Greg_B

Well, we both are right about the Haven, it's turned into a buddy thing with Stephan {owner}. As long as your his "bud" everything is great. But for those normal clients it a different story. I really like his pool and location. The food is very good also. But I compare him to Bert @ the Queen Victorian Inn/Lord Nelson and there is no comparison. Bert is hands on and has a great personality. You see him during breakfast and lunch and he is talking to his hotel guests, sitting down with them. Later in the day, he will buy them a drink and joke with them. Sure he doesn't have a pool, but he can get you a pool pass to the Hard Rock Hotel. Seems to me Bert must have been one of us at one time and he knows what we like in a Hotel/Pub But to each his own, I'm very content to go to Berts place and hangout there.I never would have tried it, but was convinced by kjvegas to give it a try, as he seems to really like the place. Now, I see why......

Sounds like it might be worth checking out. So Roland, what took you so long to get upset with the Haven ? Stayed there 2 times and never wanted to go back. Owners family was so damn noisey at breakfast {0730}, that you had to get up, no way could you sleep in. Of course the owner has a personality of a rock.

kjvegas.. I never really thought about EVA until recently. I've about had it with UA/NWA and there service/prices. So, I just pulled the string on a trip for Jan 2005 @ $628.50 out of LAX. The price was a surprise and I couldn't resist it. Going in Sept 2004 also, but that is already arranged I'm hoping this "tip" is as good as the one you gave me for a hotel {Queen Vic}. I really enjoy that place..!

As of right now, Bangkok Airways is the only carrier who serves the Pattaya {U Tapao} to Phuket market.. http://www.bangkokair.com/ But Air Asia had got some real low prices in the Bangkok to Phuket market and may be worth checking out. http://www.airasia.com/general.php?p=pmain&l=en Yes you can book online, it's easily done

Isn't it a better idea to use the FF miles in incriments within the USA and get more freebies..?

E-Mail from Bert @ Queen Victorian Inn Many thanks Greg, website due to change in the next few days so will try and add the info in Thai, we do try and meet all guests at the airport who are here for the first time. Progress on the lord Nelson is going well and on time for Sept opening. It will be more of a sports bar, pool , darts etc and we hope to join the Pattaya Pool League. It will all be of a nautical theme as will the 9 rooms ( Luxury Hammocks !!!! ) and will be of the same if not a higher standard than the Queen Vic. Regards Bert

Airline launches All-Asia Pass Targeting business travellers, it offers 30% discount off normal airfares to 22 Asian cities YVONNE BOHWONGPRASERT Yongyut ... making flying fun and hassle-free. Business and leisure travellers opt for the most cost-saving method to reach their destinations. With improved connectivity, businessmen prefer to cover as many destinations as they can on a single trip. To cater to this particular market, Cathay Pacific launched the "All-Asia Pass" which has proved to be highly successful not only among expat business travellers, but Thais as well, says Mr Yongyut Lujintanon, Cathay Pacific's sales & marketing manager for Thailand and Burma. The fact that 65% of Cathay Pacific flyers are business travellers is one reason why the pass has been warmly received. "For both leisure and business travellers, this campaign means saving up to 30% off normal airfares on the 22 destinations in Asia covered by the pass," said Mr Yongyut. "This will especially help business travellers who need to fly to multiple cities. This campaign is a package deal that has made it more convenient for such travellers to receive a discount on full airfares compared to what they were paying earlier for tickets bought separately." The promotion, which runs June 1-October 31, will be extended if the feedback continues to be positive. Mr Yongyut says the objective is to let passengers experience a top grade product that has through the years serviced both business and leisure markets. "The All-Asia Pass has further consolidated Cathay Pacific's networking supremacy over Asia's major business destinations" Mr Yongyut believes that the pass should also help increase its share of Thai travellers that make up 35% of its clientele. Apart from Asians, Cathay Pacific has been gaining popularity among travellers from Europe and Australia as well, even though it's not a major player on those routes. Mr Yongyut noted that recent statistics indicated a distinct increase in Western travellers opting to fly Cathay largely due to the airline's excellent inflight product and service delivered by cabin crew drawn from 12 Asian countries. "Having such a cosmopolitan cabin crew has done wonders to remove any communication breakdown between passengers and cabin crew," enthused Mr Yongyut. "Another big plus has been our safety record, which makes passengers feel confident when flying with us. Cathay is also up there in terms of product leadership. It was the first airline to introduce private television, which has since become very popular. Premium passengers can also enjoy a restful flight as its seats can recline 180 degrees." Food is an integral part of any airline's success. Cathay Pacific sees to it that only the best gourmet food is served to passengers. Cuisine from all parts of Asia is rotated, adding a new meaning to airplane meals that have unfortunately gained a reputation for being repetitive and bland. From the last week of May to October, Cathay will be serving mouth-watering Chinese cuisine prepared by chefs at The Peninsula, Hong Kong. Always looking to improving service, Mr Yongyut said that the airline added a second daily flight from Hong Kong to New York on July 1. The flight over polar route will help save four to five hours of flight time. Also, seeing great potential in the Chinese market, Cathay Pacific has been flying to Beijing three times a week since March this year and prospects of flying there daily look very optimistic at this stage. Also on the cards are flights from Hong Kong to Shanghai and Cinema, a coastal city in China's south. Hoping to make it more attractive financially for Thais to travel to Japan, via Hong Kong, the airline has designed competitively priced packages available between May-September. Passengers have the option to stop over in Hong Kong on their way back to Bangkok. Purchasing tickets directly from the airline will entitle passengers to a double mileage bonus. Some of the promotions this year with Cathay Pacific include the "Hong Kong Supercity", a joint campaign in tandem with City Bank, which qualifies subscribers for triple mileage bonus when flying in Asia. Another promotion is the "Hong Kong Summer Sale", valid between June 8 to August. Drawn up in tandem with the Hong Kong tourism board, the package is priced at 8,900 baht per person and includes raindrop airfares and two nights hotel accommodation. By introducing frequent flyers to new campaigns and promotions, Cathay Pacific hopes to make travel more affordable and hassle-free, concluded Mr Yongyut Bangkok Post July 9, 2004

