And so the exodus of quality expats begins. This time it's personal

[thesetat2013]

On 2/9/2024 at 5:18 PM, OneMoreFarang said:

I am amazed how many people still go to Phuket, for holiday or to live there.

I was there the first time 30 years ago and at that time it was an obvious rip-off. Did it improve over the years? Obviously not.

I wonder if anybody who decided to live there do any research? 

I have been in Thailand for 13 years now. Never have I been to Phuket and I have no inclination to go there. Everything reeks of a superfluous society aimed at taking your hard earned money, and lots of it. And for what? There are other places in Thailand with beautiful beaches, good food, and good weather. Phuket is a rip-off city. Those who go there should not care about money or losing a lot of it. The women are overpriced even if they are only your GF. Much better in other places in Thailand. With less problems as well. 

[stevenl]

1 hour ago, thesetat2013 said:

I have been in Thailand for 13 years now. Never have I been to Phuket and I have no inclination to go there. Everything reeks of a superfluous society aimed at taking your hard earned money, and lots of it. And for what? There are other places in Thailand with beautiful beaches, good food, and good weather. Phuket is a rip-off city. Those who go there should not care about money or losing a lot of it. The women are overpriced even if they are only your GF. Much better in other places in Thailand. With less problems as well. 

Thanks for a well founded opinion based on your many years spent on Phuket.

[Ralf001]

1 hour ago, thesetat2013 said:

I have been in Thailand for 13 years now. Never have I been to Phuket and I have no inclination to go there. Everything reeks of a superfluous society aimed at taking your hard earned money, and lots of it. And for what? There are other places in Thailand with beautiful beaches, good food, and good weather. Phuket is a rip-off city. Those who go there should not care about money or losing a lot of it. The women are overpriced even if they are only your GF. Much better in other places in Thailand. With less problems as well. 

Been there once, flew down on the friday with flight booked to come back on the Monday.....I flew home on Sunday morning instead.

Horrid place.

[ChasingTheSun]

6 minutes ago, Ralf001 said:

Been there once, flew down on the friday with flight booked to come back on the Monday.....I flew home on Sunday morning instead.

Horrid place.

I wish more people would do the same.

 

Yet, more and more are coming. 😞 

[Expat68]

4 hours ago, DonniePeverley said:

Phuket has just become so over developed. It's no longer some idylic island type paradise. 

 

The constant development is outrageous and just wrong, especially when the whole point of the place is the mass tourism it brings. It's been wrecked. 

 

It's basically now turning into a metropolis city with a beach. And with the leaders keen on pushing even more and more cheap mass tourism to the island i am seeing more and more moving. It's soul destroying in the evenings trying to get somewhere. 

 

Same with other areas of Thailand. Same old mass tourism being pushed. 

 

Most of my mates this year usually come to Thailand for their winter breaks, but all heading to the Caribbean, eg Barbados, Aruba, type islands. Every single one of them could not deal with the mass tourism they faced. There was simply no need to open up to literally the world without any limits. 

 

I doubt anyone in Thailand cares or has any long term vision - they only barometer that is looked upon is the number of visitors, not the quality of tourist spend. So you end up turning away 'quality tourists' and then you commence talk of the ecological damage that mass tourism brings. 

That's why I live in a sleepy city in NE Thailand, most beach destinations are within 8 hours or less, door to door 

[ChasingTheSun]

3 minutes ago, Expat68 said:

That's why I live in a sleepy city in NE Thailand, most beach destinations are within 8 hours or less, door to door 

Only 8 hours door to door?

[zzzzz]

I've been in Thailand since mid 84<  In Phuket since 85
left in 97 for the states< lasted 16 months
left in 2008 for Cambodia, lasted 8 months

left in 2022 for Cambodia ( again) lasted 17 months
Been all over Thailand by bicycle & Car
been married, raised my daughter, built my home

Phuket remains the best for me and many of the friend's i have here that have been here since the 80's
has it changed>>> SURE
is it more busy  100%

FYI:  for so many on here they equate Phuket with ONLY visiting Patong
 

FFYI;
But still, during the low season an having the beach with less than 20 people on it.....
ahhhhhhhh

 

 

 

Edited July 8 by zzzzz

[Expat68]

3 hours ago, ChasingTheSun said:

Only 8 hours door to door?

Max

[JoeyMac]

What happened to the tourism reset after covid that we were promised? 

 

I spent a few days in Phuket and it was literally one of the worst places i ever visited in Thailand. They're ruined it, so congrats to them. It's just awful. It has become a Bali, over tourism has destroyed it. Once the complaints and disatistifaction kick in, they big tour companies will avoid it - just like they do with Bali. 

 

Then what happens is you get more and more cheap tourists from China  (on zero dollar tours), and India. They will come in numbers but won't have the spend. We've already seen reports that revenue is down, despite visitor numbers through the roof. 

