Family Expat Life In Koh Samui

[robsamui]

Just a quick word of observation and advice to the original poster: take a look at the responses to your post, check how long these people have been members and how many posts they have made.

There are several regular contributors to this forum who seem have absolutely nothing else at all to do each day than write messages to Thai Visa. I can visualise them carrying their Blackberries around with them (no doubt from bar to bar) just simply so they can immediately be notified of a new topic and be able bleat and bellyache at every possible opportunity. (Anyone who writes a couple of thousands of posts in just a few years in my book is sad.)

Having said that, you've now got a wide spectrum of attitudes to analyse as well as some comprehensive info about what it's like to live on Samui!

One thing that's not been mentioned at all (?) is the social side of things. The vast majority of people (farangs) who are in residence here are elderly and/or have retired early. There are very very few people in their teens and 20s living here and not that many in their 30s. That's one point to bear in mind: it may be significant to you or it may not be.

Secondly, there are just not that many white faces living here, full stop. Obviously you'll initially make friends via work-contacts and Samui International School. But it might be worth bearing in mind that, unlike living in a cosmopolitan city, it's a lot harder here to find yourself being drawn towards numerous like-minded people.

If you're already a family-unit then this isn't all that important, and the kids will make friends instantly, everywhere. But it might be worth pointing out that although it's probable you'll meet dozens of pleasant acquaintances, making a couple of really, good, solid friends that are on your wavelength might take a bit longer!

Rob

Well said, Robsamui, I would agree with how you wrote this...

My only comment is that you will meet new people, some will "stick", others a just disappear into the woodwork or fall of the bar stool! .... but that is the same anywhere one chooses to live, especially in the first year or two.. by then you find the type of people who become true friends...whether they be "Farang" or Thais...

Amen, agreed and what I was saying. It's just that there are less people to bond with on a little island than in a big city. Law of numbers!

R

[Banane76]

Hi, we're here in vacation at the moment but contemplating a move to Samui for better air and lifestyle versus where we live now in Hong Kong. Just wondering what everyday life here is like? Our children are young so they'd be going to pre nursery. Thanks for any information you can provide!

[samuibruno]

very expnsive, education poor, infastucture a nightmare, hospital care expensive and poor, no doctor worth his salt would work in Samui. car is advisable as motorbikes are dangerous. never ever would i take kids there. the guys i know with money have there kids educated in bangkok. shopping well that resticted to tesco etc, no cental, mbk, empuraim etc. i lived ther 9 years and looking back it was 8 years to long

your last few lines gave it away

no central,no MBK,emporium

you are a city person and have no place in village life

thank goodness youve left

Edited December 24, 2012 by samuibruno

[Tropicalevo]

Summary

Our last four addresses were Bangkok, Sydney, Hong Kong and Singapore.

We chose Samui for lifestyle (and the air). We are lot older than you though.

If you work here - it is hard to make a good living, but well worth it and you will not have enough free time to enjoy it as much as you thought you would

If you are not working - the money soon goes and it is easy to be bored.

Now the younger ones that live here can fill in the gaps - there are lots of young families on the island that also have rug-rats and ankle biters

[Rooo]

very expnsive, education poor, infastucture a nightmare, hospital care expensive and poor, no doctor worth his salt would work in Samui. car is advisable as motorbikes are dangerous. never ever would i take kids there. the guys i know with money have there kids educated in bangkok. shopping well that resticted to tesco etc, no cental, mbk, empuraim etc. i lived ther 9 years and looking back it was 8 years to long

your last few lines gave it away

no central,no MBK,emporium

you are a city person and have no place in village life

thank goodness youve left

You are responding to a 2 year old post.Poster now lives in a much better place, Pattaya.

[robsamui]

very expnsive, education poor, infastucture a nightmare, hospital care expensive and poor, no doctor worth his salt would work in Samui. car is advisable as motorbikes are dangerous. never ever would i take kids there. the guys i know with money have there kids educated in bangkok. shopping well that resticted to tesco etc, no cental, mbk, empuraim etc. i lived ther 9 years and looking back it was 8 years to long

FOOOOOF. Another nihilist negative wank*r with nothing better to do than to bash Samui.

Samui is now overall probably the most expensive place in Thailand - but you have to take that in perspective. It'll cost you 25 baht for noodle soup in the farm mud of Issan and 40B here. You can drink and eat in the bars of Pattaya all night for 700 baht (there are free food parties everywhere) but here it'll be 1,000B. You can rent a 1 bed house for 5,000B in Pattaya - here it's maybe 7,000b if you shop around a bit.

Infrastructure is just as bad as anywhere else in Thailand. but there's more of a focus on it as Samui is an 'international holiday destination'.

Medical care is excellent here. The International hospitals are a rip-off as they are based on the fact that all of their wounded have holiday insurance. Their facilities are excellent, tho, and the government hospital outside Nathon uses the same staff as the big boys but at half the cost.

Education here is on a par with the top International schools in BKK.

Shopping is good, with all that BKK has to offer but less of it and thus more costly.

Not only is this poster illiterate but he has spent eight years too long here to be in any way objective! Browse through the other posts on this topic!

The big downer is the total idiots on the roads here - of all nationalities tho mainly Thai. No training, no awareness, no licence, no brain. Many are so young their feet can't even reach the ground when sat on their scooter.

Rob

[robsamui]

very expnsive, education poor, infastucture a nightmare, hospital care expensive and poor, no doctor worth his salt would work in Samui. car is advisable as motorbikes are dangerous. never ever would i take kids there. the guys i know with money have there kids educated in bangkok. shopping well that resticted to tesco etc, no cental, mbk, empuraim etc. i lived ther 9 years and looking back it was 8 years to long

your last few lines gave it away

no central,no MBK,emporium

you are a city person and have no place in village life

thank goodness youve left

You are responding to a 2 year old post.Poster now lives in a much better place, Pattaya.

Oh fuque what!

Just spent at least 30 seconds replying and slagging off some nihilist.

Poo

R

Edited December 24, 2012 by robsamui

[PoorSucker]

Oh fuque what!

Just spent at least 30 seconds replying and slagging off some nihilist.

Poo

R

Merry Christmas.

[notmyself]

Samui is now overall probably the most expensive place in Thailand - but you have to take that in perspective. It'll cost you 25 baht for noodle soup in the farm mud of Issan and 40B here. You can drink and eat in the bars of Pattaya all night for 700 baht (there are free food parties everywhere) but here it'll be 1,000B. You can rent a 1 bed house for 5,000B in Pattaya - here it's maybe 7,000b if you shop around a bit.

There is no question that Samui is more expensive than at least most other places in Thailand. If someone is a noob then they are going to make mistakes while they hopefully learn along the way and these mistakes usually cost money. Samui is not the place to get your wings but fantastic when you have them.