girlx Posted January 29, 2009 Share Posted January 29, 2009 (edited) i am in the middle of a week holiday on the islands and am realizing just how much i actually hate living in bangkok. i am so much happier in the sun, with nature/animals/the sea/laid back people around... my first choice would be to move back and live in koh phangan, but alas, i may need to fly a couple of times a month to hong kong, so i need to be near an airport (and i hate samui). i have never particularly liked phuket, but it seems like it might be the best compromise- somewhat of a city but on the beach. so, i have asked about this before, but refresh my memory: - where would be the best spot in phuket for a girl to live on her own? must be safe, with conveniences around, decent public transportation, and something of a community of expats. - can anyone recommend a house for rent there, under 15k/mo., with internet and western conveniences? (prefer a house to a condo or apt) - does anyone know which airlines fly from phuket to hong kong and the approximate price of tix? ... i am on my way to phuket tomorrow with the intent to go to phi phi with my friends, but i may stick around a bit longer to check it out as a place to live, so any tips welcome. (otherwise i will just have to take a lot of weekend trips away from the big bad city i guess! ) Edited January 29, 2009 by girlx Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
neverdie Posted January 29, 2009 Share Posted January 29, 2009 (edited) Thai Airways, Cathay, Air New Zealand & DragonAir, all do direct flights from phuket to hong kong. Prices vary, expesive thai full fare is about 30k thb. I did a search online a few weeks ago about places on phuket for rent...houses away from the tourism mess, there was a few around the 15k price bracket, theres still stacks advertised...depends where abouts you want on phuket for pricing. Do you need a boy friday? Edited January 29, 2009 by neverdie Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ozymandious Posted January 29, 2009 Share Posted January 29, 2009 a friend of mine (who is a farang girl) took up a residence at "The Point" it's an appartment block opposit Big C and close to Central. I don't know what the rates are but there's nice security in the building, you could walk every where you need to, and could take a buss to the beach. I'm not associated with this project and I've never been in to see her unit but she sounded happy with it. http://www.thepointphuket.com/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
neverdie Posted January 29, 2009 Share Posted January 29, 2009 a friend of mine (who is a farang girl) took up a residence at "The Point"it's an appartment block opposit Big C and close to Central. I don't know what the rates are but there's nice security in the building, you could walk every where you need to, and could take a buss to the beach. I'm not associated with this project and I've never been in to see her unit but she sounded happy with it. http://www.thepointphuket.com/ looks like they are only selling those places....is your friend renting, whats she paying? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
steelepulse Posted January 29, 2009 Share Posted January 29, 2009 The "public transportation" will be the killer. Either be prepared for an hour's jouney on one of those 20 baht buses, or spend all of your money on tuk tuks. Best bet would be to rent a car (safest option), or a motorbike ( cheap, but dangerous). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
neverdie Posted January 29, 2009 Share Posted January 29, 2009 Ive spent a fair bit of time motorcycling around phuket island....about the best thing you can do is stay right away from the congestion of the tourist areas, but its a hellofa lot safer riding there than in Bkk. Naturally one needs to be extra careful at night, but that seems to apply right thru out thailand. The only problem I can really see with transport is getting a taxi when ur plane flys into phuket....they treat everyone as tourists & charge accordingly. Perhaps one could develop a contact with someone decent in the business after arriving....someone you can call whenever you need that type of service. I vaguely remember someone else talking about this problem on another thred. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
girlx Posted January 29, 2009 Author Share Posted January 29, 2009 Best bet would be to rent a car (safest option) i was thinking about this, any idea how much it is to rent a car monthly there? i suppose though it is not like KPG, where i could drive around without a proper license whenever i wanted. The only problem I can really see with transport is getting a taxi when ur plane flys into phuket....they treat everyone as tourists & charge accordingly. Perhaps one could develop a contact with someone decent in the business after arriving....someone you can call whenever you need that type of service. I vaguely remember someone else talking about this problem on another thred. hrmm guess i will find out tomorrow! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
