Moving To Thailand - Is Pattaya The Place?

[luumak]

for all intents and purposes ive left thailand and especially pattaya. it will still take me about six months to make the move but im gone.

thailand is well past its sell by date. political chaos, looming inflation, xenophobia, visa hassles, murder, huge meth problem, garbage, sewage problems, environmental degrdation and ive been very disheartened by the women i have met in the last six months (from worthless to dangerous).

the east side of sukhumvhit is crap. you are a total loser if you buy there - better to head down to ban-sare area. but pattaya area real estate is as dear as bangkok - it will crash, its only this high due to foreigners. that crap on other side of suk will never go up in value.

Edited January 11, 2008 by luumak

[sweetchariot]

for all intents and purposes ive left thailand and especially pattaya. it will still take me about six months to make the move but im gone.

thailand is well past its sell by date. political chaos, looming inflation, xenophobia, visa hassles, murder, huge meth problem, garbage, sewage problems, environmental degrdation and ive been very disheartened by the women i have met in the last six months (from worthless to dangerous).

the east side of sukhumvhit is crap. you are a total loser if you buy there - better to head down to ban-sare area. but pattaya area real estate is as dear as bangkok - it will crash, its only this high due to foreigners. that crap on other side of suk will never go up in value.

Good, go home and be miserable with all the other miserable sods.

[luumak]

whos miserable? whos a sod?

it was a good run and its finished. thailand is finished. you were late to the table - hah, hah ...you lose. its FINISHED.

lets face it pal...take away the alcohol, aircon, motorbike/car, english food -especially satelite tv of some totally innane sport like 'footy' for which the english working class is addicted.... and of course the dancing girls. naught for all that - you would have left last week. whos fooling whom? youd last in thailand, outside pattaya about 12 hours. you dont enjoy thailand - youre just sewing oats in pattaya.

you dont speak thai, dont eat thai food, dont know anything about thai culture, dont know anything about buddhist culture, never traveled to a neighboring country save for the visa run. i always have a good laugh when this sort of thing pops its ugly head - good, go home, more for me, good riddance! bah! how juvenile, why am i not shocked.

[stgrhe]

Once again thank you all for the advices.

It is highly unlikely that we will buy something on the spot after our arrival. We will take the time to get a feel for the place first and since I am fully retired I will have plenty of time for that. Then as far as location is concerned East Pattaya has never really been an option. I have more or less constantly followed the real estate market on the net for at least four years and I still see today houses listed for sales in the east, which were available then. That tells me a lot of that area.

With regards to the comments about Thailand that it is a country of the past, I do not personally agree with that. The fact i that Thailand attracts more and more people who want to live there full time or part time, but those people, me included, are of a totally different category then the bar and hooker seeking men who previously found heaven their Shangri-La in Pattaya. I am not moralising here!

Another thing, all of you who previously have stayed on thirty days tourist visas and made the visa runs once a month must remember that, although it technically speaking was legal, really were bending the rules. So, when the Thai Government are closing some of the loop-holes you cannot expect to get sympathy just because you do not like it there any more.

[esprit]

Anywhere other then Pattaya, unless that is you wish to see the dregs and dross of Farang society in Thailand daily.

[tattoodrob]

whos miserable? whos a sod?

it was a good run and its finished. thailand is finished. you were late to the table - hah, hah ...you lose. its FINISHED.

lets face it pal...take away the alcohol, aircon, motorbike/car, english food -especially satelite tv of some totally innane sport like 'footy' for which the english working class is addicted.... and of course the dancing girls. naught for all that - you would have left last week. whos fooling whom? youd last in thailand, outside pattaya about 12 hours. you dont enjoy thailand - youre just sewing oats in pattaya.

you dont speak thai, dont eat thai food, dont know anything about thai culture, dont know anything about buddhist culture, never traveled to a neighboring country save for the visa run. i always have a good laugh when this sort of thing pops its ugly head - good, go home, more for me, good riddance! bah! how juvenile, why am i not shocked.

wow u really got it in for thailand and especially east pattaya.....presume you had some sort of bad experience there!!.i live in east pattaya and find you get more for your money here whilst not being too far from shops,restaurants bars etc.houses arent selling anywhere at the moment and for people without transport then it is easier in main town.

i agree thailand/pattaya is going downhill for us farangs but wait till you get home wherever that may be...expensive everything!,cold,taxes,fat girls ...who still wont talk to you etc...then you will really be a miserable sod

[NanLaew]

Rent first till you get a feel for the place. You can always break a lease on a rental if it turns out a dud, or you want to try another area, or if you find the right place and make a purchase. It will also give you time to consider any changes to your options based on changes in government, visa rules, foreign remittances, etc..

It's not all bad here; I moved back after a 15 year absence. No regrets.

