Emil

My first trip to Pattaya was in Aug 01. The FLB board had a different format back then and didn't have the hotel info like it does today so I booked a room at the Pattaya Center hotel on Soi 12 by doing a search on Pattaya City at a cost of 800 baht. Every trip thereafter (sometime I would stay at the same location for 3 or 4 trips) I kept finding cheaper places that where also better just by walking around during the day until I got the price down to 300 baht a day (this was a monthly rate and included my cost for utilities). Last year the TGF and I moved to a new location and the cost went up to 400 baht a day (yearly rate), however this was a 1 bedroom and much larger place. The key is look for newly opened places and you'll also have more leverage if your staying for more than a week or two.

Speaking of logic, I can't understand how some punters will fly nearly halfway around the world and then limit themselves to getting a room between Beach Rd and 2nd Rd. There are many place that have sprung up recently outside of this area and as long as your just a short walk to the baht bus route the difference in time of getting from your room to another point in Pattaya is just 5-10 minutes and in some cases less. If I owned the Sabai Lodge and had high demand for my rooms I'd also keep the prices up. The bottom line is that you can whine about the high prices or you can do something about it and stay elsewhere.

Don't know as I wasn't specific about the tests. I do remember that her checkup was a few hundred baht more than what I was charged. If there is a test for that STD then all you would need to do is ask.

I heard about these couriers about 10 years back. What I heard was that you were on their schedule both going and return. Now if some courier service would pay me to carry some stuff for them ( at a reasonable cost) then I would be interested. Since I'm at a higher frequent flyer level I could carry more weight than your average traveler.

If there is a place in Pattaya that prepares this, then all they have to do is get with Bobby from WOW (waiter on wheels)and have him add it to his list of establishments. Then you wouldn't even have to go to the place for the take out, just phone up or order on line.

The last time I walked by they had cleared the land next to them so you might have some construction noise.

If you're over 50 you can geta retirement visa.

I just left town and many bars looked pretty dead. At this time of the year if your breathing and have some baht you'll have little trouble finding companionship.

A few years bach took the TGF and myself to Pattaya International for the checks. Got them for both of us at around 4,000 baht. Walked in without an appointment, saw the Dr and then waited less than 2 hours for the results. I think that if your also getting tested she wouldn't be insulted and then after you get the test results don't forget to go to the pharmacy and get her some birth control pills.

I just got some a couple weeks back at the photo shop on Soi Buakaow, south of Soi Diana. Cost is 100 baht for 4 or 150 baht for 8.

Soi Arunothai heads south off of Pattayaklang where Carrefour is located. Go about 30 meters on Arunothai and take the 1st left, then go another 30 meters and it will be on your right.

Rob, Try Mansion 75 near Carrefour and just off Soi Arunothai. Around 7500 per month plus electric and water. Housekeeping free once every 2 weeks, if you need more there is a charge for each cleaning or you can get a live in to do the cleaning of the room and your pipes. I stay at an apartment and the cost is 12,300 per month for a 1 bedroom plus utilities. Only problem would be that its small so the vanancies would have to coincide with your trip and that wouldn't be known until just before your arrival.

Actually this hotel opened about November of last year and the smaller one was completed 1st but only about 1 month. A high floor on taller building would probabley provide the best view.

I prefer the Eastiny Place to the Flipper, never stayed at the Natural Beach. I think the Natural Beach is adding a new addition from what I've seen walking along the beach.

I hadn't noticed anything being built in that area between those sois, there isn't that much room between them. I did notice that the Stereo Bar had undergone a name change and face lift. There was a new hotel being built on Soi Honey the last time I was there in June. I'll check it out the next time I walk that area.

Got this contact number for Rob from Hilly. 0894765661

I haven't seen any new construction talking place on Soi 9 except the new mall. Is this the newly remolded place that is located above Hammer's Cherry bar on Soi 8?

Myself and the TGF live in a 1 bedroom appartment and we pay about 700 baht a month for electric and thats at 6 baht a unit.

If any of you Americans need to go to the US Embassy in Bangkok they will have an outreach day here in Pattaya on the 18th of July at the Dusit from 8 AM to noon. Could save you a trip to Bangkok.

Can be done. I had a friend move over here 3 years ago and lived on $500 USD a month, however that was when the exchange rate was 40 to 1. At your age you could get a retirement visa and not have to do any visa runs. 800k baht in a Thai bank or 65k baht a month income or combination required for the retirement visa.

Not entirely a wate of money. You still have the principle earning interest either in a fixed rate account or maybe invested earning even a higher rate of return.

Those problems that you mentioned could have all been easily fixed. It would have been easy for management to move the bad frig out of the one room and moved the frig that was located in the room with the broken lock into that room. Then take the drain cover from the room with the broken lock and move it to the room with the missing drain cover. Now they would only have 1 room that was not up to par and that room could be fixed easily the next day by a maintenance person.

I believe the 15 day extensions went bye-bye about the same time that Thai Immigragion came up with their new polices regarding days in LOS back in Sep 2006. Those new polices made me get the retirement visa, I had last gotten the 15 day extension back in July 2006. I wonder if tom21's post caused some doubt to the OP and it wound up costing him some baht. I was in Pattaya at the time and spend very little time on the boards, otherwise I would have confirmed JK's post.

Kerrati Home Stay is nearby. They are affiliated with the LK Hotel so you can use their pool and fitness room.

I just returned from a trip to Laughlin from Sacramento. Total cost of gas was $375, fortunately I won enough to cover all my costs. I don't own or rent a vehicle while in LOS, do much more walking than here in the states so my transportation cost is minimal in Pattaya. Did notice that rice cost me 169 baht for 5 kilos last week compared to about 120 for what we paid the last time. Even though this represents about a 40% increase in price, this bag will last us over a month and it's such a small percent of my total living cost which is easily covered by my pension's COLA. Like I mentioned earlier, one of the largest cost categories for a monger living in Pattaya is his shagging cost and this can easily be reduced by learning the ropes and unfortunately as one ages this cost will be reduced. Actually the cost of my flights now are much less than my early trips in 2001 through 2003. These were good years for travelers as we had the 9-11 scare, SARS, bird flu and the Iraq War keeping prices low. It was in 2004 that I became fully aware of United Airlines frequent flyer program and took advantage of this knowledge. My average cost for trips in 2005 was $600. In 2006 and 2007 they were $400 USD, so far this year I'm averaging $500 USD. I do travel 6 times a year so this keeps the average low as I pay for 3 and then get 3 freebies.