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

[Gecko123]

2 hours ago, bangkokairportlink said:

Funny post, but I guess that only you can hear the far away road, and only you can feel the mosquitoes more than somewhere else.

Also no special traffic compared to many many other places in Thailand.

I didn't notice many dumps as you did and the narrow streets or utility poles even wen driving a big German car.

But as an evidence that you do not see things as they really are, there are many western food restaurants, just have a look on tripadvisor, especially Italian food.

Another funny one:  PKK merchants are still in a learning phase about do's and don't's in dealing with foreigners. 555

Interesting anyway that you tell what you think that you have seen...

 

 

If you say so, tiger.

 

I guess all the Hwy 4 road noise,  mosquito bites, and narrow sois were all in my imagination. Hee, hee, hee. A sizable part of PKK is within half a mile of Hwy 4, which is scarcely "far away" and almost all of the central part of town is well within one mile which is still within earshot of the highway traffic. 

 

Drive around the back sois behind Lotus, just as an example, and then come back and tell me they aren't a cramped maze. Driving along Koh Lak Road, if a car is parked on either side of the road (which is very frequently the case), you have to cross over the dividing line, which means if traffic is moving in both directions, one direction needs to stop and let the other car pass. This is the same in many places throughout the city. I found the downtown streets in the center of town usually crowded and parking very scarce. If you don't think PKK has some infrastructure issues, we'll have to agree to disagree.

 

I went out to the municipal office to ask whether PKK had a municipal dump, and they acknowledged illegal dumping was a problem. More than one foreigner I talked to lamented this problem. 

 

I went on Trip advisor as you suggested and I'll admit there were a number of restaurants on there that I wasn't aware of, but for a city of PKK's size, don't you think the listings on trip advisor were pretty paltry?

 

My comments about merchants were based on three experiences: (1) two separate natural gas canister shops refusing to accept an empty gas canister which was deemed to be "too old" and which they claimed Siam Gas would refuse to accept, and would require that I pay a 200 baht repair fee on top of the 370 baht regular full tank cost before they would accept it, which I was later told by another vendor was total BS; (2) Prachuab Bike shop telling me I had to replace my bicycle shifters and derailer, and unless I purchased all of this equipment they refused to repair the bicycle, which I later took to another repair shop and had repaired magnificently (along with a head to foot tune up) for 150 baht; and (3) being charged 600 baht per kilo for a fish I had never eaten before, but I later became convinced was not the going rate as it turned out to be nothing special in terms of texture or flavor, and I am not aware of any local fish which sells for such a high price. As I said, I found most vendors to be honest, but because PKK appears to attract a fair number of non-Thai speaking tourists and non-Thai speaking ex-pats, I believe a tiny percentage of the vendors have adopted aggressive and predatory pricing practices.

 

I'm not bashing PKK, and I'll almost certainly visit again. Just sharing my impressions for others to consider. By the way, I've stayed in PKK before and have been camping in the area on close to a dozen trips, so this was not a maiden visit, but the impressions I shared were largely based on my most recent stay.

 

[Andrew Dwyer]

Some quick observations after a week long stay in Meuang PKK...
 
Negatives….
 
1. The noise from Route 4 is 24/7. Even a kilometer (or more) away from Phetkasem you can hear the roar of traffic, even in the dead of night.
2. PKK has a mosquito problem. There are lots of boggy, swampy, or areas with poor drainage which are fertile breeding areas. I was surprised by how many mosquitos there were around the house I was renting.
3. PKK has no municipal dump. PKK hauls its trash to the dump in neighboring Pranburi. While there are trash barrels and regularly scheduled trash pickup throughout the city, you can see that there is a problem with illegal dumping in some spots. Also, people resort to burning garden debris which won't fit into the small trash barrels.
4. Some of the side streets are so narrow that they are effectively one-way. Utility poles and water meters often are perilously close to the road. (I damaged a side mirror on my truck sideswiping a power pole which was ridiculously close to the road. Even on the main roads, Koh Lak Road for example, vehicles parked along side the road made for tight maneuvering in a Isuzu D-max pickup truck.  I found drivers to be very considerate while riding my bicycle, but the congestion did not make bike riding in town very pleasant (except for the Ao Manao AFB which had great dedicated bicycle paths.)
5. Maybe I was missing something, but beyond noodle shops and very basic Thai restaurants, I did not think there were very many "dining out" type restaurants in town.
6. PKK merchants are still in a learning phase about do's and don't's in dealing with foreigners. The vast majority (90%) are very honest, but a tiny number are downright predatory. 
7. Highway 4 is undergoing a lot of construction, and there are a lot of police inspections presumably due to security concerns.
 
