Why do so many people like Pattaya but hate Phuket?

[thecyclist]

1. Pattaya is cheaper. 

2.The ladyboys are bigger and more aggressive. 

3. More Indians. 

4.The fascinating phenomenon of disappearing beaches during heavy rain-only in Pattaya. 

5.Only in Pattaya do you feel like your are in an insane asylum for lunatics from far and near.

6.The sexworkers have more babies more stretch marks, more piercings and more tattoos. 

Pattaya no one. 

Edited July 4 by thecyclist
Correction

[NoshowJones]

22 hours ago, Yellow Fever said:

Dirty minded farangs that like the sex industry

I don't use the sex industry, but being used to being in the company of attractive girls since my teen years, now that I am old and not the handsome guy I used to be, and if I was not happily married, then yes, I would use the sex industry.

Would you mind explaining what is dirty minded about using the sex industry, or is it that you kick with the other foot?

[NoshowJones]

20 hours ago, marin said:

Rent a smaller car 650-750B a day, problem solved. 

Traffic jams?? No?

[ChaiyaTH]

On 7/4/2024 at 8:00 AM, susanlea said:

Phuket just looks like an upmarket Pattaya with better beaches and better people. Is downmarket the trend?

Pattaya is very easy to go to from the airport, as well as from Bangkok. Secondly it is very cheap to get there. Thirdly it is in general easy to get around in Pattaya using the 10 baht busses, hotels are chips, often promotions and western food has the best choice and prices in the entire country there. Girls are hassle free, almost always 1K or 1.5K max.

Phuket is more or less the opposite of that, but yes, agreed, if having the time and not care about the money, that would be more beautiful in terms of nature. For long-term living I would also always choose Phuket. But for a budget or average holiday, seeing more of Thailand too, I'd skip Phuket. Weekend trip same, pattaya easier.

 

I mean just to get from Phuket airport to like Rawai would already be the same duration as driving fast yourself in a car from BKK to Pattaya.

Edited July 5 by ChaiyaTH

[KhunLA]

Hard to compare a city / Patts, to a province / Phuket, with so much more to see and beaches to visit.

 

Main issue with both is simply too many people & congestion.   Even when we visited Phuket regularly, 10+ years ago, there were simply too many people/cars/taxies/no parking.   Even self driving, I'd rent a MB, to explore, so I could park somewhere.  Why we stopped visiting till recently.

 

Phuket was bliss during covid, but last visit (June 2023), and totally packed again, and that's off season.   Might visit again, during next pandemic 

Edited July 5 by KhunLA

[newnative]

      I think your title is incorrect, at least for me.  I certainly don't 'hate' Phuket.  My spouse and I had a very nice time when we visited.  For living year-round, though, we prefer Pattaya, hands down.  We like being just an easy drive to Bangkok, where we have a getaway condo.  We like being close to a big airport, for when we travel.  We like Pattaya's size--not too big and not too small--it's easy to get to the places we go to frequently.  We like Pattaya's wide variety of housing choices at all price points to rent or to own, and it's different, interesting neighborhoods to choose from.   We like the wide variety of shopping choices, and health care services.  And, we like the expat community here, where we have made some very nice friendships.  

[newnative]

14 hours ago, jesimps said:

People like myself who love living in the Pattaya area don't actually live in town. We live just down the coast or in one of the rural areas. I can't blame people for choosing Pattaya over Phuket, it has everything. Folk who hate Pattaya, I think you'll find, have never actually visited here, but wish to hell they had. 

So true.  And, if they did actually visit, it was years ago and they didn't venture far from Soi 6 or Walking Street.

[newnative]

13 hours ago, SpaceKadet said:

So, it's more like Rayong international airport with 3 flights weekly to UAE, Singapore and Malaysia.... Very international.

And BKK international is still almost 2 hours away....

     With the Motorway improvements it's no longer 2 hours to BKK airport.  Leaving Pattaya right now, it's 1 hour 21 minutes according to my phone map app.  We can usually be at our downtown Bangkok condo in 2 hours or less, non-rush hour.

[Grusa]

13 hours ago, SpaceKadet said:

So, it's more like Rayong international airport with 3 flights weekly to UAE, Singapore and Malaysia.... Very international.

And BKK international is still almost 2 hours away....

