Going to phuket for 1- 1 1/2 months during burning season

[JimmyJ]

I used the Happy Cow app to find vegan/vegetarian food in 3 SE Asian countries including Thailand/Chiang Mai and it led me to excellent restaurants in 8 different cities.

(The only smartphone app I've ever paid for - the pay version shows all reviews - free version just shows a few).

[NamKangMan]

52 minutes ago, LivinLOS said:

I live in a really nice 3 bed home.. on a rai of gardens with fruit frees.. with a pool.. 2 car carport.. multi motorbike parking.. garden outbuildings for my bikes and hobbys.. for 11k a month and the landlord cleans and chemicals the pool. I couldnt find this for 30 or 40 on Phuket. 

 

Our favourite local boat noodles.. Better than any I have ever had in a tourist are starts at 15b a bowl.. or a western cafe where a breakfast menu eggs / omelette / etc and bacon / sausage / mixture of sides are all 89b with a orange juice and proper machine / americano coffee.. Usual Thai food is 25 - 40b.. My last trip to Phuket and samui it was 80 - to even 120 for the same dishes (cooked worse). 

 

I can go drink in town where they do 3 large leos and a bucket of ice for 180b (sometimes 159 !!). for 3.. 

 

I can rent a 125 scooter for 2200 a month.. 

 

While I am sure many 7/11 type things are standard pricing.. I know what I pay here and its WAY less than what I used to pay.. 

 

I really dont need to make this a us v them.. Your beaches are better than chiang mais ???? and I didnt come here to save money, I came for the friendlier locals.. but its bordering in silly to say the costs are the same. 

 

A friend of mine made the move to Chiang Mai a while ago, and it had nothing to do with his Thai wife, or his finances.  She is not from Chiang Mai.  He loves it there. 

 

He still visits Phuket about every 2 months, for about 5 days, so he continues to get his dose of sand and sea.

 

He has said in the past that what he save living in Chiang Mai pays for his regular visits to Phuket. 

[NamKangMan]

10 minutes ago, watgate said:

Good question. Most likely yes. I go back to the US each year around the end of March but don't want to go back any sooner because of the weather situation.

 

What has the US got to do with other great places in South East Asia to stay in for 6 weeks????

[sfokevin]

The last two years we did the south side of Koh Samui for March (this is the quiet side of the island regular Thai priced too) This year we will do Hua Hin as I found a nice pool villa on a golf course... Since you have time join some real estate groups on Facebook (that’s how I found my place in Samui)... Also check out Airbnb... they limit booking to less than 30 days but you can make a private agreement with the owner for longer stay ;-)... 

[Ulic]

Many hotels do a monthly rate special. Just ask. I use to stay at the Seven Seas in Patong. A 3-Star, clean and inexpensive. Friendly helpful staff. Great location. Check it out on Agoda, or their website.

[LivinLOS]

2 hours ago, sfokevin said:

The last two years we did the south side of Koh Samui for March (this is the quiet side of the island regular Thai priced too) This year we will do Hua Hin as I found a nice pool villa on a golf course... Since you have time join some real estate groups on Facebook (that’s how I found my place in Samui)... Also check out Airbnb... they limit booking to less than 30 days but you can make a private agreement with the owner for longer stay ;-)... 

Have to admit.. I really love the vibe south of lamai.. Mates there, beach, a few bars for a laugh.. 

 

Theres still some island pricing, but thats not a big issue.. I wouldnt want to live there year round, but a couple of months a year to charge the beach battery, its one of my favourite spots. 

[HighPriority]

Taxi from the airport to Patong is 800 Baht a mini bus 200/300 off the top of my head.

My wife used to clean at a guesthouse in Patong that costs about 23 euro a day, good food available in the restaurant downstairs and good basic clean rooms.

Fridge, bed, Aircon, bathroom... with hot AND cold water shower ???? Yes, two shower roses, one from a hothead and one cold, Point them together and voila !!! ????????????

[I am More Thai Than You]

16 hours ago, jak2002003 said:

20 hours ago, I am More Thai Than You said:

 

I never mentioned Patong in my post.. why is everyone saying I am talking about Patong?

