Any downside to retiring in Hua Hin

[magsandbilly]

My wife and I (the same as many others) are thinking of our retirement to Hua Hin in the next few years and looking through forums there is a lot of information.

So this is what I want to ask:

We know there are plenty of Pros but what are the Cons?

B

[dtaai-maai]

That's an awfully big question. What you're effectively asking is are there any negative aspects to life in HH, and there are plenty, as I'm sure you're about to find out...

But most of them are frequently discussed here on the forum, so you would be well advised to spend some time having a good look through it and then ask more specific questions.

Welcome to the forum and good luck with your plans.

[JamesWest]

You are only allowed into the country one year at a time with no guarantee that you will be allowed in the next year, 800,000 baht tied up in a Thai bank for at least 90 days every year, you must report to immigration every 90 days for the rest of your life.

Major red tape and government paper work for simple things like drivers licenses. You are required to carry your passport or a photocopy at all times.

Extreme heat and humidity making outdoors activities difficult, high levels of solar radiation, very serious air pollution in the form of diesel fumes, litter on streets and beaches, very heavy rains, unsecure banking and ATM cards, no credit cards for non Thais, dangerous driving conditions, poor roads and traffic, dangerous sidewalks, unknown future exchange rates, overrated hospitals, drinking culture, bar culture, being married and being constantly propositioned by beautiful Thai woman, and to repeat, you are constantly seeing 60 year plus old men with beauiful young Thai women when you go out with your wife to dinner, price inflation, very little if any legal recourse, no consumer safeguards, general lack of moral or ethical values in business and real estate, no land ownership, do nothing police, corruption, very slow emergency medical response and transportion, constant language barrier making simple tasks sometimes far more difficult, huge numbers of dogs and cats running wild on the streets, dengue fever.

[Bristolian]

^^ makes you wonder why anyone would want to live here.

[Terry]

You are only allowed into the country one year at a time with no guarantee that you will be allowed in the next year, 800,000 baht tied up in a Thai bank for at least 90 days every year, you must report to immigration every 90 days.

Extreme heat and humidity making outdoors activities difficult, high levels of solar radiation, very serious air pollution in the form of diesel fumes, litter on streets and beaches, very heavy rains, dangerous driving conditions, poor roads and traffic, unknown future exchange rates, overrated hospitals, drinking culture, bar culture, being married and being constantly propositioned by beautiful Thai woman, and to repeat, you are constantly seeing 60 year plus old men with beauiful young Thai women when you go out with your wife to dinner, price inflation, very little if any legal recourse, no consumer safeguards, general lack of moral or ethical values in business and real estate, do nothing police, corruption, very slow emergency medical response and transportion, constant language barrier making simple tasks sometimes far more difficult, dengue fever.

No different than anywhere else in Thailand then..............

[richard]

extreme heat and humidity making outdoors activities difficult, high levels of solar radiation, very serious air pollution in the form of diesel fumes, litter on streets and beaches, very heavy rains, dangerous driving conditions, poor roads and traffic, unknown future exchange rates, overrated hospitals, drinking culture, bar culture, being married and being constantly propositioned by beautiful Thai woman, and to repeat, you are constantly seeing 60 year plus old men with beauiful young Thai women when you go out with your wife to dinner, price inflation, very little if any legal recourse, no consumer safeguards, general lack of moral or ethical values in business and real estate, do nothing police, corruption, very slow emergency medical response and transportion, constant language barrier making simple tasks sometimes far more difficult, dengue fever.

What a pessimistic narrow minded view. JW should join the 'Grumpies' club. No that wouldn't work. You have to be a constant moaner about food, drinks, service and hygiene to apply.

magsandbilly, I've been retired here for 13 years and despite a few niggles enjoy it. All the above are not insurmountable.

[Dannie Boy]

extreme heat and humidity making outdoors activities difficult, high levels of solar radiation, very serious air pollution in the form of diesel fumes, litter on streets and beaches, very heavy rains, dangerous driving conditions, poor roads and traffic, unknown future exchange rates, overrated hospitals, drinking culture, bar culture, being married and being constantly propositioned by beautiful Thai woman, and to repeat, you are constantly seeing 60 year plus old men with beauiful young Thai women when you go out with your wife to dinner, price inflation, very little if any legal recourse, no consumer safeguards, general lack of moral or ethical values in business and real estate, do nothing police, corruption, very slow emergency medical response and transportion, constant language barrier making simple tasks sometimes far more difficult, dengue fever.

