Retirement in Thailand (Hua Hin area)

[void]

I just joined the forum and I am posting for one of my first few times (the first couple of times were in the Introduction forum area). The first part of this post is a repeat of that intro (I am too new to the forum to post links). I hope this is the correct subforum area for such a general post .

--- repeat from Introduction ---

I'm a westerner with a Thai wife. We have been married for over a decade, we are both engineers and we work in Europe - both of us have engineering jobs. My wife's family is located in Phuket and she owns a house there (which she rents out).

I retire in 2.5 years, and we are contemplating retirement in Thailand. I lived in Phuket for 2 years back in the late 1990s , and have visited there over a dozen times since. But I've never been to Hua Hin.

Until recently I had thought about retiring in Phuket. During my last visit to Phuket my wife and were noting how commercialized it was, and how heavy / bad the traffic had become in Phuket. Hence we decided to check out other areas in Thailand for a possible retirement location other than Phuket. Thus we plan to spend this week in Hua Hin (checking out the area) before we head back to Europe. While we may look at some real estate, we don't (at least I don't) plan to buy just yet.

Many decades ago I lived in Cocoa Beach, Florida for a year, living in a Condo on the beach (on 6th floor). I liked the life of a condo right on the beach, and hence I'm curious if the same kind be found (without breaking the bank) in Hua Hin. In Phuket, that sort of possibility (of a condo on the beach) is not really possible. My wife has different views (she prefers a Villa) so we have to sort out our own different views and come to a compromise. Of course with me being 60, hospitals and a good infrastructure are important, and I understand that is in place in Hua Hin.

- - - new part of post - - -

So we have been here in Hua Hin 3.5 days and have some very rough impressions.

The first biggest impression was the traffic was much more than I anticipated. This is from Monday to Thursday (where Tuesday was a bank holiday in Thailand) and I have to say my impression wrt Highway-4 going to Hua Hin from the North (heading south) every day the traffic was as bad, and sometimes worse than Phuket.

In the morning, up to about 11:30am or so, during a week day, I found the traffic equal or better than Phuket. But in the afternoon, it was mostly a different story, with as heavy, if not heavier traffic on Highway-4. I had not researched Hua Hin much prior to coming, and so I was a bit taken back by such a large highway/road going right through the center of Hua Hin. I found that a bit of a turn off.

The weather, thou, has been outstanding. And I for one can not complain about that.

My wife and I are both suffering from a very bad cough/cold, and we visited Bangkok Hospital in Hua Hin, and I was most impressed with that hospital. So from a person looking at retirement, that is very good.

I looked at a number of condos on Monday (north of Hua Hin and south of Cha Am) and while they are all very nice, I simply don't care much for the idea of having to drive every day to get one's meal (or try to cook in a very small kitchen - small by both European and North American standards). When I lived in Phuket, I was close to a half dozen restaurants that I could just walk to. When I lived in Cocoa Beach, I could walk to the center of town. This is not true for north of Hua Hin. Plus these condos mostly had massive gardens/grounds, where I could easily imagine condo fees (maintenance fees) could spiral upward once the developer moves on and stops subsidizing the care of the massive pools/grounds ... I don't know if that true, but it would be a worry.

My wife and I drove to Pram Buri today, and I confess I much prefer the pace of Pram Buri. Whether its a place I could live in is not something I could say today. I would be worried about high speed internet with a decent bandwidth (both my wife and I being Internet junkies). I've also read concerns wrt reliable water availability and that would be a concern. Still I like Pram Buri and for me its worth a second look.

Having typed all the above, I am a firm believer that if market conditions allow, it is better to rent for a few months or likely even longer, prior to purchasing. That allows one to confirm one indeed has made a reasonable selection wrt a retirement location.

[barrys]

Hi void,

We have lived in Pak Nam Pran/Pranburi for the last 10 years and it's a great place to stay.
The Internet connection here is probably better than most areas in Hua Hin - I depend on it a lot and it's normally very reliable.
The water supply where we live is also excellent.
If you would like to call by for a chat and a cold one, you're very welcome.

[Big Boy]

void, regarding water, I have friends who live just South of Hua Hin whose entire estate is trying to switch to Pranburi water because it is so much more reliable than Hua Hin water.

[centermid7]

If you thought the traffic was congested now just wait till the new water park opens (late this year, early next year?) on Soi 112 AND the new mall (2016?) on Soi 102.

I'll be we won't even be able to wiggle . . .

[void]

Thank you all for your observations wrt Pran Buri. That is most encouraging.

