Im gonna go hit Thailand for 2 months min - and while there see about a retirement visa
What area do you guy recommend for this - going to get in shape again and do what we do .........
Phuket is the place I heard is the go to place for this..
I spend 3 months a year in Thailand since I live a 2.5 hour flight away and my partner is Thai.
My favourite spot is Soi 24 Sukhumvit BPC gym near the Phrom Phong BTS station. They have some futuristic super excellent equipment, very good air conditioning, not too many influencer types filming, and there are several meal prep companies that deliver in the area (bangkok prep is particularly delicious). The surrounding area is very posh and "civilized" and all the shopping malls in the area are just marvellous. It's conveniently located next to the BTS train so it's really easy to get around the city if you want to do some non bodybuilding stuff.
BKK Muscle factory near Soi Sukhumvit 79 is a pretty quiet area removed from all the degeneracy and sex tourism, but it's also fairly empty out there and the food in the area isn't as good. The hotels/monthly rentals aren't great in this area either. It's hard to find a place with a kitchen.
Pattaya Muscle Factory is a lot better and there are lots of cheap condos with monthly rentals in the area that all have well equipped kitchens if you want to make your own food. Pattaya has a ton of meal prep places, the best of which imo is Cajun Cafe which is walking distance to The Muscle Factory in Pratumnak. It's literally right on the beach and that particular beach is very quiet, peaceful, and clean. Relatively insulated from the sex tourism compared to central pattaya, but there's still plenty of shenanigans. In that area its not so distracting and this area is more of an expat area than a tourist area. If you go inside the Cajun Cafe you'll run into at least 3 competitors or MMA Muay Thai guys. Plenty of very attractive fitness ladies who love to date other competitors in this community if that's your thing.
Elite Gym Pattaya in South Pattaya is very removed from the sex tourism and an even quieter area. Not as many convenient food options but rentals are cheap in this area since there's not a lot of tourist stuff here.
Neither muscle factory location has air conditioning and in the Thailand heat/humidity this gets annoying, especially during cardio. Elite Gym and BPC gym both have very good AC.
I can't comment on Phuket as I've never been there, but I do know the same bussines that does Pure Prep BKK has a location in Phuket that delivers Island wide and the prices in their phuket location are lower than BKK. I have a friend who used to live here with me in China who moved to Phuket last year and he says the traffic is pretty awful. The Island also became very Russianized and according to him they are not the friendliest or most pleasant people and frequently have conflicts with the local Thais and non Russian expats and tourists.
Lastly, don't rule out Hua Hin for budget and quieter options. It's a bit like Pattaya but more of a chill beach vibe with a lot less aggressive sex tourism stuff and much lower prices for everything. The gyms aren't as well equipped but still very good.
I'm going to be there for a month in the summer but I'm just going to stay with my girlfriend in the suburbs of Chonburi. I'll see if I can convince her to have us rent a place in BKK or Hua Hin instead but she's a taxi driver and wants to stay in her work routine.
