What is Roiet like to live in?

[bert bloggs]

I have been to Roiet a few times and liked the lake in the town with the park around it ,but to be honest just dont know what its really like ,stores ,food , hospitals etc etc , any one like to give me a heads up , thanks in advance ,

[Rc2702]

Great question but next time in Roi et I recommend you visit the hospital before committing. Nothing like a first hand view.

 

 

[bert bloggs]

5 hours ago, Rc2702 said:

Great question but next time in Roi et I recommend you visit the hospital before committing. Nothing like a first hand view.

 

 

Thanks i will ,but i was just trying to get a feel for what it would be like living there ,

[Rc2702]

Just now, bert bloggs said:

Thanks i will ,but i was just trying to get a feel for what it would be like living there ,

I live near to Roi et in kalasin and had I visited the hospital prior to moving here I'm not sure I'd be here. Moving to khon kaen shortly. Hospitals are top notch there.

[sinbin]

Ones mans meat is another mans poison. Each to their own etc etc.

[Ahab]

Roiet is I'm my opinion the most godforsaken province of Thailand. Dry dusty and basically the equivalent of living in the absolute middle of nowhere (and in Thailand). That being said, some might like it , but I have absolutely no idea why anyone would like it.

[bert bloggs]

Well so far no one has really said anything , what are the stores like ,amenaties , anything , does anyone on here live there?

[elliss]

1 hour ago, bert bloggs said:

Well so far no one has really said anything , what are the stores like ,amenaties , anything , does anyone on here live there?

  Enough  said .

[Rc2702]

1 hour ago, bert bloggs said:

Well so far no one has really said anything , what are the stores like ,amenaties , anything , does anyone on here live there?

I guess it depends on your requirements but you did mention hospitals so I assume that's a fairly big priority. 

 

Put it this way. When I arrived in kalasin nearly two years ago I detested the weekly shop at big c or lotus. Now they are the highlight of my week (most weeks) I have gone from a dash to a casual stroll round the aisles.

 

If you have a plan that involves seclusion and peace I dare say it is heaven to some but I Base that on 65+ persons who want to keep it simple.

 

Great places to live the final steps but I imagine those final steps to arrive prematurely should you visit the hospital a little too much or at the wrong time.

 

Question: when is the right time?

 

 

[tilaceer]

Roi Et is a great place to live if you are looking for a quiet life.

 

The main government hospital is presently undergoing extensive renovations, and the treatment there is as good as any other government hospital. There is also the private hospital (Thonburi).

 

There is a Big C, Robinsons, Tesco, Makro and Roi Et Plaza.

 

Roi Et airport.

Global, Thai Watsadu, HomePro

Now have some reasonable hotels

Golf course.

Low number of Farangs....(big plus for me)...

 

The usual bar scene for both Thai's and Farangs.

 

Choice of places to eat Farang food might be somewhat limited compared to the larger towns, but you will still be able to sate your appetite.

 

Not as busy as KK, Korat or Buriram, so is easier to drive around, park etc.

 

I love living here, as I like it quiet.

 

[Currumbin]

23 hours ago, bert bloggs said:

I have been to Roiet a few times and liked the lake in the town with the park around it ,but to be honest just dont know what its really like ,stores ,food , hospitals etc etc , any one like to give me a heads up , thanks in advance ,

You are obviously being dragged there by a woman so you had better like her a lot, as well as lots of dust and bugs. Otherwise, Roiet has zero to offer anyone.

[khunano]

Visited Roi Et earlier this year for the first time, though I have been to Isaan numerous times. Found the town rather pleasant with the lake in the centre you can walk around and the whole place being rather clean. There are all major stores present as another poster already pointed out. If considering to live there permanently, particularly when at retirement age, I would check out the hospitals. For non emergencies you could go to Khon Kaen being only some 100 km away. I think it is a laid back town, so if you like the  quiet life it could be for you. I'd only be worried about summers, I think it get's very hot up there (and dusty) as in most areas of Northeastern Thailand.

[thaipo7]

It was reported a few months ago that Roi Et is one of the poorest towns in Thailand.  I have be through Roi Et and Kalasin but did not really stop to look around.  I was just passing through to NKP.

[bert bloggs]

1 hour ago, Currumbin said:

You are obviously being dragged there by a woman so you had better like her a lot, as well as lots of dust and bugs. Otherwise, Roiet has zero to offer anyone.

Actually you are far from the truth , we have been married for 24 years ,lived in BKK Pattaya and the UK , my wifes family own property and run businesses around Roiet And it is them that suggested that we "retire " there and use one of the properties (at no cost) , I have been there quite a few times over the years ,but to be honest never looked at it as a place to live ,so never checked out the amenities so to speak .  Even if we decided to live there ,it would not be for a year or two , so i was just trying to see what People thought of it as a place to "live" rather than visit .

[mfd101]

So why not go and 'visit' the family for 2 or 3 months? Nothing like staying with the family - or they near you - for working out what you can cope with!

