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As an after my trip aside on this. There is a money changing joint on Second Rd. , between Soi 2 and Soi 1 that gave a much better rate then the airport. The best I fouind on my trip.

Hi guys , I'm arriving on Monday. Will I get a better rate of exchange for my dollars at the airport or at one of the exchange places in Pattaya ? I seem to remember it being better at one of the places on Second Road. Anyone know for sure??

For a serious high end dinner The Bay at the Dusit Resort is probably the best in Pattaya. It's Italian and features things like venison and the best lobster in Pattaya. French wines and great deserts. Also a great view over the bay. Expect to pay US, European prices, ..but it's worth it. It can freak out your date though, when she sees you spending five times what your giving her for dinner.

Are you really going to bring your kids to Pattaya? I hope you've though up some good explanations for them for what they are going to see. I'm about as liberal as it gets, but I would never bring my kids there. It will be quite an education for them.

I stayed there once a few trips back, more as a joke on a freind that had never been to Pattaya before. It's fun for the experience, completely over the top, ....but I couldn't imagine spending more then a night or two there. I had no bugs in my suite , as has been reported by others, and the location couldn't be better.

Does anyone know yet if the new regime will be any easier about farlangs owning property in Thailand

How do you qualify for a retirement visa?

I feel the same way, at Thai prices I would much rather buy a house, and there are plenty of Westerners that have done it through bogus conpanies. But with the dodgy laws I don't intend to loose my investment, so I'll probably try to find a large condo and Buy a house later if the laws change.

Thanks for alot of good advice. Oh well, although I'm not retiring for four more years, I had planned to buy much sooner,....and I would much rather have a house then a condo. I'll just have to wait for now and see what happens with the new law, (or the enforcing of the current one), ......or I just might have to get married, something I was hoping to avoid.

A major bummer for me. I had just finally desided to retire in Pattaya. Although my retirement is still 4 years away I wanted to buy now and would have much preferred a house to a condo. Now I'll just have to sit and wait and hope the law changes in the next four years. It is very short sighted of the Thais to do this. They need the money alot more than we do, and foreign money bought into this economy can only be good for all of them. Oh well, I just may have to get married.....something I really didn't want to do.

Apologies if this one has been asked before. I am beginniong to lay the ground work for retiring in Thailand. I've spent alot of time on the realestate web sites and have noticed that there are many houses in the 160,000 to 220,000 USD range the equal of which would cost me over a million in the San Francisco Bay area. Most of them seem to be in East Pattaya. I know where that is on the map, but have never had a reason to go there on my visits, so I have no idea what it's like. Does anyone on this board live in one of these ex-pat developements or know anything about them? I'll be setting