Chiang Mai vs Hua Hin (outside of the normal tourist areas and outside of burning season)

[RichardThailand]

For me both CM and Hua Hin tourst areas are places I like to avoid. I also plan to avoid the CM area if I moved there for the burning season.

Has anyone experience of living in both cities? Anyone moved from HH to CM or the other direction.

If there is anyone that has done that I would be interested to hear why they moved?

[junglechef]

Lived in HH for 2 yrs then moved to CM.

I leave for the worst of the smoky season, use to go back to HH but no more.

I lived in Kao Tao 20 min South of HH and now Mae Jo 30 min north of CM.

Left the beach as I found it boring incl the residents, many people moved to be by sea but never go their for instance.

As a Mt Biker the attraction to theNorth is obvious and with spending the summers at the beach I get the best of both worlds and Thailand!

[NancyL]

I know someone who owns a condo in HH but comes to Chiang Mai for the winter months, lives in a guest house or rented condo with a short lease and rents out her beachfront condo in HH. She says she enjoys all the social life and great restaurants of CM during high season and makes great money renting her beachfront HH condo weekly when she's here in CM -- enough to make life comfortable to return to HH during burning season and summer, to lay around on the beach reading because there's not much else to do in HH.

She says Immigration is better to deal with in HH, if you have your act together, and handles retirement visa extensions there.

[WinnieTheKhwai]

For me both CM and Hua Hin tourst areas are places I like to avoid

The difference between Chiang Mai and most other popular places in Thailand outside of Bangkok, is that when you leave the tourist area in Chiang Mai, there is still stuff left.

In most of those places where expats live longer term, 'tourism' is the 'raison d'être' of the whole place: everything revolves around tourism, and as a result you're seen as and treated as a tourist (=walking bag of money) 24/7. And if you go outside of the tourist area, (an area that potentially covers the entire place) then you're in the middle of nowhere.

Hua Hin for me is in that category, as are Pattaya/Jomtien, Phuket (the beach towns especialy) and all of the islands.

There are a couple places in the South that get an honorable mention from me, mostly because they:

A. Were actually a place before tourism happened, and as such have more character history.

B. There isn't too much tourism to begin with, or at least not so much that it's an overbearing aspect of local society.

These places include Trang, Chanthaburi and maybe Prachuap Khiri Khan town although that's a bit too small.

So if I were to retire (let's assume a retirement scenario here) somewhere outside of Chiang Mai and outside of Northern Thailand, then it would be places like these, and not Hua Hin.

Edited February 15, 2016 by WinnieTheKhwai

[northernjohn]

What about Cha-am just north of Hua Hin?

Just passed through twice spending the night there but defiantly liked the beach and what little I saw of the town. It is close enough to Hua Hin for major western shopping.

The down side I am told is the people from Bangkok come on the weekend to party. Well that might be an up side to some.

[LivinLOS]

Have a few O&G mates and ex Phuket refugees in HH and so get down there a fair bit.. While its nice to see them and catch up, invariably in bars, there seems very little to do there.

All the guys I know are golfers (I am not) and life seems to consist of exclusively golf and boozing. While I like a few drinks as much as the next guy, it cant be my only outlet. CNX seems to have so much more going on, cycling, motorbiking, outdoor sports, nature and scenic places, better food, better integration with locals, lots more 'scenes' and groups of people in different social interests, better lifestyle in general.

[roo860]

Arrived in HH in 1998, was really nice, then property development started, houses etc, every other foreigner became a property consultant!

It was on a bit of a downhill from then on, but stuck with it. Spent the next 13 years visiting for 7 months each year.

Chiang Mai now for the last 3 years, 7 months stay a year. Chiang Mai has alot more to offer IMHO.

Edited February 15, 2016 by roo860

[sledpull]

Thanks for broaching this "compare & contrast" question. For someone looking at the possibility of living part of the year in CM, I appreciate the input. I moved to a smaller area away from HH so I understand some of the commenters.

I want to go to CM on 4-5 March and see the Balloon Festival and make time for visiting some condo areas outside of CM proper.

Both CM and HH now have the robust Pickleball Experience. There is no reason to be bored in either of theses cities, for sure.

