On 12/16/2018 at 8:27 AM, KittenKong said:

I'm inclined to agree.

The OP mentions exploring southern Thailand, and Pattaya is not hugely practical for that as to go to the south you have to first drive through Bangkok and then drive past Hua Hin. If you start from Hua Hin you are already half-way to the south and you dont have to cross Bangkok.

However Pattaya is good for getting to Bangkok, BKK airport, the eastern coast and the north, which is one reason why I live here. But exploring the eastern coast doesnt take very long at all.

 

Also Hua Hin is definitely much more sedate and quiet and cleaner and upmarket than Pattaya is, and it has some very pleasant quiet beaches just an hour's drive away or less. Those aspects seem to be important to the OP.

Didn't they start a car carrying ferry between Pattaya and Hua Hin??  I seem to remember they talking about it fr years and years.

12 minutes ago, TunnelRat69 said:

Didn't they start a car carrying ferry between Pattaya and Hua Hin??  I seem to remember they talking about it fr years and years.

The regular foot passenger service was suspended in September and October and started up again in November. They keep talking about starting the car service but it hasn't actually happened yet.

 

With the price of the foot service at 850-1200B one way, I doubt that the car service will be very cost-effective. Possibly of interest to anyone desperate to save a couple of hours driving time though. Personally if I was going by car from Pattaya to, say, Phuket, I would just allow for an overnight stop and the saving made by the extra 2 hours driving would easily cover the cost.

Jomtien is nicest place to live.

Coming to Pattaya for better air quality is a weak reason, is there any other reasons you want to tell us about?

3 minutes ago, scubascuba3 said:

Coming to Pattaya for better air quality is a weak reason, is there any other reasons you want to tell us about?

If he lives in Chiang Mai air it's a good reason and why I moved the first time. 

If he lives in Chiang Mai air it's a good reason and why I moved the first time. 

Yes but why Pattaya, what other reasons are attracting him or you to Pattaya?

 

I'm not the first to say it, but why would you move somewhere you know next to nothing about?

Go for a holiday there first.

People either love Pattaya or hate it. I used to love it, but the last couple of times the traffic was so bad I changed my mind, and it's not going to improve.

For anyone suggesting the dark side, isn't the development of the next 2 tunnels on Sukhumvit going to cause at least 4 years of traffic hell trying to get across it?

Yes but why Pattaya, what other reasons are attracting him or you to Pattaya? 

Budget is a big attraction. It's the same price as chiang mai but by the sea

1 minute ago, madmen said:

On ‎12‎/‎17‎/‎2018 at 3:38 PM, scubascuba3 said:

Yes but why Pattaya, what other reasons are attracting him or you to Pattaya? 

Budget is a big attraction. It's the same price as chiang mai but by the sea

Being by the sea is not such an attraction in Pattaya as in places with an actual beach that isn't getting washed away everytime it rains. Besides, one would have to be insane to actually swim in the filth.

I thought Chiang Mai was cheaper in almost every respect. Only thing I can think of as less expensive in Pattaya would be the girls.

5 minutes ago, thaibeachlovers said:

For anyone suggesting the dark side, isn't the development of the next 2 tunnels on Sukhumvit going to cause at least 4 years of traffic hell trying to get across it?

I know many people who live on the darkside and who rarely cross Sukumvit. So they probably wont care very much.

Being by the sea is not such an attraction in Pattaya as in places with an actual beach that isn't getting washed away everytime it rains. Besides, one would have to be insane to actually swim in the filth.
I thought Chiang Mai was cheaper in almost every respect. Only thing I can think of as less expensive in Pattaya would be the girls.

I said by the sea.. Not in it lol

You don't need to swim in it to like being by the ocean. It's calming and the sunsets are quite nice

7 minutes ago, thaibeachlovers said:

Being by the sea is not such an attraction in Pattaya as in places with an actual beach that isn't getting washed away everytime it rains. Besides, one would have to be insane to actually swim in the filth.

I thought Chiang Mai was cheaper in almost every respect.

