Tourism: Pattaya/Jomtien v Hua Hin

[sharecropper]

 

I just came over to Hua Hin for a few days after an absence of 5 years and I’m astonished by two things.

 

First, many of the streets and drains stink as badly as those in Pattaya. I don’t remember it ever being so bad. Maybe that’s down to recent building works which the old infrastructure can’t cope with.

 

Second – there are very few tourists of any description. The town centre is dead at night with very few busy restaurants and bars. Previously, the place was awash with Scandinavians at this time of year. People in the industry have said things are very serious, as can clearly be seen by the deserted restaurants, bars, massage shops and streets.

 

At least in Pattaya and Jomtien, even in the present dire circumstances, you can see tourists everywhere. Here I’ve seen very few Chinese, fewer Indians and not many Russians to take up the lost traditional tourist demographic.

 

I took these photos around 8pm.

[JamieLambo]

tbh when i lived there 6 years ago, the open drain smells were one of the worst things about the place, it didnt seem any different when i was there in september either

[GeorgeCross]

maybe move this to the hua hin section?

 

i'm going to go down there this evening and see for myself because that does look bad for this time of year

 

to be noted the beach is always dead at night as there is nothing on it to go too! (no bars or anything)

 

 

[NCC1701A]

it is so boring here in Hua Hin. nothing to do at all . no where to eat.

 

but i think Pattaya smells worse than Hua Hin.

i personally stuck my nose in the sewers in both towns on the same day and for sure Pattaya was really bad. and not just once. many times i stuck my head in the sewers to check.

 

and there was more vomit and urine on the streets in Pattaya. 

 

that was a month long survey by the way.  

 

i just want to say i love Pattaya. i am seriously looking at renting a condo there.

[Kaoboi Bebobp]

I've never been to Hua Hin but that is a certifiable ghost town. Only two people staring into the emptiness and a motorcycle on a tourist street in a country renowned as a tourist magnet. 

[torturedsole]

4 minutes ago, NCC1701A said:

and there was more vomit and urine on the streets in Pattaya. 

Part of the attraction for many farang tourists is that no one bats an eyelid if you wake up in the middle of Pattaya in a pool of vomit and urine at 7am on a Sunday morning.  

[NCC1701A]

3 hours ago, sharecropper said:

I just came over to Hua Hin for a few days after an absence of 5 years and I’m astonished by two things.

did you make it to the Baan Khun Por Food Court where the live rock bands play? that is the new area. many of the restaurants around soi bintabaht were torn out last year. the man who owns that whole complex is making millions and putting many small restaurants out of business with all the cheap and very good food vendors. the party at night is at Panama, The Hilton, Cat Bar and Polo Club for Thais and Farangs. until 3am.   

 

3 hours ago, sharecropper said:

The town centre is dead at night with very few busy restaurants and bars. Previously, the place was awash with Scandinavians at this time of year.

did you get up to soi 94 or soi 88? or out to soi 6? this area has grown in the last three years. yes still sort of dead.

 

or more importantly to trendy Khao Takiap where the high end Chinese tourists are along with the Indians? Chinese and Indian people don't go to bars in the area you photographed. no way.  they are also on the beach during the day, in Bluport mall shopping and eating and in bed by 9pm.    

 

and yes you are right there are less WHITE PEOPLE in Hua Hin right now than in the past.

Edited November 28, 2019 by NCC1701A

[sharecropper]

3 hours ago, NCC1701A said:

did you make it to the Baan Khun Por Food Court where the live rock bands play? that is the new area. many of the restaurants around soi bintabaht were torn out last year. the man who owns that whole complex is making millions and putting many small restaurants out of business with all the cheap and very good food vendors. the party at night is at Panama, The Hilton, Cat Bar and Polo Club for Thais and Farangs. until 3am.   

 

did you get up to soi 94 or soi 88? or out to soi 6? this area has grown in the last three years. yes still sort of dead.

 

or more importantly to trendy Khao Takiap where the high end Chinese tourists are along with the Indians? Chinese and Indian people don't go to bars in the area you photographed. no way.  they are also on the beach during the day, in Bluport mall shopping and eating and in bed by 9pm.    

 

and yes you are right there are less WHITE PEOPLE in Hua Hin right now than in the past.

