Jomtien v Pattaya

[champers]

I have recently moved here to retire (though I don't look anywhere near old enough to retire). I am currently renting in Naklua and quite like where I am but am very taken with Jomtien. It has an almost Mediterranean feel and is quieter and more laid back than Pattaya. There are no big malls and no proliferation of global f&b multi-nationals. What are TVers views on the pros and cons? I'm interested with such trivialities as where to buy my daily copy of the Bangkok Post and where to stock up on groceries, as well as how property prices stack up per my thread title. I have a lovely lady with me so I also have to keep her sweet. I should also mention that I only get around by using public transport ( baht busses). Thanks in anticipation for any useful (or even rubbish) feedback. Regards, Champers.

[Jingthing]

F and B? Food and beverage? 

Grocery shopping is limited.

You'll need to go into Pattaya a lot if you do much non-Thai cooking. 

There is a MINI Tops on Tappraya and Foodmart near V.T. 1. As Foodmart doesn't have nearby competition prices on some items are quite inflated.

Thai produce shopping is good at Rompho Market, Soi 5 and Jomtien 2nd road, and bigger/cheaper Thai produce market on Tepprasit (but not convenient for transport as baht buses in Tepprasit are infrequent). 

 

[champers]

Yes JT. No Starbucks, BK, McD, KFC, etc, etc. I don't use them and quite like the fact that they are not evident in Jomtien

No offfence to anyone who does like them.

[Jingthing]

3 minutes ago, champers said:

Yes JT. No Starbucks, BK, McD, KFC, etc, etc. I don't use them and quite like the fact that they are not evident in Jomtien

No offfence to anyone who does like them.

There is now a Subway in Jomtien, so watch out, more might be coming. 

 

As far as other restaurants in Jomtien, there are some good high end places here, but I think overall there is a lot more choice (at decent prices) in Pattaya proper, as if Pattaya could be proper. 

[lou62]

Bangkok Post at Kodak at the beginning of Soi 6 (Jomtien) or next to the Pharmacy as you enter Chaiyapreuk from the Beach (on your Left).

 

I now shop at the Big C on Sukhumvit instead of Lotus (which is closer), as it's a lot cheaper.

 

Ask Thais for rec's for getting taxis. My mate had a Taxi drivers number and he'd call him whenever he needed a service.

 

It was 200 bt for pick up, wait and return from the shops. 

 

 

[everett kendall]

Dont forget to check out the darkside.

Easy living and no noise, and no tourists.

 

We love it on our side.

[Destiny1990]

And the winner is Jomtien.

[AlQaholic]

Stay away from both Pattaya and Jomtien, last time I ever visited Jomtien years ago I saw a turd floating in the surf.........

[SaintLouisBlues]

1 minute ago, AlQaholic said:

Stay away from both Pattaya and Jomtien, last time I ever visited Jomtien years ago I saw a turd floating in the surf.........

The urine is less detectable

[R123]

OP writes:

 

"I have recently moved here to retire (though I don't look anywhere near old enough to retire)"

 

-Often those who claim not looking old enough to retire are around 58, but think they look 38, but the rest of us believe they look 78.

[williamgeorgeallen]

48 minutes ago, everett kendall said:

Dont forget to check out the darkside.

Easy living and no noise, and no tourists.

 

We love it on our side.

i tried the dark side and it is good value but i still prefer jomtien. getting across those train tracks is a hassle. jomtien has a lot to offer. i have never considered living in pattaya and never will. dirty and crazy traffic. not to mention loud.

[lou62]

^^ Thanks....lol.

[Peterw42]

I am at Jomtien and enjoy living here, less crowded then Pattaya, no KFC or starbucks etc. Can park at the beach, walk along the beach at night without being harassed. No big malls means no tesco/bigc etc, lots of little thai produce markets but a trip to suk rd for western groceries.

Pattaya is not far away if you want the bright lights.

[Benmart]

13 minutes ago, R123 said:

OP writes:

 

"I have recently moved here to retire (though I don't look anywhere near old enough to retire)"

 

-Often those who claim not looking old enough to retire are around 58, but think they look 38, but the rest of us believe they look 78.

I care not about the chronological age of a person. The behaviors, actions and spirit of a person tells me the correct time.

[newnative]

We've lived in Jomtien and Pattaya.  As year-rounders, we ended up in Pattaya because we can walk to more of the types of places that interest us--movies, malls, restaurants, hospital, grocery shopping, etc.  But, if you like Naklua you should like Jomtien, as well.  I would suggest a condo close to Jomtien Beach Road--very easy to walk out and hop on a baht bus to take you to Jomtien Complex if you are down at the southern end or into Pattaya.

[KittenKong]

I definitely prefer Jomtien over Pattaya and Naklua as both the latter are far too built up and crowded for my taste.

 

As a car-owner I have no trouble getting to Makro/BigC for shopping, and down-town Pattaya is only a few minutes away if I want to go there.

[Peterw42]

Soi watboon and chaiaphruk (jomtien) are both back from the beach but have little shopping strips that have all the shops you need, coffee, haircut, food, dentist, taxi stand etc. like little village but 6-800 meters to beach.

[Rimmer]

Some troll and abusive posts also replies have been removed and the posters gone on holiday

[geisha]

I also have no car, so rely on the baht bus. I chose Jomtien over Pattaya because of the air, traffic fumes in The Pattaya heat are awful. The sea water is filthy wherever you go, so i swim in my pool. Loads of rentals everywhere, some really nice condos with more space than Pattaya too. Prices seem to be going more down than up. There's a decent night market near soi 9 , lots of food for those who like that sort of thing, and some very good fruit stalls . A good market soi 5 /2nd rd. As said, two small supermarkets, Food Mart and Tops. For bigger shops I go to Tescos and take a taxi home. Restaurants aren't great, but I'm a bit of a hygiene freak so that eliminates a lot of the choice. I usually go into Pattaya once a week to get things I can't get  here, and go to the cinema when there's a good film running. Why don't you want to stay in Naklua ? Seems about the same as Jomtien ?

