Living in Rayong?

[PHP87]

I'm planning on retiring to the LOS soon and was considering CM, but have been looking at Rayong recently.

Anyone live there and if so, can you tell me a bit about it, pro/cons and how are the beaches?

Is it less "touristy" than Pattaya?

Thanks.

[OMGImInPattaya]

Rayong and its surrounding area is the center of Thailand's oil refining and petro-chemicals industries. It is also a major offloading point for oil, natural gas, and feeder chemicals for these industries. That should tell you all you need to know about the air, water, beach, and ground water quality in the area.

[KittenKong]

Rayong itself is quite nice, and a lot less touristy than Pattaya (it's a different world in fact). I like to drive down there for the day but I think I would rapidly go mad if I lived there.

As mentioned there is a lot of chemical industry in the area though it is fairly well-contained in one very large area called Maptaphut. But even more obvious than that is the amazing amount of plastic detritus that often collects on most of the beaches. I'm not sure where it's from and why it ends up there, but the quantity of it is staggering.

Very few beaches around there seem to escape it.

There is an East Thailand sub-forum on here that you might like to read. It gives you a good idea of what people who live there do.

[Franky Bear]

I have lived in the City itself for three years now.

I like living there. The fact that i can be in Walking street in Pattaya in 50 minutes or less from my front door helps. There's a long strip (middle road we call it) with loads of bars and Thai orientated clubs. There's a few expat bars, One called Wizards the other called Y-33 which s where i drink the most. There's a fair size ex pat community spread out over the city. There's a lot of teachers, but, with these new Visa laws they'll all mostly be gone soon

There's a good few good quality places to eat

I am not a beaches person but further along the coast towards Cambodia there's a lot of nice beaches.

The locals are a lot more friendly than Pattaya

[KittenKong]

I have lived in the City itself for three years now.

I like living there.

Should you add that you dont actually live there full-time? As far as I remember from your other posts you work on rotation offshore.

I would probably quite like to be in Rayong if I spent half my time working offshore too, but I dont think I would want to be a full-time resident of Rayong. Each to his own, of course.

[PattayaPhom]

Great place for a day/weekend. If living there you do have the major supermarkets, banks etc in the town. Beach is long, quite in week, busy weekends/holidays. Apparently good access to golfing if thats your thing and yes if you want more excitment Pattaya is only an hour away. Too quite for permanent residence for me but am looking at spending more weekends there.

[Franky Bear]

I have lived in the City itself for three years now.

I like living there.

Should you add that you dont actually live there full-time? As far as I remember from your other posts you work on rotation offshore.

I would probably quite like to be in Rayong if I spent half my time working offshore too, but I dont think I would want to be a full-time resident of Rayong. Each to his own, of course.

So i "live" offshore?

[Spoonman]

I have lived in the City itself for three years now.

I like living there.

Should you add that you dont actually live there full-time? As far as I remember from your other posts you work on rotation offshore.

I would probably quite like to be in Rayong if I spent half my time working offshore too, but I dont think I would want to be a full-time resident of Rayong. Each to his own, of course.

So i "live" offshore?

Unless you are commuting daily I would assume your 28 days at work could be considered living offshore.

[KittenKong]

I have lived in the City itself for three years now.

I like living there.

Should you add that you dont actually live there full-time? As far as I remember from your other posts you work on rotation offshore.

I would probably quite like to be in Rayong if I spent half my time working offshore too, but I dont think I would want to be a full-time resident of Rayong. Each to his own, of course.

So i "live" offshore?

No, but you dont live in Rayong full-time as I said.

Personally I think there is a vast difference between living somewhere full-time, and spending half your time there and half in another country altogether. Even living and working in one place can make it quite different to being retired or otherwise unemployed in one place.

[KittenKong]

Great place for a day/weekend. If living there you do have the major supermarkets, banks etc in the town. Beach is long, quite in week, busy weekends/holidays. Apparently good access to golfing if thats your thing and yes if you want more excitment Pattaya is only an hour away. Too quite for permanent residence for me but am looking at spending more weekends there.

I like to go for week-day trips but would not go at the weekend. Far too much traffic on the roads and too many crowds on many of the beaches there for my taste. Some of the smaller beaches are better for this though. Each to his own, of course.

One of my reasons for not living in a beach condo there is because I thought I might find it hard to get to/from town through the traffic at the weekend if I wanted to do some shopping etc. Weekdays are no problem at all.

