Best neighborhood of Pattaya for ex-NYC resident to retire in

[Jingthing]

Jomtien baht bus transport is mostly excellent a anywhere near Thappraya or beach road as far south as Chayupruek. But no taxi meters.

[Jingthing]

Can't equate Manhattan but I would say the View Talay near Central Mall would work and also a high rise near Jomtien Complex or further up Foodmart. Near that area is a kind of restaurant row. Sophisticated places even New Yorkers may like.

Yes living in Jomtien you'd need to go into Pattaya a lot for some shopping.

Forget about live theater and museums unless you count people watching.

[guzzi850m2]

Naklua is the best area to live in, in my opinion. Naklua road ends/or start at the dolphin roundabout and the new Terminal21 will be close by and also the currently being renovated Central Festival. I like shopping centers as they normally provides good restaurants from very cheap to more high ends ones and the A/C is nice during the hot month.

If you can ride a motorbike then you should get yourself a cheap Thai motorbike, I been riding bikes here every day and must have covered way over 100.000km by now. Dangerous off-course but the freedom it gives you is enormous and actually addictive (well for me it is) and I often scooter out to Breadfabrik for breakfast, first covering the whole length of Pattaya beach road, sometimes rides though walking street, passing Bali Hai pier, then up the hill and then down to Jomtien. A nice 25-30 min ride from my house in Naklua without going too fast. My bike will maybe burn 1/2 lit of petrol doing that route, 91 gasohol, so 15 baht or thereabout in fuel, tops. Sometimes I take my bike down to the start of Beach road, lock it, take a baht bus to walking street and walks back to my bike, love it man, before 10am is best before the sun gets too strong.   

[ThaiWai]

Why are you committing to Patts for 6 months to a year?  Have you been to Thailand..Patts?  I don't know who told you BKK is like NYC but they were lying.  Nothing is what it looks like on the internet either.  I'm a Noo Yawker by the way.  Great you are researching but sounds like you might have tunnel vision.  I base this on your OP but I could be entirely wrong.  Book a flight with a 60 day return and bring a backpack.  Book a hotel for the fist 2 nights only.  Do everything else on the fly.  Travel around during that time (don't forget to extend your 30 day entry).  When you get "that feeling" get a short lease.  Nothing worse then a long lease for a noob.  

[craigt3365]

4 hours ago, newnative said:

Traffic is not terrible in Pattaya--and we're talking about a compact area anyway.  Even if it's moving slow you're normally not going very far and you're there in 20 or 30 minutes or less.  Just spend a weekend in Bangkok and you know we have it easy.  If you're in central Pattaya or the Jomtien Complex area you can walk a lot of the time to shopping, restaurants, bars, beach, etc.  One of the things I like about Pattaya is it's a manageable size.

I've had many 45 to 60 minute + trips from Jomtien or Nakula to Central Pattaya.  Heck, I've had 45 minute trips just to get from one end of Beach Road to the other!  Walk and you are a sweaty mess on arrival.  5555

 

If you stay around Sukhumvit in Bangkok, the skytrain is fantastic.

[onemorechang]

34 minutes ago, guzzi850m2 said:

Naklua is the best area to live in, in my opinion. Naklua road ends/or start at the dolphin roundabout and the new Terminal21 will be close by and also the currently being renovated Central Festival. I like shopping centers as they normally provides good restaurants from very cheap to more high ends ones and the A/C is nice during the hot month.

If you can ride a motorbike then you should get yourself a cheap Thai motorbike, I been riding bikes here every day and must have covered way over 100.000km by now. Dangerous off-course but the freedom it gives you is enormous and actually addictive (well for me it is) and I often scooter out to Breadfabrik for breakfast, first covering the whole length of Pattaya beach road, sometimes rides though walking street, passing Bali Hai pier, then up the hill and then down to Jomtien. A nice 25-30 min ride from my house in Naklua without going too fast. My bike will maybe burn 1/2 lit of petrol doing that route, 91 gasohol, so 15 baht or thereabout in fuel, tops. Sometimes I take my bike down to the start of Beach road, lock it, take a baht bus to walking street and walks back to my bike, love it man, before 10am is best before the sun gets too strong.   

