Best Place For Us?

[AdamUK]

Hi

have recently upped-sticks and moved out to Thailand from London. Not missing London much, with it's high crime, ridiculously overpriced property and cost of living.. the list goes on.

Aaanyway, I'm here with my gf - staying in Bangkok as a base while we try to decide which part of TL to live in. If I jot down some thoughts on our ideal, it would be great if anyone could add some comments to help us get a better idea of the areas we're looking at. At the moment, all we have to go on is a couple of travel books, and so far, they haven't been entirely helpful.

So, we're considering either Changmai, Chonburi or somewhere just outside of Pattaya.

We visited Phuket - as someone else mentioned on the forum, it's not my cup of tea - with beer, pizza, kebabs, souvenirs and fun fun fun, it's not quite the Thai experience I was hoping for. I don't like touristy places, I was raised in one, and I can never quite shake the feeling of being an outsider in those places with everyone trying to spin a fast buck. Also, in the place I was raised - *everything* was geared around the tourists, which left pretty much nothing left to do for the locals (unless arcades and burger bars was your favourite thing to do).

So Pattaya is looking like it might be a no-no...

What's the non-tourist social scene like there? Are there things to do? Classes, clubs, anything interesting? From what I've read, there seems to be more to do in Changmai.

Re. Chonburi - I'm thinking (rightly or wrongly) that Chonburi has the benefits of being near the nightlife of Pattaya, but not in the middle of the tourist trap. Would this be a valid assumption?

What are property rentals like in Chonburi? I didn't see much online.

Having said that, sometimes I / we like to go out and shake a leg. And the *adult industry* is appealing to both of us (we're a modern couple lol).

Does Changmai have much of an adult industry?

I guess writing this - what it boils down to is... is Pattaya completely "shallow", and yet, is Changmain not quite "shallow enough"?

We're going to visit both places on a whirlwind tour, but you can never get the feeling of a place when you're rushing around and stressing. Any opinions on these locations would be very appreciated

[Thetyim]

Difficult to give advice on this one, it all boils down to personal preferences. I came from London as well but would not even consider Patters as I hate the place.

I spent a year travelling around to every province and then made up my own mind. You are making a big decision that will effect your future take some time out and go look for yourself, it will be worth the effort.

[cdnvic]

Chiang Mai does have its seamy side, but not at all to the degree that Pattaya does. Its enough to provide character, but not so in your face as in some places. Culturally its far and away richer than the other option. Have a look through the Chiang Mai subforum and get some specifics there. I'm somewhat biased, but I think the north has the most to offer.

cv

Hi

have recently upped-sticks and moved out to Thailand from London. Not missing London much, with it's high crime, ridiculously overpriced property and cost of living.. the list goes on.

Aaanyway, I'm here with my gf - staying in Bangkok as a base while we try to decide which part of TL to live in. If I jot down some thoughts on our ideal, it would be great if anyone could add some comments to help us get a better idea of the areas we're looking at. At the moment, all we have to go on is a couple of travel books, and so far, they haven't been entirely helpful.

So, we're considering either Changmai, Chonburi or somewhere just outside of Pattaya.

We visited Phuket - as someone else mentioned on the forum, it's not my cup of tea - with beer, pizza, kebabs, souvenirs and fun fun fun, it's not quite the Thai experience I was hoping for. I don't like touristy places, I was raised in one, and I can never quite shake the feeling of being an outsider in those places with everyone trying to spin a fast buck. Also, in the place I was raised - *everything* was geared around the tourists, which left pretty much nothing left to do for the locals (unless arcades and burger bars was your favourite thing to do).

So Pattaya is looking like it might be a no-no...

What's the non-tourist social scene like there? Are there things to do? Classes, clubs, anything interesting? From what I've read, there seems to be more to do in Changmai.

Re. Chonburi - I'm thinking (rightly or wrongly) that Chonburi has the benefits of being near the nightlife of Pattaya, but not in the middle of the tourist trap. Would this be a valid assumption?

What are property rentals like in Chonburi? I didn't see much online.

Having said that, sometimes I / we like to go out and shake a leg. And the *adult industry* is appealing to both of us (we're a modern couple lol).

Does Changmai have much of an adult industry?

I guess writing this - what it boils down to is... is Pattaya completely "shallow", and yet, is Changmain not quite "shallow enough"?

We're going to visit both places on a whirlwind tour, but you can never get the feeling of a place when you're rushing around and stressing. Any opinions on these locations would be very appreciated

[banchang]

I think if you want to be near Pattaya then its best to go past then look along the coast from Sattahip through Rayong. Anything north of Pattaya tends to be very busy with lots of urban sprall and industrialisation. Do you want to be near the coast or up in the hills?

[Gazza]

Thetyim offers good advice, travel around Thailand first before settling anywhere. Maybe before deciding on somewhere, stay in a GH first for a few weeks before furnishing a rented place. That way, you'll be able to pack up and move onto somewhere else more easily should you change your mind.

When I first lived in my wifes village I was in a 'Wow! I could live here the rest of my life' phase.

Lucky for me that I didn't have the money at the time to buy land and a house because after about a year I realised it really wasn't somewhere that I wanted to spend the rest of my life at.

After 18 months there I then moved and lived in a GH in BKK for about a year and a half. But with city life not being ideal for raising a family, I rented and later bought a townhouse on the outskirts of BKK. I'm now in a village which offers me a nice fusion of city and village life. Partly surrounded by fields and have easy access to the city for business or pleasure. And for my children they have good schools/universitys close by and hopefully employment nearby in the future too.