We spent a good part of the day today driving around North of Hua Hin, and also checked out the area inside Hua Hin just East of Highway 4 right by the coast. That small old area by the coast inside Hua Hin 'downtown' core is nice (a bit touristy), but I confess I still prefer Pran Buri.

Pran Buri has a couple of very large stores (Tesco Lotus and Macro) if one needs a good sized department store, and yet it is small enough by the beach so not to be over run with traffic and congestion. Its also reasonably close to the big hospitals in Hua Hin, if one were to have need of medical attention.

My current time in Hua Hin area is coming to a close (we head back to Bangkok on Monday and then back to Europe on Thursday) but in summary my current assessment is the Pran Buri area has the most promise.

My next visit to this area will likely focus more on Pran Buri. Likely if we decide to take the plunge and move here, we would do it in stages .... renting first for a number of months, before moving.

[zeitgeist]

Its also reasonably close to the big hospitals in Hua Hin, if one were to have need of medical attention.

You will find lots of good things said about the army hospital in Pranburi (Fort Thannarat?) on the forum, a trip to Hua Hin for medical care may be moot.

[void]

If you would like to call by for a chat and a cold one, you're very welcome.

Many thanks for this kind offer. Perhaps on our next 'check out the area' visit (either later this year or sometime next year) if the offer is still open, we would take you up on it.

Its been an interesting visit to the Hua Hin area. We spent a good deal of our time today checking out the Cha Am beach area, which I sort of like. Still, after having visited the Cha Am beach area, the Hua Hin beach area, and Pra Am, I still prefer the look/feel of Pra Am.

[void]

Its also reasonably close to the big hospitals in Hua Hin, if one were to have need of medical attention.

You will find lots of good things said about the army hospital in Pranburi (Fort Thannarat?) on the forum, a trip to Hua Hin for medical care may be moot.

That's good to read. I'll have to check out its location on the map/google.

[Stargeezer]

If you would like to call by for a chat and a cold one, you're very welcome.

Many thanks for this kind offer. Perhaps on our next 'check out the area' visit (either later this year or sometime next year) if the offer is still open, we would take you up on it.

Its been an interesting visit to the Hua Hin area. We spent a good deal of our time today checking out the Cha Am beach area, which I sort of like. Still, after having visited the Cha Am beach area, the Hua Hin beach area, and Pra Am, I still prefer the look/feel of Pra Am.

Void
One thing to think about is the swimming along the coast at Hua Hin or Pran Buri.
Always waves coming in, not like the beaches of Kata Karon etc, they are mostly a lot more
peaceful for waves, which makes swimming or just relaxing on the water a more enjoyable
experience. Other than that I have found Hua Hin and Pran Buri areas to be very nice to stay at, and I have a few friends living at both places.
Stargeezer

[traveller2]

Void
My wife and I spend a lot of time in the Pranburi area when we are in Thailand.
We like it because its quieter and more laid back than Hua Hin, but within easy driving distance should you require the amenities that Hua Hin offers.
The people are very friendly and helpful.
There are plenty of living options, ie in the countryside, in town or in a nearby village.
There are very nice beaches at Khao Kalok, Paknampran and Dolphin Bay.
The main entrances to Fort Thannarat are on Phetkasem Road (route 4) and very easy to find. I have not used the hospital, so cannot comment, or know its precise location, sorry.

T2

[void]

Its been an interesting visit to the Hua Hin area. We spent a good deal of our time today checking out the Cha Am beach area, which I sort of like. Still, after having visited the Cha Am beach area, the Hua Hin beach area, and Pra Am, I still prefer the look/feel of Pra Am.

That should have read Pran Buri and not Pra Am.

[void]

I'm now back in Europe - and likely next week (after catching up with many admin matters here) I'll start reviewing my notes and also looking at my many pictures, that I took while in Hua Hin.

[Big Boy]

looking at my many pictures, that I took while in Hua Hin.

Please share the best ones

[barrys]

If you would like to call by for a chat and a cold one, you're very welcome.

Many thanks for this kind offer. Perhaps on our next 'check out the area' visit (either later this year or sometime next year) if the offer is still open, we would take you up on it .....

Hi void,

.. of course the offer will still be open - just let me know when you would like to call by. Look forward to meeting you!

[raeside3]

Oh my goodness what a mine field. We are coming to hua hin in January to check it out for retirement. We are West Australians 63 and 60 plus our pooch. We LOVE waves to body surf on.. just want positive answers lol