 

The guy doe not want to drive or ride at all.

 

[Mike West]

I know the best places to stay in, but won't be sharing that info over here, as then it won't be so good to stay in said places anymore now will it? 

[craigt3365]

2 hours ago, onemorechang said:

 

Bla  Bla  Bla.

Nothing wrong with 7am Happy hour.

One of the problems when people  who move away from Pattaya.

is they  forget what fun is.

 

The Op  was asking about Pattaya.

 

BTW 2015,    352 murders  in NYC

you should be used to a high crime rate by now.

 

NYC covers a lot of different Burroughs. Manhattan has a relatively low, and decreasing,  crime rate. Nothing compared to the crime we have here. Way worse here. It just doesn't all get reported here.

[Mike West]

7 hours ago, ronjomtien said:

I'm from NYC adn the only place worth living in Pattaya is Jomtien. Best weather, quiet, good food, no nuts, best beach water (less polluted than Pattaya which is dismal). Look up Acqua Condo on internet, 3 swimming pools and fitness, studios for 400-500 $ month. 600 gets you beautiful one bedroom, quietest place in Jomtien. The View Talay places are like living in Stuyvesant Town

Is the developer Heights Holding ?

[onemorechang]

2 minutes ago, Mike West said:

Is the developer Heights Holding ?

 

Don't know

But they should fire the guy who painted it that colour.

Looks awful in that shade of blue.

 

[onemorechang]

15 minutes ago, craigt3365 said:

NYC covers a lot of different Burroughs. Manhattan has a relatively low, and decreasing,  crime rate. Nothing compared to the crime we have here. Way worse here. It just doesn't all get reported here.

 

yes all very true .

But  352 is a very big number of dead people.

[newnative]

Not Heights Holdings.

[Ulic]

I stay at the Park Lane condos in Jomtien. 36sm small 1 bedroom units for 10k baht

a month, give or take. I love the lagoon pool. Plenty of good options in Jomtien but

with most you really need a scooter. Cheep to both buy and run. Dangerous, yes but

if you are prudent and ride defensively you will be fine. The freedom and cost savings

outweigh the negatives as far as I am concerned. If you are not comfortable getting

and riding a scooter I would probably stick to central Pattaya. You really cant walk

far in Thailand's/Pattaya's heat and humidity. With what apartments rent for in NYC

the savings in Pattaya will cover your monthly budget. Use common sense and enjoy

your time in Thailand.

[Asiantravel]

6 hours ago, BrainLife said:

I also depends if you want to live mostly among farangs (tourists and expats) or a usually more quite and relaxing (for me) area which is more local Thais living area's.

As an example, I live in a double shophouse (ground floor and 2 above stories) in a quite side road/alley of a main road (Thepprasit) for only 10.000baht.

Many shops, restaurants, bars, karaoke and such here. Public transport will be bahtbus or motorbike taxi (everywhere available)

I have lived in the past in several locations Pattaya incl. condominiums filled with tourists and expats, but I clearly prefer now the more Thai locals area.

All around are many rooms also available for short or longterm rent.

 

I suggest just to start get a place on a month to month base and just take your time to look around.

 

Still got the top floor (2 rooms+bahtroom about 60+sqm) empty.

 

 

if this is a picture of your property and you say it's in a quiet side road I'm curious how you can get away without having bars on the windows?

Edited November 1, 2016 by Asiantravel

[onemorechang]

Quote

1. Within a few blocks is everything I need to live day-to-day - all within walking distance (I do not have a car or other vehicle, nor do I want one)

 

[Jingthing]

You don't need a car or bike in Jomtien or Pattaya if you live where you don't.

Location ... location ... location. 

