News Forum - Recent crimes in Phuket are damaging its reputation

[Thaidup]

On 2/13/2022 at 3:49 PM, dj230 said:

I will admit, I was thinking of eventually travelling to Phuket but probably won't now, not just from the shooting but overall what I learned from just reading about Phuket in the past month or so.

Sounds like a tourist trap, I have no clue why people go there. 

Mutch better off having a holiday in NewYork.

[Thaidup]

11 hours ago, LoongFred said:

If you go to tourist places like Phuket you should expect to be charged tourist prices. Get over the dual pricing thing and stop being so cheap, even places like Disneyland have special pricing for select groups or place have ladies nights, etc. Pay the price or don't go. 

Those that cry the loudest are probably trying to get something themselves. 

It's a tax payer discount.

[Marc26]

9 hours ago, Stonker said:

 

In Phuket, on the other hand, it's an island and all about the unspoilt beaches and natural beauty but it's only about the same size as the Pattaya area from Naklua to Huay Yai so once it's developed then the attraction's gone.

It's paving paradise and putting up a parking lot, and you can't undo that.

I've been going to Phuket for 18 years now

 

Patong is massively overbuilt, but sort of always has been

 

And there is definitely a lot of development going on all over the island

But I don't feel a lot of it's become a concrete jungle, a lot of it has maintained some semblance of a natural island

 

Especially if you get out to Karon and especially down to Rawai, still pretty natural

 

 

BUT................The traffic is what I find horrendous, if you are where you want to be, great

But to go anywhere is a chore

 

In my wife's famous words after flying in from our quiet area we go to in Samui

'Phuket make me lose my relax"  :)

[Thaidup]

9 hours ago, Stonker said:

 Well ..... yes and no, in my view.

The thread's about Phuket and its reputation, and in my view that reputation's a thing of the past that's not coming back and can't.

You said that "..Phuket is clearly wayyyy higher overall standard than Pattaya" and I'm not sure that even that's true anymore. 

When I first moved to Thailand it was to Pattaya and I lasted less than a year, even though I'd bought a pleasant, quiet house with a pool and garden and wasn't living in a one bed shoebox.

First I moved to Naklua, where I rented a very pleasant house on the beach next to the Sanctuary of Truth and we stayed there for several years until the owner gave the property to his son as a 21st birthday present and he immediately sold it for a few hundred million baht - its now the Modus Ocean Resort.

We then moved out to Huay Yai where we bought a couple of rai in a beautiful quiet spot near Phoenix Golf, with my own lake and a very nice Thai house on stilts, and stayed there for several more years until my partner and I decided we didn't need the city anymore and it was time to move up to Issan and the 'home town' which was in one of the most beautiful areas I've ever been to and which was joining the 20th century with reasonably reliable electricity, mains water, and a Lotus, Big 'C' and Macro about 50 kms away in the provincial capital. 

Since then, the beautiful quiet spot in Huay Yai has a dual carriage way near one side and a 4 lane motorway near the other and our 'spot' is surrounded by other new builds (including one now belonging to an aunt-in-law).

The thing with Pattaya (and I mean the Pattaya area) was that it wasn't just about the sexpats and Walking Street and Boyztown, or Pattaya and Jomtien beach, but for tourists and those living there it had decent shopping malls, entertainment, hospitals, doctors and clinics, vets, bookshops, sports facilities, and decent beaches all within an easy drive and if the sex industry closed completely everything else would still be there for tourists and expats and there was room to spread.

In Phuket, on the other hand, it's an island and all about the unspoilt beaches and natural beauty but it's only about the same size as the Pattaya area from Naklua to Huay Yai so once it's developed then the attraction's gone.

It's paving paradise and putting up a parking lot, and you can't undo that.

And I live in Northern Thailand,rice fields surround my property, crickets,frogs and cocks are the only noise pollution. But hey I can jump on a plane,bus,train or drive down to Pattaya or Phuket for a couple of days or weeks or months and then return home to the cowbells in the paddock. Those areas are full of farangs and that alone is what attracts a criminal mentality. I would bet money that organized crime has dropped over the last 12-18 months. Just an opinion of mine. feel free to disagree.

[Thaidup]

21 minutes ago, Marc26 said:

'Phuket make me lose my relax" 

How to speak directly to the point.  Thais have a knack at being able to find english shortcuts.

