dontcha

Same here, not allowed to vote because of the choices given

When I was young and silly I treated farang ladies to weekends away in plush 5* hotels, these hotel rooms cost a bomb but I did not sleep any better. I remember staying in one hotel where they charged us extra for changing the knife/fork and spoon at dinner in the restaurant. I came to conclusion that these places were for daft people that wanted to waste money ..... if you have money to burn give it to charity. The snobs on this board look down on those that don't waste money like we are somehow inferior. I do not travel 6000 miles to stay in a cockroach infested dump but I don't look down on those that because of economic circumstances choose to do so. On all my trips I constantly look out for better value accommodation, I do this to break the monotony of my daily exercise walks, I like to discover new places. The only place that I have seen that I considered paying over 1000 was Nova Gold on my last trip(1500 baht per night) but it is awkward to get to. It makes no sense to me to stay in the Dusit or Marriot in Pattaya surrounded by pretentious snobs that look down on you as a whore monger. I do not like guesthouses over bars because I have to pass by the girls working there, there are many quite superb guesthouses in LK Metro most notably Armageddon. There are many apartment complexes offering quality full service accommodation to longerterm guests in the 700-800 baht per night bracket. Many quality hotel rooms are available for 1000 but if you look around and negotiate you will get superb rooms for about 1000 to match the so called 5* star hotels. This is the cheap charlie "dump" that I am staying in for 1000 per night in high season. sure the rooms in the expensive rooms may be nicer but is the internet free and can you bring back multiple ladies at no extra charge, did I mention that there were surveillance cameras everywhere. I have found and even better cheaper place for my next trip by walking about and checking places out.

I wish they would close all bars by 1.00am so that the girls would be more eager to find a many earlier, I hate looking for a girl after 2.00am

It was much better 10 or 15 years ago. The internet and mobile phones have caused the demise of the GFE. In my opinion what has changed Pattaya for the worst more than anything else is the proliferation of farang owned bars. It is next to impossible to have a GFE experience with a hot 19 year old these days without her expecting you to buy a new wardrobe and a mobile phone. I tried the LT GFE with a hot 19 year old for the last few days but she startef looking at phones in Tukcom so I had to let her go. It is better now than one year ago because there are less customers so it's easy to get a hottie for 1000 or less. The golden era of 10 years ago is gone forever but if you like ST uncomplicated sex then Pattaya is better than ever. It seems like there are more pretty girls eager for custom perhaps due to less people being stupid enough to sponsor during the depression. Overall I still say it is a great place to be. .

The new light are a fantastic addition and means that you can safely cross the road

My flight was 4 hours late and the driver did not expect to get a tip .... simply superb service

I'll pop in for a drink or two. How much do you charge for bacardi breezers?

Well I suppose it's alright since your providing free food, I will have to drink a manly beer if I pop into your place on Sunday night.

Great music but how much do you charge for bicardi breezers?

Fergalicious, it's got that boom boom pow vibe going on

Pattaya has changed so much in the 2 years since these photos were taken that this guide has almost become irrevelant. Time for an update.

The girls are not animals. Many girls that work on the beach can be found working in bars later.

Monsters Inc.

Nice of you to post it Tom but it's not exactly new, anyone that has googled siam commercial bank exchange rates would have got that link to all the Thai banks exchange rates. It may be helpful to put this topic in the newbie section. It would be helpful if people on the ground in Pattaya posted the actual best exchange rates available for the Euro, US dollar,Sterling, Australian dollar, Canadian dollar etc.

The rooftop pool on Mike shopping mall is excellent for 80 baht.

That is where you've got it so wrong, I'll soon be heading over for my third trip this year. Some people refer to me as a cheap charlie because of my prudent savvy spending. The chances are that most people that can no longer visit were big spenders that lost their jobs due to the recession. For years people that worked in financial institutions and construction made more money than they could spend but now many of them are unemployed. Pattaya is affordable for cheap charlies but not so for big spenders. Lower wages and awful exchange rates have turned former big spenders into prudent mongers.

The traffic is slower due to those new pedestrian crossings on 2nd road

it will help me to get to bed earlier and no need to stay up late to pick up a top freelancer

Book another trip and have something to look forward to. I am so looking forward to my upcoming trip. I agree with you that bars om soi diana can be great fun. 1400 for LK Rennaisance sounds like a good deal, I was getting LK Metro for 1000 baht in low season last year but I was not impressed with the room they showed me. Thanks for posting your experience.

very honest girl, I'll bet there's even mongers out there that would have kept the cash if they found it. 13000 cash left in wallet after a nigh't entertainment was far too much cash to bring out. how much cash had he on him at the start of the night?

The only vehicles that I've seen stop at the pedestrian crossing near Kiss restaurant across from Mike shopping mall were taxis when they stopped to pick up cutomers. How do less mobile people manage to cross 2nd road?

It should be a nice little earner for the BIB.

The taxis at departure were screaming at me to come over the moment I stepped outside the door and practically fought over who got my 1000 baht. ...I do not recommend doing this unless you've missed the bus and that is why I pre-book Mr T for his 1000 baht fare when I know the bus time wont suit. Why do some people persist on trying to convince people that it is almost immoral to save on their holiday expenses? I have used both Mr Toom and Mr T and if anything Mr T's cars were better. By using Mr T over Mr Toom it's like I get a free oil massage with the 200 baht that I save. Whatever happened to mr dream?

I got Mr T to confirm the price we discussed on the phone via email. "Hello Everything confirm. Price is 1,000 Baht all included. Please look for your name on the placard near gate no.3 & 4 on 2nd floor. If you have any problem (can't find my driver) please call (+66) 081-2587716 please call (+66) 081-2587716 Thank you Mr.T" with regard to Cheshire Tom's query on how anyone can get a taxi for 1000 baht tolls included, it is quite simple to walk past the touts and meet an eager taxi driver that will gladly agree to your offer. ... In all negotiatons one should endeavour to cut out the middle-man. Smarter taxi drivers realize that it better to get a few runs in each direction quickly rather than piss about waiting inline in the hope someone will pay over the odds. Many taxi stands get a 200 baht commission when you book your taxi back to the airport and that is why you pay them 200 and the driver 600. Last time I missed Bell bus I went upstairs to departures and said to the taxi drivers 1000 baht to Pattaya and you pay toll, they were practically fighting for my business so I decided to take a guy with a metered taxi. ...excellent service so I gave him a 100 baht tip which he was not expecting to get.

I talked to Mr T taxi service on the phone and he said 1000 including tolls from the airport for my upcoming trip; that is 200 cheaper than Mr Toom. If Mr T cost anymore than 1000 then I would simply get one of the many taxis waiting at the airport or the bus for 200 baht if the time suited. No justification in paying 1200 baht when you can get a taxi for 1000.