[Franky Bear]

I have lived in the City itself for three years now.

I like living there.

Should you add that you dont actually live there full-time? As far as I remember from your other posts you work on rotation offshore.

I would probably quite like to be in Rayong if I spent half my time working offshore too, but I dont think I would want to be a full-time resident of Rayong. Each to his own, of course.

So i "live" offshore?

No, but you dont live in Rayong full-time as I said.

Personally I think there is a vast difference between living somewhere full-time, and spending half your time there and half in another country altogether. Even living and working in one place can make it quite different to being retired or otherwise unemployed in one place.

No offence but you're talking crap. I've been doing this kind of work for 24 years. I know where i "live" and i know where i work.

Sorry i replied to this now.

Lesson learned

[raro]

Moved to the Eastern Seaboard Forum.

[craigt3365]

I've got several friends who live in the area. Mostly in Ban Chang. All work in the area. A few visit the Pattaya area on a regular basis and tell me they get a bit bored with where they live. Plus, going back home late at night, with all the checkpoints, is no fun. Shopping opportunities are not as varied as you have here in Pattaya. And what we have here is nothing compared to what you've got in Bangkok! LOL But if you are retired, don't mind eating at Thai restaurants mainly, don't go out much at night and don't care about limited shopping opportunities, then it's OK. I'm not trying to put it down, just telling you what I've been told...and experienced.

There is a massive industrial complex in the area. Chemical spills and leaks are not uncommon. Beaches have a tendency to be quite littered, as mentioned above. The further south you go, the better the beaches get.

But overall, it's a nice Thai style city. There are a few malls, some nice hardware stores, a few "farang" oriented restaurants. If you are OK with this, they you might like it. I'd recommend going down and spend a week there. Only way for you to figure it out. Personally, I'd recommend a few months in each place to really determine if it's for you or now. Rent a car, drive around, check things out. We did that before settling on a place to live and glad we did. Probably the #1 thing I don't like about this area is the poor quality of the water/beaches. Really sad to be worried about going swimming.

You're probably aware of the haze problem in CM. The #1 reason we didn't move there. We love CM, but could not handle having to leave every year for a few months due to this. Even here, we have some really hazy days.

[PHP87]

Yeah, I realize the farmers burning their rice fields really makes it unbearable for a few months in CM, but there are a lot of things about CM that I like, especially the low cost of housing.

Can anyone recommend an affordable place to live in/near the Gulf and not too far South?

I'm single, don't drink and my budget for housing/rent is about 7-10k BHT per month.

I will also buy a scooter (but not drive at night if I can help it) and also wish to be close to markets and medical facilities.

A few naughty bars wouldn't hurt either, but I don't want to live in a touristy place like Pattaya, although I thought Rayong would be a good option because it's about a 45 minute drive away.

Thanks.

[bartender100]

I have lived in the City itself for three years now.

I like living there. The fact that i can be in Walking street in Pattaya in 50 minutes or less from my front door helps. There's a long strip (middle road we call it) with loads of bars and Thai orientated clubs. There's a few expat bars, One called Wizards the other called Y-33 which s where i drink the most. There's a fair size ex pat community spread out over the city. There's a lot of teachers, but, with these new Visa laws they'll all mostly be gone soon

There's a good few good quality places to eat

I am not a beaches person but further along the coast towards Cambodia there's a lot of nice beaches.

The locals are a lot more friendly than Pattaya

I thought teachers had to have a work permits these days? so why would the new visa regulations affect them?

[Franky Bear]

I have lived in the City itself for three years now.

I like living there. The fact that i can be in Walking street in Pattaya in 50 minutes or less from my front door helps. There's a long strip (middle road we call it) with loads of bars and Thai orientated clubs. There's a few expat bars, One called Wizards the other called Y-33 which s where i drink the most. There's a fair size ex pat community spread out over the city. There's a lot of teachers, but, with these new Visa laws they'll all mostly be gone soon

There's a good few good quality places to eat

I am not a beaches person but further along the coast towards Cambodia there's a lot of nice beaches.

The locals are a lot more friendly than Pattaya

I thought teachers had to have a work permits these days? so why would the new visa regulations affect them?

The type of qualifications needed for the visa are changing (and rightly so) No more of these backpacker types blagging it with TEFEL crap

[craigt3365]

Yeah, I realize the farmers burning their rice fields really makes it unbearable for a few months in CM, but there are a lot of things about CM that I like, especially the low cost of housing.

