Phuket vs Hua Hin

[madmitch]

3 hours ago, Felt 35 said:

 

Hua HIn International School | (huahinschool.com) / Halio for International Students - ศูนย์การเรียนหัวหิน - Halio International School Hua Hin / The British Educational Children's Center | Bright Start for a Brighter Future (thebecc.com) / Beaconhouse Yamsaard School school in huahin โรงเรียนสองภาษา โรงเรียนภาษาอังกฤษ รังสิต ปทุมธานี ลาดพร้าว หัวหิน (bys.ac.th)

Thanks. A few years ago since I last looked! Things happen so quickly.

 

Note to self: do research!

Edited February 8, 2021 by madmitch

[Harrywonka]

5 hours ago, fdsa said:

could you recommend any particular model please?

 

In both Pattaya and Phuket I used this model. https://www.powerbuy.co.th/en/hatari-เครื่องฟอกอากาศ-32sqm-hatari-ht-ap12filter-216364

 

More than one in both locations. Fair bit of info on the forums about air purifiers if you want to gen up on them. 

 

The air filters for this model are very easy to find online and in Power Buy etc. About 900 Baht maybe I think roughly and all the Hatari purifiers I bought always seemed to come with a spare one anyway so thats a year or more sorted.

 

I doubled up on the recommended capacity which does really sort the air when its bad but also means you can run them at lower speeds when its not too bad, to make them quieter and still do the job.

 

[Harrywonka]

5 hours ago, fdsa said:

could you recommend any particular model please?

 

And even in Phuket where the air is generally better, as well as the air purifiers, get some of this on the air con intakes. https://www.filtrete.com/3M/en_US/filtrete/products/~/Filtrete-Products/Air-Filtration/?N=4315+7568680+3294529207+3294857497&rt=r3

 

Air con fans move a mass of air and you will be amazed how much muck this stuff filters out. 

 

Power Buy in JungCeylon, Patong is where I bought my Hatari purifiers by the way. 

 

 

 

[fdsa]

1 hour ago, Harrywonka said:

 

And even in Phuket where the air is generally better, as well as the air purifiers, get some of this on the air con intakes. https://www.filtrete.com/3M/en_US/filtrete/products/~/Filtrete-Products/Air-Filtration/?N=4315+7568680+3294529207+3294857497&rt=r3

 

Air con fans move a mass of air and you will be amazed how much muck this stuff filters out. 

 

Power Buy in JungCeylon, Patong is where I bought my Hatari purifiers by the way. 

 

yea I use aircon filters already and plan to add an purifier too.

[Bangyai]

On 06/02/2021 at 3:52 PM, Nout said:

Wythenshaw versus Neasden.

 

Don't knock it. Neasden is beautiful under a foot of snow.

[Stargeezr]

In Hua Hin the Ocean is nice to go wading in, although the jelly fish are in some areas of the 

beaches.  In Phuket the ocean is calmer along the west coase generally and some good

swimming and snorkelling can be enjoyed.  I stayed at Kata Beach area mostly, and one time 

at Karan beach.  Went to Patong beach and had some guy trying to get 100 baht for me

to park in the free parking area.  I did get my pictures of the Navy ship and Submarine

in the bay, but was not impressed with Patong,   I did however go to the hospital one night

as I had stomach cramps, but that was the only good trip I had as I did enjoy a very good

breakfast after the hospital event.  The bus into Phuketx Town, (City) wqere cheap and enjoyable,

but owning a motorbike is also a good thing if you are staying a long time.  I do still go to Hua Hin as

it is close to Bangkok, where my Thai family all live, and from December to March I do not find that the

air is a problem, definitely do wear a mask most times in Bangkok.

Geezer

[LivingNThailand]

Phuket's rainy season is officially June to the beginning of November.  Heavy rain Sept & October, which makes everything green.  Two months out of the year with heavy rain not too bad.

Rental owners are dealing. I've had 2 rent reductions in the last year.   Rentals (at least in Chalong & Rawai) are about 40% less than last year.  I think rents will stay down for 2-3 years (or less) and then come up gradually.   The higher end properties are still high, but coming down somewhat.  

 

I agree with the Real Estate agent who said most "middle-class" expats live in the Chalong, Kathu, Kamala area.    It is much more lively on the South-East side.  I was just in Rawai this morning.  Lots of restaurants and shops open, and lots closed.  But there was a feeling of activity.  In Wichit area you have Central Festival, Central Floresta, Tesco Super store and Big C.  Lots of options for shopping.   

 

The air gets hazy once in a while, but not smoggy.  I couldn't even begin to live somewhere where it was smoggy, even for cheap rent and cheap food. No way.  Life's not worth it.

