# Looking for possible places to locate.



## robindog (Mar 16, 2010)

Hi. My wife and I intend to move to Thailand within the next two years and are making a visit next Jan/Feb to have a closer look at likely places.

We favour the eastern peninsular probably south of Pattaya. We will be in Thailand for about three/four weeks.

Can anyone recommend good places to locate. We prefer a more traditional Thai area but with some ex pats in the area as we don't speak any Thai yet.

We would also like to spend some time on Ko Chang, so can anyone recommend a good resort where it is fairly quiet....or recommend a good web site as they seem to be lacking !!!!!

Thanks anyone. :yo:


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## Serendipity2 (Feb 22, 2009)

robindog said:


> Hi. My wife and I intend to move to Thailand within the next two years and are making a visit next Jan/Feb to have a closer look at likely places.
> 
> We favour the eastern peninsular probably south of Pattaya. We will be in Thailand for about three/four weeks.
> 
> ...




robindog,

Are you retired? If you are over 50 [I think that's the magic age] you can get a retirement visa providing you can also meet the income requirement. Not that hard but it is to some. Since you've not been to Thailand before why not spend just a few days in a dozen locations to see which suits your fancy. Two to three days in each place will help you find a place that seems to feel like home. If you just visit one or two you will miss out. Even if you favor the beaches do visit Chiang Mai or Chiang Rai - it's totally different.

Have you lived in a tropical climate before? It can get pretty hot and humid - most of the time so it's not all a paradise - more like a giant sauna bath with lots of smiling faces. Since you're from Old Blighty the heat and humidity can wear you down. You don't have a lot of sunshine there as I remember but you do have plenty of rain and cool weather!

There are expats all over Thailand but the single largest concentration of them is in Chiang Mai which is Thailand's second [?] largest city and in the north where it's a bit cooler, cheaper to live and cleaner. A few [judging by this forum] live in Phuket, Pattaya, Ko Samui and other beach destinations who can give you ideas as to cost and places to live. Me, I like the cooler weather and it's not all that cool even in Chiang Mai. Good luck!

Serendipity2


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## robindog (Mar 16, 2010)

Serendipity2 said:


> robindog,
> 
> Are you retired? If you are over 50 [I think that's the magic age] you can get a retirement visa providing you can also meet the income requirement. Not that hard but it is to some. Since you've not been to Thailand before why not spend just a few days in a dozen locations to see which suits your fancy. Two to three days in each place will help you find a place that seems to feel like home. If you just visit one or two you will miss out. Even if you favor the beaches do visit Chiang Mai or Chiang Rai - it's totally different.
> 
> ...


Thanks for that....Yes we have visited Thailand before so we have a fair idea where we want to be, and we have been to a tropical climate before ie India...We are also aware of the retirement visa which we would be eligable for in terms of income.
What I really neede to know is does anyone have any first hand experience of living on the eastern peninsula south of Pattya. We are going there in Jan/Feb next year but are looking for the best place to stay to get the best of the area before making a decision where to locate first. we have already tried Bankok and Phucket and dont really fancy the idea of Chiang Mai due to the possible troubles with the red shirts.

any more suggestions would be great :focus:


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## Serendipity2 (Feb 22, 2009)

robindog said:


> Thanks for that....Yes we have visited Thailand before so we have a fair idea where we want to be, and we have been to a tropical climate before ie India...We are also aware of the retirement visa which we would be eligable for in terms of income.
> What I really neede to know is does anyone have any first hand experience of living on the eastern peninsula south of Pattya. We are going there in Jan/Feb next year but are looking for the best place to stay to get the best of the area before making a decision where to locate first. we have already tried Bankok and Phucket and dont really fancy the idea of Chiang Mai due to the possible troubles with the red shirts.
> 
> any more suggestions would be great :focus:




robindog,

Since you pretty much know where you want to live why not pick several places south of Pattaya and spend a few days to a week in each, walk around and get the feel for each of them. Someone on the Internet can give you a fair idea but what one likes, girls, booze, beach another might not. It's like asking your best friend to pick your wife/husband. 

You've ruled out Chiang Mai - obviously not close to any beach - but I've never seen any trouble with "Red Shirts" - ever. I guess if one goes out of their way they might find them but I was in Chiang Mai of a month earlier this year and saw none. Maybe they saw me coming and ran! I prefer the northern towns and cities - cheaper, cooler and more pleasant. 

Serendipity2


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## robindog (Mar 16, 2010)

Serendipity2 said:


> robindog,
> 
> Since you pretty much know where you want to live why not pick several places south of Pattaya and spend a few days to a week in each, walk around and get the feel for each of them. Someone on the Internet can give you a fair idea but what one likes, girls, booze, beach another might not. It's like asking your best friend to pick your wife/husband.
> 
> ...


Yes, thats the general area we are aiming at. If anyone knows of somewhere in that area to rent for 3 or 4 weeks that would be great. A small apartment would be ideal.....any suggestions ????

Sorry its taken me a while to reply but been off the site for a while as our grandson broke his leg and has spent time in hospital in traction !!!!


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## BGZilla (Jan 15, 2012)

All good input for a future dweller, thanks


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## brianmarinus (Apr 4, 2010)

*Place to live.*



robindog said:


> Thanks for that....Yes we have visited Thailand before so we have a fair idea where we want to be, and we have been to a tropical climate before ie India...We are also aware of the retirement visa which we would be eligable for in terms of income.
> What I really neede to know is does anyone have any first hand experience of living on the eastern peninsula south of Pattya. We are going there in Jan/Feb next year but are looking for the best place to stay to get the best of the area before making a decision where to locate first. we have already tried Bankok and Phucket and dont really fancy the idea of Chiang Mai due to the possible troubles with the red shirts.
> 
> any more suggestions would be great :focus:


Hi!
I am living in Chiang Rai where there is alot of red shirts and we hardly se them and have absolutly no problems.
It is quiet and safe up here.Things are going a litle laid back here but nice people all over and alot of your contry men here to.
Then as it is said, it is (think) around 30% cheaper up here.
I wood be alot more worried about those muslims down south if I was you.
They nearly kill some one every day-last I look about it, it was 6 police men they killed.
Normaly it is teachers and old people going or leaving a temple,they kill.
I have lived here for 3 years now and never had eny problems at all.


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