We're doing a lot of walking and relaxing, but little boozing or nightlife while we're here.

 

I really like Hua Hin, so the quietness works for me. But I do worry about people whose jobs rely on the tourist industry in the town.

 

[torturedsole]

6 minutes ago, sharecropper said:

But I do worry about people whose jobs rely on the tourist industry in the town.

I hear that, brother.  No social security and therefore no safety net for your average Thai. 

 

Let's be clear, the continuing painful exchange rate is #1 reason for the lack of tourists during high season.  There's nothing that can attract mass tourism back to LOS until the exchange rate is regularised to the satisfaction of the market.  

 

The only reason I come here with my Thai wife is because I'm fortunate enough to be able to absorb the additional crazy expense.  It's so expensive now that I don't even calculate the costs in GBP as I fear that I wouldn't bother. 

 

Saying that, I'm at my limit at 37 to 39 baht to 1 GBP.  Any lower and I'll have to reconsider until stabilisation.

[Ron jeremy]

4 hours ago, NCC1701A said:

it is so boring here in Hua Hin. nothing to do at all . no where to eat.

 

but i think Pattaya smells worse than Hua Hin.

i personally stuck my nose in the sewers in both towns on the same day and for sure Pattaya was really bad. and not just once. many times i stuck my head in the sewers to check.

 

and there was more vomit and urine on the streets in Pattaya. 

 

that was a month long survey by the way.  

 

i just want to say i love Pattaya. i am seriously looking at renting a condo there.

Pattaya,what a beautiful place! Can't u derstand why the tourists aren't coming anymore. 

Who wouldn't want to rent or buy a condo there.?

[kingdong]

15 minutes ago, Ron jeremy said:

Pattaya,what a beautiful place! Can't u derstand why the tourists aren't coming anymore. 

Who wouldn't want to rent or buy a condo there.?

There's nowt as queer as folks.

[Destiny1990]

Maybe its a practice exercise for the coming low season?

Edited November 29, 2019 by Destiny1990

[Destiny1990]

14 hours ago, NCC1701A said:

and there was more vomit and urine on the streets in Pattaya. 

 

 

 

i just want to say i love Pattaya. i am seriously looking at renting a condo there.

You always been a special guy !

Edited November 29, 2019 by Destiny1990

[Emdog]

I think I'd die of boredom in HH

Here in Pattaya there is a variety of ways to die

[Jonathan Fairfield]

Don't get me wrong, Hua Hin has been quiet, there's no getting away from that.

 

But these photos don't really tell the full story.

 

The first two photos look like they are taken at the beach, which of course is quiet when it is dark. Hua Hin doesn't have the nighttime entertainment/beach bars like you find on the islands.

 

The other photos are taken down near Bintabaht and the area around the Hilton, which hasn't been that busy for years now. Where it was once centre of Hua Hin's nightlife, people don't go down there all that much anymore in my experience. 

 

Go to Tamarind or Cicada night markets which are pretty busy all year round, as is the open air eating place on Soi 88, and you'll see many more people. 

 

Soi 94 is also more popular now.

 

As for the smell in Hua Hin, the stink from the drains on the road down near the Centara is disgusting! 

 

Someone has put carpet over the drains to try and hide the smell but as you can imagine, it isn't very effective!

 

[spidermike007]

I enjoy HH for an occasional visit. But, I find Phetkasem to be very congested, and the pollution in HH is very high from the massive traffic. It does seem a lot slower than past years. But, that is the case throughout the country. Tourism is in a free fall, and alot of ex-pats are giving this whole thing a re-think, due to a highly racist and xenophobic administration and immigration dept. 

 

It would appear Thailand is no longer the center of the known universe. 

[Darkside Gray]

Looks it has been snowing, who would want to go out in that weather?

[jimn]

11 hours ago, Ron jeremy said:

Pattaya,what a beautiful place! Can't u derstand why the tourists aren't coming anymore. 

Who wouldn't want to rent or buy a condo there.?

Well its not a beautiful city, no way but its still fun city. I live with my Thai wife on a gated community 7km outside Pattaya. But still get the urge to go into the town for the nightlife 2 or 3 times a week.

