good and the bad about living in Hua Hin

[camsouth]

I lived in Hua Hin for 2.5 years, and found it quite pleasant.

Only significant negatives were (a) the lack of variety in foreign-type shopping: one Tesco Lotus, no Big C, no Central Dept store, one Home Pro, one Villa grocery store, horrendous traffic on Petchkasem Road, especially on weekends, and [c] Hua Hin Immigrations is one of the handful of offices that requires the money used for a combination (income + savings) method for qualifying for a retirement extension be seasoned for 90 days.

Some positives: (a) no rip-off baht bus mafia (like Pattaya/Phuket) with B10 fares the standard, comfortable bus service from BKK airport with reasonable price, [c] quick (express) train service to/from BKK,

As stated above, seemed clean and safe with easily accessible western hospitals.

There is a big c and a Makro also two great bakeries, and two German sausage makers each having his own shop, try Soi 41 for really great pies , fruit and meat, Soi 29 German sausages and baguette bakery for divine cakes, all on the main drag just north of down town

that sounds great

[camsouth]

well it sounds all good so far

[little mary sunshine]

Boat ride is about an hour to the Island, I take the 9AM, return at

4 (B30 each way). A wonderful day at the beach. Pattaya has a

Sleezy side, as do most cities, I am not a drinker, and haven't been

To Walking Street in years. Golf, the beach, bowling, movies,

Exercise, cards with friends shopping at Central Festival and many

Local markets keeps this retiree quite active.

Pattaya/Jomtien has wonderful Italian, German, French, Vietnamese,

Japanese,Korean restautants, (the best American style pizza I have

Found in Thailand was Duke's, on the river in CM, second best is NY

Pizza here in Pattaya.). I enjoy Jomtien, only 8 minutes away from

Pattaya, but a world of difference.

[wpcoe]

I lived in Hua Hin for 2.5 years, and found it quite pleasant.

Only significant negatives were (a) the lack of variety in foreign-type shopping: one Tesco Lotus, no Big C, no Central Dept store, one Home Pro, one Villa grocery store, horrendous traffic on Petchkasem Road, especially on weekends, and [c] Hua Hin Immigrations is one of the handful of offices that requires the money used for a combination (income + savings) method for qualifying for a retirement extension be seasoned for 90 days.

Some positives: (a) no rip-off baht bus mafia (like Pattaya/Phuket) with B10 fares the standard, comfortable bus service from BKK airport with reasonable price, [c] quick (express) train service to/from BKK,

As stated above, seemed clean and safe with easily accessible western hospitals.

Do you mean that you both have to prove money in bank and a letter verifying your income from your embassy to be granted a retirement visa?

There are three ways to qualify financially for a retirement extension:

• monthly income of B65,000
• savings of B800k on deposit for three months
• combination of income + savings to equal B800k

With the exception of two or three Immigrations offices (Hua Hin being one of them), when you use the combination method -- i.e. income + savings -- to qualify for a retirement extension, the savings need not be "seasoned" for three months. You can deposit the money in the morning, get the bank letter, and head to Immigrations the same day and be issued a retirement extension. However, Hua Hin Immigrations requires that the money has to be there on deposit for three months.

(Three months becomes two months if it's the initial extension. Three months applies for all subsequent years.)

[nofarang]

To dampen the praises about Hua Hin please read my posts (and the posts of other valuable members) in this post:

http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/810020-hua-hin-undergoes-beach-facelift/

[kannot]

Much better class of expats than most places. friendly and fast immigration. wonderful western restaurants in the major hotels.

Id disagree with immigration, well the guy who sits at desk 5 can be a right obnoxious git, the rest are ok

[Felt 35]

I lived in Hua Hin for 2.5 years, and found it quite pleasant.

Only significant negatives were (a) the lack of variety in foreign-type shopping: one Tesco Lotus, no Big C, no Central Dept store, one Home Pro, one Villa grocery store, horrendous traffic on Petchkasem Road, especially on weekends, and [c] Hua Hin Immigrations is one of the handful of offices that requires the money used for a combination (income + savings) method for qualifying for a retirement extension be seasoned for 90 days.

Some positives: (a) no rip-off baht bus mafia (like Pattaya/Phuket) with B10 fares the standard, comfortable bus service from BKK airport with reasonable price, [c] quick (express) train service to/from BKK,

As stated above, seemed clean and safe with easily accessible western hospitals.

Do you mean that you both have to prove money in bank and a letter verifying your income from your embassy to be granted a retirement visa?

There are three ways to qualify financially for a retirement extension:

• monthly income of B65,000
• savings of B800k on deposit for three months
• combination of income + savings to equal B800k

With the exception of two or three Immigrations offices (Hua Hin being one of them), when you use the combination method -- i.e. income + savings -- to qualify for a retirement extension, the savings need not be "seasoned" for three months. You can deposit the money in the morning, get the bank letter, and head to Immigrations the same day and be issued a retirement extension. However, Hua Hin Immigrations requires that the money has to be there on deposit for three months.

(Three months becomes two months if it's the initial extension. Three months applies for all subsequent years.)

Okay good, I thought for a moment Immigration in Hua Hin demanded both to see a monthly income on 65K + 800k in the bank.

[kev78]

Love how the expect you to have way more than the average thai per month or in savings....

[NCC1701A]

HH is a HISO town. Big Thai money here. And a much better higher class of expats. no soviet blockheads like Pattaya. But it is a SMALL TOWN.

