# Rentals in Ko Phangan



## GAWA9 (May 14, 2009)

Hi all, great wee forum here, I have a few questions but apologies if Ive made a mistake and posted something against the rules. I'm not strictly going to be an expat but am planning a 3 month or so working holiday to Ko Phangan with a friend of mine and am interested in peoples views on rentals. I have read in a few threads that its best to book a guesthouse and find a house while in thailand however I really would rather have somewhere booked and sorted before heading off. Ideally somewhere fairly rural but close enough to some life. Basically we want to experience a completely different culture and setting and relax and work for a few months. Finding work is not a problem as we both work online.


So does anyone know of reputable companies who can help us find a house? Or does anyone here rent out property?


Thanks very much in advance for any help.


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## Guest (May 14, 2009)

Hi, welcome on board!

Be VERY careful about the work thing. Any mention of working in say a tourist visa application and you'll be refused, there are very strict regulations about working in Thailand. Basically the system is geared towards preserving jobs for Thais. Work visas are difficult to obtain especially for something as vague as working on line, self-employed. It means setting up a company, having to employ 4 Thais for every foreigner, all that sort of thing. Don't go there.

You've not picked the cheapest place to find accommodation. Sure you can find something before you arrive, but chances are for a long stay you could regret your choice. There are always better bargains to be had once you're on the spot, especially these days with the downturn in tourism. 

Somewhere rural? This is a smallish tropical island. Plus you need internet access, so you won't want to be out in the sticks. Is that where you definitely want to go for some reason, or are you considering other parts of Thailand? 

A three month holiday? There's the two month tourist visa, extendable by one month, which is pretty easy to get.


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## GAWA9 (May 14, 2009)

frogblogger said:


> Hi, welcome on board!
> 
> Be VERY careful about the work thing. Any mention of working in say a tourist visa application and you'll be refused, there are very strict regulations about working in Thailand. Basically the system is geared towards preserving jobs for Thais. Work visas are difficult to obtain especially for something as vague as working on line, self-employed. It means setting up a company, having to employ 4 Thais for every foreigner, all that sort of thing. Don't go there.
> 
> ...


Thanks for the reply  I heard that whilst extremely strict the thai police and border security etc rather dealt with things as they saw them. So if we were working in our home and not mouthing off about it to thais and other tourists having got the tourist visa there wouldn't be much bother from them? Apologies if thats totally off mark on what it's really like. 

We'd be very happy to consider any other parts of Thailand, neither of us have ever been and it's just through short research that Ko Phangan looked like a beautiful place to visit for a while that made us choose there. Is there another island or area better suited would you think?

Thanks again for all the info.


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