My area doesn't suffer from flooding either except a stretch of road here and there but has never been under 2 or 3 feet of water as in some other places in Thailand. So check out flooding issues of potential places to live.

For myself, and something that you'll have to take into consideration, visa runs are only a day away at Aranyaprathet/Poipet but I have the option of varying my runs to other places too, either in the South, North or North-East.

Over the years since settling into my home I've travelled to various other places in Thailand and thought 'Wow! I wish I could live here the rest of my life'......until I go somewhere else and think 'Wow!..........'.

[Maestro]

…stay in a GH first for a few weeks before furnishing a rented place. …

After 18 months there I then moved and lived in a GH in BKK for about a year …

Pardon my ignorance, please, but I shan’t have any peace of mind until I know what your “GH” stands for. Obviously, it is a type of abode, but neither the acronym finder nor Google give me the specific answer.

----------------

Maestro

[Thetyim]

GH = Guesthouse, I think

[daleyboy]

Could also be good hotel

[Simbo]

You say you were raised in a tourist area. I assume it was near the sea. Changmai is a long, long way from any beaches, so days out at the seaside are out off the question. Even in the UK, you are never more than a couple of hours drive away. One of the things I love most, is to spend the day on a quiet beach with me barby, doing a bit of fishing.

Just something else to consider. I live outside Pattaya. It takes me 10/15 mins to drive to Naklua, which has all the nightlife of Pattaya, with a slightly slower pace. My village is very quiet, with just a few Thai style bars. When I just want a quiet night, I walk to them and have a Thai style evening. Very cheap and welcoming. hope this helps.

[Gazza]

GH = Guest House

[think_too_mut]

I think if you want to be near Pattaya then its best to go past then look along the coast from Sattahip through Rayong. Anything north of Pattaya tends to be very busy with lots of urban sprall and industrialisation. Do you want to be near the coast or up in the hills?

IMO, either that or straight to Hua Hin.

I don't see any value of travelling aroung and "making a decission". What are they going to experience while staying 2-3 days or a week in some place? If anything, then only the extremes that could be circumvented.

Even in Pattaya one can live isolated from night life, as I do when there.

In short, I would say - be near (not exactly with) farangs, in case any help is needed. The places where other foreigners are have learned to deal with farangs (if not fully oriented to catering for them) and not speaking the language and being there first time it will make it easier.

[AdamUK]

Thanks for your thorough replies folks That's very helpful - in particular the bits about "how to do Pattaya without doing Pattaya".

I didn't wait to see everyone's reply before doing the "have a travel around and see for yourself" thing - so I'm now in Changmai staying at a GH and checking out the local scene.

For anyone else reading this - if you're coming from Bangkok to Chang mai, don't expect folks to speak much English here (which of course is quite understandable since this is thailand!). We've been having some fun and games with the language, but if you're thinking about getting on with the language, when you're here you're forced into picking up some language pronto.

Of course, that might just be because we're not in the middle of town. We haven't managed to figure out where "

Like Gazza said, I'm very much wondering whether me liking it here is just the novelty, or if I actually like it here. I seem to like it here - I suppose everywhere sucks eventually

If I'm looking for cdnvic's "seamier side", where should I be hanging out?

I'm gonna hang out here for a little while I think, but I really do need to pop down to check out some of the places suggested by banchang and think_too - does anyone know when the airport in Pattaya is going to be finished? I can't seem to get a direct flight from Changmai to Pattaya.

Also, I hear all these rumours about Pattaya being a well dodgy, dangerous place - what's the deal there? Is it like the south bronx or wot?

Thanks again

[astral]

I would expect your residence to be dictated by:

1. Your job, if you have one

2. Her job if she has one.

3. Where her parents and family live.

4. Where your friends live, if you have any yet.

Family is a strong influence here.

[Rinrada]

Blackpool= Majorka = Orlando= Pattaya.

Brighton = Marbella = Cancun = Phuket..

Bournmouth = Tuscany =San Francisco=Chiang Mai.

[think_too_mut]

does anyone know when the airport in Pattaya is going to be finished? I can't seem to get a direct flight from Changmai to Pattaya.

Also, I hear all these rumours about Pattaya being a well dodgy, dangerous place - what's the deal there? Is it like the south bronx or wot?

Thanks again

Pattaya airport - Utapao - has been finished long ago. For the Vietnam war era, it had the longest runway in the world, to accommodate for B-52s. Now, it's a harbour for charter planes. Jumbos too.

It's only that BKK Airways was the sole airline that found some commercial interest to fly there. Pattaya-Samui-Phuket on ATR72. JetStar Asia pulled out after 6 months of direct flights from Singapore.

Pattaya being a seedy and dangerous place? I don't think so. Maybe seedy if you want to be in such areas but far from dangerous IMO.

[Boon Mee]

Blackpool= Majorka = Orlando= Pattaya.

Brighton = Marbella = Cancun = Phuket..

Bournmouth = Tuscany =San Francisco=Chiang Mai.

Skegness = Sattahip?

[sriracha john]

Orlando = Pattaya.

hahaha.. that's a funny analogy...

thanks for the chuckle...

although I will grant you they both have Disney World... but would have to put Pattaya's version in smirking quotation marks "Disney World."