[torrenova]

1. How is the quality of living there given the bear bars and go go places?

I lived in town for a while and now live in East Pattaya. With a family, you cannot live in the centre, you'll go insane. We live very well though not in luxury. We have a modest but large enough house though I cannot say I would not prefer something better. Perhaps in time.

You've got to think about your kids. They will need friends and many people here either have no family or very young children. There are few the same age as your kids. I have friends with a 9 year old and he struggles to find kids his own age. I'd do some serious research on this.

Particularly I would look at where expats with real jobs, not business owners or retirees live. There is more chance that they will have their teenage kids with them. Reverse engineer your thought process and ask the schools where their kids come from - that will tell you where to look !

2. The Pattaya area is fairly large, in which part would you recommend us to look for a house with nice surroundings and not too far from good schools and shopping, and with high safety standards? It does not need to be very near the beach but if it has some sort of public transport it is a plus. Our max budget for the house would be about 10M baht.

You could spend 2m or 200m but I hope you realise you cannot own the land. Its either in your wife's name or in a company name. You'll have to be comfortable with that. Whatever, seek legal advice, especially in the unfortunate event of your wife pre deceasing you and her relatives coming to collect on the house.

You'll need at least one car and probably two. They are not expensive and you can get finance if you want at near 0%. A pick up and a Toyota Altis will set you back about Bt1.5-1.8m. Camry and Fortuner about Bt3.0m.

To me, if you cannot walk and have to driev then it matters little whether you drive 10 minutes or 20 minutes. With that radius, you can findsomewhere you like. Again, find out where their potential friends live.

3. I know about Regent and St. Andrews. Are there any other good schools you can recommend?

Sorry, cannot help here as we're a couple of years short of needing schools !

4. I read about crimes ever so often on this forum, how safe is actually Pattaya when you exclude the bar areas? I have had a house burgled once and do not want that to happen again.

All you can do is to reduce your risk. Think about the opportunism thief when you look at places. Really inspect security (most is bloody useless). Villa Med is a development of houses each over Bt15m and I can drive up in a dirty pick up and they will open the electric gate ! They don't know my friend lives there.

Get a good alarm system installed by a western company. Use it. Get sensors, auto lights, notices in Thai and english saying "you are on video" etc. Use your common sense.

5. Any other thing you like to share with me?

I live where I do because of proximity needs to Pattaya (I have businesses there) but I may decide to move out in a year or two. I'd focus on your kids. Your wife driving 30 minutes to work is nothing, neither is shopping. The quality of life you desire is far more important.

Finally, please keep us informed of your decision making process. Of course, rent first !

[Naam]

the east side of sukhumvhit is crap. you are a total loser if you buy there - better to head down to ban-sare area. but pattaya area real estate is as dear as bangkok - it will crash, its only this high due to foreigners. that crap on other side of suk will never go up in value.

has it ever occurred to you that people exist who buy or build homes to live in them and care a sh*t about the value going up or down?

[JSixpack]

take away the alcohol, aircon, motorbike/car, english food -especially satelite tv of some totally innane sport like 'footy' for which the english working class is addicted.... and of course the dancing girls. naught for all that - you would have left last week. whos fooling whom?

Let's do the same in Old Blighty. Also, take away the heat. And why stop there? Take away the electricity and water, too.

I love this forum.

[sweetchariot]

whos miserable? whos a sod?

it was a good run and its finished. thailand is finished. you were late to the table - hah, hah ...you lose. its FINISHED.

lets face it pal...take away the alcohol, aircon, motorbike/car, english food -especially satelite tv of some totally innane sport like 'footy' for which the english working class is addicted.... and of course the dancing girls. naught for all that - you would have left last week. whos fooling whom? youd last in thailand, outside pattaya about 12 hours. you dont enjoy thailand - youre just sewing oats in pattaya.

you dont speak thai, dont eat thai food, dont know anything about thai culture, dont know anything about buddhist culture, never traveled to a neighboring country save for the visa run. i always have a good laugh when this sort of thing pops its ugly head - good, go home, more for me, good riddance! bah! how juvenile, why am i not shocked.

Unfortunately the forum rules don't allow me to say what I feel right now. You are completely wrong on all of your tosspot assumptions highlighted above. You have obviously had a few bad experiences here. Been fleeced by a few working girls/ boys/ ladyboys? Can't get a new visa? Got no money left? On the run?

[stgrhe]

Thanks Torrenova, your advices are much appreciated.

This is a bit of the thread but when I read some of the postings it appears to me that there are some very unhappy member out there or else why would they express their pain and bitterness in this forum.

[sweetchariot]

Thanks Torrenova, your advices are much appreciated.

This is a bit of the thread but when I read some of the postings it appears to me that there are some very unhappy member out there or else why would they express their pain and bitterness in this forum.