Edited November 1, 2016 by Jingthing

[theguyfromanotherforum]

I am from Toronto, but originally from Belgrade. I was wondering where in Pattaya can I live that has like everything from both Canada and Balkans. Looking to be close to cevapcici and maple syrup....also a free healthcare would be nice.

Yep, that's this thread.

[Mike West]

1 minute ago, theguyfromanotherforum said:

I am from Toronto, but originally from Belgrade. I was wondering where in Pattaya can I live that has like everything from both Canada and Balkans. Looking to be close to cevapcici and maple syrup....also a free healthcare would be nice.

Yep, that's this thread.

 

yeah Hospital Agogo offers all that, you can live in their short time rooms. 

[DSJPC]

best neighborhood in Pattaya???...about 5 miles offshore!

[JoeCet]

I am also from NYC, for me Jomtien is the best location. I have been in Thailand since 2002 and Jomtien was the first place I stayed, I also had an apartment in Bangkok and Jomtien was the best.

 

[KittenKong]

I'm not a city dweller but I cant help thinking that if I had lived happily for many years in New York then I would find Pattaya something of a let-down. I think that I would be looking for somewhere in Bangkok in order to retain the big city feel.

 

That said, I'm not a city dweller and I find that Jomtien suits me. Not too many high-rises, plenty of open/green space, fairly easy to drive to various supermarkets/shops (I'm not at all interested in malls, except in as much as they contain restaurants) and with a fair selection of restaurants and shops in the immediate area. Easy also to drive south away from town and, when the roadworks are finished, easy to get to BKK  airport or Bangkok itself.
Living here I can happily go for a week without going to downtown Pattaya at all, but when I do want to go there it's a 10B bus ride or 10 minutes (depending on time of day) in the car.

[pegman]

I moved to Pattaya 3 years ago after having taken a number of extended vacations there. My recommendation would be to rent a low cost condo next to a 24 hour baht bus route for 6-12 months. That will give you the time to get a lay of the land while you figure out how far your budget will go. 

The first 6 months of my stay I stayed at View Talay 1 in Jomtien. A studio is about us$260 plus electric and water. It takes under a year to get use to the heat/humidity if you do a lot of walking outside to the point a fan will do over AC. It is under 20 years old and has 2 - 15fl buildings with a large pool. It backs on a 24hr food store and the on-the-hour Bangkok Airport Bus Terminal that connects to that city's sky train/subway system. The beach and a great fruit/veg market are a 10 minute walk.

I use the baht buses daily and if there is a lot of traffic just jump on a motor bike taxi. They will usually get you to Walking  St in 10-15 mins. There are many food options with both grocery stores or resturants for western food. I don't eat thai food and have no problem eating pretty much what I do back in Canada.

 

 

[The manic]

Pratumnak around cozy beach or yim yam beach - new small Condos about 10, 000 baht a month. Ya can walk wherever Ya want to go and get taxis or motor sai taxis when needed. 

[pegman]

2 hours ago, pegman said:

I moved to Pattaya 3 years ago after having taken a number of extended vacations there. My recommendation would be to rent a low cost condo next to a 24 hour baht bus route for 6-12 months. That will give you the time to get a lay of the land while you figure out how far your budget will go. 

The first 6 months of my stay I stayed at View Talay 1 in Jomtien. A studio is about us$260 plus electric and water. It takes under a year to get use to the heat/humidity if you do a lot of walking outside to the point a fan will do over AC. It is under 20 years old and has 2 - 15fl buildings with a large pool. It backs on a 24hr food store and the on-the-hour Bangkok Airport Bus Terminal that connects to that city's sky train/subway system. The beach and a great fruit/veg market are a 10 minute walk.

I use the baht buses daily and if there is a lot of traffic just jump on a motor bike taxi. They will usually get you to Walking  St in 10-15 mins. There are many food options with both grocery stores or resturants for western food. I don't eat thai food and have no problem eating pretty much what I do back in Canada.