 

I lived on the family farm with my partner for some 16 months while our house 40km away was being built. I learned a lot of what I like and don't like about them, and thus about myself. Since we moved in to the new house in March I've learned that it's a bit too far away when we have an emergency we need them to help with (leaking roof) and a little too close for comfort at most other times ...

[bert bloggs]

25 minutes ago, mfd101 said:

So why not go and 'visit' the family for 2 or 3 months? Nothing like staying with the family - or they near you - for working out what you can cope with!

 

I lived on the family farm with my partner for some 16 months while our house 40km away was being built. I learned a lot of what I like and don't like about them, and thus about myself. Since we moved in to the new house in March I've learned that it's a bit too far away when we have an emergency we need them to help with (leaking roof) and a little too close for comfort at most other timers ...

The Family are no problem ,some of them visited us in the UK when we lived there and i know all the others and we get on I know it sounds like "bragging" sorry ,but her family are quite well educated and most have traveled abroad , staying close to them is not the problem at all , firstly my wife has a good job here .so we could not go off for 3 months , all i wanted to know really was what "farangs" thought about living "oop north" and what the amenaties were like ,so far i am thinking we may never go .

[mfd101]

So a great deal depends on what makes you live (extrovert vs introvert). As one of the latter I would say that most of rural Thailand - or indeed rural anywhere - is for introverts, and anthropologists. I have a large library of books (and now a large house designed to house them), so I can go anywhere & live quite cheerfully inside my head.

 

But most people are not like that. They require 'diversion' to get thru the day ... I imagine that Roi-Et is like Surin in that respect. Not much of it around - just the chooks laying, the mua giving birth, the occasional snake, frequent drunkards to avoid, lot of gossip (particularly about 'rich falang'), low-variety diet ...

[bert bloggs]

32 minutes ago, mfd101 said:

So a great deal depends on what makes you live (extrovert vs introvert). As one of the latter I would say that most of rural Thailand - or indeed rural anywhere - is for introverts, and anthropologists. I have a large library of books (and now a large house designed to house them), so I can go anywhere & live quite cheerfully inside my head.

 

But most people are not like that. They require 'diversion' to get thru the day ... I imagine that Roi-Et is like Surin in that respect. Not much of it around - just the chooks laying, the mua giving birth, the occasional snake, frequent drunkards to avoid, lot of gossip (particularly about 'rich falang'), low-variety diet ...

I am quite extroverted ,but after saying that ,my wife and i are "best mates" and even after 24 years enjoy being together and to be honest really dont care if we do not have other people to go around with , (God we sound boring) )  we both like reading  and i like tv ,although she doesnt much ,sometimes i think she isnt really Thai lol ,or spent to much time in the UK .

but to be honest ,we both like going out to the shops etc , Roiet might not be a place for me especially to live in.having always lived in Busy towns . 

[hoffy66]

11 hours ago, sinbin said:

Ones mans meat is another mans poison. Each to their own etc etc.

never hear that quote before

[Madgee]

I've lived in 101city for over 4 years.

People who live here don't really like to talk too much about our little gem or else it might get infested by that pesky Pattaya mob!  lol.

[BarnicaleBob]

My wife and I have been going to Roiet once a year for a week visit to her family.  Although she owns a few rai of rice fields that she inherited there, I would not want to live there.   For now she share crops her land out to other family members and has no plans to live there until my passing. 

I found that shopping for western foods is limited to what Big C and Tesco Lotus has and they have less western foods than the ones in BKK or Chiang Mai.  There are no stores that specialize in western food and only a few western style restaurants.  However, there are some KFCs.  I have been to the government hospital and I would say in is sufficient for minor things like cuts that need stitches and such.   I have also visited a private hospital there and did note they have a floor for upper class people and falangs although the English ability of the nurses on that floor was limited.  As for things to do for guys like us, it is very limited.  If you haven't been to the White Elephant restaurant and bar, I suggest you check it out.  They have pool table and play sports on their big screen TVs there.  A lot of local expats go there, it located along the outside of the east side moat, across from the Roi Et City Hotel. 

 

[Stevemercer]

It sounds like you would be living on a rural property rather than in the township itself? If that is the case it is more whether you want to retire to a 'hobby farm' lifestyle rather than a large town?

 

I live the 'hobby farm' retired lifestyle on the edge of a township near Mahasarakham. The lifestyle suits me and we can get all of our day to day needs from the town. So we have the benefit of living a rural lifestyle, but only 2 km from conveniences. It would be the same in Roi Et.

 

Roi Et is prosperous compared to other regional centres like Kalisin and Mahasarakham. But if you like shopping and variety, you will need to go to Khon Kaen. We live 35 km from Khon Kaen so it is not too far for a day/night out.

 

Even Khon Kaen is nothing like Bangkok or other tourist cities. It is 99% Thai with a few blocks near the major hotels dedicated to farang.

[sinbin]

1 hour ago, hoffy66 said:

never hear that quote before

There's no quote in my post.  

