Prachuap Khiri Khan......what's it like to live in?

[Rob180]

Hi, looking for some information about Prachuap Khiri Khan. I'm thinking about moving to Thailand within 2 years and the idea of living near the beach and sea is appealing, but I'm not interested in the major tourist areas such as Phuket, Pattaya etc. I like Hua Hin having visited it before but I was wondering what Prachuap KK is like as I've never been there but have heard many good things about it. I would be interested to hear from anyone who lives there now or has done in the recent past. I would probably look to rent a house in the first couple of years, does anyone know how rental properties compare in price to those in Hua Hin? Is Prachuap KK cheaper or much the same?

Any information about what it's like living in PKK would be appreciated, positives and negatives.

Many thanks.

[Falcon]

Hi Rob,

Not sure on actually living in pratchuap kiri khan but to visit it is a great place. The beach, if you go over to Ao Manao, which is actually an Air Force base, is real nice what with the clean beach, safe calm seas and a few water sports available. The latter, water sports, are actually controlled, as is everything else in Ao Manao, by the Air Force so there is none of the usual scams with people demanding money for scratches to jet skis, no charging higher prices to foreigners for chairs to sit on the beach (10 baht) or speedboat rides, etc. it really is a nice place to visit. My family and I visit a couple of times a month after going shopping at the nearby border which is (supposedly) going to be open very soon.

As far as living there, I would say that it rely depends on what you are looking for and what interests you have. It's a very quiet place and I think that my family and I would get bored living there although there are quite a few foreigners living and on long visits to the place.

Hope it gives you a small insight to the place and that someone else can give you more information as to actually living there as opposed to just visiting.

Regards,

[Rob180]

Thanks Falcon that's very helpful. I think if I could set up a very small business for my wife to keep her busy, I would be happy sitting next to that beach most of the time lol. The more I visit Thailand, the more I become conscious of how diabolical the weather in the UK is between November and March and the more I want to escape from it! I think when we come back to Thailand in a few months we'll stay in PKK and have a good look around.

[NickJ]

The area known as Pak Nam Pran is about 25 k or less from Hua Hin. There are more and more people moving out that way. There are also quite a few nice developments as well. It is changing. I lived there ten plus years ago and go back once a year or so. Rentals can be few and far between and it depends on what you want. I have a friend that rents a three bedroom house for 18000 a month with a pool. I also have a friend who rents a tiny two bedroom place for 5000. Its famous for kiteboarding as well. And the ex pat community seems pretty decent. There are a handful of bars owned by ex pats and a couple decent restaurants.

[LawrenceN]

Minor point about geography: Hua Hin is in Prachuab Kirikhan Province, so you have been to Prachuab. Unless you're referring to the respective towns only.

[muratremix]

Ao Manao is great place and very cheap compared to pattaya / phuket.

[cabanlit]

I like the place. My preferred place to overnight stay when driving north to south.

Quite quaint and with a good English-style promenade along the beach.

However, to actually 'live' there might be a bit mind-numbing. Do check it out first on a long stay before putting roots down.

[Sparkles]

i would highly recommend it. get out the map and as suggested there are many communities and beaches north and south of the city Prachuap Khiri Khan.

We live in Chiang Mai but get south to Bangsaphan sometimes which is 2.5 hours from Hua Hin and all its madness during holidays and weekends.

Its also considerably cheaper to live but depends if you are retired or need schools ,universities and infrastructure like modern hospitals etc because you nearest point for all that would be HH.

You can google Bangsaphan guide or other areas down that way ,many forums with people living there

[awayego]

Prachuap town is one of my favourite places and Ao Manao beach especially.

Ten years ago I bought a house on Phuket, although away from the tourist areas.

Five years ago we sold up and moved to Chiang Mai, which I like but I do miss the sea (having spent almost my entire life beside it!).

Hindsight, as they say, is 20/20 vision - if I had known about Prachuap town and the surrounding area I would never have bought on Phuket and we would probably still be living in Prachuap now.

It all depends on what you are looking for of course, different strokes for different foks etc, but I will always have a soft spot for Prachuap - I don't like tourist areas, over-development or even loads of other farang so, to me, it was, and still is (though for how much longer I don't know). essentially a Thai working/fishing village.

If I was starting over again in Thailand I wouldn't hesitate - Prachuap town or nearby for sure!

[pennyruen]

The beach at Prachuap Khiri Khan itself is long and narrow you would have to go the Ao Manao beach as posted earlier. Even this beach is just ok. The town is very quiet and not a lot to do. I know an Aussie guy in his 60's and his much younger wife who live and have a business there who are both bored rigid. Nice for a visit but it's a one horse town.