 

 

 

[akentryan]

Make sure you have health insurance that will cover you here. Getting damned expensive now.

[Grubster]

4 hours ago, akentryan said:

Make sure you have health insurance that will cover you here. Getting damned expensive now.

Are you aware that you have to have about $25,000 permanently stowed away in a Thai bank, or proof of $2,000 a month income to live here, check requirements for retirement visa extension, you need a police record from your county clerk back home too, birth certificate etc. I only ask as at $300 to $400 per Month rent with no transportation it sounds like you may not have enough. If you do have enough I would suggest you look at the condo's with all the amenities on or near beach road or 2nd rd, as the baht buses that are a constant stream running back and forth on that route will keep you in good transport 24/7.  I live up in the jungle and really miss having a gym, pool, sauna etc. Beaches around Pattaya are good to look at from your condo window and thats it. If you are a beach person then Pattaya is not the spot. I think $400 will leave you wanting for more, think $600 or more and you can have a much better location, room, security, view, Wi-Fi and Television, gym, elevator, etc. The fact you need no parking is a big plus for you. Look for the places that have little or no parking and you will save $. If they don't mention parking in their ad then they most likely have a problem with it. In my opinion Pattaya has the best and cheapest transportation in Thailand by far, you will love the baht buses, if you wait more than one minute for one it will be unusual, must be near beach road or 2nd road though. You will be minutes from everything if you are. I recommend you stay in a hotel on soi 13 between beach and 2nd roads during your search, they are about $35 or so. You can find cheaper but to much walking involved. Find a cheap furnished apartment to work out of while you do your long term search. The best of luck to you and be careful these lady's/ ladyboy's are very good at getting your money. Best to meet up with local expats to get good advice about everything. There is a Bangkok bank in NY and it is the only bank that can forward your money to Thailand. ATMs work good too though, but they charge you $6 on this end. Bangkok bank will save you about $2 per $800 or so, not worth the hassle for me. Krungsri Bank allows $30,000 [about $850] baht per draw, others only 20 or 25. I would recommend keeping an address and a bank account in the US if possible. If not the Bangkok bank is the only option to get your SS here. They do not have a routing number system here. Bring you own laptop, they cost a lot more here. Golf clubs too. Sounds like you may not have a drivers license, I highly recommend you get one, then you can easily get one here and is very much needed form of identification here. Motorcycle too if you plan on ever renting one. I never take my passport on in country trips here, many will tell you that you have to but I travel a lot and drivers license does the job for flights and hotels as it has your passport number on it. This is a major issue for me as if it isn't in my wallet I will lose it at some point. Sorry for rambling on but I wish I had this info when I came here.  Also go to the Thai consulate in NY and tell them you intend to retire here and get the appropriate Visa there, it will save you much grief. They have the forms on the net for which one to get and ask here as there are many on this site that know a lot about Visas and extensions. I think it is doable to not have to leave and reenter Thailand to get your retirement extension if you play your cards right, otherwise trust me it is a pain in the ass. Look at the US embassy web site for outreach to Pattaya to get an income affidavit, they do not ask for proof of income but you are swearing to the fact that you have it. Never been an issue but things are changing fast here. I don't know when if ever you were here but you will find things have and are changing. Last but not least advertise for want of condo rental on the appropriate forum on this site . There are many expats renting fully furnished units here for various reasons.

[Grubster]

4 hours ago, akentryan said:

Make sure you have health insurance that will cover you here. Getting damned expensive now.

Very good point as they"will" let you die in the hospital here if you are not paying the bill daily. You will need a friend here with your information to contact your family in the event you are unconscious for some reason, My lady has an envelope with all my info and ATM pin numbers in it. I have seen this happen twice this year, both died, with feeble attempt to save life with no money. Both of them had enough money but no way to get it for them. They need the money "now" not tomorrow. Best to have good insurance card in wallet. Good insurance will be more than your rent. Nothing free here and you will be glad to be unconscious if your in a public hospital. Nasty place to be. That said the Private hospitals here are very good. I would say nearly half of expats here have little or no coverage. Insurance for inpatient only with 2mil baht [ $70,000] limit should cover anything outside of a big cancer battle. Cost depending on age is about three to ten thousand dollars I think. There is an expat insurance broker in Pattaya, maybe you can do better in US, if you can find a world policy with that low of a limit there. I have been told that some companies here go to great extent to find pre existing conditions in order not to pay. If the doctor has a slip of the pen and says maybe the heart condition etc. is old you may be denied. I know, it is scary.