Can anyone recommend an affordable place to live in/near the Gulf and not too far South?

I'm single, don't drink and my budget for housing/rent is about 7-10k BHT per month.

I will also buy a scooter (but not drive at night if I can help it) and also wish to be close to markets and medical facilities.

A few naughty bars wouldn't hurt either, but I don't want to live in a touristy place like Pattaya, although I thought Rayong would be a good option because it's about a 45 minute drive away.

Thanks.

It's a long and dangerous journey on a scooter. Not one I'd like to do. Sukhumvit is also referred to as "death highway" due to all the fatal accidents. Several every week.

If you do drive your scooter a lot, make sure you have very good insurance. Many stories of expats here getting banged up and not having the money to pay their hospital bills. Which can easily run into the millions of baht. If you can't pay, your passport could be held until you do so. Some have even been put into jail until they paid.

You might want to consider some places a bit closer to Pattaya. Bang Saray is a great little town. And between there and Jomtien are lots of interesting places to live not far from the beach. And quite close to town. You can be 10-15km away from Pattaya, but literally be a world away.

[PHP87]

Yeah, I realize the farmers burning their rice fields really makes it unbearable for a few months in CM, but there are a lot of things about CM that I like, especially the low cost of housing.

Can anyone recommend an affordable place to live in/near the Gulf and not too far South?

I'm single, don't drink and my budget for housing/rent is about 7-10k BHT per month.

I will also buy a scooter (but not drive at night if I can help it) and also wish to be close to markets and medical facilities.

A few naughty bars wouldn't hurt either, but I don't want to live in a touristy place like Pattaya, although I thought Rayong would be a good option because it's about a 45 minute drive away.

Thanks.

It's a long and dangerous journey on a scooter. Not one I'd like to do. Sukhumvit is also referred to as "death highway" due to all the fatal accidents. Several every week.

If you do drive your scooter a lot, make sure you have very good insurance. Many stories of expats here getting banged up and not having the money to pay their hospital bills. Which can easily run into the millions of baht. If you can't pay, your passport could be held until you do so. Some have even been put into jail until they paid.

You might want to consider some places a bit closer to Pattaya. Bang Saray is a great little town. And between there and Jomtien are lots of interesting places to live not far from the beach. And quite close to town. You can be 10-15km away from Pattaya, but literally be a world away.

No, I won't be driving my scooter that far. Only for very short trips and not at night if at all possible.

I will be on a Retirement Visa and will probably live in CM to get a handle on my realistic cost of living and in the meantime, also travel around the country to see if I can find a place that is fairly inexpensive to live, but has more to do than CM does and access to the beach.

[Bernard Flint]

I have lived in the City itself for three years now.

I like living there. The fact that i can be in Walking street in Pattaya in 50 minutes or less from my front door helps. There's a long strip (middle road we call it) with loads of bars and Thai orientated clubs. There's a few expat bars, One called Wizards the other called Y-33 which s where i drink the most. There's a fair size ex pat community spread out over the city. There's a lot of teachers, but, with these new Visa laws they'll all mostly be gone soon

There's a good few good quality places to eat

I am not a beaches person but further along the coast towards Cambodia there's a lot of nice beaches.

The locals are a lot more friendly than Pattaya

They must be amazingly friendly, because where i live in Pattaya, its very very friendly.Must visit again to check this statement out.

[craigt3365]

Traveling around Thailand is one thing I love to do. I've been all over (well, not to the very south...yet!). A fantastic trip is from Hua Hin to Nakhon Si Thammarat. Take your time. Hug the coast as much as you can. There are some really neat communities down that way. Bang Saphan is probably the most expat friendly? Kuiburi is interesting, Prachuap Khiri Khan, Thung Wua Laen, Khanom, Sichon. All very interesting. Quiet. Not many farang. But pretty cheap and all right on the sea.

[OMGImInPattaya]

If you like Galveston...you'll love Rayong.

Edited July 23, 2014 by OMGImInPattaya

[craigt3365]

I hate Galveston, but would have no problem living in Rayong. It ain't perfect, but it's no comparison to Galveston.

[Mooner]

Rayong is a decent city. Not far from Pattaya if you need to go there for some creature comforts. Having said that there are shops like Odessa that sell a lot of Farang food and they are in the process of building a new central plaza there which will house a Tops supermarket and a English speaking cinema. There is also a road there called Rajbumrung rd which has many bars, restaurants and clubs.