Positives...
 
1. Great farmer's markets, especially for seafood.
2. Great easy access to Lotus, Makro, Home Pro (side note: stay away from the Kitchen Plus restaurant @ HomePro; probably the weirdest, least appetizing food I've ever eaten in Thailand).
3. As mentioned, Ao Manao AFB has some wonderful bike paths. Outside of town there are also quieter roads which offer fairly pleasant bicycling routes and there is a healthy bicycling culture there both among foreigners and Thais. Dogs are generally well-behaved towards bicyclists, even out on country roads.
4. Very friendly people. There are a lot of retired Thai military people in town who I found to be extremely friendly and welcoming.
5. Proximity to the ocean made overnight temperatures noticeably cooler than in central Thailand where I live. 
6. The Western side of PhetKasem Hwy is much more laid-back, but unfortunately there aren't a lot of rental options there, and I'm not in the market for trying to lease land and build a house out there.
 
Take away: Great place to visit, even for an extended stay, but probably won't move there.

I have visited PKK 3 times and find the place " a breath of fresh air " !, I had thoughts of moving there at one time but decided against that ( due to family reasons not the place itself).
Love Ao Manao beach and the coast to the north side of monkey mountain is excellent for exploring the rocky coves.
The beach market I find is excellent, a good choice of eating and very pleasant to walk along the promenade.
Last time I stopped a couple of nights at Sunbeach Guesthouse ( more of a hotel really) excellent spot on the beach, quiet, close to Ao Manao, really pleasant view and a nice pool.
PKK is just a relaxing town IMO, very pleasant people and beautiful scenery.
Same as you, I won't be moving there but will be back for sure for a long weekend.

[Ombra]

Gecko123 has provided the best summary of life in PKK that I have read, particularly his list of positives. I live 20 kms south of the town and more than 2 kms east and I have to agree with what he says about the noise from the highway. When the wind is blowing in the right direction, I feel that the trucks and cars are only a couple of hundred yards away. It is amazing how the sound carries.

 

I am sure that others will comment on his opinion that there are few good restaurants in the town. In most of the small places my wife likes to eat, the food is often so mediocre that I have the feeling that anyone - the gardener, cleaner, waitress - could be doing the cooking on any given day. One place that clearly has a professional chef is the Hadthong Hotel and it has the advantage of having one of the best views of the beautiful bay.

[Mister T]

Best food and views over the bay would be Top Deck. Two storey restaurant just up the waterfront from the Hadthong. Big variety of foods, cocktails and pool table.

[Buriramfelang]

I was in PKK last weekend looking into long term rentals(house,town house or apartments) Did the recommended drive around the Sois but didn't see much, a couple of really run down places. There's really nothing to find online that I can see, is there a way to find places that come available. 

Cheers.

We had dinner a couple of times at the Top Deck, really recommend it.

[Gary A]

Say what you like about this relatively remote part of Thailand. In my opinion it is likely the most diversified beautiful place in the entire country. It's not much of a place for single hard drinking guys but for relaxed living, it would be difficult to beat. I seriously considered living there but since my wife already had a small western style home in a scenic upcountry mountainous area, I took the easy route.

[Mister T]

There are three or four in the sois directly behind Tesco Lotus. I will go for a spin tomorrow and see if I can get a pic of the front signs with phone numbers. I also know of a new lot of town houses not far from town centre. Go along Kao Rak road over the rail tracks, left at the first lights and follow that road about 3 klms. Met some people a week or so ago and they had just moved there.

[moose7117]

just remember that with all the road noise and huge numbers of mosquitoes as well as no parking and rubbish piling up in the streets it would be terribly hard to survive there !

 

[Buriramfelang]

3 hours ago, Gary A said:

Say what you like about this relatively remote part of Thailand. In my opinion it is likely the most diversified beautiful place in the entire country. It's not much of a place for single hard drinking guys but for relaxed living, it would be difficult to beat. I seriously considered living there but since my wife already had a small western style home in a scenic upcountry mountainous area, I took the easy route.