[IAMHERE]

2 hours ago, AlQaholic said:

Stay away from both Pattaya and Jomtien, last time I ever visited Jomtien years ago I saw a turd floating in the surf.........

Could be they have addressed that; new pipe out to the bay near Soi 11 or so. Pipe must go out a couple hundred yards.

[MANFROMBOCA]

first what does , what you look like have anything to do with the question you asked ???  that being said

 

i live in jomtien,,, have food land a good supermarket, PLENTY of good places to eat in all price ranges , immigration is here,, quieter than pattaya in day and night.. have bars  no gogos to speak of which are better left to walking street and LK metro, easy 10 baht bus ride to cinemas in pattaya, i have a 96sm 1 block from beach in low rise condo for16500 a month  and same available all over jomtien  smaller ones for less, and of course more

 

i like it,

 

also can get bangkok post at the supermarket and at several stands on beach rd in jomtien

[Guderian]

I lived in Jomtien for 7 years, mainly because when I moved here in 2004 there seemed to be far more decent quality, affordable accommodation available in Jomtien than in Pattaya itself. On holidays I'd always stayed around the Soi 13 area (Sandy Spring and Royal Twins hotels) in Pattaya, and Jomtien is just a 15 minute Baht bus ride away so it didn't feel like I'd gone very far from the action. I liked Jomtien, but I eventually decided that I wanted to live in a house rather than a condo and as houses in the area of Jomtien where I lived (near the beach on Thapparaya Road) are very expensive I ended up moving to a village in South Pattaya, actually much  closer to my favourite haunts in Walking Street and Soi 13 than Jomtien. I still have a few beers with mates in Jomtien most afternoons though as it's only 5 or 6 minutes away. There's pros and cons to living in both Pattaya and Jomtien IMHO.

[jesimps]

If you choose Jomtien and don't like the boom of bass-heavy "Music" don't stay near the beach. Every weekend several trucks park along there with massive great speakers in the back blasting out garbage at about a zillion db.

 

[elgenon]

30 minutes ago, Guderian said:

I lived in Jomtien for 7 years, mainly because when I moved here in 2004 there seemed to be far more decent quality, affordable accommodation available in Jomtien than in Pattaya itself. On holidays I'd always stayed around the Soi 13 area (Sandy Spring and Royal Twins hotels) in Pattaya, and Jomtien is just a 15 minute Baht bus ride away so it didn't feel like I'd gone very far from the action. I liked Jomtien, but I eventually decided that I wanted to live in a house rather than a condo and as houses in the area of Jomtien where I lived (near the beach on Thapparaya Road) are very expensive I ended up moving to a village in South Pattaya, actually much  closer to my favourite haunts in Walking Street and Soi 13 than Jomtien. I still have a few beers with mates in Jomtien most afternoons though as it's only 5 or 6 minutes away. There's pros and cons to living in both Pattaya and Jomtien IMHO.

 

Am curious as to what you refer to as "a village in South Pattaya"

[ThailandLOS]

13 hours ago, champers said:

where to stock up on groceries

 

Tesco delivers to Jomtien (I believe Big C does as well, but never used them in Jomtien). Never understood why people spend time & money on driving to places like Big C & Tesco to join the crowds hunting for promotions.

[Awohalitsiktoli]

The OP said that he thought Jomtien was less noisy than Pattaya.  :)   Jomtien is the worst place I have ever lived in terms of noise pollution.......absolutely horrible at night and difficult to escape.  

[champers]

You have my sympathy. Is noise polluton widespread or just confined to particular areas?

[KhunBENQ]

18 minutes ago, champers said:

You have my sympathy. Is noise polluton widespread or just confined to particular areas?

Jomtien beach is about 7 km long, distance from beach to Sukhumvit between 1 and 4 km. So sure not noise everywhere.

 

A friend lives about halfway from the beach to Sukhumvit in a Soi off Chaiyaphruek.

Neither when I visit him nor when he talks about his living situation noise is a topic (except some hools in the building from time to time).

 

BUT: without own transport (motorbike) I would not want to live at his place.

No Baht bus route nearby (so far, as second road is still not served?).

And as you say you want to refrain to public transport?

 

If the choice is between Pattaya (beach/central) and Jomtien then my vote would surely be Jomtien.

[pegman]

51 minutes ago, champers said:

You have my sympathy. Is noise polluton widespread or just confined to particular areas?

I lived at View Talay 2 for 3 years and noise was never an issue. At View Talay 1, were I spent 6 months, I was repeatedly woken in the middle of the night  by motorbikes flying down Theppiset or Thappraya. That was because of the paper thin glass in that building. I like living in Jomtien. I make daily trips by baht bus into Pattaya for shopping and fun and as long as you are near a route it is an easy ride.

[guzzi850m2]

I prefer Pattaya any day of the week, we live in Naklua (in a village).

 

I like the many German restaurants on Naklua road and eat there often, both breakfast and dinner, the food generally very good considered the price. 

 

OP sounds like he would be best off in Jomtien but must be a bit of a nightmare for shopping when using public transport only.

 

I love the freedom my vehicles gives us, some days going out to Jomtien for checking a specific restaurant and sometimes further south for more quiet/clean beaches.