Ten great reasons to retire in Phuket, Thailand

[Old Croc]

3 minutes ago, SuperSilverHaze said:

1 hour ago, riverhigh said:

My only memory of Phuket was how unhelpful the southern Thais were and their lack of willingness to interact with foreigners unless money was involved. Foreigners treated as cash cows.

This is Phuket and part of my whinge. S Thai are very nice, fun people.

Most of the service people in Phuket originate from all over Thailand . Where do you think all the younger people in Issan migrate to for work? Places like Pattaya, Bangkok and Phuket of course.

[SuperSilverHaze]

1 minute ago, Old Croc said:

Of course, it's an Island!

Having a connecting bridge doesn't change that fact!

There are hundreds of islands around the planet that have tunnels or bridges to another land mass.

Weak.

 

There are rivers in Thailand far wider than that separates mainland from the blessed island of milk and honey

[bubblegum]

Lived there for over a decade and still visit sometimes. It's a nice place if you know the way. Now live up near Cambodia. Very quiet good for me now that I'm a bit older.

[SuperSilverHaze]

1 minute ago, Old Croc said:

Most of the service people in Phuket originate from all over Thailand . Where do you think all the younger people in Issan migrate to for work? Places like Pattaya, Bangkok and Phuket of course.

I fully understand this. I've spent considerable amounts of time in past thirty years in the south.

 

You illuminate the obvious and your point does not negate mine in the least.

 

Where I travel probably half are from upcountry. Many though are relocated in south and don't return in low season

[SoilSpoil]

49 minutes ago, Doctor Tom said:

All much the same, how about mountains, white water rafting, the cultural centers of the country such as Sukhothai and Chang Mai, how about going to Laos on a day trip, Nong Kai on the banks of the Mekong, all the festivals and meets in Central Thailand.  Its not all about beaches, although we have stunning ones here, East of Rayong and on Koh Samet and Koh Chang.    

How about the air quality in the north? Lovely

[Old Croc]

4 minutes ago, SuperSilverHaze said:

No, they just get banged up in road accident left for dead, hassled by cops, ripped off in Patong like any noob bc despite living there ten years they still don't know or care about you. Hospitals criminally expensive, tourist infrastructure not expat infrastructure, hordes of tourists, immigration hassles, airport taxi hassles..

What a ludicrous post!

Road accidents are a Thailand thing. The highest death rates are in places like CM and the North-East. Left for dead? Not taken to one of the hospitals you berate in the same post?  

The private hospitals on Phuket are expensive for some. The same as everywhere else in Thailand. The government hospitals are the same as everywhere else in Thailand.

In my ten years living in Phuket, I was never stopped by, hassled nor even spoken to by police. The exception being the Immigration police who have in my time morphed from difficult to the best Immigration dept in Thailand. (Based on comments on this forum)

Hordes of tourists- yes. Spectacular and popular places have this effect. If a problem for an individual best to avoid it.

Taxis - discussed above.

Tourist and expat infrastructure - unsure what you mean unless it's just a different way of bringing up transport again.

Who doesn't know or care about you apart from me? 

[DjSilver]

And one big reason why nobody with a brain and education would ever want to retire in a country like Thailand.

 

- Thai mentality ????????????

[Old Croc]

2 minutes ago, DjSilver said:

And one big reason why nobody with a brain and education would ever want to retire in a country like Thailand.

 

- Thai mentality ????????????

It's not catching, for most of us.

It's a pity your brain and education didn't alert you to the theme of this thread. 

[patongphil]

[pierrenoel]

one more reason to live in phuket,russian 250,000 tourists

[Gottfrid]

I give you one good reason to not retire in Phuket.

Why in the world travel to simplicity and freedom to place yourself in a modern city like home and pay through your nose?

[Stevemercer]

In my opinion, Phuket has the cleanest and best beaches in Thailand. Some beaches have waves and currents to spice things up a bit. Swimming on Gulf beaches is like taking a warm bath.

