Possible move to Hua Hin, advice sought

[thonglorjimmy]

My partner and I have lived in Bangkok for in excess of ten years, and are seriously considering a move out of the city as the traffic, air pollution and the ever uncreasing numbers of high rise condos being built with no improvement in infrustructure, is taking it's toll.

 

I'm aware that nowhere in Thailand is perfect, anymore than it is anywhere in the world, but we're seeking views from expats living in Hua Hin as to general life down there.

 

As an expat I will need to consider the ease with which I renew my extension of stay every year, it currently takes half a day here though once you get to the desk it's very straightforward, and even oo the local Immigration officials allow online reporting, also do they insist on the reporting of address by the "housemaster", something I've never needed to do in Bangkok, any feedback would be very much appreciated.

 

Where we live in Bangkok we're spoiled for choice in regards to restaurants, basic Thai and high end, I imagine it would be the same there.

 

My wife currently works part time, this suits our lifestyle as we frequently travel and it gives her a great deal of flexibility.

 

We're looking at renting a house, is there a reasonable supply of houses for rent, I'm assuming the advice often given of stay somewhere for a while and drive round applies there?

 

Sorry if I'm a bit vague, but I would welcome any constructive comments.

 

Thanks in advance.

[Aquaman2016]

Hi Jimmy
I have only lived in Hua Hin for a couple of years, but have only praise for the local Immigration Office. My 90 day reports take about 15 minutes and my yearly extension not much more.
I do not rent a property, but I see that there is a huge number of properties available to suit most finances.
Personally I like living in Hua Hin. It is pretty stress free and there are some good amenities.
If you need any specific queries answered then please get back to me.
Kind regards.
Kieran


Sent from my iPad using Thaivisa Connect

[Seligne2]

1. Immigration here is a breeze (esp. compared with  another place I have experience, Chiang Mai). For a rental you show a copy of tabiian-baan ID card, and owner's phone. What could be easier?

2. Air is  good. There is usually a slight breeze which helps with the heat.

3. Gulf of Thailand sucks in terms of wave actions and cleanliness as compared with Krabi, Khao Lak, Phuket. As you lived in BKK, this is probably a "don't care" for you. 

4. There must be at least 50 decent restaurants in HH. Seems to me that might be enuf for anyone.

5. Rentals are widely available at decent prices. Determine your area, drive around to find rentals. Services exist to help, I find them useless

6. HH is a 180 baht minivan ride and 4 hrs from BKK. Train is easy too, but more expensive and slower.

7. Can get daily newspapers easily, not true of other places I have lived

8. Availability of Thai language schools in HH is poor (similar to every other place I have lived except CM)

9. Two hour ferry to the eastern shore of the gulf, but expensive

10. Excellent bus service direct to/from BKK airport, ~370 baht

11. Hospitals in abundance

12. There is not an abundance of gyms, but enough

13. Easy access to the south of the country via bus or rail. 

14. No airport to speak of. One flight to KL. A plus for me as a committed low-carbon Luddite

15. Enough bar action and associated  pool, darts leagues.

16. I am told the golfing is great

17. Phetkasem Rd traffic can be a pain but nothing compared with BKK 

18. See https://en.wikivoyage.org/wiki/Hua_Hin

 

[sirocco]

I join Aquaman2016,
nice as a small town where you can easily find accommodation,
the condos grow like mushrooms and the villas, very numerous, are rented or sold.
For 90 days, at Bluport, we often do not have time to take a ticket that we already have our next appointment.
Others will tell you that HUA HIN is awful, dirty, but all Thailand is dirty.
Must see for yourself, walk everywhere. Each his own.
Good research.
 

[sirocco]

I also agree Seligne2
 

[Juan B Tong]

Keep your wife in Bangkok and move to Hua Hin with your partner.

[side]

It's big city vibes vs medium town chill, that's the question.

 

Terrific list of points by Seligne above.

 

It's tough to give you more advice because you don't say how you wish to live, lifestyle, rent/buy, house/condo etc, sports expectations? As mentioned, the visa process thing is relatively painless. But that cannot be your main question right? Give us more specifics on your lifestyle expectations and we'll say if they'll be met :)

 

We love Hua Hin, been here for over 6 years. Easy to live, plenty of restaurants/bars and all other amenities. Being a small-ish town you quickly make friends, meet up at sports bars, wine bars and so on. It really is relatively friendly here. It's clean(er) too.

Edited May 10, 2018 by side

[moutamine]

Haven't you heard!  SHAAAAAAAARKS!!!! Stay away!