I never swim in the sea anywhere in the world (I simply dont like salt water) yet I do like living in a condo with a nice view of the sea, and I like walking along the seafront. You cant do either in CM and even the river views there are not really very nice as the river is always an unpleasant colour. The moat around the old walls is much nicer.

 

As for prices, I find that most things are about the same price except local food and accommodation, both of which tend to be a little cheaper.

On 12/17/2018 at 9:38 AM, scubascuba3 said:

Yes but why Pattaya, what other reasons are attracting him or you to Pattaya?

 

 

On 12/17/2018 at 9:21 AM, scubascuba3 said:

Coming to Pattaya for better air quality is a weak reason, is there any other reasons you want to tell us about?

Anyone who has experienced the CM smog would understand why so many are keen to get away from it. I certainly do.

 

As for wanting to come to Pattaya, for me it's more a question of Pattaya being one of the very few Thai places suitable for farangs to live in. I know that many would disagree and would promote the merits of Nakorn Nowhere, but for me there are really only 5 options in Thailand:

Bangkok (too built-up, too crowded, too expensive to find a nice condo with a nice view in a decent location)

Hua Hin (a very viable choice, though a bit further from BKK airport than I would like)

CM (smog and rain, and a long way from BKK airport, but fine apart from that)

Phuket (silly prices, more rip-offs than even Pattaya has, a long way from BKK airport and always raining).

Pattaya (full of the worst types of tourists, but fine if you live somewhere just outside of town like Jomtien)

 

And of those 5 Pattaya (or nearby) is easily the best choice due to the sea views, the fairly cheap accommodation, the stable climate, the easy availability of farang food/entertainment and the ease of getting to the airport and Bangkok.

 

Other places in Thailand are just too Thai for my taste. Fine for a day or two but I wouldnt want to live there.

4 hours ago, thaibeachlovers said:

For anyone suggesting the dark side, isn't the development of the next 2 tunnels on Sukhumvit going to cause at least 4 years of traffic hell trying to get across it?

You know these are going to go ahead? When?

As others have suggested, I would recommend that you come here for a few weeks, rent a car and take a very good look around.  It very much depends on your expectations and on your family  life style.   I came to this area to be:

near the sea

near good quality hotels and restaurants

near a good hospital or two

within short driving distance of BKK 

I don't like Cities and crowds and needed a quiet part rural location to live. However, Pattaya is, in my view,  not a particularly nice, attractive, or friendly City and not a pleasant place to spend any quality time, unless you are there for the obvious attractions for some people. As I say, a very personal opinion, but shared by many of my expat friends in the area.  Traffic is terrible,  lots of scams around, too many tourists,  too many girly bars/massage places. gogo bars, dirty beach and sea, I could go on,  but, it does have very nice, high quality hotels, restaurants and hospitals.  Shopping is good too, if you are in to that.  So our decision was to live within around 30km of Pattaya.  This we have done and we feel that we made the right decision on location.

 

When you have visited  the place and made up your own minds on the attractiveness  or not of the actual City as a base, I would suggest that you look towards Bang Saray/Sattahip, maybe as far out towards Rayong as Ban Chang (50km from Pattaya City).  Rayong itself is a nice City, with all that you are looking for, but its a way out of Pattaya, about the same as Chon Buri City, but far more attractive.  Great beaches there too. Good luck in your search for the right location. 

On 12/17/2018 at 9:20 AM, Destiny1990 said:

Jomtien is nicest place to live.

I agree, certainly better than Pattaya itself. 

5 hours ago, madmen said:

On 12/17/2018 at 9:38 AM, scubascuba3 said:

Yes but why Pattaya, what other reasons are attracting him or you to Pattaya? 

Budget is a big attraction. It's the same price as chiang mai but by the sea

Pattaya is not near the sea. Its actually adjacent to several large sewage outlets  that happen to lead into the Gulf of Thailand.   You have to be a good few miles out for it to resemble 'the sea'. 

On 12/16/2018 at 9:02 AM, watgate said:

Now I am really confused and concerned. You have a poster, moonseeker stating that the air is horrendous in the Pattaya area and he underwent major lung surgery. It sounds like leaving Chiang Mai for Pattaya is like going from the frying pan into the fire. Are their any places in Thailand where the air is decent and you won't ruin your lungs?  

