm

Offering a selection of premium wines is Village Farm Winery located in Wang Nam Keow. The winery is dramatically built into the mountainside at over 500 meters above sea-level and the European country atmosphere makes it an ideal place for visitors to come and stay. Their wines are sold under the Chateau des Brumes and Village Thai labels.