[louloomis]

Hi Everyone,

 

I really appreciate everyone taking the time to provide such excellent feedback.

 

I know not everyone reads the original posts in internet forums for every thread, so the discussion seems to have ranged far from its intended focal point.

I started the thread as someone looking for information on best location to live in Pattaya for an ex-NYC'er and now..somehow...I've morphed into someone who, for some unknown reason is presumed to have no:

a. international banking knowledge

b. Thailand retirement requirement knowledge

c. Pattaya beach cleanliness knowledge

d. real estate knowledge (i.e. that more money sometimes gets you more size/quality, etc.)

e. money to retire on

f. driver's license

g. desire to really retire in Pattaya

h. Thailand travel experience

i. real desire to not have a car/scooter/cycle

j. awareness that NYC is hard to measure up to

k. desire to get health insurance in Thailand and have cash to cover any differences not covered by insurance and therefore will die in a Thai hospital from this insurance gap or worse

 

I'm not trying to be difficult or defensive, I'm just finding it funny - that's all. This lively discussion thread is what makes the internet such a priceless resource.

 

To answer other peoples' questions:  I live in Manhattan (although I did say NYC and nothing more specific in my original post). The murder rate is generally not affecting my neighborhood. It's probably other areas that are contributing to the numbers some posters are referencing. Pattaya's crime statistics are something I've heard of, but they seem to be concentrated around certain areas, times of day, behaviors, etc. I plan to avoid as much as possible these scenarios but it is something that is important to me.

 

If it simplifies the discussion any: a-k above do not describe me, that's why I focused the discussion as much as possible beforehand (or tried to). Not chastising anyone,  of course, just letting everyone know that basic stuff aside from the location question shouldn't be a distraction for anyone, although I appreciate the concern and contributions - all coming from a good place. I'm only mentioning this to prevent the discussion from going too far sideways. That's all.

 

Hope this makes sense and no one is taking my feedback in an (unintended) negative way. I'm very appreciative of everyone's contributions thus far and have taken copious notes on your feedback. Lots of candid comments and disagreements between posters is also something I've taken note of in terms of something I'll need to delve into more detail on.

 

Thank you and please keep the feedback coming!

Regards,

LL

Edited November 2, 2016 by louloomis
Typo

[KittenKong]

2 hours ago, Grubster said:

check requirements for retirement visa extension, you need a police record from your county clerk back home too, birth certificate etc

 

For an extension neither are needed.

 

 

3 hours ago, Grubster said:

I think $400 will leave you wanting for more, think $600 or more and you can have a much better location, room, security, view, Wi-Fi and Television, gym, elevator, etc. The fact you need no parking is a big plus for you. Look for the places that have little or no parking and you will save $.

 

It isnt very hard to find a nice, large condo with parking, pool and view in Jomtien for 12-13,000B/month on a yearly basis. Just avoid agents. There is very little demand at the moment and prices are quite low, but even so you should negotiate.

 

 

3 hours ago, Grubster said:

Also go to the Thai consulate in NY and tell them you intend to retire here and get the appropriate Visa there, it will save you much grief.

 

For most people it's best to get any visa you can in your home country and then arrange the retirement extension here. Much less paperwork and normally cheaper and easier.

[tropo]

21 hours ago, onemorechang said:

 

yes all very true .

But  352 is a very big number of dead people.

Not in a city of over 8.5 million, probably about 20x the population of Pattaya... and over what period?