Plan on using them in Feb 2005, to take the TG somewhere. Prices are very low..

From the Queen Victoria Inn website: For our first year the Queen Vic consisted of 2 units. In the second year we added another 2 to give us a total of 21 rooms. For our 3rd year welcome THE LORD NELSON. Yes work has already started on the new pub and it's only a few doors away from the Queen Vic. It will consist of a Nautical themed bar downstairs with the emphasis being on sports. Upstairs we will have 9 Luxury rooms fitted and furnished to the highest of standards that will cost only 700 Baht per night or 18000 Baht a month and you can start booking NOW via the Queen Vic. Work will be completed in September so for all you people I had to turn away for Christmas or New Year and anyone who wants to be near us I am taking bookings from mid September and remember it's only 1 minute from The Queen Vic so you can still get all your English grub here a well as just calling in for a drink. I will keep you all updated on the progress in the monthly diary. Bert http://www.queenvictoria-inn.com/diary.htm

This seems to be right up the alley for Cheshire Tom, IM him and you'd get a good answer to your question. But try this website to see if you can get anything on that. http://www.thaivisa.com/

Nok Air, the low-cost airline backed by Thai Airways International which took over six months to hatch, is ready to venture from its nest in 11 days into the crowded and competitive local skies. Nok, bird in Thai, will be the third local entrant in the budget field after One-Two-Go, an affiliate of Orient Thai Airlines, and Thai AirAsia, a joint venture of Malaysia's AirAsia and Shin Corp, the conglomerate controlled by the family of Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra. Nok will begin flights on July 20 between Bangkok and Chiang Mai, Udon Thani and Hat Yai. The airline had been scheduled to debut on June 1, and some observers speculated that it was delayed to help players with political pull gain a greater foothold in the budget airline sector. But Patee Sarasin, chief executive of SkyAsia, the company that runs Nok, yesterday scoffed at the claims. He said that the regulatory process had taken longer than anticipated. "We have made sure that everything that was needed to be done before we start flying was done 100% correctly according to all international regulations and safety standards," he said. It took Thai AirAsia only a few months from inception to take off and to start expanding into neighbouring countries. Nok will use 149-seat Boeing 737-400s bearing a cartoonish yellow bird beak. The planes, leased from Thai Airways, will be introduced on July 15 in a ceremony presided over by Her Royal Highness Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn. The airline expects seats to be used to full capacity on five round-trip flights per day to Chiang Mai, three to Udon Thani and two to Hat Yai. The three routes are also hotly contested by Thai Airways, Thai AirAsia and One-Two-Go. Mr Patee maintains there is still room for more capacity on the routes. "There is demand for an additional carrier like ours. Furthermore, each airline offers its own selling point," he said. However, he said THAI, which owns 39% of Nok, might surrender some of its domestic routes to Nok in the future. Nok will use a five-tier pricing system, with early birds getting the cheapest fares. The lowest one-way fare to Chiang Mai will be 598 baht excluding insurance and taxes, and the highest 1,700 baht. Toward the last quarter of this year, Nok will add another Boeing 737-400, leased from THAI, to support expansion to destinations including Phuket, Ubon Ratchathani, Krabi and Phitsanulok. Next year, it plans to start flying to Hong Kong, Singapore and Malaysia. A first-year loss of about 18 million baht is projected. But Nok is expected to post a net profit of 252 million baht in the second year of operation and 693 million in the third year, according to a SkyAsia projection. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Bangkok Post July 8, 2004