[GarryP]

1 hour ago, Stevemercer said:

It sounds like you would be living on a rural property rather than in the township itself? If that is the case it is more whether you want to retire to a 'hobby farm' lifestyle rather than a large town?

 

I live the 'hobby farm' retired lifestyle on the edge of a township near Mahasarakham. The lifestyle suits me and we can get all of our day to day needs from the town. So we have the benefit of living a rural lifestyle, but only 2 km from conveniences. It would be the same in Roi Et.

 

Roi Et is prosperous compared to other regional centres like Kalisin and Mahasarakham. But if you like shopping and variety, you will need to go to Khon Kaen. We live 35 km from Khon Kaen so it is not too far for a day/night out.

 

Even Khon Kaen is nothing like Bangkok or other tourist cities. It is 99% Thai with a few blocks near the major hotels dedicated to farang.

I will probably be retiring to Kalasin in a few years. About 80 kms from the provincial capital. My only concern will be keeping myself occupied.  Can't stand watching tv all day. I always need to be doing something or I get bored so will probably do a lot of cycling  and fishing.  May only sedentary activity is reading. Retirement scares me.  

[Andycoops]

What tilacer has said is true. The biggest recent plus was Robinson opening with a modern cinema 

I have lived in Roi Et for 9 years and it suits all my needs very well.

It is hot in the summer around Songkran 40C plus but only for 2 months April and May.

If you are looking for nightlife then you will be disappointed unless you like it Thai style.

It compares to a small sleepy English town in the counties.

Flights to BKK take 1 hour and can be had for less than a 1000 baht if you book early.

If you like the quieter life you will enjoy it's laid back lifestyle.

 

[tilaceer]

3 hours ago, BarnicaleBob said:

My wife and I have been going to Roiet once a year for a week visit to her family.  Although she owns a few rai of rice fields that she inherited there, I would not want to live there.   For now she share crops her land out to other family members and has no plans to live there until my passing. 

I found that shopping for western foods is limited to what Big C and Tesco Lotus has and they have less western foods than the ones in BKK or Chiang Mai.  There are no stores that specialize in western food and only a few western style restaurants.  However, there are some KFCs.  I have been to the government hospital and I would say in is sufficient for minor things like cuts that need stitches and such.   I have also visited a private hospital there and did note they have a floor for upper class people and falangs although the English ability of the nurses on that floor was limited.  As for things to do for guys like us, it is very limited.  If you haven't been to the White Elephant restaurant and bar, I suggest you check it out.  They have pool table and play sports on their big screen TVs there.  A lot of local expats go there, it located along the outside of the east side moat, across from the Roi Et City Hotel. 

 

White Elephant closed....Roi Et City Hotel closed....

[SteveMack]

On 9/24/2017 at 6:46 AM, Rc2702 said:

Great question but next time in Roi et I recommend you visit the hospital before committing. Nothing like a first hand view.

 

 

why visit the hospital ?

[Rc2702]

Just now, SteveMack said:

why visit the hospital ?

Well, hospitals should be clean to stave off bacteria. If that's not the case, how can a hospital operate effectively?

 

I'm not talking OCD clean either I'm saying just even a little clean is better than what I have witnessed. Was not a one off either. When we last went to hospital we got home and took all our clothes off immediately putting them in washer and then showered. First thing the doctor said to us about his hospital was we should perform observations of his patient at home to ensure he remains healthy  (son) admired his honesty tbh. A local pharmacist said the same thing to us before too. It's common knowledge where I am currently based.

 

 

[SteveMack]

1 minute ago, Rc2702 said:

Well, hospitals should be clean to stave off bacteria. If that's not the case, how can a hospital operate effectively?

 

I'm not talking OCD clean either I'm saying just even a little clean is better than what I have witnessed. Was not a one off either. When we last went to hospital we got home and took all our clothes off immediately putting them in washer and then showered. First thing the doctor said to us about his hospital was we should perform observations of his patient at home to ensure he remains healthy  (son) admired his honesty tbh. A local pharmacist said the same thing to us before too. It's common knowledge where I am currently based.

 

 

thanks

[Stevemercer]

6 hours ago, GarryP said:

I will probably be retiring to Kalasin in a few years. About 80 kms from the provincial capital. My only concern will be keeping myself occupied.  Can't stand watching tv all day. I always need to be doing something or I get bored so will probably do a lot of cycling  and fishing.  May only sedentary activity is reading. Retirement scares me.  

If you are retiring on a sizeable allotment, there will be enough to keep you busy for a few years (planting and maintaining trees, landscaping trees and ponds etc). I still enjoy cycling 30 - 100 km three times a week. I've got plenty of different fish in my dams. You can stock all those exotics you see in TV shows like 'River Monsters' and 'Extreme Fishing' and indulge in a bit of fishing, or just fish-watching.

 

Thailand has few import laws and you can keep all sorts of exotic pets if you are into that sort of thing. You can even earn a bit of pocket money selling any babies (from the exotic pets).

 

One advantage in living in Isan is that the locals aren't habituated so much to tourists and you still get the rock star treatment.