samuibeachcomber Posted January 29, 2009 Share Posted January 29, 2009 have you considered krabi? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
neverdie Posted January 29, 2009 Share Posted January 29, 2009 You know girlx, if you have a drivers licence back in your home country & you also possess an international driving permit (issued by the motoring authority back in your homeland) AND you are constantly leaving the country, without staying longer than 90 days, then you are quite entitled to drive on your licence from home, providing you have all the documents. The only reason I mention this is because you stated you are going to hk all the time. It would probably work out a lot cheaper in the long run to buy a cheap car than hire one....maybe you were talking about only hiring on the odd occassion? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Devil Posted January 29, 2009 Share Posted January 29, 2009 I have lived on Phuket, Samui, Hua Hin and Koh Phangan and consider Phuket my home now. Phuket has the best of both worlds, its not perfect but not a bad place if you like variety. I make an effort to get down to a different beach every so often and appreciate the natural beauty of Phuket. You can easily forget how amazing this place is if you just stay in town all the time or just stick to one area. Try some of these beaches Surin, Kata noi, Nai Harn, Leam Sing and many more their all a bit different. Also Phuket has half decent roads compared to Samui so you can enjoy a good drive around but we do get traffic jams. Patong has a Dept store called Jungcylon its a great place to spend half the day with a outdoor/indoor section with cafes,restaurants and shops of all brands etc a bit of a change from the main Central Dept in town. A car is almost a must nowadays for Phuket due to its size and increasing amount of vehicles on the roads. And if you want to take full advantage and get out and about when your not working a car makes it a lot easier and safer. There are long drives to get around the Island especially in and out of town. I have seen lots of houses for rent with signs up and you will find smaller ones for around 15-25k month if you ask about. You have to negotiate hard and spend a bit of time driving round. Most houses will have a phone line anyway so just sort out Internet directly. Security can be an issue sometimes for standalone properties as more prone to possible burglary. Phuket town has more apartment type properties 15k month with security and Internet. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
girlx Posted January 29, 2009 Author Share Posted January 29, 2009 (edited) A car is almost a must nowadays for Phuket due to its size and increasing amount of vehicles on the roads. And if you want to take full advantage and get out and about when your not working a car makes it a lot easier and safer. There are long drives to get around the Island especially in and out of town. well, a couple of people have told me this now, which actually makes it a deal-breaker for me if it is true i need a car to get around. i would be happy to rent one, but i have no license (i am from NYC, where public transport is more convenient than driving). and given my working/living (visa) situation, i can't get a license in thailand either. ARGH! i guess instead of phuket i will have to resort back to plan B, which is that i will just take lots of weekends away from BKK, or give in and move back to koh phangan. thanks anyway for all the tips and PMs people! have you considered krabi? yes, i have, but i don't like ao nang and krabi town is not western-friendly enough for me on my own. thanks anyway. Edited January 29, 2009 by girlx Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
loubrockbank Posted January 29, 2009 Share Posted January 29, 2009 would you not consider a bike? just my personal preferance but the bike is best for us, considering u drive safely as you would in a car, and have a decent helmet. up to recently we were house hunting for something around 13k a month and found plenty..if your willing to drive around and ask - sure you know that though and for 15k sure u could get what u want. