Hi, some newbie advice needed

[Nick NCFC]

Hi, My name is Nick Im 48 and about to embark on my dream and leave the UK to live in LOS permanently from next Jan. have visa all sorted but would appreciate some good advice on best area to live where to meet like minded individuals in the Hua Hin area to watch the footy etc.

I am pretty familiar with Thailand and its culture, met my Thai partner in the UK and can speak, read and write the language at a basic level (improving very slowly).

I will be over again in June and after visiting the in laws in Chiang Mai will be spending some time in Hua Hin and Cha am to look at property and employment prospects for Nook. Would be very interested to hear from other ex-pats on the best places to live, I appreciate being close to some bars restaurants but in a relatively tranquil area near the beach also will need to find a bar where they will show my beloved Canaries during the season.

Any advice would be greatly appreciated and happy to buy the beers in return for advice

[Big Boy]

Welcome to the forum Nick. Where to live is always a difficult one because there are so many variables, and personal preferences. However, the Soi 94 area is developing very fast with a plethora of bars and restaurants appearing weekly. Nowhere in Hua Hin is far from the beach.

[bonnielass]

Hi Nick,
Welcome to HHAD. You will find lots of info on here about anything and everything to do with settling down in HH, where to live, etc. Perhaps best to rent short term and get a feel for the place before making any permanent commitment. There's plenty of furnished rental property available if you check with the property shops in town. As BB has said, nowhere is very far from the beach.

We looked around for about 18 months before we found our ideal place. Forum members were very helpful with any questions we had.

There is a monthly quiz held at Johnnie Walker's and attended by a lot of the members, details on a separate thread below:

viewtopic.php?f=4&t=20425&hilit=Quiz

This might be a good starting point for you to meet some fellow expats.

Good Luck with your move to LOS.


BL

[Nick NCFC]

Thanks for the advice Big Boy and Bonnie Lass,

Definitely going to rent to start with and will probably do so for the first 12 -18 months. A bit torn between Cha Am and Hua Hin at the moment so hopefully renting will help me decide.

Will also try and make the quiz in June if there is one so I can meet and pick the brains of ex-pats will have to warn people though that as I am from Norfolk quiz's are not my forte unless there are questions on the history of Norwich City or the life and times of Delia Smith

[Big Boy]

I was seriously considering Cha-Am before I moved here because it seemed that you would get a lot more for your money. However, once we got here and started looking, prices in Hua Hin were not as outrageous as the Internet had previously made me believe. Just take your time and look around - if something sounds a little expensive, walk away and keep looking.

[margaretcarnes]

If beach and sea are top of your list then it's a no brainer - has to be the HH area. Although ChaAm has come on really quickly in recent years and there is a lot of development there as well. The beach road is much smarter these days and I do like the way the beachfront is much more open than in HH.
The old argument against ChaAm - that it gets packed with Thai weekenders - really doesn't hold water now IMO because HuaHin is just the same. The difference is that HuaHins' weekend crowd have posher cars.
You will find your footy bars everywhere so don't worry about that, and expats have spread much further out from HH.
Of course hindsight is a wonderful thing, and although we chose HH a few years ago primarily because of it's location on the coast, I sometimes wonder if ChiangMai would have been a better option. It has a good expat community and just seems more relaxed than HH now.

[brianks]

None of those places appeal to me. Hua Hin/ChaAm is building up too rapidly now and getting congestested especially on weekends. If you like Chang Mai, better be prepared for traffic and more traffic like BKK. Pranburi is a more laid back option and still close to Hua Hin for shops and services.

We packed up and moved farther south to small beach-side fishing/agricultural community of Khanom. On land south of Koh Samui. Not a lot of farang conveniences here but sure a lot more laid back. Surat Thani is only 70km a way. Nothing like a good cheap meal on the Khanom beach in the evening. Don't know about employment opportunities here though as it is a smaller town but there are not many idle hands here in the south like in the north.

[Nick NCFC]

Thanks, interesting food for thought appreciate the feedback on Cha Am not been before but heard some good things will try to spend some time there in June.

Not sure about Chiang Mai beautiful as it is it's a little too far from the beach and a little too close to the in-laws

[Nick NCFC]

None of those places appeal to me. Hua Hin/ChaAm is building up too rapidly now and getting congestested especially on weekends. If you like Chang Mai, better be prepared for traffic and more traffic like BKK. Pranburi is a more laid back option and still close to Hua Hin for shops and services.

We packed up and moved farther south to small beach-side fishing/agricultural community of Khanom. On land south of Koh Samui. Not a lot of farang conveniences here but sure a lot more laid back. Surat Thani is only 70km a way. Nothing like a good cheap meal on the Khanom beach in the evening. Don't know about employment opportunities here though as it is a smaller town but there are not many idle hands here in the south like in the north.

Thanks for the advice. I'm trying to stay fairly close to BKK as need to travel to UK a bit although
I am quite open minded, at the moment my preference would be not to have too far to travel to get to and from the airport so I can get to the UK easier for the big games

[Dannie Boy]

As you have already intimated, rent first so you can give both areas (CA and HH) a good look to see if they offer what you want. You said about being near to some bars and restaurants - is that walking distance or by motorbike/car/taxi? Obviously the north side of HH or Cha Am will be a bit quicker for travel to BKK and the worst of the traffic in HH is on the south side of town, so weekend travel during the main part of the day is slow/frustrating in a car.

HH has more to offer that CA but there is still enough to satisfy most of your needs and as the whole area gets developed, it seems that the two towns are getting closer and closer, so wherever you choose, you won't be too far away from either town.

[Nick NCFC]

As you have already intimated, rent first so you can give both areas (CA and HH) a good look to see if they offer what you want. You said about being near to some bars and restaurants - is that walking distance or by motorbike/car/taxi? Obviously the north side of HH or Cha Am will be a bit quicker for travel to BKK and the worst of the traffic in HH is on the south side of town, so weekend travel during the main part of the day is slow/frustrating in a car.

HH has more to offer that CA but there is still enough to satisfy most of your needs and as the whole area gets developed, it seems that the two towns are getting closer and closer, so wherever you choose, you won't be too far away from either town.

Would prefer to use motor transport as little as possible will have a car but prefer to walk and use the car for trips to the airport etc

[JimmyGreaves]

Loads of clever Forest fans here if your from Notts. Norwich well that's another story

[Nick NCFC]

Loads of clever Forest fans here if your from Notts. Norwich well that's another story

Wow that's 4 words you never normally see in the same sentence, loads, clever, fans and Forest but unfortunately I'm a Norwich fan hoping there may be 1 or 2 others about in Hua Hin but won't be holding out much hope.

[blue05]

hua hin all day long over cha am, if you get in around 94/88 plenty of bars within walking distance for the football

I usually trawl soi 80 until I find an empty bar then head in and turn on the everton game, sure you would have no issues finding somewhere with your game on

[margaretcarnes]

I'm sure you are already getting the vibe Nick regarding the HH and ChaAm divide. This is an historical thing. Once upon a time the expats of both towns moved freely between the two. Even had inter-town darts and pool etc, and actually spoke to each other!