newnative

Sad

Yes, one of the reasons we like Pattaya is its easy drive to Bangkok and the airport vs. Hua Hin--we have a Bangkok condo and visit about once a month, and we like to travel using the airport. We started in Pratumnak in 2010 but found there were other areas of Pattaya that we liked better and were more convenient for us--another one of the nice thngs about Pattaya is its variety of different neighborhoods to choose from.

Yes. It happened to my Dad years ago. He was driving in the evening and a man jumped in front of his car. My Dad was an excellent driver but he could not stop in time. The police found a suicide note on the man who died and apparently he was known to have mental issues. Although my Dad was not at fault he said that what happened affected him for a long time.

Thanks for the information!

Good luck taking on 7-11. They have really been stepping it up the past few years, shutting small shops with little or no parking and opening bigger stores with convenient parking in front. In my area of the Darkside, we have at least 3 new, bigger ones nearby. Our only complaint is they sometimes run out of popular items that we like. They need to restock more often--an empty shelf is producing no revenue.

We were at the motor show yesterday--extremely crowded--and my spouse inquired about any discount for the Honda CR-V. The sales clerk couldn't tell him immediately but took his number and said she would get back to him with the information. Haven't heard anythng yet. The new Chinese models from BYD and Changan were so mobbed we could not get close enough to sit in any of the new models being introduced. We were disappointed that the Seal U suv was not on display, just the Seal sedan. Also disappointed that there was, once again, no Nissan X-Trail. Nissan has a huge gap in their product lineup here. The Terra is way too big for many buyers, including us, and the Kicks is too small. They really need the X-Trail to fill the gap. Nice to see Kia and Hyundai introducing some new models.

Yes, some of the tourist entertainment areas, such as Walking Street, etc., a small part of greater Pattaya, are based on sex tourism, but to say the whole city's economy is 'entirely based on prostitution' is utter nonsense. If that were the case, the entire city would have shut down during the years of covid. It didn't. Of course, many of the sex-based tourist businesses shuttered during that period, as well as other mainstream tourist businesses, such as D'Luck Theater, but the city, as a whole, did not. The malls stayed open. Most of the big, major hotels catering to a diverse tourist demographic, including Thai weekend visitors, managed to open, after some initial closures. The hospitals stayed open. All the big box retail stayed open, including Index, Home Pro, and Boonthavorn. New construction continued at a brisk pace, with new, big condo developments started and new, big hotels, such as Centre Point Space, catering to families, beginning construction. Car dealers remained open, and a number of new brands set up shop. Not too many sex tourists take a new car home in their suitcase. I moved to the Darkside during covid, moving from the beach area of north Pattaya, and what struck me the most was how this part of Pattaya was not affected as much by covid. All the 7-11s remained open and were doing a brisk business, unlike the area I moved from. The whole area was bustling, people going about their normal business. I was surprised that, on the Darkside, even during covid, my spouse and I would have to sometimes wait for a table at our favorite restaurant. New housing projects being planned and under construction. Obviously, this area of town is not really dependent on the sex trade to keep businesses open. Pattaya has grown into a large city, with an economy driven by much more than just sex tourism.

Yes, I saw your earlier complaints regarding the sidewalks and the traffic jam after the fireworks. Neither would be very high on my list of wants in a place to live in retirement. I've walked sidewalks in many places in Thailand, some better, some worse than Pattaya. Most probably about the same. I've learned to look where I am walking--whether I am in Bangkok, Pattaya, or anywhere else. Traffic jam after a huge event drawing thousands of people? What a surprise. In normal times, I find the traffic no worse than other areas I have visited. It takes my spouse and me about 15 to 30 minutes to get to most of the places we want to go to in Pattaya from our home on the Darkside. We can live with that. Compared to Bangkok, it's a breeze. Yes, City Hall is, as you say, a 'hole'. But, I can't remember the last time I had to go there so, again, not something that would be high on my retirement list--which is the subject of the thread. In choosing a place to live, you do need to weigh the good with the bad. No place is going to be perfect. For us, the good far outweighs the bad in regard to what Pattaya has to offer vs. other places so it's an easy choice for us to live here. I do find myself curious as to why you are living in Pattaya if, as you say, there are so many other better places to live in Thailand. By the way, try the nice bike path around Mabprachan Lake sometime if you like to bike.

I think yours is the 'silly statement'. Many of us living in Pattaya have been to plenty of other places in Thailand and we still choose Pattaya as the place that checks the most of our 'wants list' in a retirement destination. My Thai spouse and I could live anywhere in Thailand--and we have a Bangkok getaway condo--but Pattaya just suits us best.

Move on. Nothing to see here--just the usual. Likely a few unlucky, bottom of the totem pole officers reassigned to inactive posts.

Boo hoo

Note the clean beach.

You seem to enjoy it. But, it makes me wonder why. You apparently visited Pattaya once, for one day, and supposedly did not like it at all. You'd think that would be it. Yet, here you are, posting dozens and dozens of remarks regarding Pattaya--most totally inaccurate, by the way. You need to be careful. Very careful. You're skirting dangerously close to being nominated for membership in the Can't Quit Pattaya Fan Club.

Rubbish.

Terrible idea.

Yes, ban them; and ban tourists from renting all motorcycles.

I agree. Pattaya is a good choice. There is a large supply of housing with many economical choices. Housing is often the biggest monthly expense so this is important if your budget is tight.

No. You really are totally clueless.

Not really--I have other things that occupy my time. This year, for example, my spouse and I have been building a new house--which has kept us busy since February. I certainly use Pattaya's malls, probably once or twice a week, and I'm happy we have several very nice ones that are easy to get to from my home on the Darkside. I use them to do my banking and other services, use them for a lot of my shopping--everything from shoes, to clothes, to sports things, to electronics, to sometimes groceries, etc. I go to the mall to see a movie and sometimes eat at one of the restaurants. Did pretty much the same at the malls in the US when I lived there. Normal life

Maybe plan a visit of more than a day, venture beyond the tiny area you experienced in your 1 day here, and discover for yourself the things Pattaya has to offer.

I don't recognize the photos, either--especially the one with all the trees in the sand. I think Pattaya gets a bad rap regarding how clean the beach is. I certainly never saw the beach looking like any of the posted photos. I used to live at Northshore and every morning I could see them out cleaning the beach. I imagine they are still doing it.

Yes, too funny. And, I couldn't agree more regarding Walking Street.

Here you don't go. Walking Street is just a tiny part of Pattaya, which is now a big, spread-out city, with many other areas, which, it is clear, you have never visited.

Sort of ridiculous to make a judgment of a big city based on one day's visit. Wonder what you managed to cover in a day.

I think you'd like living on the Darkside in Pattaya. My spouse and I have been in Pattaya about 13 years, with the last 2 moving from various beach areas to the Darkside. Lots of nice housing estates to choose from, with more being built every day. We are near Lake Mabprachan, a popular, growing area, and it's a very easy drive into town on the Motorway. We can be at places like Terminal 21, Index, Bangkok Pattaya Hospital, etc. in 15 minutes. And, as you say, Bangkok less than 2 hours away.