I was in Phuket last year and the island is now one big garbage heap, people seem to keep on traveling to Phuket but it was such a pale shadow of what it was when I was last there 10 years ago. It was absolutely infested with low end Malaysians, Arabs, Indians and especially the spectacularly unpleasant Russians, no thanks I never need to go back.

The traffic was an abomination, everything was overpriced, Bangla Road was utterly horrific with barely an attractive woman in sight, and the entire place just reeked.

I live in Patong & think you've summed it up pretty well.

5 hours ago, novacova said:

They’re not American, they’re European or another. Easy to spot as they all have man purses.

A rufftuff American, then and now:

Edited July 23Jul 23 by Enoon

6 hours ago, spidermike007 said:

I was in Phuket last year and the island is now one big garbage heap, people seem to keep on traveling to Phuket but it was such a pale shadow of what it was when I was last there 10 years ago. It was absolutely infested with low end Malaysians, Arabs, Indians and especially the spectacularly unpleasant Russians, no thanks I never need to go back.

The traffic was an abomination, everything was overpriced, Bangla Road was utterly horrific with barely an attractive woman in sight, and the entire place just reeked.

If you think Phuket is bad definitely don’t go near Pattaya , it’s exactly how you describe it but 100 times worse than Phuket , used to be a fun place 20/25 years ago now in the last 10 years it’s compleately taken over , gone are the days when it was full of Europeans & Americans etc

11 hours ago, Showtime said:

It's my whore. No, it's my whore. Let's fight over the whore

11 hours ago, Showtime said:

It's my whore. No, it's my whore. Let's fight over the whore

11 hours ago, Showtime said:

It's my whore. No, it's my whore. Let's fight over the whore

They are not whores! They are innocent, hardworking girls from Isaan.

6 hours ago, spidermike007 said:

Sometimes I find myself telling people I'm from Canada

Good, I don't want to be associated with you.

" (Phuket) It was absolutely infested with low end Malaysians, Arabs, Indians and especially the spectacularly unpleasant Russians, no thanks I never need to go back."

So many other places to go in Thailand other than Phuket and Patters, I'm with ya. Do need to go back to see good friends, but then, outta there.

"Sometimes I find myself telling people I'm from Canada"

was drinking at one of those VW bus bars on the street in BKK one time when a guy said he was from Canada (no aye, no oooot when saying out). "Ya, which part of Canada"? Guy leans back, looks at me, "Buffalo" 🤣

20 hours ago, spidermike007 said:

I was in Phuket last year and the island is now one big garbage heap, people seem to keep on traveling to Phuket but it was such a pale shadow of what it was when I was last there 10 years ago. It was absolutely infested with low end Malaysians, Arabs, Indians and especially the spectacularly unpleasant Russians, no thanks I never need to go back.

The traffic was an abomination, everything was overpriced, Bangla Road was utterly horrific with barely an attractive woman in sight, and the entire place just reeked.

You make Pattaya sound like a much better alternative!

Obviously Phuket changed since I first went down there, (1982 or so...it was great). It deteriorated each subsequent visit.

Edited July 23Jul 23 by jacko45k

4 hours ago, jacko45k said:

You make Pattaya sound like a much better alternative!

Obviously Phuket changed since I first went down there, (1982 or so...it was great). It deteriorated each subsequent visit.

I was first in Phuket in 1976. Few resorts. A few bungalows on the beaches. Beachfront land was 2,000 baht a rai. They could not give it away.

Went back in 1986. Had developed alot. Still very nice. Same applied to Samui. Again in 1993. Far more development. Still amazing. Azure seas. Spectacular women everywhere. Great food.

Did not return until around 2008. It was degraded, for the most part. But, still decent. Good nightlife.

Again around 2014. Nowhere near the place it used to be, with a diminished nightlife, but not awful.

Back again in 2023 and there was absolutely no charm left, very few attractive gals and Bangla Road was absolutely horrific, with barely a good looking girl to be found with the exception of just a couple of Go-Go's charging truly stupid money.

The primary population of tourists were Arabs, Malaysians, Indians and Russians and most of them felt like low end tourists and expats. The proliferation of Russians was too much to bear. They are SO obnoxious. No need to ever return. The charm is lost. The over development is stunning. The prices were crazy. Yikes.

There were countless issues, long before Covid, and NONE of them were being addressed. One administration after another here are regressive, and reactionary, and not the visionary and progressive leadership Thailand desperately needs now.

15 hours ago, Mr Awesome said:

Good, I don't want to be associated with you.

I am feeling so wounded. That which total strangers think of me in a negative fashion hurts me so much. I must have a good cry now.

Foreign expatriates fighting on ASEAN Now!

So ever?y Thai tourist spot changed.

How about the Europe and US/Canada?

Everything stayed the same since the 80's ??

18 hours ago, spidermike007 said:

I am feeling so wounded. That which total strangers think of me in a negative fashion hurts me so much. I must have a good cry now.

I’m happy for you.

On 7/24/2026 at 12:09 PM, spidermike007 said:

I was first in Phuket in 1976. Few resorts. A few bungalows on the beaches.

There's still places like that in Thailand. But, just like Phuket in the '70s, they're off the beaten path, and too hard for the masses to get to and to find accommodation.

Success and greed kill all the good spots eventually. Except the spots that deliberately priced themselves out of the mass, cheap market from the get-go.

On 7/23/2026 at 12:41 PM, Legal Lifeline said:

Possibly- but not too many tattoos on show?

Can you see their teeth?

On 7/24/2026 at 11:09 AM, spidermike007 said:

I was first in Phuket in 1976. Few resorts. A few bungalows on the beaches. Beachfront land was 2,000 baht a rai. They could not give it away.

It was considered rubbish land by the locals as rice wouldn't grow because of the salt in the air.

I knew an expat who bought land, with his spouse, in Kata for almost nothing and sold it 30ish years later for a profit of around 1 mill GBP.