[korkenzieher]

Very few of the expat residents bother with the centre of town these days. The offerings - both food and beer, inland from the railway line at 80, 88 and 94 make the centre look quieter than the town actually is. There's a smattering of erm... nightlife too - but most snowbirds and retirees aren't really looking for that to the same extent as might be true in Pattaya. Soi 94 alone has about 20 bars, 20 massage parlours and at least a dozen eating places, probably more. Even beach wise, you are likely to find most of the Scandinavians head straight down 94 and cross to Soi 75, rather than go up to the centre of town - and with Blu port and Market Village both south of Hin Lek Fai and easily accessible from the 'country road' side, there's rarely any reason to cross Petchkasem.

[RobbyXNorway]

Well, in about 1 year we (Norwegian/Swedes at least) lost about 17-18% of the value of our currency towards the THB. Nowhere near my treshold but I know pensioners here that are hovering at the red line.

 

I will enjoy Thailand as long as I have the Thailand Elite visa and then seek greener pastures after that if necessary (in about 5 years).

 

I love Hua Hin for being a sleepy relaxed town. I get whatever goods I need here and love riding the motorbike down along the beaches southward. Dont really care about the nightlife as thats not my interest. I also dont care about the price of beer in the bars as I dont go there at all.

 

There is a noticable gloom here in the businesses. The massage places I go to complain that the "high season" has not really arrived yet. Went to my favourite place on Wednesday about 3 pm, and I was the only person in there. This place has around 10 masseuses and they were all sitting outside bored.

 

Having my Elite visa I kinda of feel that I have bought a first row seat watching an escalating trainwreck. The THB can strenghten another 20% without me feeling the crunch. But it is strangeling the tourist industry and likely the economy in general as the exports will keep sliding. Why would any large business want to create production facilities/factories in Thailand when there are better options in the nearby countries? Business is after all ALL about the bottom line.

[Leaver]

28 minutes ago, jimn said:

But still get the urge to go into the town for the nightlife 2 or 3 times a week.

What if the nightlife, as you know it / knew it, was to change?  Would Pattaya still be a good place to live?

[Leaver]

3 minutes ago, RobbyXNorway said:

I will enjoy Thailand as long as I have the Thailand Elite visa and then seek greener pastures after that if necessary (in about 5 years).

It will be very interesting to see what Pattaya / Thailand looks like in 5 years time. 

[Orton Rd]

Never mind Da Nang is very busy!

[Papafarang]

The problem with the beach in hui hin is that they have horse riding on the beach

in its self not a bad idea 

but with horses on the beach it has a infestation of sand flys and they come out at night

[NE1]

and the Horse <deleted> that gets washed into the sea.

[Vacuum]

19 hours ago, sharecropper said:

I took these photos around 8pm.

Any photos from inside the bars/restaurants? That's where people hang around, not on the parking lots or streets.

[ianezy0]

17 hours ago, NCC1701A said:

it is so boring here in Hua Hin. nothing to do at all . no where to eat.

 

but i think Pattaya smells worse than Hua Hin.

i personally stuck my nose in the sewers in both towns on the same day and for sure Pattaya was really bad. and not just once. many times i stuck my head in the sewers to check.

 

and there was more vomit and urine on the streets in Pattaya. 

 

that was a month long survey by the way.  

 

i just want to say i love Pattaya. i am seriously looking at renting a condo there.

Geez I looked up and saw a head pop through the grating. So that was you huh. Didn't even say hi.....

[ianezy0]

Yes it does look quiet.

But as I always say, give someone a camera with instructions to make a place look quiet or busy. Both can be achieved.

[HHTel]

18 hours ago, Kaoboi Bebobp said:

I've never been to Hua Hin but that is a certifiable ghost town.

I've lived here for 20 years, before Market Village, Bluport, McDonalds, Burger King etc etc.  The Bintablock is very quiet these days and very overpriced.  The bar scene/restaurants have moved on to Soi 80/94 to name a couple.  Kun Por food court is extremely busy with live music.

As for being a 'ghost town', try parking your car after navigating the traffic jams!  When I came here, you could park your car anywhere day or night.  Now it's not easy to park your bike.

Give me Hua Hin any day over Pattaya.

[BobinBKK]

I was in Hua Hin a couple of months ago for 3 nights and it was very boring. At times during the day I had the beach to myself. I sat in the same bar 2 nights in a row and was the only customer all night long. I shot several free games of pool with the girls working there and were just as bored as I was.