Oh well, bang goes their retirement plans!!

However, it's not all gloom and doom, ok nearly everything you have said can be an issue, however with careful planning (and a good tail wind) most can be avoided, either completely or to a great extent. I'm not going to try to list everything you've mentioned with a counter argument although the lifestyle I have adopted, I don't find many of the problems affect me to an extent that I can't live with.

Question to the OP, have you been to Hua Hin before, if not then that's your number one priority to come and have a look and feel of the place and make your own mind up. - as the saying goes, one mans meat is another's poison!!

[Bristolian]

For me the single largest obstacle was the Thai language, written and spoken. This would apply anywhere in Thailand, in fact Hua Hin, because of the tourist industry is better than most places. You will soon pick up some of the spoken language if you haven't so far. You also find work-arounds and rely on new friends and hopefully this forum to guide you.

There is certainly a water shortage in a number of areas within Hua Hin for much of the year. Hua Hin is one of the driest places in Thailand. I haven't really received mains water for the last 4-5 months but it's easy enough to organise water trucks for delivery. As I say, you find work arounds

I have lived in Thailand for the last 15 years and still enjoy living here. I am still working in Bangkok but have my weekend and holiday home in Hua Hin. I will retire to Hua Hin when I find the time to retire

[JamesWest]

extreme heat and humidity making outdoors activities difficult, high levels of solar radiation, very serious air pollution in the form of diesel fumes, litter on streets and beaches, very heavy rains, dangerous driving conditions, poor roads and traffic, unknown future exchange rates, overrated hospitals, drinking culture, bar culture, being married and being constantly propositioned by beautiful Thai woman, and to repeat, you are constantly seeing 60 year plus old men with beauiful young Thai women when you go out with your wife to dinner, price inflation, very little if any legal recourse, no consumer safeguards, general lack of moral or ethical values in business and real estate, do nothing police, corruption, very slow emergency medical response and transportion, constant language barrier making simple tasks sometimes far more difficult, dengue fever.

What a pessimistic narrow minded view. JW should join the 'Grumpies' club. No that wouldn't work. You have to be a constant moaner about food, drinks, service and hygiene to apply.

magsandbilly, I've been retired here for 13 years and despite a few niggles enjoy it. All the above are not insurmountable.

Thanks for the personal attack. You really pissed me off.

The question was what are the cons. I listed some of the everyday issues I experience here.

[magsandbilly]

Hi All

Everything has been very useful and not surprising to us. No shocks per se.,

We currently live in Hong Kong and deal with the Asian issues all the time. We also have a small property in Phuket and know about the police and also the land ownership issues!

We visited Hua Hin 12 years ago and plan to visit again in October to see the lie of the land re: property and amenities.

Much appreciate your input.

If there is any problems specific to Hua Hin, please do advise us. Noted about the water.

[theprice01]

the worse thing about HuaHin are the street dogs and the ''nightlife'' women

[richard]

Is there a difference?

[magsandbilly]

Probably no difference

[sand_dancer]

You are only allowed into the country one year at a time with no guarantee that you will be allowed in the next year, 800,000 baht tied up in a Thai bank for at least 90 days every year, you must report to immigration every 90 days for the rest of your life.

Major red tape and government paper work for simple things like drivers licenses. You are required to carry your passport or a photocopy at all times.

Extreme heat and humidity making outdoors activities difficult, high levels of solar radiation, very serious air pollution in the form of diesel fumes, litter on streets and beaches, very heavy rains, unsecure banking and ATM cards, no credit cards for non Thais, dangerous driving conditions, poor roads and traffic, dangerous sidewalks, unknown future exchange rates, overrated hospitals, drinking culture, bar culture, being married and being constantly propositioned by beautiful Thai woman, and to repeat, you are constantly seeing 60 year plus old men with beauiful young Thai women when you go out with your wife to dinner, price inflation, very little if any legal recourse, no consumer safeguards, general lack of moral or ethical values in business and real estate, no land ownership, do nothing police, corruption, very slow emergency medical response and transportion, constant language barrier making simple tasks sometimes far more difficult, huge numbers of dogs and cats running wild on the streets, dengue fever.

Extensive list.....

Have you repatriated yet ......?

[theprice01]

Richard, i guess there isnt too much difference lol