Beach Chair Vendors Admit To Nearly Doubling Prices For Rentals

[blackman]

Thais can buy a lease from city hall on a piece of beach when it becomes available

they change hands between current holders for 2 to 5 million baht depending on location

they pay a rent every month to city hall of around 10,000, again dependent on location

each site is usually run as a family business, however the site holder often sublets to others

the rent for a year for sublets is usually paid as a lump sum and is around 250-400,000 baht

policing by city hall is frequent

chair prices are fixed at 30 baht although vendors often increase rates to 50 baht later in the day when city hall enforcement officials have gone home

only a set number of chairs per plot are allowed (i think 42)

they must leave space for people who do not want chairs and just sit on a blanket on the sand

encroachment is commonplace but its often dealt with quickly as the site holders inform on each other frequently

fights between vendors often break out over these matters of who is making more money

surprisingly, there are a number of foreigners who own beach plots by way of a sublet lease from the city hall leaseholder

i could have bought a beach plot for this coming 12 months

i was asked 300,000, it went for 250,000 in the end

thats pretty much it

What about the jet skis gangs and the trolling vendors. What do they pay I wonder.

i expect they rent the beach plot and do what they want with it

like i said they could have paid 300,000 for a plot for this coming year and set up shop on the shoreline at the foot of the beach

the deckchair business would probably have been an annoying sideline in their eyes.

[blackman]

And who gives these people the right to occupy the beaches and charge for space - the beaches belong to the country and the people not the armchair mafia. Same in Phuket, Hua Hin and other destinations. Land of Scams.

I believe they charge for chair and umbrella not the space

Okay, so try taking your own beach chair and umbrella there and wee what transpires....!

it happens all the time without any problems to the sand dwellers

i saw tourists occupying sand on small portable beach chairs many times whilst conducting due diligence on the plot

the site holder might not like it and will try to convince them to rent a chair but they know under city rules it has to be tolerated

however they still make money from them in sales of drinks etc

so they smile the Thai smile and carry on.

[belg]

oh my god, so early in the morning, 20 baht more than 30 must be .... euhhhhhhhhhhh

[Rimmer]

General flame also a quoted reply removed

[Chao Lao Beach]

i'll stick to laying on my towel like i have all my life in Australia,we don't have this sort of crap on our beaches,our beaches are free to visit and enjoy.

Yep, miss those Australian beaches, going back next year for a break and looking forward to the clean beaches and ocean

Some same nice clean beaches in Chanthaburi buddy. Enjoy spending 8000B a day in Oz

[simple1]

i'll stick to laying on my towel like i have all my life in Australia,we don't have this sort of crap on our beaches,our beaches are free to visit and enjoy.

Yep, miss those Australian beaches, going back next year for a break and looking forward to the clean beaches and ocean

Some same nice clean beaches in Chanthaburi buddy. Enjoy spending 8000B a day in Oz

Going back for approx two years, so no way near the cost you mentioned. But you're correct for a short stay with some reasonable restaurant dining. Two nights e.g. Noosa or Byron Bay (driving from BNE area) used to cost us around A$500/600. More if we got into drinking mode.

Edited May 4, 2013 by simple1

[Naam]

i'll stick to laying on my towel like i have all my life in Australia,we don't have this sort of crap on our beaches,our beaches are free to visit and enjoy.

Yep, miss those Australian beaches, going back next year for a break and looking forward to the clean beaches and ocean

Some same nice clean beaches in Chanthaburi buddy. Enjoy spending 8000B a day in Oz

clean Oz beaches, money for nothing a beach towel and the chicks for free

[Arkady]

These great eyesore ranks of deck chairs and the scum that rent them out are now steadily expanding their way alone the Hua Hin beach front to Khao Takiab. Why would anyone be interested to sit on them?

Edited May 4, 2013 by Arkady

[khaowong1]

I think with the amount of people using the beach chairs they are justified, Thais like to sit there and eat/drink during holidays.

Yes on Phuket you pay double price but the beaches are double so nice.

Sure Australia have some really nice beaches but no shade? I like shade when sitting on the beach. You also have Box Jelly Fish down there which nobody likes where you swim.

I have lived in Thailand for over 20 years and I do love the country, but Australian beaches are a million times nicer than ours, I am sorry to say. I am Australian, and I left the place because the politics of the place suck, but the country is beautiful, and the beaches are stunning and the ocean is a gem. The deadly Box Jellyfish only inhabit the warmer waters in the northern latitudes (northern seas off Queensland) and only usually between October and February.

Many of the popular tourist beaches here are really foul because of the total lack of management of the beach space and the greed of both the local councils and the beach chair operators, and unfortunately, the sea between Bangkok and Pattaya and beyond is, sadly, disgusting. I truly wish that both the government and industry would put some effort into cleaning up and maintaining Thailand's tourist attractions.