Beaches aren't much because of what is previously mentioned but move on past Ban Phe and they are pleasant enough or you can head to Ko Samet. Have a look for yourself. There are many negative people on here who like to vito every idea usually when they have only spent a couple of days in that place

[OMGImInPattaya]

I hate Galveston, but would have no problem living in Rayong. It ain't perfect, but it's no comparison to Galveston.

Whats the diff...same seaside location, same oil/petro-chemical industries, same heat and humidity, same oil spills and chemical spills/releases, same cheap Third World ho's (except from Mexico)? Rayong is probably due for a huge chemical explosion that will wipe out the town too like Galveston once had. Only difference is you can get good Tex-Mex in Galveston that you can't in Rayong!

Edited July 23, 2014 by OMGImInPattaya

[craigt3365]

I hate Galveston, but would have no problem living in Rayong. It ain't perfect, but it's no comparison to Galveston.

Whats the diff...same seaside location, same oil/petro-chemical industries, same heat and humidity, same oil spills and chemical spills/releases, same cheap Third World ho's (except from Mexico)? Rayong is probably due for a huge chemical explosion that will wipe out the town too like Galveston once had. Only difference is you can get good Tex-Mex in Galveston that you can't in Rayong!

Not the same people. Not the same water clarity. Not the same culture. Not the same food. Not the same prices. Not the same environment. Not the same....

[PHP87]

Thanks for all of the posts and tips. Perhaps I'll check out Jomtien. When I arrive in Thailand, I will likely spend my first year in CM and travel the country to see if I can find something better, closer to the water and the nightlife for about 10k BHT per month.

I don't drink, so that saves me a lot of money right there and I don't plan on driving after dark and any long trips will be by cab, bus or plane.

Thanks again.

[craigt3365]

We use to live in Bangkok and for our long trips we'd just rent a car for a few weeks or so. It's sooooo much nicer with a car and you can visit many places that are either impossible or hard to visit with public transport. Something to think about.

If you do checkout Jomtien and the area south, do a new post in the Pattaya forum and we'll try to help you out!

[raro]

Yeah, I realize the farmers burning their rice fields really makes it unbearable for a few months in CM, but there are a lot of things about CM that I like, especially the low cost of housing.

Can anyone recommend an affordable place to live in/near the Gulf and not too far South?

I'm single, don't drink and my budget for housing/rent is about 7-10k BHT per month.

I will also buy a scooter (but not drive at night if I can help it) and also wish to be close to markets and medical facilities.

A few naughty bars wouldn't hurt either, but I don't want to live in a touristy place like Pattaya, although I thought Rayong would be a good option because it's about a 45 minute drive away.

Thanks.

It's a long and dangerous journey on a scooter. Not one I'd like to do. Sukhumvit is also referred to as "death highway" due to all the fatal accidents. Several every week.

If you do drive your scooter a lot, make sure you have very good insurance. Many stories of expats here getting banged up and not having the money to pay their hospital bills. Which can easily run into the millions of baht. If you can't pay, your passport could be held until you do so. Some have even been put into jail until they paid.

You might want to consider some places a bit closer to Pattaya. Bang Saray is a great little town. And between there and Jomtien are lots of interesting places to live not far from the beach. And quite close to town. You can be 10-15km away from Pattaya, but literally be a world away.

No, I won't be driving my scooter that far. Only for very short trips and not at night if at all possible.

I will be on a Retirement Visa and will probably live in CM to get a handle on my realistic cost of living and in the meantime, also travel around the country to see if I can find a place that is fairly inexpensive to live, but has more to do than CM does and access to the beach.

I did Rayong to Had Lek for a visa run some ten years ago on a 125cc Honda. It was an experience to say the least. Took eight hours back and forth, had an incredible sunburn, a black T-shirt (which used to be white in the morning) and couldn't walk properly for a couple of days

[longstebe]

I've done Rayong, its nothing like Galveston. I wouldn't dare swim in the water at Galveston, moody gardens is about the only decent thing it has.

I'm also looking at re locating down there, wife's transfer pending (waiting for central to be completed). The way I see it, it's not like you have to travel very far for nice beach, central festival will be ready next year, bkk not a million miles away and there's few islands close by too.

Sent from my GT-I9505 using Thaivisa Connect Thailand mobile app

[craigt3365]

Central Festival could make a big difference. Nice place to hang out on a hot day! 5555555