Have you thought about the option of living in the Canary Islands, especially Fuerteventura. The islands are part of Spain so no visa issues for Europeans, even cheaper than Spain, cheap booze, superior beaches, great health care system. Crystal clear, unpolluted sea..... Fresh air. Just a thought. This suggestion is aimed at married couples ....not single men ....lol and no I don't work for the Spanish tourist board.

[Mister T]

My wife and I moved to PKK a year ago from Ubon and started up a restaurant, never looked back. The area, so far, is not over developed and will never get high rises due to the airbase. Rentals are rare and you really need to drive around all the little sois looking for a sign, no agents here. Word of mouth is the way here for just about everything. The locals here have no them and us crap like the tourist areas. It is one of the cleanest places I have lived in Thailand, people actually sweep the esplanade every morning and the kerbside bins are emptied every night. It is the provincial capital and therefore has plenty of schools and government workers with spending money. The guy who says it is boring here needs to look a bit closer, my family are never bored here. We go to Hua Hin once every two weeks for a Makro run and can not get out of there fast enough.

[crab]

Have you thought about Pranburi or other areas south of Hua Hin, quiet and pretty but still not a long drive away from the amenities of the town?

[lasidaho]

I'm glad you started the thread, I been looking at area also visited one time last April, when we were staying in HH for a month was very impressed. Wanting to buy home in Thailand, been looking at San Kamphaeng area, CM is ok but for me too much, Now back in US, wife is from Nakhon Sawan, like living in hell there hot/hot.

[landslide]

My wife and I were married in Muang Prachuap Khiri Khan at her uncle's home. We return every year to visit her family (grandmother, uncle and cousins). The town is low key. Land prices away from the ocean, especially west of Hwy 4, are lower than Hua Hin, but western style longterm rentals are limited in quantity. Ao Manao beach is pleasant and clean. Further south is Klong Wan, a Thai village on the ocean with a number of small resorts catering to Thais. In driving around the area, I do see some Farang villas, but they are few and far between. People are very pleasant in the area, and the overall price structure is very reasonable. It is very low key, with most entertainment centered around interaction with your neighbors. Nightlife is limited. There is a Tesco Lotus and a Home Store there, along with a number of open markets. Hua hin is about an hour and half north by car, and there is a train station in town.

As someone mentioned before, you might consider the area around Pranburi and Pak Nam Pran. A number of Farang make their homes there. There is a decent selection of restaurants, and Hua Hin is about 35 minutes north by car. There is both a Tesco Lotus and a Makro in Pranburi.

[off road pat]

Stay away from the south beaches,....go to Pattaya, Phuket, Cha Am, or Hua Hin....don't go to spoil the rest....leave it the way it is...!

[AliasJohn]

Hi Rob,

Same as Mr . I am an Aussie and have lived in Thailand for almost 8 years. First 3 Bkk, then Ubon Ratchathani and for the past 15 months my wife and myself call Prachuap Khiri Khan home. We also opened up a business here

and love the lay back lifestyle here. I thought about Pranburi before I visited there and was very disappointed with it. The main town is about 12 kms from the beach and when you get to the beach it is rocky and muddy sand.

PKK has a medium size Tesco and the usual seven elevens, a new Homepro and on the cards is a Big C and I believe Makro have bought land next to HomePro. Hua Hin is just over an hour away if you need a burst of shopping or a cinema and to the south are more beautiful beaches. If you like seafood then this is a seafood haven for you, very cheap and fresh. The Myanmar border is suppose to open sometime this year which will provide a quick 80 km trip to the Andaman sea. I rent a new 3 bedroom, two bathroom modern home for 7000 baht a month but you have to look out for them as Mr T mentioned. If its bars and rows of farang restaurants you like then PKK is not the place for you. Come and check it out. you will love it like most of us do.

Good luck

John

[Rob180]

Hi Rob,

Same as Mr . I am an Aussie and have lived in Thailand for almost 8 years. First 3 Bkk, then Ubon Ratchathani and for the past 15 months my wife and myself call Prachuap Khiri Khan home. We also opened up a business here

and love the lay back lifestyle here. I thought about Pranburi before I visited there and was very disappointed with it. The main town is about 12 kms from the beach and when you get to the beach it is rocky and muddy sand.

PKK has a medium size Tesco and the usual seven elevens, a new Homepro and on the cards is a Big C and I believe Makro have bought land next to HomePro. Hua Hin is just over an hour away if you need a burst of shopping or a cinema and to the south are more beautiful beaches. If you like seafood then this is a seafood haven for you, very cheap and fresh. The Myanmar border is suppose to open sometime this year which will provide a quick 80 km trip to the Andaman sea. I rent a new 3 bedroom, two bathroom modern home for 7000 baht a month but you have to look out for them as Mr T mentioned. If its bars and rows of farang restaurants you like then PKK is not the place for you. Come and check it out. you will love it like most of us do.