Yes you did. Anyway if you want cheap food go to Thalang where the Thais live. The food is delicious and a plate of faa moo with a boiled egg and rice served with a bowl of clear soup costs me 40b. Can't call that expensive.

[phuketrichard]

thanks for the info above, after 34 years here, i never realized all the thais live in Thalang

[Old Croc]

3 hours ago, I am More Thai Than You said:

Yes you did. Anyway if you want cheap food go to Thalang where the Thais live. The food is delicious and a plate of faa moo with a boiled egg and rice served with a bowl of clear soup costs me 40b. Can't call that expensive.

Someone from Issan will be alone shortly to state how they can buy the same dish for 20 baht and therefore Phuket is more expensive than Oslo.

[MyFriend You]

21 hours ago, connda said:

That part of the South should be out of the smoke; if you're looking for economy, pick some other place than Phuket. 

Hua Hin and JomTien come to mind, reasonably priced, ans still have some things to do other than bar stool warming..............

[LosLobo]

I have read this thread with interest as I have lived in Chiang Mai, Phuket, Pattaya, Hua Hin and Isaan and can see the merit in most of the posts.

 

I more recently lived in Hua Hin at Khao Takiab and was impressed by a lot of things there.

 

Hua Hin has no shortage of vegetarian restaurants. Though my partner who was vegetarian never had a problem in most restaurants that we dined in.

 

The general cost of groceries say in Makro was 10 to 20 percent cheaper than in Phuket's

 

The choice of high standard accommodation rental was over supplied and up to 50% cheaper.

 

Public transport 15 baht buses were regular and though taxis after hours were not as cheap as Bangkok's they were nowhere near as costly as Phuket's.

 

Hua Hin was very quiet during the week but busy weekends with a lot of Bangkokians coming for the weekend.

 

The farang/thai vibe was very friendly similiar to Chiang Mai's.

 

There were a lot of enjoyable community activites such as Cicada and Baan Khun Phor. Great safe bicycle track.

Of course the beaches there aren't comparible to Phuket. Though now Phuket's beaches are also getting polluted.
 

[beechbum]

On 2/9/2019 at 9:02 AM, jak2002003 said:

We go there every year

 

So you hate the place and cant find a place to eat, yet...^^

 

To the OP, stay well away from Patong accommodation wise, have a look on Air B&B.

 

[MyFriend You]

7 hours ago, I am More Thai Than You said:

Yes you did. Anyway if you want cheap food go to Thalang where the Thais live. The food is delicious and a plate of faa moo with a boiled egg and rice served with a bowl of clear soup costs me 40b. Can't call that expensive.

Okay,I usually don't get in the middle of these things, but I have read and re-read his posts but no-where in the original post nor #26 does he say anything about Patong.............highlight where he does and I will never doubt you again...........OH, just so you know, I don;t care either way, but I always remember what I read, and I don't remember anything about Patong by the Poster.   and I seriously doubt you are 'more Thai' than 1/4 of the members of this forum, unless you are actually Thai.

[NamKangMan]

7 hours ago, phuketrichard said:

thanks for the info above, after 34 years here, i never realized all the thais live in Thalang

 

Just in the same way some posters on here believe that the tourists only stay in Patong.  ????

 

[jak2002003]

3 hours ago, beechbum said:

So you hate the place and cant find a place to eat, yet...^^

 

To the OP, stay well away from Patong accommodation wise, have a look on Air B&B.

 

I don't 'hate the place'.  As I said before I really like it!  

 

I have found places to eat.  However, its lacking the number of vegetarian restaurants compared to Chiang Mai (we even have a new vegetarian hotel now), and the prices at these places is higher than CM.

 

I have a friend who owns a great restaurant.  The food is delicious there, but again, more expensive then CM.  

 

To clarify..

 

I like Phuket a lot.

I still stand by my personal experience that the food in restaurants in Phuket is more expensive compared to Chiang Mai for a similar level of restaurant here.

There are some fantastic and delicious good quality food places in Phuket... but, again you are going to have to pay more compared to CM to enjoy these places.

The standard Thai street food is again slightly more expensive.... massively so in the tourists areas, less so away from them.  AND, I found that the taste of the street food was not as delicious as CM (on average), and many times the ingredients were not so fresh.  

