kinyara

I know the Royal Mail is not quite what it was, but I think they'd have managed to deliver all the letters the Queen wrote by now

Uniglo - Central/T21, Under Armour - Outlet Mall and Adidas App. Lightweight clothes, perfect fit shoes, good value, and a pleasant hassle free shopping experience. I don't look anywhere else, keeps retail easy for me

The daily moan from Mr Miserable, so predictable. With such a negative focussed outlook on life you'll likely die before your time

Absolutely, it's perfect for me. I've got everything on my doorstep including the convenience of the airport bus for trips to and from Bangkok. I've been in the low rise building since it was built, it's well run and maintained, lovely central pool area and really quiet considering you are close to the main road. Central and T21 are the only occasional need or attraction for me to go into Pattaya.

I'm similar in a way, I decided last year rather than continuing as a permanent resident it suited me more just to visit as a tourist twice a year. I figured at the very least I would always get a month visa free. However if I really wanted to stay longer, ie 60 days, it's easy enough to do the online tourist e-visa similar to other countries in the region. Not exactly a hardship.

Where were your friends thinking of going in the region that offers 60 days visa free ?

It's certainly a very lazy way to try and stimulate a small market, those with the ability to stay longer than 30 days. When you don't have the will or vision on how to improve the tourist offering to increase revenue, it seems to be a case of needing to be seen to do something even if they likely knew it would be counter productive.

You don't think they are being supplied with the same data to back up the decision making process.

The decline in Thai tourism can be explained almost entirely by the decline in Chinese visitor numbers, a market when at its peak detractors like you insisted brought little to the Thai economy. So your so called downward spiral is restricted to a downward spiral in one market, which is likely to only recover given the low level it reached in 2025. Why might expats face less choice when you and others have argued for years that the Chinese only frequent Chinese owned businesses ? I'm pretty sure you will still get your Sunday Roast and be able to buy your can of beans in an expat shop as the traditional Western markets are not in a " downward spiral ". In fact just looking at the UK, 2025 marked full recovery in that market since the pandemic, first time since 2019 numbers exceeded over 1 million. Just looking at who are fuelling the growth in Vietnam in 2025, besides the 48% growth in Chinese tourists " significant spikes were recorded from the Philippines - 81%, India 48% & Russia 196.9 ". So 3 of the most maligned groups of tourists on this forum when they visit Thailand, suddenly become the poster boys of a successful growth market when they visit Vietnam ?

The question that should be asked is if The Tourism and Sports Ministry don't think reducing visa free access from 60 to 30 days will significantly affect tourism, why did they bother increasing it in the first place ?

Chateau Dale doesn't have any of the on-site facilities you are looking for.

As I enter my 60's I've been lucky enough to spend the majority of the last 25 years based/living in Thailand. Sadly I reached the point last year where I felt it was no longer the place I wanted to grow old. Not an instant decision or a reflection on my values or needs changing significantly, more a gradual decline in the quality of the environment around me and third party factors outside of my control. I genuinely think Thailand has gone steadily backwards since the military took control a decade ago. I think this is borne out in economic performance and many other benchmarks you care to look at. While you could argue politics doesn't directly us as foreigners, a happy and economically prosperous populace led by a competent forward looking government and system acting in the interests of the majority does in so many ways. Unfortunately I see little hope for a country where the future majority of that country are having their wishes ignored by a corrupt entrenched self interested elite. Will today mark a turning point for the better or will Thailand continue on its downward path while its neighbours move further ahead or catch up. I'm not optimistic and prefer to appreciate the good times I had but accept I need to move on given time is a precious commodity now more than ever at my stage of life.

Mainly to keep up to date with any Visa developments. I still prefer to speak personally to the helpers at the immigration office if I'm unsure than rely on what I read in the follow up comments to stories though. I've found on several occasions first hand that an easier approach to what posters swore blind couldn't be done was actually successful. Best to try yourself.

I'd think George would fit right in with the sort of sad sacks likely to go to a meet-up with their favourite legend in a lunchtime failure in their home country Pattaya vlogger. That said, sad as they are even they probably have standards George is unlikely to pass. Imagine being black balled from a Pattaya vloggers meet up.

" I hate Pattaya, I'm never coming back ". Seems like only yesterday, sigh. Rinse and repeat

More of the same, just the usual negativity focussing on hard luck stories and people who failed to make it. " I want to tell him despite having no money he has had a great life far better than ours, and much better than many of you ! " There you go again the whole point of your post, the jealousy shining through with an unnecessary jibe towards those successfully enjoying life in Thailand.

Based on the regurgitated repetition of misery you churn out on a daily basis I'd say you're the most boring, depressing individual in the history of this forum. Bring some excitement into your life, buy a fish tank and some fish and stare at them in your free time down in your basement.

How can 1 person come up with such inane drivel on such a regular basis. Staggering.

Not exactly a great daily rate for January, 20% lower than Jan 2019. Just a continuance of the lower 2025 numbers.

It's a shame you don't have the bandwidth to realise that the same applies to Pattaya. I'll never understand why those that profess to enjoy the finer things in life never seek out those venues or experiences in Pattaya.

Looking at the Phuket News section of this forum paints a pretty grim picture of the city you live in.

I don't know about others but I wasn't, I was coming for 30 days holiday to my condo which I still own. I'm doing it again April/May with 15 days each either side of a flight to the UK so I'll see if the welcome has improved any by then.

I think you've described the situation perfectly. Hard to see significant diversification happening in anything other than a very long-term timeframe.

A month ago about 40 of us, non Cambodian foreigners, were taken out the immigration queue to a separate area at Don Muang arriving from Siem Reap. Totally disorganised, made to fill out a separate form and subject to pretty aggressive questioning. I only moved to Siem Reap earlier in the year after 9 years of trouble free Thai retirement visas, so indiscriminate. Delayed over an hour and a half. Since others I know have personally experienced the same thing I know the Thai Immigration/Airport authorities are lieing through their teeth in this one. Targeted and discriminatory just because we have chosen to live or holiday in Cambodia.

The beauty of enjoying a monopolistic position over the everyday essentials in Thailand. A licence to print money.