 

Hope this helps.  Been here 5 years.  The crazy drivers put me off at first.   Immigration, not too bad.  As long as you are polite and sort of know what you are doing I've never had a problem.  It's the guys that spout off, the know-it-alls, that have the problems.   Got to remember you are in THEIR country, not yours.  Some of the rules seem ridiculous (well they are ridiculous).   But just laugh and enjoy it.

 

Good luck.

 

 

[Felt 35]

The "tide" have turned????

 

 

Hua Hin Air Quality Index (AQI) and Thailand Air Pollution | AirVisual (iqair.com)

 

Phuket Air Quality Index (AQI) and Thailand Air Pollution | AirVisual (iqair.com)

 

 

[Albert Zweistein]

On 2/7/2021 at 11:52 AM, Harrywonka said:

I lived in Pattaya for well over a decade until 2019 and have been visiting frequently since 1994. Visited Hua Hin dozens of times. Have been to 72 of the 77 provinces. Most more than once (Buriram 100 times lol)

 

I put up with the air pollution for the many months every year, with the aid of multiple air purifiers, but finally said enough is enough in December 2019.

 

I took the bus to Hua Hin en route to Phuket. (Phuket being a place I had avoided for years due to the memories of tossing a 5 Baht coin in Krabi city on Dec 24th 2004 which sent me right across to Nakhon SI Thammarat rather than Patong Beach for Christmas…)

 

Was going to stay in Hua Hin a while but, without the air purifiers it was hopeless.

 

I took an overnight bus to Surat Thani and when I woke up in the afternoon in the hotel I was amazed how much better the air looked.

 

Next day I took the bus to Phuket.

 

There was haze in the distance but compared to Pattaya/Hua Hin it was a dream.

 

I stayed at Patong in a 9th floor apartment from December 2019 to June 2020. Right through Covid lockdown.

 

Only real downside I found was the need for your own transport if you needed to get around much. Phuket taxies are expensive but as I was staying about 150 yards from the huge JungCeylon complex I had pretty much all I needed within walking distance.

 

There are cheap non air con buses around doing a few routes if you wish and also an air con one doing limited ones. (Maybe only one route, I never used it)

 

Taxis from Patong to Phuket town seemed to be about 500 Baht so hardly a problem anyway unless you need to do it a lot.

 

Patong was the most “pushy” part of the island but is, for obvious reasons, very quiet for the time being.

 

All in all, Phuket would certainly be the place to be. It is very varied in the kind of lifestyle on offer at the various locations.

 

Excellent health care, at a price, of course.

 

No idea on schools but it looks like others have anyway.

 

I will say,

 

1.As you have a child, get south asap. If you read up on the effects of air pollution on growing bodies you won’t like what you see.

 

2.When you find accommodation in Phuket, even though the air is usually far better than up north, buy some air purifiers. Even if only for the childs bedroom. Best investment you will ever make in your life. I use some now even though I am in the UK for a while.

 

When I was in Pattaya I used ones that exceeded the recommended room requirements by 100%.

 

On bad days, I could open my door and actually smell the pollution.

 

People with no purifiers couldn’t as they were used to breathing in the rubbish all the time. Sometimes it was like a kind of industrial, heavy fuel type stink. Once outside for a few minutes I didn’t notice it. It was obviously still there though…

 

I make videos, as a hobby, on my iPhone, so to give you a bit of an insight in what to expect, take a look at:

 

 

Some travel websites embedded it so even though its got nearly 6000 views there are only 2 “likes” as the sites had no “like” buttons.

 

The early bits are from December 2019 onwards. Notice the haze in the background but still far better than father north.

 

The actual air quality readings online were showing Phuket being hugely better than anywhere north of Chumphon.

 

Seriously, don’t even think about it. Get south and get south now.

 

If you want the name of the place where the 2 bed apartment I stayed at is let me know. It is most likely empty at the moment. It would give you a base for a while while you explore the island for your perfect home.

 

The owners (Indian family) speak perfect English (and Thai and Hindi come to that) and the place is very secure and within walking distance of pretty much anything you need while you explore. 

 

As for a lot of the beaches, well, what can I say. A world better than the ones in Hua Hin etc!

 

 

Great video Harry, I know all those places very well. I left March 10 th. just in time, sad to see the emptiness now.

[WhiteBuffaloATM]

Simply No Comparison at all........... completely different places.......

Known Phuket since 2004 House Purchase. Full Tropical Paradise Lifestyle..........

Hua Hin appears dull and lifeless ..... bad sandfly beach infestation..... air pollution.....quiet & boring.

Cant imagine a single reason to live there....... compared to one hundred plus reasons for Phuket.....

If you love Thailand, Phuket has it all ...........