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Mayb31

2/2/2016 04:03 EST

Hi, hope we can get some advice from you guys.

We are a family which is looking in to spending a year in Thailand.
We have three children which at the time of arrival will be 6-11-14. So they will be attending school.
Though we are from Norway, we prefer an scandinavian school, but we'll also be considering int. schools.

We know from earlier travels in Thailand the aerias of Bangkok, Samui and Phuket. Though we liked all of thees, we're not considering any of thees as a place we'd like to live.
Reason:
Bangkok: To "Big City" :)
Phuket: To partyish
Samui: To expencive airport.

The thing is that when in Thailand, we'da also like to travel to other contreys in Asia, so we need our base to be easy accesseble from an int. airport.
Things we are looking for in our "base" are;
- great beaches
- children friendley
- safe
- school for children

We have looked at a few places;
Jomtien/Pattaya;
Pro:
-close to Bangkok
-nice islands
-cheep
-scandinavian school
Cons:
-Partyish
-weather all year
-dirty beaches

Hua Hin:
Pros;
-Nice small town feel
-scandinavian school
-weather all year
-no party town
-close to BKK
-domestic airoort
-railwayline
Cons:
-not great beach
-domestic flights only to Chang Mai
-No weekend gettaways close(?)

Koh Lanta:
Pros;
-Georgeus island
-fantastic islands
-lots of daytrip opertuneties/weekend getaways close
-Safe
-child friendley
-scandinavian school
Cons:
-island
-not as easy accessable as Hua Hin/Pattaya
-Closed down in low season(?)
-far from BKK

Now, the thing I'd like to hear from you guys is if our thoughts on this is about right or if we've got this all wrong.
Where do you recommend tho live? And why?

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caughtintheact

From: Thailand

2/2/2016 07:22 EST

There are 9 international airports in Thailand
Chiang Mai International Aiport - CNX
Suvarnabhumi International Airport - BKK
Don Mueang International Airport- DMK
Hat Yai International Airport - HDY
Krabi International Airport - KBV
Mae Fah Luang-Chiang Rai International Airport - CEI
Phuket International Airport - HKT
Samui International Airport - USM
Utapao-Rayong-Pataya International Airport

Udon Thani and Ubon Ratchathani only serve chartered international flights to specific locations during limited times of the year.

You seem to have done a lot of homework. Have you tried making a weighted chart of all the factors you want to consider and using that to make a decision? In other words what are the most important factors, then assign a scale of 1-5 where 5 is most important and 1 is least important. Perhaps the most important is school, which might mean eliminating all the places that have no suitable schools.

I do not see Songkhla or Krabi on your list. Songkhla is not far from Hatyai which has an international airport and Krabi has an international airport, but not sure about suitable schools in those areas. I also do not see Rayong, Chantaburi or Trad on your list, all of which have beaches and are within a reasonable distance of the Utapao International Airport. Each of these provinces has their own web site where you can get an idea of what they have to offer. Don't forget to check medical facilities for each area you consider.

Since your plan is to come for a year, you might check with the nearest Thai embassy/consulate to see whether there are suitable visas available, and if you will be able to get multiple re-entry visas for you and your family if you travel out of the country a lot.

You can also look for a listing of Scandinavian or international schools in Thailand which might enable you to add some locations for consideration.

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