 

For example, I have rarely had a disappointing meal in CM no matter what random place I choose to eat at.  In Phuket (not Patong!) I have frequently had meals that were not up to scratch, and which cost more than in CM.

 

OP is on a budget.  Asking if Phuket is more expensive than CM.  How can anyone say its the same or cheaper?  He was asking about vegetarian places, and also places to rent.  

 

 

 

 

[westsail]

There are lots of inexpensive ( 40 baht per meal) Thai vegetarian restaurants in Phuket town, including many around the corner from Jui Tui Shrine.  There one in Kathu, one on Nanai Rd in Patong, and one on a small soi in the Northwest section of Thalang.

[Old Croc]

8 hours ago, TunnelRat69 said:

Okay,I usually don't get in the middle of these things, but I have read and re-read his posts but no-where in the original post nor #26 does he say anything about Patong.............highlight where he does and I will never doubt you again...........OH, just so you know, I don;t care either way, but I always remember what I read, and I don't remember anything about Patong by the Poster.   and I seriously doubt you are 'more Thai' than 1/4 of the members of this forum, unless you are actually Thai.

The guy who mentioned Patong and then denied it, was the second poster. He decided to throw in all manner of derogatory, and largely inaccurate remarks about Phuket which pissed off a few of us residents who get sick of these types. 

[Enki]

On 2/9/2019 at 3:02 AM, jak2002003 said:

We go there every year and still not found nice food at normal price.

Then don't go to a tourist zone?

Can't be so hard to find an all you can eat for 200 baht or a normal restaurant with dishes for 40 or 50 Baht.

 

Regarding houses and rooms: yes there are plenty of cheap houses too. My Ex GF had a small house for 4000 Baht per month. Somewhere far out in the outskirts of Phuket town.

[Enki]

Well,

try Kho Lanta if you simply want to chill.

 

Basically every restaurant - in Thailand - has vegetarian dishes. So why you are seeking an explicit "vegetarian Restaurant" is beyond me.

If you are serious about being a vegetarian, I suggest to try India or Sri Lanka.

 

Honestly: living in the country that is attested to have the best food in the world, and not eating it, that is a sacrilege. It is actually blasphemy too, regardless what religion you follow, unless you would be a Hindu from a pure vegan caste.

[MyFriend You]

6 hours ago, Old Croc said:

The guy who mentioned Patong and then denied it, was the second poster. He decided to throw in all manner of derogatory, and largely inaccurate remarks about Phuket which pissed off a few of us residents who get sick of these types. 

        Know what you mean, some of those guys really get on our nerves........haven't been in Phuket since 1974, well before the first Golf Course was ever built.  I knew the Mayor of Phuket's niece, she was my secretary in Sattahip Deep Water Port.  About 12 of us took a bus from Sattahip to Phuket and stayed at his Mansion's Guest House (had 6 bedrooms).  Real nice guy, went fishing in a lagoon from a row boat every morning about 0500 to catch breakfast.........collected Liquor, but didn't drink alcohol - he just liked the bottles  - so my next trip, I had 4 bottles of different colored Galliano for him - tall, thin bottles.  He gave me his right hand drive Jeep to use for the week I was there, not many roads built back then.

[watgate]

No I am not a strict vegetarian. It is due to health issues I have to be careful about eating too much protein and am supposed to limit how much meat I eat on a daily basis. I decided to start eating more vegetarian minus the MSG in most of the thai food and occasionally have some meat. I do appreciate all the info and suggestions and it looks like if one does their  due diligence then one can find reasonably priced accommodations and places to eat. I have definitely decided to escape the foul air in chiang mai during the burning season and want to limit my choices to Thailand.The southern part be it Phuket or Koh Lanta or Hua Hin or Koh Samui, as well as others I am sure, all seem like obvious choices to go to during the burning season. 

[jak2002003]

10 hours ago, Old Croc said:

The guy who mentioned Patong and then denied it, was the second poster. He decided to throw in all manner of derogatory, and largely inaccurate remarks about Phuket which pissed off a few of us residents who get sick of these types. 

LOL...I said time and time again that I like Phuket, and spend part of every year there (I would not go if I did not like it).  