They are very much in the minority, believe me. It's the same adage we had when working in a bank, if you upset 1 customer they will tell 10 of their friends how p1ssed off they are, if you delight one customer they may tell 2,1, or none.

I have yet to meet someone in person who is not happy living here, and hope I never do.

A few pinches of salt required methinks.

[bri1guy]

Buy a place where you wife wants to go and you can get visit ptty often as well or get two places but if she has lots of family there U are going to wanta place she is happy with..

[Maigo6]

The truth of the matter unless you are out in the evenings in the main touristy spots - you won't even realize whats there.

Haha................

If you are blind deaf dumb and totallty stupid, you would never know that Pattaya was a centre for sex tourism.

Brit, you don't half come out with some crap...

Edited January 12, 2008 by Maigo6

[Neeranam]

I am quite familiar with the Thai culture and their history after twenty-five years of frequent visits to the country

And you want to move to Pattaya!

[stevemiddie]

I think most of the posters that slag off Pattaya have only visited as tourists. Pattaya does have its sex industry...........but there is also an awful lot to do here as well. And some of the restaurants here are great. Internatoional to suit all tastes.

Some great beaches off the beaten track and not too far away.

Shopping malls......Tesco, Villa and Foodland.

Only 2 hours drive to Bangkok for a change of scene.

I love it here.

[Maigo6]

I think most of the posters that slag off Pattaya have only visited as tourists. Pattaya does have its sex industry...........but there is also an awful lot to do here as well. And some of the restaurants here are great. Internatoional to suit all tastes.

Some great beaches off the beaten track and not too far away.

Shopping malls......Tesco, Villa and Foodland.

Only 2 hours drive to Bangkok for a change of scene.

I love it here.

You found your way to Pattaya from sunny Doncaster for the Restaurants ?

Was it the uncrowded roads and pristine beaches that caught your attention ?

I'm quite certain that the availability of cheap sex from poor people had nothing to do with the big move...........................

Jesus H Christ, take away the opportunity to exploit the situation in Pattaya, the place would be as dead as a graveyard!

[britmaveric]

Who is exploiting who?? Looks to me its an even trade.

[stevemiddie]

I think most of the posters that slag off Pattaya have only visited as tourists. Pattaya does have its sex industry...........but there is also an awful lot to do here as well. And some of the restaurants here are great. Internatoional to suit all tastes.

Some great beaches off the beaten track and not too far away.

Shopping malls......Tesco, Villa and Foodland.

Only 2 hours drive to Bangkok for a change of scene.

I love it here.

You found your way to Pattaya from sunny Doncaster for the Restaurants ?

Was it the uncrowded roads and pristine beaches that caught your attention ?

I'm quite certain that the availability of cheap sex from poor people had nothing to do with the big move...........................

Pathetic response. Christ.......you want to make me vomit.

I moved here from Bangkok where I worked. My wife has business interests here and makes more money than I ............hence the move. Now I work here.

Yet another poster making assumptions and quite clearly..........clueless.

Why do you come?

Edited January 12, 2008 by stevemiddie

[NanLaew]

You found your way to Pattaya from sunny Doncaster for the Restaurants ?

Was it the uncrowded roads and pristine beaches that caught your attention ?

I'm quite certain that the availability of cheap sex from poor people had nothing to do with the big move...........................

Jesus H Christ, take away the opportunity to exploit the situation in Pattaya, the place would be as dead as a graveyard!

This is your tagline btw.

It's not Thailand that you love or hate, it's your own life and what you have done with it that you love or hate. (Heng)

[Jingthing]

Well, it is a good place if you place a high value on being in the most cosmopolitan city in Thailand (according to Bangkok media).

[stgrhe]

I think that enough has been said on this thread now. It appears that:

1) Some love the place;

2) Some like the place;

3) Some dislike the place; and

4) Some hate the place.

The truth is that the first years when I had to come to Pattaya for my business I hated the place but as the years passed by I saw that Pattaya had another side to it as well. Its like a coin.

To those of you who have contributed with constructive advices I say thank you. For those of you who only post scrap why in the whole world do you have the need to inform others that you use your brain for other things than thinking.

[beginner]

[

Göran

Moving To Thailand - Is Pattaya The Place?,

Pros and Cons-i think you just described most of the population!

That is very true but there are others who are neither pros nor cons.

At the PCEC (Pattaya City Expats Club) a retired Church of England vicar was asked "Why did God create Pattaya?"

He replied "God created Pattaya to make old men happy".

I meet many old and retired people male and female who say that they are enjoying the happiest days of their lives, living in Pattaya.

Is it good for families and children? Better ask those with personal experience. But in the end its up you. Most people see what they want to see.

