Both places are good. Pattaya has more of everything, nightlife, girls, outdoor sports, food, accomadations etc. But...it also has some negatives such as tremendous traffic problems, and flooding and sewage backups after it rains.
If you enjoy a small town atmosphere, Sosua probably has a certain charm that would win you over. If a bigger pond to play in is your thing, Pattaya will more than fit the bill.
As far as price or budget, Pattaya has more and cheaper accomadations. Food from the street carts costs virtually nothing. Many times on my recent trip, pad Thai noodles or shrimp fried rice or a noodle soup only cost 30-35 baht. About a dollar! And I ate plenty of it!
With the exchange rate, girls in Sosua, all things being equal, are less expensive than Pattaya. No bar fines to pay mainly. I wouldn't hit up the Coconut Bar (Pattaya beach) for those 500 baht ST's. I ain't flying nearly 9,000 miles to fuck an ugly girl on the cheap!
Both places are good. But the airfare cost and the distance make Pattaya a place where you need a much longer time to make it worthwhile, at least 15 days minimum. Sosua, due to proximity from most everywhere in the US, a week can be enough time to do what you came for.
I love em both.
My plan is to take this Pathfinder/Chill weekend tour to check out Thailand from a retirement perspective. Have already checked out San Jose and Sosua in the past 2 yrs, and after Thailand, Medellin. This tour seemed like the best way to do Thailand, but it really limits my exposure "time on station". Haven't actually paid for it yet, so am open to suggestions to get the bast bang for my buck, in the limited time before having to go back to work. After seeing what these places have to offer, I can always grab my backpack affter retiring later this yr and spending more time in any given spot.
Not to rattle on, but went thru a life changing divorce, so all these places have been on my bucket list. Being military retired, spent 2 yrs at Clark AB in Angeles City, and really likedd the tropical Asian environment. Especially the LBFMs! Might even check it out again, now that Clark field is assessable as an international airport. Even thought of going back to Song Tan City outside of Osan korea, but just the thought of possible international tensions escalating turns me off. Did my patriotic share of peacekeeping if you know what I mean.
Hey Dan, got your pm. Thanks. If you have any questions or concerns about Pattaya, feel free to ask me and I will gladly share my opinion. I was just there last month and referring to your retirement question in a previous post, I did check out a couple of condos for such a purpose. In one of them, the unit was on the 9th floor, a gorgeous view of the city facing the water, about 44 sq. mtrs. full kitchen, cable, the whole nine yards. The owner, an American from San Diego, told me he would rent it out for 8500 baht a month on a 6 month to 1 year lease. That comes to about $275 a month. He wants $40 grand to sell.
Another condo complex I checked out was a small studio, 26 sq. mtrs., about the size of a large hotel room, a 5th floor unit, balcony, tv, no kitchen, ac, decent bath, and was 5000 baht on a 6 month lease, or 5500 on a month to month. Not a bad deal for $160 rent! A bunch of expats live in places like that, small, comfortable, cheap, plenty of services for your daily living needs in the businesses on the bottom floor...laundry, Thai restaurants, beer bars, mini market for basics (toiletries, milk, juices, snacks) transportation just steps from the lobby, etc. A simple life for sure. Either building would suit me just fine.
If you are retired military, your pension would be more than enough to allow for a reasonably comfortable standard of living. I hope to be able to spend a portion of each year in both Pattaya and the DR when I call it quits.
Your intel is much appreciated! I actually was planning another trip to Sosua next month after reading Cuba Dave's Adventures forum. But then this Thailand Chill Weekend showed up in my inbox. They sure know how to lure you, and I thought this was the best way to check it out for the 1st time. But, you know, your right, along with others who tell me the same thing. This Chill weekend peaked my interest as a quick way to see Thailand, during my limited time off from work. A much better (and cheaper) way is to check options such as researching expats who offer "wingman tours" rather than going the real estate tour route. And just keeping an eye on these forums to get a wealth of advice from those who have gone before me! Dan
Man, I wouldn't fly 20 hours to anywhere unless I had at least 2 weeks minimum to spend there. If Dan is actually going to do this, it would take at least 2 days to just get his head right between the jetlag and time difference. Dan, don't do this. It will be a total waste of time. Like sitting at a bountiful buffet and only getting a spoonful of mashed taters before being escorted away.
I have no clue how he would see all those cities in that timeframe. That shit cray.
I WISH I would have found XXXL, that would have worked. I was shopping in Bangkok but I don't remember finding anything bigger than an XL in shirts (which seem to fit more like a medium) and 34 inch waist shorts, and I hit everything from the street stalls to the malls.
Just ask for overstock sales for the export merchandise. Robinson's in Pattaya has a sale usually in one of the upper floors from 5 baht an item! I have seen any number of X's there. Also in Bangkok. I bought jeans in one of the malls, walking distance from Nana (Pratna- something, just too lazy to look up).
‘Forbear to judge, for we are sinners all’
I have no time off scheduled in May. I am booked for the DR in March and September and possibly in July, but the July airfares are scary right now. ($995 on AA; SF-POP, WTF??) I might give Jamaica another go instead as it is a lot cheaper to fly there with slightly better connections. I do plan on going back to Pattaya in December for 3 weeks.
As I understand it, (someone correct me if I am wrong) if you are 50 years old or more, you are eligible for a retirement visa in Thailand providing you can prove the necessary income required. Having one of those allows you to stay in country without having to make a visa run to Cambo, the PI, or some other country. You just need to report every 90 days to the immigration office with your proper documentation and that should be it.
You gotta be f'ing kidding me. I can still picture in my mind walking in to Mike's mall from the Second Rd entrance and spending an hour walking around there with the dame who I was with in my Koh Samui TR. They actually had some nice button down shirts I would have liked to have bought, but they were just too small.
Oh well, I'll keep it in mind for the next trip, whenever that might be.
There are currently 1 users browsing this thread. (0 members and 1 guests)
Bookmarks