Same could be said of the Southern California beaches or Hawaii or Florida. Thai's don't like the sun, so beaches don't mean squat to them except a way to make money off tourists. They wouldn't know what a nice beach is supposed to look like if it bit them in the butt.

[fakename]

Seems the vendors think they also own the street parking, at least at Jomtien beach. Always have an argument with them, after they tell me to park somewhere else, if I dont rent a chair from them. Sometimes I give in, since there is no point in coming back to find the car scratched up or tires flat.

[joboss]

i'll stick to laying on my towel like i have all my life in Australia,we don't have this sort of crap on our beaches,our beaches are free to visit and enjoy.

I live at Cottesloe Beach, Western Australia. It is a lovely beach and I love it. BUT,,, I see and feel for the visitors at my beach. They cannot rent a umbrella so must fry in the sun. If they want a cool drink, then must walk 80 metres or so to line up at the two or three open shops and pay $4 + (~120 Bt +) for a cool drink and $8 + (~250 Bt +) for a dull tasteless snack. Fish & chips start at $16.50 (480 Bt) Salt on the chips is free. Any alcohol attracts a $500 (14500 Bt) on the spot fine. Over parking for more than 3 hours will cop a $100 fine (2800 Bt) . All come to have fun and some leave very disappointed. It is sad to observe. Please be advised if visiting my beach.

[joboss]

i'll stick to laying on my towel like i have all my life in Australia,we don't have this sort of crap on our beaches,our beaches are free to visit and enjoy.

Yep, miss those Australian beaches, going back next year for a break and looking forward to the clean beaches and ocean

Some same nice clean beaches in Chanthaburi buddy. Enjoy spending 8000B a day in Oz

Please not to mention Chanthaburi too loudly. Somethings are better left quite.

[Rimmer]

A post sprinkled with profanities has been removed also a quoted reply. there is really no need to post like that just to make a point which can be made without being profane.

lease see the following rule.

3) Not to post in a manner that is vulgar, obscene or profane.

[i claudius]

In 24 years i have only been on the beach once ,that was about 22 years ago when Jomtien was a day out up a winding track., who in their right minds wants to sit on the filthy beaches here in Pattaya ,leave it to the tourists and i dont care what they have to pay.also i come from a seaside town in the UK and 50 years ago the councill there used to rent out the deckchairs to local beach guys who charged for them ,so no different here in Pattaua

[Tolley]

i'll stick to laying on my towel like i have all my life in Australia,we don't have this sort of crap on our beaches,our beaches are free to visit and enjoy.

I live at Cottesloe Beach, Western Australia. It is a lovely beach and I love it. BUT,,, I see and feel for the visitors at my beach. They cannot rent a umbrella so must fry in the sun. If they want a cool drink, then must walk 80 metres or so to line up at the two or three open shops and pay $4 + (~120 Bt +) for a cool drink and $8 + (~250 Bt +) for a dull tasteless snack. Fish & chips start at $16.50 (480 Bt) Salt on the chips is free. Any alcohol attracts a $500 (14500 Bt) on the spot fine. Over parking for more than 3 hours will cop a $100 fine (2800 Bt) . All come to have fun and some leave very disappointed. It is sad to observe. Please be advised if visiting my beach.

Drive up the road to Scarborough. Plenty of free parking. Short walk to shops and beautiful crystal clear water.

I love the Perth beaches. If you need a deckchair or umbrella you can bring them yourself. Free barbecue areas where you can bring all your own tucker down and relax with your friends. No exorbitant costs at all.

Sorry but I don't see people leaving the beach disappointed at all. I see people enjoying themselves with the clean air , clean beach and clean water and no hawkers selling mostly rubbish and no jet ski mafia. YMMV

[OMGImInPattaya]

In Italy you pay 10 Euro per person. So please not whining about 30 or 50 Baht. It still to cheap, that those local workers can make a decent living.

55555

Comparing Pattaya beach and a beach somewhere on the Italian Riveria in the same sentence...that's rich!

It's attitudes like yours that is making Pattaya not only a tourist scam capitol but also expensive for ordinary Thais! And there is the principle of breaking the relevant city regulations!

If you have a nice comfortable experience at the beach, by all means tip whatever amount you think appropriate if you wish...just don't excuse the blatant rule breaking!

[OMGImInPattaya]

I think with the amount of people using the beach chairs they are justified, Thais like to sit there and eat/drink during holidays.

Yes on Phuket you pay double price but the beaches are double so nice.

Sure Australia have some really nice beaches but no shade? I like shade when sitting on the beach. You also have Box Jelly Fish down there which nobody likes where you swim.

Plenty of documented box jelly stings off Thai beaches as well...so I wouldn't get too comfortable here either.

[Potosi]

i'll stick to laying on my towel like i have all my life in Australia,we don't have this sort of crap on our beaches,our beaches are free to visit and enjoy.

Pattaya Beach is shark-safe, though. Water too dirty, they can't see a thing. Keeps the nastiest jellyfish away as well.