Edited May 10, 2018 by moutamine

[Destiny1990]

Hua hin its ? a nice village for a weekend or a midweek but  Jomtien offers way more for a start a beach boulevard.

[InMyShadow]

"ever uncreasing numbers of high rise condos being built"

I've heard of many reasons over the years but leaving BKK because to many condos? Shock horror it's a capital city!

More shock horror. Hua hin is as dead as a dodo. If your in your seventies I say go for it!

[theoldgit]

"ever uncreasing numbers of high rise condos being built" 

I've heard of many reasons over the years but leaving BKK because to many condos? Shock horror it's a capital city!

 

More shock horror. Hua hin is as dead as a dodo. If your in your seventies I say go for it!

 

Did you miss the rest of the sentence about the number of high rise condos being built which went on to say “with no improvement in infrastructure” or did you leave it out on purpose?

 

Of course the number of condos being built in parts of Bangkok is becoming a major issue, but only one of the issues the OP raised.

 

 

 

[InMyShadow]

38 minutes ago, theoldgit said:

Did you miss the rest of the sentence about the number of high rise condos being built which went on to say “with no improvement in infrastructure” or did you leave it out on purpose?

 

Of course the number of condos being built in parts of Bangkok is becoming a major issue, but only one of the issues the OP raised.

 

 

 

Well for starters you would or SHOULD know the majority of new condos are being built down away from the center of Bangkok towards the last few stations of the sky train and if you a poor and rent down in the burbs which you probably do then you may see more crowds

 

However according to TV annalists and experts who drive around at night counting condo lights and laundry on the balconies during the day ..All those condos are empty !! what infrastructure is needed  ?

 

 

[theoldgit]

Well for starters you would or SHOULD know the majority of new condos are being built down away from the center of Bangkok towards the last few stations of the sky train and if you a poor and rent down in the burbs which you probably do then you may see more crowds

Indeed but in other parts of Bangkok, like mid Sukhumvit, condos are being built at a rate of knots with no improvement in infrastructure, I live in mid Sukhumvit and the traffic is becoming a nightmare, I wonder where “thonglorjimmy” could possibly live?

Anyway the OP is asking for views about Hua Hin, not justifying his reasons for considering such a move.

[joecoolfrog]

4 hours ago, InMyShadow said:

"ever uncreasing numbers of high rise condos being built"

I've heard of many reasons over the years but leaving BKK because to many condos? Shock horror it's a capital city!

More shock horror. Hua hin is as dead as a dodo. If your in your seventies I say go for it!

Hua Hin is certainly not dead , silly thing to say. Of course there are more options in Bangkok but the metropolis also has its drawbacks.

If entertainment were the only consideration then we would all live in London or New York.

[torrzent]

9 hours ago, Juan B Tong said:

Keep your wife in Bangkok and move to Hua Hin with your partner.

Classic strategy!

[torrzent]

43 minutes ago, joecoolfrog said:

Hua Hin is certainly not dead , silly thing to say. Of course there are more options in Bangkok but the metropolis also has its drawbacks.

If entertainment were the only consideration then we would all live in London or New York.

I spent a month there one afternoon.

[Stargeezr]

I like visiting Hua Hin, for many reasons. One, it is not next to Pattaya. Two, it is between

Cha Am and Pran Buri with many beaches along the coast. Three, to the south is Phuket,

to the North is Bangkok. Four, there are a ton of places to eat at, and drink at without the

pollution of a big city. Lots of houses or condos or apartments to rent, depending on what

you are after. It is also easier to ride a motorbike in than Jomtien, Pattaya or especially

Bangkok. There are also some small songtaow buses around Hua Hin, as well as bus

service to north or south of the city. Climate is very good. Prices are not too bad as well, for

food or products of most kinds.

Geezer

[kiwikeith]

Hi Jimmy

I have only lived in Hua Hin for a couple of years, but have only praise for the local Immigration Office. My 90 day reports take about 15 minutes and my yearly extension not much more.

I do not rent a property, but I see that there is a huge number of properties available to suit most finances.

Personally I like living in Hua Hin. It is pretty stress free and there are some good amenities.

If you need any specific queries answered then please get back to me.

Kind regards.

Kieran

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Thaivisa Connect

I have a house for rent in Hua Hin close to town, it will be available at the end of May, fully furnished.

It will be available for 6 months and reasonable rent.

If you wanting to find out if you like it there then this may be a good opp for you.

I will leave a nz cell number on here and if you txt me your number I will call you as I am in NZ at present return Sunday.

 

cheers Kiwikeith

 

Note from moderation team - Phone number removed as per forum rules, if anybody wishes to communicate with Kiwikeith, please do so by PM.