 

 

[ChasingTheSun]

2 hours ago, Expat68 said:

Max

Thats super convenient.

[Baht Simpson]

I'm glad I did the main tourist destinations back in the 90's. I'd love a bit of a beach holiday now but couldn't stand anywhere too-overdeveloped.

[norfolkandchance]

7 hours ago, ChasingTheSun said:

Only 8 hours door to door?

Korat to Pattaya 7 hours and that's on a bus with 3 stops.

[ChasingTheSun]

1 hour ago, ChasingTheSun said:

Thats super convenient.

Obvious sarcasm seems to have been missed by some on this thread.

[Captain Monday]

More than 20 years ago I vowed to NEVER disgrace Pukhet again with my presence based on the transport  mafia, and what I experienced as wthinly veiled hostility from tourism industry workers compared to any other area of Thailand. Well I went back on a non stop flight from Qatar right when the sandbox opened. When it was more than slow to relax 14 nights in a near brand new Patong hotel. 

 

My opinion has matured> A big island with a lot to offer. Traffic?  I think it would be completely different living there in a quiet area retired with your own car,  compared to visiting.

[stuandjulie]

12 hours ago, Expat68 said:

That's why I live in a sleepy city in NE Thailand, most beach destinations are within 8 hours or less, door to door 

Horses for courses, I lived in Phuket for 13 years in Rawai, 800 metres from the sea on a soi cul de sac with 7 houses overlooking farmland with the bonus of 15 mins away from serious shopping but 2 mins away from mom and pop stores. If you went to Phuket for 3 days you ain't really qualified to comment as you haven't seen it ! In phuket you can do sleepy, wild, beach, countryside and towns all within 40 mins.

[Felt 35]

With 24 years in Phuket plus the 4-5 years "after covid" split between central Thailand and Phuket, I honestly don't know. Too much traffic yes, too many undesirable and drug addicts yes. But for me personally, with the same place of residence for 24 years among the local population on the outskirts of the city center, I feel at home. And even in today's traffic I cycle there, yes you have to get up early, half a dozen swimming pools and that's just the ones I've used, King Rama IX Park, (Suan Luang Park) for a walk/jog or just to hang out for a while away from the rat race and not least the plus that what you can't buy/shop in Phuket, there is no reason to look for it elsewhere. Having said that shopping is not exactly "my thing" Summary it was a Paradise turned 180 degrees...but in my heart Phuket will always be number one. Not to forget, Phuket have the best air quality in Thailand.  But as the saying goes horses for courses.

 

Felt

[Old Croc]

The usual negative opinions about Phuket from the never-beens, the went once last century, the believers that Patong is Phuket, and those who expect a taxi in one of the planet's most visited tourist destinations to be the same price as in their local village.

Phuket caters for nearly all tastes, with unique culture and food, historic architecture, nightlife, beaches, exotic islands, diving, fishing, adventure and entertainment.  It, and its environs, have incredible natural beauty and is the reason it attracts millions of visitors yearly from around the world. Seedy, rip-off, nightclub strips are a just a small part of Phuket and only the ignorant judge the whole place by experiences there.

 

It's also a great place for expats to live, with all the advantages mentioned above and including access to Phang Nga Bay and its hundreds of Islands.  There are many top hospitals, shopping, an international airport and an entry port for cruisers and yachties.  Several marinas and jetties cater for thousands of small boats and ferries. As Thailand's largest Island, there are jungle clad national parks, wildlife, deserted beaches and quiet rural areas. Basic COL prices are not dissimilar to elsewhere in Thailand if you don't live as a visitor in one of the tourist towns. Your own transport is a must.

 

The downside.

Phuket's roads have become grossly overcrowded in parts. War refugees haven't helped. It's an Island and Its popularity, with an upsurge in tourism worldwide (1.4 billion yearly), means it is one of the planet's many tourist destinations that has been overwhelmed by visitor numbers.

This is also a massive problem in places like Barcelona (riots by locals), Mallorca, Venice, Reykjavik, Paris (Louvre), etc., and even for those queuing up to kill themselves on Everest. 

Bad or missing infostructure,

In Phuket there is a cadre of top families who pull all the strings based on personal interest. They make the big decisions in government (as several governors have found out) and with infostructure and transport. Only a Free government in Bangkok could possibly turn this around.

 

Corruption, violence and criminality happens all over Thailand, but is naturally exacerbated in massive tourist centers like Phuket. Visitors are responsible for much of it. The naive need to arm themselves with knowledge and common sense before leaving home. A more traditional style of policing would help solve the problem.

 

(I lived in Phuket for ten years and still own property there.  Although I happily now live a quiet rural life in the north, I do miss much about Phuket).