Everything is more expensive. Street food. Real Thai markets. about 20% more. a half of a chicken is 10 baht more in HH compared to other small nearby towns. it adds up.

Thai food is good in HH, but Farang restaurants are overrated, expensive and no where near to say Los Angeles quality or California beach towns quality. I have been to resorts all over the world. Thai food yes, Farang food no.

To buy a condo here of any worth, 60sqm, ocean view starts at 6-8 million baht. That buys a palace in smoky CM.

Massage in Chiang Mai is 200-250 baht per hr, in HH 300-350. almost 30% more.

many stores but poor selection and very high prices for consumer electronics, clothes, appliances, cars, scooters, housing, everything. you simply will not find what you are looking for.

amazing how much cheaper a kilo of grapes or just some bananas are just a few kilometers out of HH in a "normal" town.

I gave up shopping in HH. Go to BKK now on the train for anything major. Tesco Lotus is just junk. Villa Market, Big C, Macro have good produce, but of course nothing like the the selection found in the USA.

Very difficult to find practical things here because this town is a THAI tourist resort and they just don't have the same kind of day to day kinds of things for sale here. no electronic components or computer parts.

rip off tourist camera stores, and out of stock because of no demand. everything is ordered from Bangkok.

good hardware stores, nurseries, pool supplies.

It can get boring here. There are just so many places you can go before you start driving out of town looking for anything different. beaches are dull, ocean water is brown. crazy weekend traffic jams. and no end in sight to more tourists and more cars and buses. down south better beaches.

way less mafia police than Pattaya or BKK.

huge amount of construction going on everywhere. many streets are being torn up and redesigned.

1000's of new condo units.

you see that train track that runs through town? don't live anywhere near it.

Make sure you are on somewhat high ground and that your street does not flood.

[Tinker2]

Hua Hin, as stated in other members posts, its not a bad place to live. Really recommend that you come and stay a few weeks/months before making any major decisions. A rental home is easy to find, however you need to really check the developments as some can be badly operated. Many offer shuttle bus services to the town centre, which saves you the car purchase, some have onsite restaurants. As with most things you get what you pay for. You may wish to go back in the evenings and check the development before signing a lease. Although residential areas, many ''developments/villages have local businesses operating within the development ( laundry being one that I know of )

good luck

[balo]

Where is BIg C located ? I need the GPS coordinates,

[Michaelaway]

Would a map help?

https://www.google.com/maps/place/Big+C/@12.5763185,99.9440401,15z/data=!4m2!3m1!1s0x0:0xacd3dbb901b0af47

[KittenKong]

I've lived in Jomtien for 5 years but it gets noisier and busier and more like Pattaya all the time, so maybe time to move on.

I dont need bars or gogos or hookers of any type, nor do I want to be able to swim in the sea though I do like walking near it. I dont mind the occasional pub quiz or meal out with a friend but apart from that I dont need anyone's company. I certainly dont want to hear karaokes or discos or any outdoor music at any time.

All I really want is a decent choice of assorted Farang and Thai restaurants at reasonable prices (no shortage at all of these in Pattaya/Jomtien) and some decent grocery shops like BigC in Pattaya, and Makro in Pattaya.

Combine that with a bright open-plan condo (no interest at all in houses or modern small-roomed condos) with an uncluttered view (a distant sea view is fine but it must be uncluttered) and a car park and that's about it.

Is Hua Hin right for that? Or Cha-Am? For my taste Chiang Mai is too wet and smoky, and Phuket is too crowded and overpriced and wet.

[Michaelaway]

IMHO, Hua Hin is right for that, although scaled down from Jomtien, while Cha Am is smaller, less varied and considerably more quiet than Hua Hin.

[balo]

But restaurant prices are much higher than what you find in Pattaya if you want western food. That was my experience , especially in the centre of the city. No shortage of French and Italian restaurants, and a few German and Scandinavian. But all of them are in my opinion over priced if you're on a budget.

Also the traffic is very slow in the city centre because there's only one main road going through the city.

[properperson]

I've lived in Jomtien for 5 years but it gets noisier and busier and more like Pattaya all the time, so maybe time to move on.

I dont need bars or gogos or hookers of any type, nor do I want to be able to swim in the sea though I do like walking near it. I dont mind the occasional pub quiz or meal out with a friend but apart from that I dont need anyone's company. I certainly dont want to hear karaokes or discos or any outdoor music at any time.

All I really want is a decent choice of assorted Farang and Thai restaurants at reasonable prices (no shortage at all of these in Pattaya/Jomtien) and some decent grocery shops like BigC in Pattaya, and Makro in Pattaya.

Combine that with a bright open-plan condo (no interest at all in houses or modern small-roomed condos) with an uncluttered view (a distant sea view is fine but it must be uncluttered) and a car park and that's about it.

Is Hua Hin right for that? Or Cha-Am? For my taste Chiang Mai is too wet and smoky, and Phuket is too crowded and overpriced and wet.

yep....

i moved from Pattaya to Hua Hin 9 months ago - its a much much nicer, "normal" and more relaxed place to live.

it was the 3 C's that finally pushed me into moving here - Construction, Conjection, Crunts n ass%oles..

[KittenKong]

Right. Looks like I will have to pop across for a week or two and have a mooch around.

Thanks for those comments.