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thaigerd Posted January 29, 2009 Share Posted January 29, 2009 Hi, Have a look at this place: http://www.baansuanplace.com/ Friend of mine is living there, seems to be a very nice place and good organized in there. Monthly rate between 10-12k Baht. Gerd Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kimera Posted January 29, 2009 Share Posted January 29, 2009 A car is almost a must nowadays for Phuket due to its size and increasing amount of vehicles on the roads. And if you want to take full advantage and get out and about when your not working a car makes it a lot easier and safer. There are long drives to get around the Island especially in and out of town. well, a couple of people have told me this now, which actually makes it a deal-breaker for me if it is true i need a car to get around. i would be happy to rent one, but i have no license (i am from NYC, where public transport is more convenient than driving). and given my working/living (visa) situation, i can't get a license in thailand either. ARGH! i guess instead of phuket i will have to resort back to plan B, which is that i will just take lots of weekends away from BKK, or give in and move back to koh phangan. thanks anyway for all the tips and PMs people! have you considered krabi? yes, i have, but i don't like ao nang and krabi town is not western-friendly enough for me on my own. thanks anyway. You will certainly have a problem without a driving license for a car or motorbike here on Phuket, there are many traffic checks and if there is an accident it could well be serious for you! not sure what you mean by (visa) (working) situation Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ozymandious Posted January 30, 2009 Share Posted January 30, 2009 (edited) The Point rents units, found the info sheet. might be more then you want to pay as studio starts out at 18k / mo http://www.thepointphuket.com/Roomrate.pdf I like Gerd's pick as it's just as good a location and a lot cheaper. At the point I guess you are paying for the other amenities (tv, fridge, kitchen, maid service once a week and internet included) Edited January 30, 2009 by ozymandious Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sir Burr Posted January 30, 2009 Share Posted January 30, 2009 The Point rents units, found the info sheet. might be more then you want to pay as studio starts out at 18k / mo 18k per month for the privilege of listening to heavy traffic in relative comfort. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
neverdie Posted January 30, 2009 Share Posted January 30, 2009 Are you stating that you have never held a drivers licence? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LivinLOS Posted January 30, 2009 Share Posted January 30, 2009 First as an adult in the modern world, get a license.. Its easy to get a non imm visa, as someone working here I am amazed you dont have one anyway.. But a Thai license is super easy to get and legalize, without one you get stopped and fined VERY often on Phuket. That aside, I think the island is manageable on a bike, especially in the southern end where you have most of what you need in the way of amenities and more rural roads feeling. Add in a once weekly taxi run for a major shop to stock up (can be done on bikes in smaller chunks) and really theres not much you cant do. Ofcourse the roads are deadly and you have to be aware of that, but thats simply a fact of life. Between Bangkok or Phuket without a car.. Well Phuket wins x10 to me.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stevehaigh Posted January 30, 2009 Share Posted January 30, 2009 best to drive around and call numbers nailed to coconut trees i think. agents and internet add too much overhead. i found a great place, just past the zoo in Rawai when i was there a few months ago for about 15,000 for a 2 bed bungalow. interesting to read the comment from devil. i've had enough of Ko Phangan but can't decide where next although phuket and hua-hin are top of my list. the thing is, i'd like to get an English teaching job to pass the time a bit, but i figure jobs are hard to find in phuket because there's so many farangs already. what do you think? steve Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
neverdie Posted January 30, 2009 Share Posted January 30, 2009 best to drive around and call numbers nailed to coconut trees i think. agents and internet add too much overhead. i found a great place, just past the zoo in Rawai when i was there a few months ago for about 15,000 for a 2 bed bungalow.interesting to read the comment from devil. i've had enough of Ko Phangan but can't decide where next although phuket and hua-hin are top of my list. the thing is, i'd like to get an English teaching job to pass the time a bit, but i figure jobs are hard to find in phuket because there's so many farangs already. what do you think? steve That would be my ideal I guess steve, go down there, stay in a cheaper style hotel and drive around looking at where one wants to live. Phukets great & I like the Rawai area. I'm more than happy enuf to ride everywhere & I usually do the Tesco/Lotus visists once a month now in a taxi to get bulk goodies for the house. I can't see why doing it in phuket would be any different. I've always found the best housing deals here whilst riding the sois checking the signs out & at the same time you get to check the neighbourhood out. I can't imagine living in the more remote areas of the island without at least a motorcycle & I couldnt think of anything worse than living in the middle of Patong.....except maybe living in the middle of khaosan road. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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