Investing in real estate: Bali vs. Phuket

All this talk about holiday villas and real estate, brings up one important question: How does Bali stack up with it regional competitors, as an investment location? Michael Martin from Exotiq Real Estate, compares Bali to Phuket Thailand.

Contrary to what some British tourists think, Phuket is not pronounced ‘Fa-Ket’, its more like ‘Poo-Ket’, something like that. Just wanted to clear that up. My first visit to SE Asia was in 1984, when I flew from London to Bangkok, visiting friends in KL eventually. One my flight (Tarom Romania…never fly Tarom!), I sat next to a 65 year old English man. He asked me where I was going, I told him I was landing in Bangkok, and after exploring bit, I wanted to go down to KL. He said “I’m going to a place you’ve probably never heard of.” “Its a quiet island that’s just like paradise.” “Last year the owners of the hotel I stay in, threw a party for me, as I was the first foreigner ever to stay there.” “The place is called Phuket.”

I had never heard of it, but since then, Phuket exploded. An American friend of mine, had his honeymoon in Phuket few years ago, and described it as a combination of Hawaii and Tijuana.

Comparing Phuket and Bali, I’d say Phuket is basically a sand bar, with great beaches, not much local culture. Bali is a multitude of things, it beaches coming in a variety of colors, though never matching the stunning white sand of Phuket.

For a holiday investment you can take your choice. Two points Michael Martin raises are cost per meter, to develop, and security of your investment. At the end he leans towards Phuket, as the shakey nature of Bali’s legal system / politics, can give some poeple the shivers. For example there is a law on the books that says its illegal to build within 100 meters of the shore. Everybody does of course, but you leave yourself open. Food for though and interesting to hear someone give some counter-arguments to investing in Bali.