[Stonker]

2 hours ago, Guest1 said:

Just the question is:

Would the tourist still come in needed numbers? Because just with locals, that could quickly shut down. As the past 2 years have proven, imho?  

With Pattaya it'd need re-targeting as I've said before, but I think they probably could with mass tourism aimed at the right markets, such as:

a cheap version of Disneyland / waterparks for Chinese and Indians;

golf holidays for the SE Asian market (or Chinese and Indians with the kids enjoying Disneyland.

For Phuket?  I'm a lot less confident.

 

 

[vlad]

13 hours ago, LoongFred said:

If you go to tourist places like Phuket you should expect to be charged tourist prices. Get over the dual pricing thing and stop being so cheap, even places like Disneyland have special pricing for select groups or place have ladies nights, etc. Pay the price or don't go. 

Those that cry the loudest are probably trying to get something themselves. 

So your happy going to a street food Vendor Fred where a local pays 20bt for a barbecued chicken leg in front of you. When you buy the same piece of Chicken you pay 60tbt.

[Marc26]

11 minutes ago, Stonker said:

With Pattaya it'd need re-targeting as I've said before, but I think they probably could with mass tourism aimed at the right markets, such as:

a cheap version of Disneyland / waterparks for Chinese and Indians;

golf holidays for the SE Asian market (or Chinese and Indians with the kids enjoying Disneyland.

For Phuket?  I'm a lot less confident.

Pattaya is a gold mine being wasted.....

 

For all the above and then add in the domestic weekenders that go to Cha Am/HH

 

But I think it will get there..............

 

We were at the Dusit Thani a few years ago and they hosted the LGPA, it was packed with well-off Thais interested in the golf

[Marc26]

3 minutes ago, vlad said:

So your happy going to a street food Vendor Fred where a local pays 20bt for a barbecued chicken leg in front of you. When you buy the same piece of Chicken you pay 60tbt.

This has never happened to me in 19 years going to Thailand

[Stonker]

2 minutes ago, Marc26 said:

Pattaya is a gold mine being wasted.....

For all the above and then add in the domestic weekenders that go to Cha Am/HH

But I think it will get there..............

We were at the Dusit Thani a few years ago and they hosted the LGPA, it was packed with well-off Thais interested in the golf

Agreed a million percent - and now's the ideal time to do it.

[Stonker]

5 minutes ago, Marc26 said:

This has never happened to me in 19 years going to Thailand

Never happened to me either in coming up for 40 years of first holidaying then living here!

[Marc26]

7 minutes ago, Stonker said:

Agreed a million percent - and now's the ideal time to do it.

Well I think it is being done, some major hotel groups have swooped in the last year and bought up a lot of properties

 

And the target tourists you mentioned are easy as well

They don't whine and moan like us whities  5555

 

They don't need everything shiny and perfect.................

 

You copy the Cha Am beach model on beach rd, with big open seafood restaurants that serve inside and on the beach

Attractions for kids, families

They would be jam packed.............

[oldschooler]

3 minutes ago, Stonker said:

Never happened to me either in coming up for 40 years of first holidaying then living here!

Neither seen it nor believe it. Twenty solid years here as tourist & resident. 

[AussieBob]

10 hours ago, Guest1 said:

Swimming distances, Australia Beaches, eh, yes!

I had to come back after I did read this today:

https://www.mirror.co.uk/news/world-news/sydney-shark-attack-victim-named-26029158

Very sad - first death in 60 years near Sydney beaches.  He was training for a long distance swimming event and was a long way out and wearing a full wetsuit - the shark probably thought he was a big seal.  RIP.  

[LoongFred]

11 hours ago, vlad said:

So your happy going to a street food Vendor Fred where a local pays 20bt for a barbecued chicken leg in front of you. When you buy the same piece of Chicken you pay 60tbt.

I generally don't go the same places as falang tourists, I might eat stree food if it looks good but generally prefer a restaurant.  

[oldschooler]

16 hours ago, Marc26 said:

I've been going to Phuket for 18 years now

Patong is massively overbuilt, but sort of always has been

And there is definitely a lot of development going on all over the island

But I don't feel a lot of it's become a concrete jungle, a lot of it has maintained some semblance of a natural island

Especially if you get out to Karon and especially down to Rawai, still pretty natural

BUT................The traffic is what I find horrendous, if you are where you want to be, great

But to go anywhere is a chore

In my wife's famous words after flying in from our quiet area we go to in Samui

'Phuket make me lose my relax"  :)

RegrettablyNot. Large number of ( now abandoned) projects of illegal white concrete monstrosities all across the formerly pristine ( govt forest land) hillsides of Kata. One also overlooking Nai Harn Beach. Can’t even be bothered to paint them green to try and blend in with nature

[JamesR]

On 2/17/2022 at 3:27 PM, Thaidup said:

Mutch better off having a holiday in NewYork.