[SOUTHERNSTAR]

It amaze me that people have lost the ability to make life interesting for themselves, why do you need a place or other people to enrich your life. Why do you need fancy restaurants or plenty bars to live a full life. CM is overrated according to me, it's smoke filled most of the time even outside the burning season (just go up to Doi Suthep and look down to see the pollution). The town feels crowded during high season and the traffic is as bad as BKK. Yes its got a nice night market and restaurants, but for a couple that prefers to make their own food it doesn't matter. CM and HH got a certain image over time among expats, this however is different from the Thai's image. My personal opinion is that both cities/towns are overrated and that there are smaller towns in Thailand that provides a much better quality of living.

[luckyman]

What about Cha-am just north of Hua Hin?

Just passed through twice spending the night there but defiantly liked the beach and what little I saw of the town. It is close enough to Hua Hin for major western shopping.

The down side I am told is the people from Bangkok come on the weekend to party. Well that might be an up side to some.

Nice one !

I moved to Cha'am 10 years ago when I found Hua Hin was getting too busy in the weekends.

Thai tourists have also destroyed the cheaper rental market in HH while in Cha'am they haven't as Cha'am attracts another type of Thai.

I live there now happily since 2006 and mainly like it so much because it does have a beach road and also because of all the things it has not: crowded beaches, lots of bars full with noisy farang, lots of traffic, gogo bars, jetski mafia, tuk tuk maffia and major crimes are all items you will not find in Cha'am.

It is a very sleepy town that just never really took off as a resort town and I am very glad it did not.

Seafood at all those little food stalls and restaurants on the beach road is amazing, a lot of choice and also, again, very cheap!!

Places to rent are still in abundance all over town and very cheap too, much cheaper than in Hua Hin, even the ones close to the beach like mine.

[1FinickyOne]

HH was a tight and narrow town before it got over built and over touristed... I used to enjoy Cha'am a lot more -

I like CM for the interesting people I meet there. I would locate somewhere north and have a place there and then venture to different beaches, depending upon mood and season...

I am currently in a small village, not too far from CM and that is for family purposes...

[Dante99]

Chiang Mai sucks, just read the threads on the CM forum and see all the many many things that are continuously causing residents distress.

[evenstevens]

Chiang Mai sucks, just read the threads on the CM forum and see all the many many things that are continuously causing residents distress.

thats not nice to say of c/mai at all

perhaps u are the one who sucks !!!

[anto]

Chiang Mai sucks, just read the threads on the CM forum and see all the many many things that are continuously causing residents distress.

A certain type of mainly old Farang will complain no matter what City that they are in .Having lived in Jomtien/Pattaya for several years and now Chiang mai for the last 6 years ,i much prefer Chiang mai . HH and Chanam i liked on my one and only visit there .I Would like to try out Chanam for a few months /weeks maybe in the future.

Edited February 15, 2016 by anto

[northernjohn]

Chiang Mai sucks, just read the threads on the CM forum and see all the many many things that are continuously causing residents distress.

Keep track of who the complaints are coming from a lot of them are from the same people. Chiang Mai is like any other city in that it does have it's low points traffic and about 6 weeks of what I consider bad smog but it also has it's high points.

Up to each individuals likes and dislikes. The OP has already figured in the smog so that is not an uissue on this thread.

[bangmai]

I know someone who owns a condo in HH but comes to Chiang Mai for the winter months, lives in a guest house or rented condo with a short lease and rents out her beachfront condo in HH. She says she enjoys all the social life and great restaurants of CM during high season and makes great money renting her beachfront HH condo weekly when she's here in CM -- enough to make life comfortable to return to HH during burning season and summer, to lay around on the beach reading because there's not much else to do in HH.

She says Immigration is better to deal with in HH, if you have your act together, and handles retirement visa extensions there.