It IS Rayong International Airport! VTBU/UTP

[thaibeachlovers]

Taxi mafia blights Phuket. Public transport is way worse than Pattaya. Pattaya is close to Bkk and international airport.

Easy to get to other places from Pattaya.

[thaibeachlovers]

On 7/4/2024 at 2:58 PM, RSD1 said:

What a farce. Says who? Phuket gets more visitors than Pattaya ever year. People vote with their feet. 

More tourists, not more expats.

[BigStar]

Do people HATE Phuket? I don't think so, except for a few outliers. What people mainly dislike about Phutket is the transportation mafia. Having encountered that myself, it's quite understandable, but not reallya game-changer.

 

We hear a lot of hate for Pattaya, however, from people who don't really know Pattaya. Bashing is a sport around here anyway.

 

People who like Pattaya, most notably expats, just find it has a lower cost-of-living and a helluva lot more convenience. It's also quite a large, diverse area for varying lifestyles.

 

[KhunLA]

On 7/4/2024 at 9:58 AM, RSD1 said:

What a farce. Says who? Phuket gets more visitors than Pattaya ever year. People vote with their feet. 

It's all relative, and depends on your description of 'visitor'.   Local, international, weekender, repeat.  

 

Personally can't imaging a whole lot of repeat, international visits to Phuket.  Patts has the advantage of cheaper, east to get about, since much smaller, using baht buses, and less than 2 hrs from Bangkok metro if no traffc.

[BTB1977]

Both suck in my opinion.  

[shdmn]

Traffic in Pattaya is getting pretty bad.  Jomtien traffic is not much better.  At least in BKK you have a transit system to help avoid it.  I am seriously considering alternatives now.  Phuket is definitely not one of them.  Way too touristy and expensive.  Hua Hin is not bad.

 

The air pollution sees lots of triple digit days all over Thailand during burning season, so there is no escape from that. It is making me look elsewhere, like the Philippines.  The tradeoff is the infrastructure and food is not as good, but at least I can still breath there.  

Edited July 6 by shdmn

[geisha]

2 hours ago, shdmn said:

Traffic in Pattaya is getting pretty bad.  Jomtien traffic is not much better.  At least in BKK you have a transit system to help avoid it.  I am seriously considering alternatives now.  Phuket is definitely not one of them.  Way too touristy and expensive.  Hua Hin is not bad.

 

The air pollution sees lots of triple digit days all over Thailand during burning season, so there is no escape from that. It is making me look elsewhere, like the Philippines.  The tradeoff is the infrastructure and food is not as good, but at least I can still breath there.  

Traffic is worse in Phuket , unless you go to the east side . I wouldn’t. 
I found Phuket suffocating, hot, humid, and generally uncomfortable. Last time I was there was two years ago visiting my Thai friends from when I was young and living there.   Last time I was just happy to leave, it was February and early March and rained heavily nearly every day !!!!  Next time I go to see them I’ll stay a long weekend. 

[Hummin]

I would choose Kho Phangan above both. No traffic or crowds 

[jas007]

Phuket was the first place I ever spent any significant amount of time in Thailand. One month, back in the year 2000.  Over the years I spent more time there, but lately,  I’ve lived in Pattaya, mainly because it’s an easy trip up to Bangkok and an easy trip to the airport.

 

In general, I have the impression that Phuket has a younger crowd.  Mostly tourists, not so many retirees.  More recently, if the news can be believed, it would seem as though rental rates have risen substantially in parts of Phuket, particularly in some of the popular beach areas.

 

Anyway, unless I get a car, I’ll probably continue to live in the Pattaya area and use Bolt taxis when I want to go somewhere.  
 

I’ve thought of moving to Bangkok, but I’m not sure I’m up for all the aggravation of big city living.

[thaibeachlovers]

On 7/7/2024 at 8:10 AM, Hummin said:

I would choose Kho Phangan above both. No traffic or crowds 

Thank goodness the airport didn't get built.

[Banana7]

I've spent time in both locations. Basically Phuket is more expensive for everything. Restaurant meals are twice Pattaya prices, Phuket transportation in some cases 5 times more than Pattaya prices, accommodation is at least 50% more expensive in Phuket, density of Russians is much greater in Phuket, Phuket gets lots more rain than Pattaya.

