that genius wrote:It's bad when it's a no-contest and Pattaya is the winner.

LoL.

ExPenhMan wrote: ↑Thu Mar 22, 2018 4:34 pm

Jamie_Lambo wrote: ↑Thu Mar 22, 2018 1:45 pm lived in SHV for the best part of 5 years and spent a lot of time in Pattaya
Pattaya would win hands down now, SHV would have had a chance before the chinese invasion but the place is a shithole now even more than it used to be, bar scene is fucked, beach scene is fucked, the atmosphere is fucked

^^^This. I am not really a fan of Thailand but it is the best in terms of, well, just about everything. I've lived in Bangkok, Pattaya, Siem Reap, Phnom Penh and Vung Tau, VN.

These days, Thai prices for everything have been on the rise. Booze and cigs are much more expensive than in Cambo and VN. But if you want to run a bar in Thailand, you are looking at a world of pain. First of all, you can't work in your own bar -- unless you've handed over mucho money to the brown shirts. Second, there are triple too many bars in Pattaya.

Yet, there's lots of apartments for all requirements and price points. As noted above, stay in Pattaya for a month. Then choose your district. I prefer living away from the action.

PS. Chonburi Immigration (Jomtien-Pattaya) is a breeze to deal with, so there's that.

vung tau is cheap , beer is pretty much free and vietnamese offer work to foreigners too.

pattay there is nothing to do but SNV is under control of the commys.

Hua hin or phuket would also be alot better atmosphere, just rent long term outside of the centre and shop in markets , you need next to nothing.

Cambound wrote: ↑Thu Mar 22, 2018 5:57 am Hi there.

I"m curious as to why those picks would be considered "strange". I've done a fair bit of reading on both locations and from what I"ve absorbed, Cambodia and S'ville would be a cheaper, less hectic version than that of Pattaya.

They are both ocean front and are a far distance from their respective capital cities that dont have ocean views.

Am I missing the boat here ?

If I am...let me know why?

Will

Ignore that other idiot.

I think you missed the S-ville window by a few years if you were looking for a laid-back coastal lifestyle. It's not what it used to be. Pattaya I wouldn't know about.

bolueeleh wrote: ↑Fri Mar 23, 2018 1:39 am

Jamie_Lambo wrote: ↑Thu Mar 22, 2018 11:37 pm if i lived in Thailand id live in either Pattaya (Jomtien or Darkside near Soi Khao Noi) or id live back in Hua Hin

chiang mai is a good place too

Chiang mais nice aye, been up there quite a number of times, not enough dark skinned isaan munchkins up there though haha

phuketrichard wrote: ↑Fri Mar 23, 2018 7:53 am Chiang Mai is way to busy ( same goes for HH) and 2-3 months of the year the air quality sucks .IF i didn't love the sea here, i'd live up west of Chiang Rai
or over near Loei/Chiang Khan on the Mekong

Quite liked Chiang Khan myself. Lucky to see 10 other whities on my several visits there.
Pretty much the opposite of Pattaya in many respects. Nan also very cool.

I’m in Jomtien and find it a decent place to stay. No shortage of quality accommodation within your budget, a 5 minute trip into central Pattaya on a direct baht bus route, immigration office located there, not particularly busy beach, a couple of good sports bars, a supermarket with Western products and a big Tesco Lotus 1km away as well as local fresh product markets. There is also an excellent airport bus service to Suvarnabunmi from Jomtien running every hour, 120 baht in under 2 hours and then into central Bangkok on the airport express link. You could quite easily live in Jomtien without feeling the need to go into Pattaya.

If I wanted a quieter life away from mass tourism I’d probably go to Prachuap KhiriKhan an hour south of Hua Hin, what a lovely little unspoilt seaside town.

frank lee bent wrote: ↑Thu Mar 22, 2018 6:02 am SV is currently a bulldozed construction site with sewage running down main streets,

^^ This. No one in their right mind would move to Sihanoukville in 2018. For that matter, no one in their right mind ever moved to Pattaya.

In Asia, Vietnam or the Philippines are probably your best bet in terms of finding what you are looking for OP.

Pattaya is a small city in Asia with good infrastructure and lot's of action = developed place with lot's of fun. It's completely your choice what you want to do 24/7.
If you move there, I'd consider Pratamnak hill area, it's right between central Pattaya, and Jomtien with good beaches. If you need many local bar's, Jomtien is better option.

There are also good bikes. I like Kawasaki KLX dual purpose 250cc, but I have only rented them. It's been a while since my last visit. ( !!! If you decide to rent first, make sure that you do complete check up with the owner, so they don't try to charge scratches etc. that "you made". Most rental companies are legit, but there are some scammers, especially Pattaya beach road. !!!)

I'm not 100% sure if international license is good enough anymore, cops could only accept Thai license. Usually something like 500thb solves the matter, otherwise you need to go pay the fine to the station, and wait few hours in queue.

Don't know anything about work opportunities.

Sihanoukville is, and has been small village, with pretty much nothing to do. Nowadays known as Shitsville sums it up. It's ten years behind Pattaya in everything. Yes, there are few bars + dirty beaches, that's about it.