Good luck

John

[Rob180]

Thanks John and everyone else, all very helpful. No I don't want to be somewhere full of falang bars, to be honest PKK sounds almost perfect. I'm really looking forward to staying there when we come back. From what people are saying, it seems living costs are lowish there and I like the laid back sound of it, not to mention the beaches and cheap seafood etc!

[Mahseer]

Five years ago you would hardly see another farang in Prachuap but these days the promenade is a parade of farangs complete with LP guide and bottles of water. Then there are the Italian restaurants, pizza place and coffee house, the German sports bar and Aussie bakery but still a decent town. The town beyond Ao Manoo used to be the sole domain of squid fisherman but there are now 2 multi level hotels and no doubt more to follow whch again isn't a bad thing but make no mistake the area has very much been 'found'.

Seafood restaurants used to be found mainly on the street back from the jetty but these days there has to be a dozen or more stretched along the promenade so anyone planning on settling in Prachuap just be aware it is far more than a two soi town and weekends the market by the jetty is absolutely crammed but it remains a very good area to visit.

[Badrabbit]

I visited Prachup recently, loved it so much I am going back next week, no crazy drivers, life at a very sedate pace, nice friendly people, Airforce base is great, watch the planes landing and taking off, super clean beach and the views are stunning, the climb up the mountain is fairly tough and can be scary but once at the top it's breathtaking, would like to live there one day in the future.

[Rob180]

Thanks everyone, a lot of good information from you all. Pretty much sounds like the perfect place to live. Already started looking at hotels etc, hoping to go early August for about 3 weeks which should give us enough time to have a good look around.

cheers

[Badrabbit]

Thanks everyone, a lot of good information from you all. Pretty much sounds like the perfect place to live. Already started looking at hotels etc, hoping to go early August for about 3 weeks which should give us enough time to have a good look around.

cheers

I can recommend Palmsweet hotel, small very nice!

[Badrabbit]

The only thing I didn't like was Monkey mountain, the monkeys were quite scary and the place was not clean, the Monkeys at the base of the mountain within the airforce base are lovely though, very gentle friendly good looking monkeys, everything else about Prachup was fantastic, great local swimming pool with superb cheap food, can't wait to go back.

[Ombra]

I have been visiting PKP for about 15 years, and I agree with all of the positive comments above. It is a town with real character. The view from the seafront is spectacular, the local people are very pleasant, and it is a place where you can relax and enjoy life. On working days, the beach on the airbase is not busy and it is very nice to sit under the pine trees. There are Thai restaurants there, but if they don't appeal to you, there is a very good western restaurant/coffee shop a few hundred yards off the base in the direction of the town. It is opposite the big temple, but I have forgotten the name of the place. If you want somewhere quieter than the airbase, there are many good beaches to the south of the town. Hat Wannakorn National Park (15 kms south), for example, has a beautiful long beach. My selfish wish is that PKP doesn't change too much in the next few years.

[Seligne2]

I think he is referring to this restaurant: Krua Chaiwat, 143/1 Sarachip Rd, ☎ +66 32 604534. 09:00-20:30. Dynamite little restaurant serving Thai and Western food at very reasonable prices. Fast and efficient service. Frequently packed with both Thai and Westerners, a sign of good food and fair pricing.Meal for two, 200 baht.

[Ombra]

I am in Bangkok and so I can't check these things, but Krua Chaiwat is opposite the college, I believe, not the temple. If it is the place that I am thinking of, it is certainly cheap, pleasant and popular, but the 'western' food is only something that a Thai could produce. What I am referring to is a restaurant which is directly opposite the entrance to the big temple. It has a one-word name in English, which I have forgotten, and it has genuine western food of a high standard.

[lostinisaan]

I had spent quite a long time in Prachuap Khiri Khan's Bangsahan Noi and Yai area. There's a nice fishermen village called Bankrud, a paradise.

Wasn't there for a couple of years, but can only highly reckon the whole area. Was there before I started teaching with my wife, before we got married, a friend of mine had a resort in Bankrud, sometimes also spelled Ban krud, or Ban Krut.

Nice waterfalls, beach, where you can join the fishermen to fish squid, which is a lot of fun...then BBQ them right afterwards and a lot more.

I could go on and on and on. If I were younger and not so used to isaan life, I'd go for it.

[Mahseer]

What I am referring to is a restaurant which is directly opposite the entrance to the big temple. It has a one-word name in English, which I have forgotten, and it has genuine western food of a high standard.

Twiggs is the name you are looking for.

[Rob180]

Thanks everyone, a lot of good information from you all. Pretty much sounds like the perfect place to live. Already started looking at hotels etc, hoping to go early August for about 3 weeks which should give us enough time to have a good look around.

cheers

I can recommend Palmsweet hotel, small very nice!

[Rob180]

Thanks BR....will see if i can find the Palmsweet anywhere!