Long Stay in Pattaya

For some people a holiday in Pattaya in Thailand is not just a week or ten days it is something which stretches into months. There are careers where it is possible to pick where and when you want to work and for how long. The retired sometimes want to escape to somewhere warm for the winter. There are those who want to hide, sometimes from the long arm of the law. Others are nursing a broken heart. Some come here to change themselves. Everyone has a reason.

And everyone has to consider costs. What is cheap for one is well out of reach for another. It is though, usually possible to live far cheaper in Pattaya than you could in Western Europe or the US.

Check out the internet. There are any number of agents who will sell, let and rent out houses, flats and apartments in the Pattaya area of Thailand. Perhaps that is all you want and need to do. There are some fantastic deals available. Usually these rentals will come fully furnished, some may even have a pool or access to one, or a gym, cable TV, WiFi or internet ready. There may even be the option of the apartment being serviced for you. Some of these places will truly offer the luxury you always wanted.

You will always pay more for the location, the view and the amenities but it still need not dent your wallet too deeply.

To my way of thinking, a view is all very well but I can't eat it. Location? Near to what? If I am going to swim every day then the beach or a pool would be nice but....I am not disabled. I can walk or catch a Sang Thaew. Move a little away from the bright lights and prices can come down. Move too far and they go up once again.

Only you can decide.

The best possible advice I could give to anyone contemplating a long stay 'holiday' in Pattaya in Thailand is to visit first.

The agents are there but so too are the newspaper advertisements and the private owners wanting to let. All of the major supermarkets in Pattaya have a noticeboard covered in ads for monthly lets.

Come to Pattaya. Book into a hotel and spend a week following up these leads. You would never buy a house without checking out the lay of the land first....so why rent? It is in your best interest that you don't find yourself next to the noisest disco in the city.

So what should you expect to pay? 

I do actually live next to the noisest disco in Pattaya and it rumbles and vibrates till at least 03.30 each and every day. I don't notice it till it is pointed out to me. I have a single ensuite room, a double bed, a fridge and a tv. These are topped of by a ceiling fan and an air conditioning unit. My room is one of many identical rooms in an 'apartment' block. Most are occupied by groups of single girls, some single girls and a few Thai couples. In the odd 24 hour world of Pattaya some people I have never seen. My immediate neighbours moved in months ago. I have never seen them. I like it here though. I like it a lot. I like the people, their politeness and kindness. I like my corner of Pattaya. It may be noisy (if I listen) but it is a quiet corner.

What do I pay? On top of the rent I pay for water and electric and the most I have ever paid is 8,000 Thai Baht (see exchange rate here) for the month. I use (or rather my girlfriend does) the air condition rather a lot. Others around here are paying less than half that. I know of places I could move to and get considerably more for my money...but I like it here. Besides I have very little money.

At today's rates I am paying less than £150 a month. For £200 there is so much more to choose from. What do you want? What do you need? A house? An apartment? One bedroom? Two? Three? A Pool?

Book yourself into a Pattaya hotel for a week. Read the noticeboards, the papers. Speak to Bar Girls. Get honest opinions...and that will not necessarily be from your own countrymen.

Bear in mind that any long stay is going to need a month in hand. So you will need to pay two months rent at the start. Some require three.

Pattaya may be the worlds party central, the wildest city in the world but it has so much more to offer. Everything you could ever buy in Western Europe you will find here and then some.

Pattaya is contagious. It is almost an eventuality that you will enter into a relationship if you stop for any length of time. It is better to be advised before you do. Look around you there many happy and successful couples.

Give Long Stay a try...you may never leave. It is not without reason that 'Hotel California' is almost an anthem in Pattaya.

 You can learn a lot more about Pattaya by reading THE PATTAYA HUBS