[siampaulibuyasia]

Hi everyone.

As of new year I am retired and I and my wife have decided to settle in Thailand but we do not know where for the moment. My wife is Thai and from Khon Kaen (muang) and she would prefer that we chose KK. My experience from KK is that, although this place has its merits, it is very flat and dull. I do not think I would like it there.

Some information about me. I am quite familiar with the Thai culture and their history after twenty-five years of frequent visits to the country. I have been working for a large defence contractor selling combat management systems for naval warships and Thailand was one of "my countries". However, I do not speak Thai, yet, although it is an ambition of mine to at least learn the basic to start wit. My wife is a nurse and she would have no problem to get a job should we chose Pattaya to be our home. We have two kids, a daughter 14 years old and a son 9.

We have both ruled out Krabi, my wife has ruled out Hua Hin and we are now primarily focusing on Pattaya to Rayong, and possible Phuket. I am very familiar with the area around Sattahip for the obvious reason as that is the main Royal Thai Navy base. I have hence stayed many times at the Dusit on business but those stays are not enough to tell me whether Pattaya is a good place to live in.

Anyone of you who are living in Pattaya area would be very welcomed to give me some advise on how it is to live there. I am not much into bar live but in need of a social side of life with some sort of quality.

Any advice would be most welcomed. What I specifically like to hear is:

1. How is the quality of living there given the bear bars and go go places?

2. The Pattaya area is fairly large, in which part would you recommend us to look for a house with nice surroundings and not too far from good schools and shopping, and with high safety standards? It does not need to be very near the beach but if it has some sort of public transport it is a plus. Our max budget for the house would be about 10M baht.

3. I know about Regent and St. Andrews. Are there any other good schools you can recommend?

4. I read about crimes ever so often on this forum, how safe is actually Pattaya when you exclude the bar areas? I have had a house burgled once and do not want that to happen again.

5. Any other thing you like to share with me

\

i think the best pl;ace to live is pattaya its normally easy to get from 1 side of the city to the other in minutes unlike bangkok and the range of quality international restaurants and entertainment is second to none i live just outside the city and it is quite and beautiful and im only 10 minutes from the beach road if i want to go out for a drink without all the noise of the famous bar and gogo areas thats not a problem and they have just opened a tesco lotus express 2 minutes from my house i love it here good luck to whatever your choice is

[barryofthailand]

My wife, and I and my 10 year old son live in Pattaya and are now looking to move. Main reasons: the schools in Pattaya have gone to hel_l, the city is dirty, people through trash all over the roads instaed of using recepticles. Most people who live in Pattaya and the surounding areas do not come from this area and just don't care. The only reason they are here is to find work. We are looking at Korat Muang. Very clean, roads very nice, and good bi lingual schools.

Barry

[EmCross]

My wife, and I and my 10 year old son live in Pattaya and are now looking to move. Main reasons: the schools in Pattaya have gone to hel_l, the city is dirty, people through trash all over the roads instaed of using recepticles. Most people who live in Pattaya and the surounding areas do not come from this area and just don't care. The only reason they are here is to find work. We are looking at Korat Muang. Very clean, roads very nice, and good bi lingual schools.

Barry

Sorry to hear that you are so disillusioned with Pattaya Barry, I can understand a lot of what you are saying as we had our children at a very bad school in Pattaya and felt very much the same until we changed schools recently. Our children are now at Rayong English Programme School (REPS) in Bang Chang and are very happy, I would highly recommend this school and it is not international school prices either. If you live in the areas already discussed on this thread i.e. Bang Sarray or towards Sattahip, near or around the Phoenix golf course, which are all up and coming areas and not far from Pattaya and all it has to offer, and not far from REPS and other very good international schools then I think life in Pattaya is very different to what you have described above.

We have lived in East Pattaya (as it is called) near the Regents school and actually we loved it and very much like the area around Mapbrachan lake which is great for families but we could not afford (and did not want to pay) Regents Int. school prices for our children which are phenomenal. If there had been a decent bi-lingual school nearby I think we might have stayed in this area.

[wilko]

HI GORAN,

PATTAYA ISN'T THE PLACE TO BE FAR FROM IT THERE ARE ALOT FARANG AND THAI BUSINESS MEN WHO RIPP OFF FARANG-YOU MATE AND NOT FORGETTING THE GIRLS WHO WORK BARS OUT TO MAKE MONEY LOOKING TO FARANG.

THIS IS NO PLACE FOR CHILDREN WHERE THERE IS A SEX INDUSTRY,I WOULDN'T LET MY CHILDREN AROUND THEM PLACES!

RAYONG IS BETTER

INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL IS BEST BUT IS EXSPENSIVE.

Hasn't anyone ever told you how to work a computer?

These views are in my opinion inaccurate and bigoted.