 

Yes, I mentioned Patong indirectly, but I never said all Phuket was Patong!  Re read my post... I said the vegetarian places where OUTSIDE patong!

 

I have found MOST food in Phuket is not the SAME PRICE and SAME QUAILTY for the same / equivalent dish as Chiang Mai.  

 

OP asked if Phuket life was going to be more expensive than CM on a budget.  Yes is will be.  That is not a derogatory remark about Phuket.  Not just about food, but travel prices on the busses and  tuk tuks are more expensive, rents generally more expensive, property more expensive, land, etc etc.  Please note this is not be bashing Phuket, or even Patong, this is just my personal finding and opinion that living in Phuket will be more expensive then the same lifestyle in Chiang Mai, plus there are far fewer vegetarian restaurants there then Chiang Mai.

 

And 'TunnelRat69', if you have not been there since 1974 I think you might discover the prices are a bit more expensive now then then 

 

 

[stevenl]

53 minutes ago, jak2002003 said:

<snip>

 

OP asked if Phuket life was going to be more expensive than CM on a budget. <snip>

 

 

 

 

Op asked " Myself and my g/f  have never been to phuket thus my posting. Although I understand phuket is expensive I was wondering of their are any reasonably priced accommodations one co uld book for a 1- 1 1/2 month stay? Also, since I am primarily a vegetarian I was wondering if their are any vegetarian restaurants there and how expensive are they? ", completely different from your statement above.

 

BTW, glad to see your memory is coming back, and after your earlier denials you now do remember you did mention Patong.

 

But as far as I am concerned enough has been said about that, OP has had some suggestions and is looking at his options.

[I am More Thai Than You]

2 hours ago, jak2002003 said:

Yes, I mentioned Patong indirectly, but I never said all Phuket was Patong!  Re read my post... I said the vegetarian places where OUTSIDE patong!

 

I have found MOST food in Phuket is not the SAME PRICE and SAME QUAILTY for the same / equivalent dish as Chiang Mai

You did also say that going outside of Patong was too far and hard. Thus you really have no idea about the prices when your only experience of Phuket is Patong.

[jak2002003]

32 minutes ago, I am More Thai Than You said:

You did also say that going outside of Patong was too far and hard. Thus you really have no idea about the prices when your only experience of Phuket is Patong.

This is getting silly now. 

 

Please tell me where I said that going outside of Patong was too far and hard.  Quote it so I can see please.  

 

ADN Where did I say my only experience of Phuket is Patong?  When I go there I stay on the East side of the island... NOT PATONG BEACH.  I have only stayed in Patong 6 times in 11 years of going to Phuket... and that was in a friends condo AND ONLY a few days each time before going back to our own place on the East side.  

 

I did mention Patong… but not about restaurants or prices there.. again, I said it was outside Patong.  

 

 

 

 

 

[NamKangMan]

If we were comparing the cost of living between different countries, we could use "The Big Mac Index."  

 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Big_Mac_Index

 

Basically, the theory behind it is, the exact same product is delivered in a very similar environment, or it's a direct "like for like" if a take-away, so one can judge exchange rates, cost of living, economy, salaries etc.

 

The trouble here is, we are trying to compare two different provinces in Thailand.  That said, the price of a Big Mac may be different on Phuket, compared to Chiang Mai.  I don't know.  I don't eat that rubbish.

 

We need to have a product that is similar.  I think a Starbucks coffee would be the same as a Big Mac.  Ok for comparing countries, maybe not so great for comparing provinces, but who knows, they could vary in price.   

 

Beer is another good product for comparison, because a Singha beer on Phuket is the same Singha beer in Chiang Mai, the problem is comparing the environment in which it is delivered, which effects the cost.  Eg.  a nice air conditioned bar with the sport on, versus sitting at a pile of bricks in an outdoor beer bar. 

 

There's no use comparing street food, as there are too many variables.

 

Perhaps some members can thing of a product that would be a direct comparison between Phuket and Chiang Mai.  

 

What about market foods? Eg. coconuts.  ???? 

[LeungKen]

I am closing this thread now as it has run it's course.

 

Several good suggestions were made early in the thread regarding both accommodation & restaurants.

 

Thread closed.