[saintdomingo]

Not too much wrong with Phuket or Hua Hin. But both Pattaya and Bangkok grabbed me straightaway and nowhere else did.

[saintdomingo]

On 7/20/2024 at 6:56 PM, jas007 said:

 

 

I’ve thought of moving to Bangkok, but I’m not sure I’m up for all the aggravation of big city living.

Bangkok is fine without a car, if you're close to the MRT or BTS.

[save the frogs]

On 7/3/2024 at 9:04 PM, SAFETY FIRST said:

being on their pensions they don't have the funds to enjoy their retired life. 

 

you don't need to be rich to enjoy retirement. 

although money can enhance retirement, it's not that necessary to live decently.

 

pattaya is 1000 times better than the craphole I come from, with the miserable winters. 

phuket might be better than pattaya, but pattaya is good enough. 

 

[London Lowf]

If you like beaches and nature then Phuket is clearly superior - as long as you avoid Patong.

 

I ride a scooter all over the island and so I'm not a taxi-mafia basher, but compared to my home country they are cheap and most tourists probably aren't fazed by the fares although I do accept that they are substantially more expensive than the rest of Thailand.

 

The girls are more expensive, but looking at the offerings in Pattaya (on Youtube, no personal experience) I'm happy to pay their prices - like the taxis, they are a bargain compared to back home.

 

As far as accesiblity goes, I can either fly from the UK direct to Bangkok and then a one hour hop to Phuket, or cut the journey in half with a stopover in the Middle East - either way a single-stop journey with a one hour taxi ride at this end.

 

My only problem is with property prices - my rent went up 33% last December and I'm expecting 25% later this year. I have nothing personal against Russians (I have a nice couple living next door) but they have caused an explosion in the property market. I'll swallow the rent hike this year, but will consider looking elsewhere if it continues.

Edited July 21 by London Lowf

[DonniePeverley]

Mass cheap tourism is turning Phuket into Pattaya.

 

Phuket is no longer a paradise island type place - it's now a city with a beach.

 

It's also awful with little to no infrustructure.

[DonniePeverley]

1 minute ago, London Lowf said:

 

 

My only problem is with property prices - my rent went up 33% last December and I'm expecting 25% later this year. I have nothing personal against Russians (I have a nice couple living next door) but they have caused an explosion in the property market. I'll swallow the rent hike this year, but will consider looking elsewhere if it continues.

 

 

Now can you imagine how hard it must be for local Thai's - who are also suffering. Thailand is not a developed nation that the government is inflicting this onto it's population.

[London Lowf]

3 minutes ago, DonniePeverley said:

Now can you imagine how hard it must be for local Thai's - who are also suffering.

 

That thought has crossed my mind - for now I can afford my rent increases as it is still a bargain compared to many other retirement options, but what about the local Thai workers? The property price explosion will trickle all the way down the market and so they must really be struggling.

 

In the news here there is talk of a huge anti-tourist backlash in many of the popular Spanish resorts for exactly this reason. It's a delicate balance as Thailand is heavily reliant on the tourist dollars, but Phuket certainly seems to be going over the tipping point.

 

 

[Prubangboy]

Housing that Thai people rent seldom sees a westerner. If you back out Phuket, Pattaya and Suk Road out of the mix, are rents really going up in other places?

 

Here in Nimman, Chiang Mai, a so-called hot area, the condo's never raise the rent at re-up time.

 

Most condo's are only 80% full. Dreams of Air BNB gold are fading. So what are rent increases in Ubon like?

 

Of course, if I were living in Phuket, I'd be bummed. I could solve my problems by moving to Hat Yai, but that's def a huge step down,

 

[jas007]

2 hours ago, saintdomingo said:

Bangkok is fine without a car, if you're close to the MRT or BTS.

Sure.  That’s one of the big benefits of living in Bangkok.  You definitely don’t need a car. 
 

My concern with Bangkok isn’t the transportation aspect.  It’s just the day to day stress level.  That, coupled with the fact that I have absolutely no reason to be there. I’d rather be at the beach somewhere.
 

Once upon a time, I lived in NYC. Great place, but probably not a good place for people who don’t have to be there for any reason.  

[shdmn]

It is pretty hard to beat the combination of things Pattaya has to offer.   Checks all the boxes for most people.  Phuket not so much.  Especially for longer term stays.