[crazygreg44]

the beaches get dirtier every year, and the infrastructure gets worse. The dirt piles up eveywhere, and the stench from rubbish bins and sewer canals can be detected when you are at Jomtien and Pattaya beach. The city administration cares a shit about it, the beach chair vendors are stripped by the city administration, and nobody feels responsible. Thailands beaches , and I have seen Hua Hin, Cha Am, Patong, Krabi and a few more, are on a BIG decline in quality and cleanliness. It is a shame. Thais are using their weekends to litter miles over miles of beaches and don't give a damn. It shows where these country is headed at. The Dump of Asia.

I often wonder WHAT makes tourist think they spend a class holiday on Jomtien or Pattaya or Hua Hin ? The water is fulla sewer waste, there is plastic floating in it, the beaches are a dump and so on, and they get extorted by beach chair sellers and get annoyed and disturbed by hundreds of peddlers who try to sell them their same same rubbish year for year. Everywhere there is leftover of stinky somtam crab arms, fermenting with the rest of the rubbish. After weekends, Jomtien and Hua Hin beaches look like a city dump.

I really wonder. Maybe it is the good climate and the availibility of cheap sex. nothing more and nothing less. It just cannot be the quality of their beaches. If you'd run a vote, Thailands beaches will rank among the lowest of the list.of beaches worth visiting.

[khaowong1]

the beaches get dirtier every year, and the infrastructure gets worse. The dirt piles up eveywhere, and the stench from rubbish bins and sewer canals can be detected when you are at Jomtien and Pattaya beach. The city administration cares a shit about it, the beach chair vendors are stripped by the city administration, and nobody feels responsible. Thailands beaches , and I have seen Hua Hin, Cha Am, Patong, Krabi and a few more, are on a BIG decline in quality and cleanliness. It is a shame. Thais are using their weekends to litter miles over miles of beaches and don't give a damn. It shows where these country is headed at. The Dump of Asia.

I often wonder WHAT makes tourist think they spend a class holiday on Jomtien or Pattaya or Hua Hin ? The water is fulla sewer waste, there is plastic floating in it, the beaches are a dump and so on, and they get extorted by beach chair sellers and get annoyed and disturbed by hundreds of peddlers who try to sell them their same same rubbish year for year. Everywhere there is leftover of stinky somtam crab arms, fermenting with the rest of the rubbish. After weekends, Jomtien and Hua Hin beaches look like a city dump.

I really wonder. Maybe it is the good climate and the availibility of cheap sex. nothing more and nothing less. It just cannot be the quality of their beaches. If you'd run a vote, Thailands beaches will rank among the lowest of the list.of beaches worth visiting.

You've got it exactly. "good climate and the availibility of cheap sex." That's it in a nutshell.

[tropo]

I find these massive areas of chairs and umbrellas to be obtrusive to enjoying the beach.

They're actually a necessity here. It's just too hot to lay out on the beach. Right now the sand is too hot to walk on at midday. They're a good service.

[tropo]

i'll stick to laying on my towel like i have all my life in Australia,we don't have this sort of crap on our beaches,our beaches are free to visit and enjoy.

Yep, miss those Australian beaches, going back next year for a break and looking forward to the clean beaches and ocean

Just moved back to the Gold Coast. Cooler now, but still beautiful.

LOL. I lived beachfront in Surfers Paradise for 20 years. Now I get to rough it at Cosy Beach. Quite a difference.

[brummiebob]

The problem is that although one 'operation' is supposed to only hold a few seats per concession, they ended up using relatives and bound together under the same 'umbrella'

I would say that there is no law against bringing your own chair except that the beach mafia would proves this wrong quite quickly, plus there is simply no sand left on the beach except under these umbrella

[Loptr]

I don't care if they were giving away the beach chairs for free. Who in their right mind would want to rent a beach chair on Pattaya beach just across from Mike's or Central Festival? <deleted>, the beach is miniscule, the water nasty, the beach infested with jet ski mafiosos, vendors pestering you all day and working girls plying their trade. Hardly sounds like a relaxing time at the beach to me.

[tropo]

I don't care if they were giving away the beach chairs for free. Who in their right mind would want to rent a beach chair on Pattaya beach just across from Mike's or Central Festival? <deleted>, the beach is miniscule, the water nasty, the beach infested with jet ski mafiosos, vendors pestering you all day and working girls plying their trade. Hardly sounds like a relaxing time at the beach to me.

Believe it or not, not everyone needs a very quiet day at the beach. Some tourists enjoy all the "activities" and find quiet beaches boring.

[blackman]

The problem is that although one 'operation' is supposed to only hold a few seats per concession, they ended up using relatives and bound together under the same 'umbrella'

I would say that there is no law against bringing your own chair except that the beach mafia would proves this wrong quite quickly, plus there is simply no sand left on the beach except under these umbrella

simply not true