 

I've always enjoyed my time in Phuket. There are worse places to retire.

 

 

Edited February 24, 2023 by Stevemercer

[Old Croc]

49 minutes ago, SuperSilverHaze said:

Weak.

 

There are rivers in Thailand far wider than that separates mainland from the blessed island of milk and honey

I'm weak!

Your current definition of an Island relates to the distance from the mainland in comparison to a Thai river! Strange! You know there are islands in rivers too? 

How far in kilometers would it be before something becomes an Island in your mind?  

Have you been in touch with DeSantis to let him know the islands of the Florida Keys will have to be renamed?

[Old Croc]

28 minutes ago, Gottfrid said:

I give you one good reason to not retire in Phuket.

Why in the world travel to simplicity and freedom to place yourself in a modern city like home and pay through your nose?

Another ill-informed post better aimed at retirees in places like Bangkok rather than on a tropical Island. 

My house in Phuket is situated in an area with views of mountains, jungle and farmland. I can even see a 60 meter waterfall from my yard if it rains hard enough.

[DaRoadrunner]

18 hours ago, snoop1130 said:

Immigration outlets are in Saphan Hin, Patong and Cherng Talay (Blue Tree).

Which is the most friendly and has the best service?

[ezzra]

44 posts so far and no consensus as to the subject is it good to live in Phuket or not, so maybe agree to dis-agree?

Edited February 24, 2023 by ezzra

[Dart12]

never been there but dang so much hate in here

[Old Croc]

28 minutes ago, ezzra said:

44 posts so far and no consensus as to the subject is it good to live in Phuket or not, so maybe agree to dis-agree?

Very few residents of Phuket bother to comment on the threads anymore because of the flood of haters from elsewhere who regard any discussion of it as a chance to vent their spleens. Any thread is quickly taken over by these nutters who live elsewhere by choice but have a strange obsession with the Island.

Most have only visited briefly and didn't like it, usually for financial reasons. The really strange ones lived there for many years then suddenly developed unreasonable phobias about it!

Phuket is a small Island Province attracting huge numbers of tourists.  If you can't abide the crowds, frequent heavy traffic, the taxi mafia, or higher prices in the tourist towns don't come. Get a life somewhere else! 

I've lived in, or travelled to, quite a few places I disliked and always moved on, vowing to avoid it in the future.  I don't understand people who obsess about somewhere they're not forced to go to.

The OP states there are 30,000 expats on Phuket, only a couple have bothered to reply to another bitch fest topic. Consider the good points raised there and the fact that so many have made a life on Phuket, rather than judge by the volume of the noise from the peanut gallery.

[cnx101]

14 hours ago, Adumbration said:

10 great reasons why not to retire in Phuket:

 

1.  Road deaths

2. No public transport

3. Dishonest and violent taxis drivers

4. North Africans riding 300cc scooters in gangs

5. Russians so drunk they attempt to drive a car along Rawai pier

6. No proper lifeguards because the experienced (and often trained in Australia) ones were all fired due to corruption and theft of the allocated budget

7. All coral gardens of the island are now dead and dying due to siltation from over development. Nai Thon is just one relevant example

8. Fecal coliforms counts far above any acceptable levels at Patong and many other west coast beaches

9. The seafood Restaurants (especially the ones displaying the seafood out the front of their premise) have little, if any actual local seafood.  The prawns are farmed, the crayfish are farmed, and the bulk of the fish are farmed.  If you are considering eating oysters or other shellfish please refer to point 8 above.

10. Blood bank is bone dry in Phuket due to the amount of road accidents every day and the fact none of the farangs ever donate.  If you have an emergency that requires blood you are done for.

 

I wish I could provide more than 10 reasons....I am just getting warmed up.

And the price no different from your Western countries 

[London Lowf]

45 minutes ago, Old Croc said:

Very few residents of Phuket bother to comment on the threads anymore because of the flood of haters from elsewhere who regard any discussion of it as a chance to vent their spleens. Any thread is quickly taken over by these nutters who live elsewhere by choice but have a strange obsession with the Island.