 

[observer90210]

HH is fine for retirement. But if you are used to the vibrant Bangkok, you might end up in getting real bored in HH.

 

Getting through immigration in 15 min is not something that will keep you entertained for the next 90 days.

[thonglorjimmy]

Thanks for the comments chaps, most of which were really helpful, sorry I haven't responded earlier. we've been scoping another coastal town for a few days, and have more or less ruled that one out.

 

Yes, I live in Thonglor where the number of high rise condos being built is getting beyond a joke, there are three overlooking one side of our condo which is affecting our natural light, and the ground is being prepared for more, there are also a number of low rise apartments being in our soi, the traffic through our soi, which is also a rat run, and surrounding sois is almost continuosly gridlocked. I don't know about the building of condos further out of town, but, in any case, I'm not sure how relevent that is for a question about Hua Hin.

 

No the Immigration Office in Hua Hin compared to Bangkok certainly isn't going to be a deciding factor, but I asked as a matter of interest. I suppose I need to ask about Internet Service Providers, Cable/Satellite tv and even supermarkets.

 

As I said in my opening post, we intend to rent, probably looking for a pool villa long term, not just while the owner is out of the country for a few months, we've been in our current condo for almost ten years but we think it's time to move.

 

We're going to Europe in August and would probably relocate on our return, in the meantime we will spend some time in Hua Hin.

 

Thanks again to those that made constructive comments.

 

Very best wishes

 

Jimmy 

[thonglorjimmy]

We're pretty sure we're going to relocate to Hua Hin and are staying there for a week in the middle of next month to look for somewhere suitable to live.

 

We intend to initally try and rent somewhere for twelve months and then take it from there, I'm led to believe there is plenty of availability at the moment and the best way is to just drive and have a look, but to avoid agents.

 

We're looking for somewhere with two or three bedrooms, not sure whether we want a private or communial pool or even which area.

 

We would welcome any tips or suggestions as to area indicitive budgets etc.

 

Thanks in advance

[melvinmelvin]

2 hours ago, thonglorjimmy said:

We're pretty sure we're going to relocate to Hua Hin and are staying there for a week in the middle of next month to look for somewhere suitable to live.

 

We intend to initally try and rent somewhere for twelve months and then take it from there, I'm led to believe there is plenty of availability at the moment and the best way is to just drive and have a look, but to avoid agents.

 

We're looking for somewhere with two or three bedrooms, not sure whether we want a private or communial pool or even which area.

 

We would welcome any tips or suggestions as to area indicitive budgets etc.

 

Thanks in advance

 

here is an area in BKK you might consider, Bang Kon Tien in the very SW corner of BKK.

no high rises

reasonably laid back

close to sea

FRESH air, you can smell the ocean

top quality seafood in abundance

 

Hua Hin  is OK, plenty of housing on the market

plenty of lasses on the market

hospitals

dentists

beaches

good shopping

transport, yes

bars, plenty

hotels, plenty

restaurants, plenty

farang, plenty

reasonably well-off Thais, plenty

 

what I dislike about HH is that the locals have taken note of that Thais with satang and farang are attracted to HH,

and prices (for everything) are skyrocketing, also labour

 

I have 2 Thai lady friends in HH, both well off civil servants,

they go to BKK and Pathum Thani for shopping larger and costlier items

 

by all means, HH is a comfortable place

 

 

 

[kannot]

2 hours ago, thonglorjimmy said:

We're pretty sure we're going to relocate to Hua Hin and are staying there for a week in the middle of next month to look for somewhere suitable to live.

 

We intend to initally try and rent somewhere for twelve months and then take it from there, I'm led to believe there is plenty of availability at the moment and the best way is to just drive and have a look, but to avoid agents.

 

We're looking for somewhere with two or three bedrooms, not sure whether we want a private or communial pool or even which area.

 

We would welcome any tips or suggestions as to area indicitive budgets etc.

 

Thanks in advance

Id  tend to go South of the main town if I were you, less  flooding, easy access to Bluport and Market  village, better access to the beaches at sam roi yot no need to trawl thru town centre  bottle neck.

I live at Pranburi, quieter  ,suits  me can get to Hua  Hin in 20  minutes.

New widened roads out of town heading  south now help a lot also 2  lanes.

You could try LAs Tortugas Condo right on the beach if you can live with another condo, having said that  it is quiet there and right on the beach, 10  minutes out of town 2  swimming  pools  well maintained only get other people there at weekends for one night only as mainly used for BKK folks holiday homes etc.

 

Edited September 24, 2018 by kannot