Yea I'm into quiet life nowadays. Have a good setup in the village in Buriram but all farmland which isn't much to look at and has started to get a bit boring. You can't beat the views in PKK.

[Buriramfelang]

3 hours ago, Mister T said:

There are three or four in the sois directly behind Tesco Lotus. I will go for a spin tomorrow and see if I can get a pic of the front signs with phone numbers. I also know of a new lot of town houses not far from town centre. Go along Kao Rak road over the rail tracks, left at the first lights and follow that road about 3 klms. Met some people a week or so ago and they had just moved there.

Mr T, any photos, locations and phone numbers would be great. Perhaps by PM. We've headed off but can always come back down if a telephone call is encouraging. Appreciate the offer of having a look for me. I'm thinking between the train line and the beach would be as rare as rocking horse shit.

[Mister T]

Got some pics and have sent a PM. Dead right about the tracks and the beach. There is a really old timber place on the waterfont just up from us. It has been empty for the last two years, so it is either crap or too expensive.

[Gecko123]

On 6/21/2017 at 2:12 PM, Mister T said:

There are three or four in the sois directly behind Tesco Lotus. I will go for a spin tomorrow and see if I can get a pic of the front signs with phone numbers. I also know of a new lot of town houses not far from town centre. Go along Kao Rak road over the rail tracks, left at the first lights and follow that road about 3 klms. Met some people a week or so ago and they had just moved there.

Wouldn't you agree that the housing market in PKK is largely bifurcated between new construction aimed at buyers (not renters) and hotels/lodging aimed at short term tourists? There really isn't a vibrant long-stay rental market down there, not as far as I could tell, and I'm pretty good at tracking stuff like that down. As is the case in many smaller towns, the vast majority of stuff is owner occupied. I don't think PKK has fully embraced the concept of rental housing quite yet. The rental market seemed to be very limited.

 

Yes, there are a few rentals here and there, but the pickings are pretty slim. I suspect I found the same rental properties behind Tesco Lotus which you mention above, although there were only two houses available. Aside from that, the tract homes you allude to were mostly for sale, and in the one or two cases I found a unit available for rent, the units were all furnished, so if you have your own furniture, the pickings are even slimmer. I found a set of beachfront townhouses near the stretch of government offices, but they were for sale, not rent. Another rental I found was in a housing development in a set of sois in the center of town. Built back-to-back, side-by-side, except for cosmetic differences, each free-standing house the same. But again, the 2 bdrm/1 bath house renting for 10K came furnished with Thai-style furniture which I didn't find very appealing. After that it was tiny one room row houses aimed at working class Thais mostly on busy streets, maybe a vacant townhouse aimed at a retailer merchant, here or there. Did I miss something?

[Gecko123]

On 6/21/2017 at 2:21 PM, moose7117 said:

just remember that with all the road noise and huge numbers of mosquitoes as well as no parking and rubbish piling up in the streets it would be terribly hard to survive there !

 

Don't make me come down there with my camera and decibel meter to prove my point.

[Mister T]

46 minutes ago, Gecko123 said:

Wouldn't you agree that the housing market in PKK is largely bifurcated between new construction aimed at buyers (not renters) and hotels/lodging aimed at short term tourists? There really isn't a vibrant long-stay rental market down there, not as far as I could tell, and I'm pretty good at tracking stuff like that down. As is the case in many smaller towns, the vast majority of stuff is owner occupied. I don't think PKK has fully embraced the concept of rental housing quite yet. The rental market seemed to be very limited.

Totally agree, all the new housing in the last few years has been snapped up Bangkokians. Most are empty with no intention of ever renting, plenty of townhouse crap around in the western burbs. Went around the back areas of Home Pro today, same houses still empty as when I first moved here three years ago. Some good rentals do come up but they are gone within a day or two.

[poohy]

Hi there

This gem rented very quickly although we dont specialise renting, we do have beachfront land and property for sale in PKK

PM me for more details

 

SUCCESSFULLY RENTED WITHIN 2 DAYS!

 

Beach front house Prachuap Khiri khan

A superb house directly on the beach available for rent 
The house has a stunning location directly on the beach and with direct access to the beach it is the only such house in the area of Prachuap Khiri khan and Klong Wan
House is located 4 kilometers from Prachuap town and consists of 2 bedrooms spacious living area large shaded garden with private access to beach.

 

18000THB per month