http://www.queenvictoria-inn.com/ No pool but you have Pool passes to the Hard Rock Hotel

Looks a little out of the way, but a good place if your going to be there for an extended time period

potterces.. If you stay at the Queen Victoria Inn, you can get a pool pass to the Hard Rock Hotel from Bert {owner}....Great rooms there with fans/DVD/balcony and king sized beds...750 Baht is the most you will pay and very TG friendly since it's owned by an Englishman http://www.queenvictoria-inn.com/home.htm

I'd have to go RG, it may be a little away from the action, but the rooms are so nice and it's worth the extra effort to stay there...The TG's will appreciate it also

Sure do miss Sohm, who worked at the Windy Inn, till last year...She was a "cutie"

The Passion Of Christ, I thought it was a very good movie and well done by Mel Gibson {Director}

But, on the return trip to Pattaya from Koh Samui, I took a taxi for 800 Baht. There was a Bangkok Airways Bus for 150 Baht, but the TG was having stomach problems {that time of the month} and to get her back to the hotel , I did the taxi

I'm hoping BigD agrees with this one, since we both live on the East Coast of the USA. Going to Europe to get to Thailand may get you a 6 to 8 hour layover between flights. I tried that from Charlotte NC and I spent a miserable 7 hours in FRA to connect to Thai Airways {LH codeshare} East Coast USA flights leave in the PM and arrive in the early AM to Europe {6 to 8 AM}. Most flights depart Europe in the afternoon to make an arrival of 6 AM in Thailand. Now if you can handle a 7 hour layover go ahead, but it may be wiser to go westbound out of Canada to make NRT, HKG or TPE. I did the European thing one time and it was a "killer". Also most connections in the UK are via LHR, so don't go to LGW and expect to make an easy transfer.

I was thinking of staying there in Jan 2005, but construction will determine that plan....Keep us updated please...

Got a Baht Bus in Jan 2004 for 500 Baht. I did the same flight as your doing.

Kev.. I stay at the Queen Victoria Inn for 750 Baht/night and do have the use of the pool at the Hard Rock Cafe. DVD player, balcony, King size bed, ceiling fan , A/C and a very nice room. Owner is English {Bert}and he will do everything to make your visit a good one. Place has a great Pub and food. No deposit required for a reservation. Same street as the Soi 6 BJ bars, so it's kinda nice... http://www.queenvictoria-inn.com/

Roof Garden Inn, right across from the RG {no pool}, but 600 Baht is the price during your visit.. http://www.roofgardeninn.com/

Whatever you do, if you have to make a conx in the USA to LGA, make sure to have at least 2 and 1/2 hours between flights...Your luggage must clear the TSA Inspection and any shorter conx time may lose you and your luggage for a time.

'Beer Chang' strikes deal with Everton The makers of Beer Chang have successfully negotiated a sponsorship deal with English Premier League club Everton, the cross-town rivals of Liverpool, whose shirts are currently emblazoned with the logo of major industry competitor Carlsberg. Thai Beer (1999) sealed the agreement yesterday. The sponsorship deal was reportedly worth around 100 million baht. Under the agreement, the Beer Chang logo would appear on Everton shirts for three years from August. Club director Paul Grace said the deal would officially be signed in the next few weeks, after which Wayne Rooney will attend a press conference in Bangkok. The Everton and England striker would be on international duty at Euro 2004 in Portugal until July 4.