Just curious on where everyone believes is the next up and coming place in Thailand for westerners to live permanently and for westerns to vacation.

around the Chiang Rai area? I'm really guessing here

Myanmar?

Wherever it is it will need to have an airport link within maximum 2 hours, The link will need to have flights direct to BKK, that will come with demand. I say Phitsanalok and Phetchabun are contenders, with Utturadat and Loei possibly getting a look in too, all feeding from P'Lok airport. It has the added benefit of the existing train line being in place already, and I noticed that P'Lok has just constructed a fabulous and massive new bus station, the best I've seen in Thailand.

Loei and Phetchabun areas are stunning, P'lok is only a hop skip and jump away from Sukhothai too, so name one? P'Lok

around the Chiang Rai area? I'm really guessing here

Chiang Rai is growing quickly BUT it is still relatively undiscovered by most tourists.

The thing I love about CR compared to many places is that if another tourist never set foot in CR it wouldn't make a smidgen of difference to about 90% of the CR Thais who make their living in some other way then preying on tourists.

CR of course is growing and is attracting more and more tourists and the prices are creeping up....but so far it has still retained a lot of small town Thailand charm where farangs are more of a curiousity than an ATM.

For those looking for Bangkok or pattaya type nightlife you will be bored to tears in CR. For those looking for a quiet rural more Thai lifestyle it is an undiscovered gem...and yes there is a bad smoke problem in northern Thailand from about March for a couple of months. But the weather in CR from Nov until about mid Feb is some of the most pleasant in all Thailand.

Chiang Rai, great place, internet, coffee bars, trekking, hookers.

Forget Phetchabun, it has nothing and is miles from anything. OK so one nice waterfall with swimming hole, but that's it.

my bet is on the land stretch between Jomtien and Bang Saray...

Wherever it is it will need to have an airport link within maximum 2 hours, The link will need to have flights direct to BKK, that will come with demand. I say Phitsanalok and Phetchabun are contenders, with Utturadat and Loei possibly getting a look in too, all feeding from P'Lok airport. It has the added benefit of the existing train line being in place already, and I noticed that P'Lok has just constructed a fabulous and massive new bus station, the best I've seen in Thailand.

Loei and Phetchabun areas are stunning, P'lok is only a hop skip and jump away from Sukhothai too, so name one? P'Lok

?????????

Chiang Rai, great place, internet, coffee bars, trekking, hookers.

Forget Phetchabun, it has nothing and is miles from anything. OK so one nice waterfall with swimming hole, but that's it.

Stunning countryside around it, turn left for CM and the North, turn right for Isaan.

Where you live in Nan will be a hot spot within a few years too. That proposed superhighway from Laos to China may well have a knock on effect.

@Benalibina, it has train, plane and bus routes. all essentials to expat communities. remembering what I said about an airport within two hours, there's plenty of beautiful places for an expat to settle down in that radius. As they said on Field Of Dreams "if you build it, they will come".

I went to ChiangRai, plok, sukhothai, nakorn sawan, lam pang all in the days of songkran of 2011.

I would like to build a holiday home for my sons in CR, I liked the town. I ll like to live there when I'm 60 up if it survives the times.

I once visited samui four times in one year from bkk, before development moved in. I think was just one 7-11 in chaweang them.

It has all the facilities regarding transportation that is correct. It also has Tesco, Big C and Central. If 1 has money available to invest its a good place. To live in it, well.........

Hua Hin is ready and waiting and the airport can reopen in a moments notice.

You would not believe the private and commercial building work going on in Ubon over the last couple of years. Airport, bus and train transport. A University town too. Big changes going on.

Mukdahan could spring up with an airport

Mae pim, laem Mae pim, klaeng area. ( mainland opposite Koh samet),

Decent road communication from Bangkok.

Major hotel chains starting to explore..Marriott just opened at Mae Pim.

New condo developments.

Good seafood.

No karaoke bars.

Upmarket Thai area.

Mae pim, laem Mae pim, klaeng area. ( mainland opposite Koh samet),

Decent road communication from Bangkok.

Major hotel chains starting to explore..Marriott just opened at Mae Pim.

New condo developments.

Good seafood.

No karaoke bars.

Upmarket Thai area.

After the oil spill no one in their right mind would want to go there let alone eat the seafood,ill vote for Burma lol

Clearly you haven't been down there recently..Koh samet may have been badly hit, but the Mae pim eastwards only slightly.

Anyway a one off incident does not invalidate the area. It will recover, but for sure short term maybe some impact.

Pollution is in general way better than pattaya, jomtien .

Thais are investing in the area big time.

It is without doubt an up and coming area. I have seen a huge increase in its popularity over recent years.

Clearly you haven't been down there recently..Koh samet may have been badly hit, but the Mae pim eastwards only slightly.

Anyway a one off incident does not invalidate the area. It will recover, but for sure short term maybe some impact.

Pollution is in general way better than pattaya, jomtien .

Thais are investing in the area big time.

It is without doubt an up and coming area. I have seen a huge increase in its popularity over recent years.

Who says Thai investors are to be trusted ,i thought most of the rich Thais have there dosh stashed away in some offshore tax paradise and mining activities in places like the former Belgian colony of congo.And what exactly might these people be investing in property,hotels .Has been done in many places like phuket and pattaya but not in infrastructure.Oh yes and european football clubs English premier football i believe.

Edited August 21, 201312 yr by Kudel

Which area of Thailand will be ruined next by mass tourism? What a depressing topic. Turning Chang Rai into the next Pattaya would be an atrocity.

Srircha by the sea 40 mins or less from Phattya and 50 mins from Bangkok Airport but ot currently cateres for the Japs

Vientiane.

poi pet has all the potential but isnt going anywhere solely because of the existing inhabitants attitudes.

potential mainly due to non- visas harassment policies of cambodia compared to just about everywhere. from there easy access to thai infrastructure. got the sleaze and gambling for those aficionados.

but dont hold your breath, though last visa run wasnt the teeth gritting experience of virtually every past one to there..

Bangsar.

With the couple of new border crossings opening in the reasonably near future Kanchanaburi seems to be on the move. Even got a Robinsons in the last year!

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Khon Kaen.