This is a good anecdotal assessment. A friend of mine built 13 houses, south of HH at Kao Takiab, and kept two. He got in at 5000 per wah in 2004, and it might be worth 30K today, as building lots, but he admitted last week, that if he had done nothing the larger parcel would have brought a lot more money than the individual 100 wah housing lots. He's been netting 20K per week off one of the houses. It seems to be a higher high season than here, and a lower low season. He would take 35K for a 12 month lease, but that is getting harder to come by. Lots of Europeans, and now the Russians are there, too (most likely Europeans, as well). They have really overbuilt there, even to the point that it has changed the micro climate of his street...as there is a wall of condos between him and the beach. He would probably tell you that Chiang Mai has much more style, but when he barely misses a blizzard in America, and arrives home in HH, he couldn't be happier. There are fewer budget options there, and many businesses are simply out to extract cash from farang. The beach mentality gets downright annoying as there is a constant stream of people going on 2 week drinking binges. I personally like the quiet rainy season down there, but I'm also a big fan of the rainy season here. August is still pretty low season there, but we can see a big increase in visitors here. Based on recent conversations, he seems to have better options there, then we have at LK. I think you would be more car dependent in the outskirts of HH, and that reminds me that he atcually rented a 6500 per month apartment in HH City, while both his places were leased for 35K, ans aoon realized the conveniences of in town living. He didn't miss the 160 sm house at all. The 35 sm apartment was just easier to do, even with paid housekeepers, etc..

[portly]

Winnie the khwai,

Agree aboutChanthaburi, i liked it a lot, but was unable to find decent, or any,long term accom!

Lived CM 3 years, lovely flat and a sea water pool 4kms north on canal rd, but the air, in CHAM AM now, temporary i think, tour buses belching diesel, weekend rabble,,looked forward to beach walks , but smell mostly charcoal ,cooking chicken, squid dried by the ton.

Will go down south of HH, Tour down to PKK, any tips,? Long term accom etc. PM me.

Nice post

Barry

[JanPeder]

I love my Chiangmai very much. I like the dry and cold weather here. And every week something exciting happen. If you like music, dancing, theater, movies, boxing. Or why not soccer. The only thing I miss is my ice-hockey. Because I am from Sweden. But, as I am born a city boy. I like the big city and every thing that comes with it.

Last evening I went down town, First time listen to the Blues music.They were playing at the Night market....and that was free. Anyway, everyting is not perfect.

1. It seems like the service from immigration never will be good. This is not good here. But I try to deal with it as best as I can

2. Yes, the pollution is bad. When they start burning. Mars-april can be very bad. My wife and me use to take of then...to HH or Koh Chang.

3. Well the traffic...it is a big city......and when tourist go home it is ok (especially China)...

[WinnieTheKhwai]

What about Cha-am just north of Hua Hin?

Just passed through twice spending the night there but defiantly liked the beach and what little I saw of the town. It is close enough to Hua Hin for major western shopping.

The down side I am told is the people from Bangkok come on the weekend to party. Well that might be an up side to some.

Cha Am is okay; small, affordable, close to the sea. There isn't a whole lot going on of course. It's a bit similar to New Jersey beach towns in that a lot of it is deserted outside of weekends and holidays. But Cha Am is a good place, and not all that far from Bangkok.

[elgenon]

Chiang Mai sucks, just read the threads on the CM forum and see all the many many things that are continuously causing residents distress.

A certain type of mainly old Farang will complain no matter what City that they are in .Having lived in Jomtien/Pattaya for several years and now Chiang mai for the last 6 years ,i much prefer Chiang mai . HH and Chanam i liked on my one and only visit there .I Would like to try out Chanam for a few months /weeks maybe in the future.

Does the Dante99 live there or just enjoys reading negative stuff to facilitate his venomous venting?

[LivinLOS]

There are fewer budget options there, and many businesses are simply out to extract cash from farang.

If you were talking residential I would agree.. But skew it slightly..

Theres fewer budget options, like here you can find a big old house on a large garden plot, outside the city a few mins for 10 or 12k.. Little old moobaan houses that can be made liveable for 6 or 8..

But down there theres huge competition for the 'small quality house with a pool' market which up here is very hard to find up here.. I looked around and in a weekend found 6 or 8 places with pools, all in the 25 - 30 range with nice modern kitchens, new quality furniture, and even some garden or BBQ space. Thats very hard to find here. Then going a little further up the price scale in the 40 - 60 range theres very luxurious villas which would command much more here..

Here the low end is lower, but the mid or high end is rarer and more costly.. Just an IMO when factoring in pools.

[bangmai]

Yes, and that carries over to the lower end hotels, too. You can do Ok here for under 400, with a little luck....much harder to do down there, but the truly elite hotels might even cost more up here, and that might be true for the high end golf courses, too.