It's called the 'Plain of Jars' but its in Laos. 

27 minutes ago, condo7 said:

After Pattaya, you must explore Bangkok. It is heaven for me. As a Thai agent of Cloud 7 Realtors, I've to visit many places across Bangkok. I recommend you to visit every place in Bangkok. Wish you a happy journey. Welcome to Bangkok in advance.

Did you actually read the OP? Bangkok is the last place on the planet he'd want to be.

An Indian spammer post and a reply have been removed

There is no burning ???? season here and pollution might be less visible, unless you are a good observer. Trust me, it is bad and I know of many people who are affected. I am often on the sea and even out there the white hull of the yachts shows black residue within a couple of days. You seen my airfilter.... In garden area, away from road. This picture taken just now... See the darkening since last one. And it is a low speed fan... Choose well and try out first.... Regards.. MS>

First off thanks for all the replies. i do appreciate your input and info. I have my work cut out for me. When I mentioned relocating to Pattaya I didn't mean right in the city because I know it is a dump and I am not interested in most of what it has to offer.  As a poster stated, and I agree, there basically 5 areas of Thailand that are suitable for a farang and the general Pattaya area is one of them. I have my work cut out for me because I need to get down to the Pattaya area and now I have a sh--load of places to check out such as Naklua/Wong Amat, the Darkside ( Soi Khao Taio/ Soi Khao Noi), Jomtien, Bang Saraym Hua Hin, Bang Saen, Samrolyod Beach, Bang Saray/Sattahip, and Rayong (Ban Chang) all of which are greek to me. 

 

     Other then Phuket which has very clean air but is definitely to pricey for me, it seems that most other places are going to have some moderately unclean air but I like the fact that hopefully if one is near the ocean then hopefully the sea breezes will help disperse the air so that it is relatively clean most of the time. 

 

     It is important to be near a hospital or a reasonably priced lab because since I am on coumadin (blood thinner) i  need to go for periodic blood work to check my INR levels.I have a great hospital lab I go to in Chiang Mai for testing and it is very reasonable. I also am eating primarily vegetarian now with a little pork or egg or chicken occasionally to get some protein. Chiang Mai has many vegetarian restaurants so it makes it very easy to eat vegetarian dishes.

 

     I am also entertaining the possibility if I get overwhelmed with trying to relocate to the Pattaya area is to stay in Chiang Mai BUT get the heck out of the middle of the city and away from the countless tuk-tuks, songtaews, Large buses, vans, motorcycles that are spewing all sorts of foul air on a daily basis. I would want to find a place outside the City and more in the country where I can get an air purifier for my new place. Right now I am living in a very cheap thai apt complex in one room and my that g/f is living with her daughter in another room under me. The thai apt complex has no a/c which I am not a big fan of but buying an air purifier would be impractical now due to the configuration of the apt complex and the need to keep the windows and screened porch door open to get air. Also when it is hot you need to use the ceiling fan as well as other fans to be comfortable. Also, and this is key, I would leave Chiang Mai when the burning season starts, unlike what I didn't do for the past 9 years until I departed back to the US usually the end of March. Thai year myself and my g/f are going to be getting the f--- out of here when the out of control burning starts and lasts for several months.

 

     So, as in life I have choices and a decision to make going forward. I am in excellent health due to exercising on a daily basis but getting a bout of bronchitis finally woke me up to the fact that I have to become proactive to deal with the pollution problem in Chiang Mai. Another poster stated and I kinda agree that Chiang Mai is decent 8- 9 months a year providing you get out of the middle of the City but come the burning season it is definitely time to get out of dodge. Excuse my lengthy posting but I felt it prudent to let those posters who have given me some great info and advice some background of my time in Thailand these past 9 years.. Thanks again for all the great replies and helpful info. I also knew most posters on thai visa have your back and it is nice to know there is a forum to go to for help or answers.

If you have little money and prefer a cheap uninteresting life then go to the Darkside.

If you want something much better, go anywhere from Jomtien to Wongamat.

Also, there are clinics throughout Pattaya that will check your blood for a very good price.

No need for a hospital.