True, you have no clue and will continue to be in that state it seems regarding Phuket. 

[JamesR]

On 2/18/2022 at 7:48 AM, oldschooler said:

RegrettablyNot. Large number of ( now abandoned) projects of illegal white concrete monstrosities all across the formerly pristine ( govt forest land) hillsides of Kata. One also overlooking Nai Harn Beach. Can’t even be bothered to paint them green to try and blend in with nature

I feel the opposite, when I go into the sticks in the middle of nowhere with nothing going on apart from village gossip and small mindedness for a few days ,when I get back to Phuket I think oh what a fantastic place, it has the modern with the old, the shops, beaches, restaurants and nature.

Try walking around the reservoir in Kathu, six Kms of a national park surrounded by trees and nature, there are many such places. 

[JamesR]

On 2/17/2022 at 5:57 PM, Marc26 said:

This has never happened to me in 19 years going to Thailand

I think it only ever happens in the mind of the weirdos.

[JamesR]

On 2/17/2022 at 4:00 PM, Thaidup said:

How to speak directly to the point.  Thais have a knack at being able to find english shortcuts.

The undedicated ones do, the same happens in all countries. 

[oldschooler]

1 hour ago, JamesR said:

I feel the opposite, when I go into the sticks in the middle of nowhere with nothing going on apart from village gossip and small mindedness for a few days ,when I get back to Phuket I think oh what a fantastic place, it has the modern with the old, the shops, beaches, restaurants and nature.

Try walking around the reservoir in Kathu, six Kms of a national park surrounded by trees and nature, there are many such places. 

Yes, Phuket is great just some hills above beaches ruined by white or blackened concrete ruins…..

[Marc26]

2 hours ago, JamesR said:

I feel the opposite, when I go into the sticks in the middle of nowhere with nothing going on apart from village gossip and small mindedness for a few days ,when I get back to Phuket I think oh what a fantastic place, it has the modern with the old, the shops, beaches, restaurants and nature.

Try walking around the reservoir in Kathu, six Kms of a national park surrounded by trees and nature, there are many such places. 

The BS drama in the village is something I just refuse to get involved with and even allow my wife to

She usually doesn't 

 

But I just don't care

It is funny, that guys on here bash the west and talk about "keeping up with the Jones" and such

 

But everyone in the village is competing

And it's all BS

 

But I like the village overall and just put Mt food down when it comes to nonsense drama 

[TorontoJeff]

On 2/14/2022 at 6:39 AM, Benroon said:

If you’re skint, get a hammock, few cold ones and a good book - bliss ! 

Some of the best advice ever, however no need to be skint to do this. 

[TorontoJeff]

On 2/14/2022 at 10:36 AM, Marc26 said:

PS.....The old Chinese ladies do that to me in Chinatown here in Vancouver, I love the little line wars I play with them  :)

The best line eats are the ones at Chinese railways,  waiting in line for taxis.  I once battled a guy for more than 10 minutes  as we each subtlety positioned our bodies with each step forward.   The key is to get your elbow in the forward position,  and while both parties know it's going on, it's never acknowledged. 

Old Chinese ladies in groups are the best though.   They just barrel right in, take no prisoners and give no f***s.

If any of this sounds negative,  it's not.   Good times!

[Marc26]

4 minutes ago, TorontoJeff said:

The best line eats are the ones at Chinese railways,  waiting in line for taxis.  I once battled a guy for more than 10 minutes  as we each subtlety positioned our bodies with each step forward.   The key is to get your elbow in the forward position,  and while both parties know it's going on, it's never acknowledged. 

Old Chinese ladies in groups are the best though.   They just barrel right in, take no prisoners and give no f***s.

If any of this sounds negative,  it's not.   Good times!

Absolutely!

You can't express any displeasure or even speak

Or they win!

 

It's all an unspoken battle 

And if the Old Chinese ladies realize you know how to play they game, I think they actually love it!