Amen!

[whereyougo]

5 hours ago, Mansell said:

I’m surprised one of the good reasons to live on Phuket wasn’t mentioned. All the negative farangs live in other parts of Thailand…..Thank God.

The irony ????

[bokningar]

7 hours ago, RichardColeman said:

Quite surprised risk of rabies from a soi dog bite did not make it into the list

Since Phuket is declared free of rabies I would be surprised if it was on the list. 

[KhunLA]

Only 3 come to mind for myself:

... almost -0- RE Tax

... affordable, accessible healthcare

... close to friendly China

 

Proximity to China making all things inexpensive, especially high ticket electronics:

... EVs

... Solar system components

 

Added plus, ganga able to be enjoyed at your leisure without fear of fine or jail, for 'responsible' adults.

 

Easy long stay visa, IMHO which I really have nothing else to compare to.

Can own condo without any length of stay requirement.

 

Since some are stating negatives, only 2 for me;

... air and sea pollution

[Photoguy21]

According to the Thai news regarding businesses in Phuket being taken over by Russians I think I will stay away from there. Retiring there in your nightmares.

[KhunLA]

2 hours ago, patongphil said:

Also snapped on Phuket ... what's not to love

 

 

 

[SGD]

I've spent about 3 months in Phuket across a few trips and I fall into the hate and don't hate camps, perhaps on the fence. I should add that I have also lived in the South Andaman, Bangkok, Pattaya and Buriram.

 

Strip out the beach life and would you live in Phuket ? No, I would not because I think other places are better.

 

Is the beach life enough to overcome that ? Possibly but I wonder if living there all the time wouldn't exacerbate the negatives rather than accentuate the positives.

 

I am often in the south and I think about Phuket and seeing more of the island but as a visitor it is truly the worst of Thailand and I don't think I want to go through that to try to find something else because 99% of Phuket is tainted with some degree of tourist rip off.

[ourmanflint]

Surely the biggest reason to avoid Phuket is the 30,000 or so Expats! 

 

No Thanks

[KhunLA]

Just now, ourmanflint said:

Surely the biggest reason to avoid Phuket is the 30,000 or so Expats! 

 

No Thanks

As with everywhere in TH, you can avoid high numbers of both, expats & tourist.  

 

Makes my existence here very comfy & relaxed.

[Adumbration]

4 hours ago, Old Croc said:

Never let facts get in the way of a good hateful rant.

This poster lived in Phuket for some time, then moved just off the Island to take up residence in a village to the north. IMO, a good lifestyle choice for a positive person. He still frequents Phuket for many services such as shopping and hospitals, but spews his hatred of the place in his posts and topics.

The OP talks about expat living, not tourism, and states the west coast tourist areas are not recommended for residence, but ADumbRation ignores this in the rant. While some of his "reasons" listed above are correct, many are exaggerated or simply untrue.

I could pick holes in many of his points, but there's little to gain when up against a closed mind.

I have a number of older friends who still reside in Phuket.  Nearly all of them now have limited mobility and spend most days in their back gardens pottering around in a drunken haze and hoping for an occassional visit from a bird or butterfly.  They rely on their Thai partners entirely (many of whom work, or did work, in massage shops or bars) to interface with the outside world in Phuket and handle all the day to day logistics of running their homes.

 

These expats have become what I like to refer to as boiled frogs.  The quality of life in Phuket has steadily deteriorated significantly over the last decade, and this year it now hosts droves of Russian refugees and in a few months the return of the Chinese tour buses once more clogging the roads of Phuket.  But these guys have little grasp of the realities of life in Phuket and how bad it has now become.  Their individual partners are the ones bearing the brunt of all the additional stresses that have emerged.

 

 

 

[Adumbration]

50 minutes ago, KhunLA said:

Also snapped on Phuket ... what's not to love

 

 

 

You don't have to go all the way to Phuket to photograph cellulite.