SmellyFarang

Thanks for the OP - an interesting idea for an afternoon out. Looks like a "no shoes" policy, maybe to avoid damaging the art? If so then for sure a place to wear socks for a clean freak like me. Do they store the shoes in any kind of secure way (claim tickets, etc) or it is purely an honor system where anyone can run off with your expensive farang footwear?

Thanks, though the snacks are actually for the girls and make a nice first impression when they walk in the room. The girls that make me happy get to pick one as a extra parting tip. The girls that make me very happy sometimes get to pick 2...

I expect there are some, but I've never really looked. I did stay in a DW condo in VT6 that had an interesting sliding partition that closed off the TV area into a separate room, but I forget the room number (I think it was a high floor VIP room).

After staying in this View Talay 6 (VT6 #13-450) condo for a month, it’s now one of my favorites from Dancewatchers.com I’ve discussed the great location & other benefits that make VT6 my favorite building in past reviews over the years (just search “Dancewatchers”), so I’ll skip that here and just focus on the condo. In addition to a doorbell (helpful for girls to wake you up when they arrive), the door has extra deadbolts top & bottom for more security. It also has weather stripping insulation which I’ve rarely seen on condo doors, but the stripping did seem to help cut down the hallway noise a bit as well as help keep the room cool. The AC was very strong and was always able to cool the room down well within a few minutes. There was no overhead fan in the room but one outside on the balcony along with a small table & pair of chairs. The South side the view was always great. The small dining table & chairs in the kitchen entranceway were a nice plus, as were the style of handles on the cabinet doors. The handles made it convenient to use a simple bicycle lock for additional semi-secure storage from the safe. For example, I was able to store both my carryon bag and oversized computer bag above the microwave, and still have room on the lower shelf for my 17” computer and various other items. The floor-level cabinets have enough space to store several full-sized suitcases as well. Hooks mounted above the sink worked great to hang a variety of those nasty fish snacks the girls love, which for 20B-30B each made a nice extra tip as the girls left. The bathroom has a full-sized walk-in shower with sliding doors that create an effective thermal barrier so the girls can shower more comfortably even when farangs have the room AC frosty cold. Unfortunately the glass doors are frosted, so no pics of sexy soapy Thai titties rubbing against the glass. It has both a large overhead as well as detachable showerhead, and the pair of mounted shelves are strong enough for girls to pump soap bottles without breaking off. None of the VT6 condos I’ve tried over the years have had very strong water pressure, and the same was true with this condo. The bed is large & comfortable and high enough that you store full-sized luggage underneath with a pair of short dresser drawers on either side. The closet has full-sized floor to ceiling mirrors which are always appreciated, as are the dimmer switch light controls next to the bed. The lighting was good enough for decent pics in the room as well. The TV was a cool feature that I previously posted in another thread. It’s a large Samsung Smart TV which basically doubles as a computer with internet access. You can even attach a keyboard & mouse. This means your girls to do their Facebook, twitter and games on the TV instead of using your computer as well surf the web for stuff like movie listings at the Central Festival mall next door, weather, etc. The TV also appears to come with a video service from Samsung where they have a large library (500+) of major movies on demand for free. It was nice sometimes just to snuggle with the girls as they flipped through the various movie previews (especially the trashy Thai horror movies so many of them seem addicted to). And the room has a pretty cool couch for snuggling with your girls. You can adjust the back to recline at several different angles, including even lying flat. A section underneath can pull out and pop up to convert the couch into double-sized bed. The couch was also light enough to easily move around the room as well. My trips are working trips where I rely on the internet and a decent work environment to stay productive, and this room was great on both counts. It had a proper desk and office chair which were comfortable for extended use, and the internet package was an upgrade to 3BB 13Mbps down/1 Mbps up (as opposed to the more typical 10M down/512k up). The double speed up noticeably helped the quality of my VOIP Vonage business phone calls. The room has a dedicated, password-protected wireless router so it was convenient for all my devices to access. I opted for housekeeping twice a week which worked well. The staff always did a good job and worked around my schedule, and I gave them a small tip each time. They also provided extra towels which was very helpful. I also rented a motorbike from Dancewatchers which was convenient as I had previously rented phones, cameras, etc. Overall a very high quality room for a good value at VT6, and now one of my favorites for the future. The pricing varies based on the time of year and duration of stay, so for any of those questions I’ll just point people to the Dancewatchers.com website. Though I will add that, as always, the deposit for Dancewatchers was *much* more reasonable than the "1 month deposit" other places demand, and I was promptly refunded the balance minus power & water.

That's the odd part - both from my experiences there and reading other people's experiences on the AC boards, AC is every bit as hostile to foreigners when it comes to physical altercations with the locals because "you rich foreigner and he have family to feed". If anything my impression is that the police AC (and the rest of the PI) are even more corrupt and seize opportunities to demand payoffs. Including entrepreneurial off-duty exploits of UA scams, etc. The general assumption in AC seems to be that "rich foreigner always pays" regardless of almost the most extreme circumstances (such as breaking a guy's face that tried to rob you), especially if the police get involved.

Interesting results compared to my same post on several Pattaya boards vs a major AC board. On all the Pattaya boards, a much higher percentage of BMs voted to avoid the confrontation and just pay the guy the 100 he demanded. But on the AC board the strong majority voted to only pay the original or compromise amount. Why do you think there's such a difference in the responses? Is it an indication of the threat of violence being that much greater in Thailand than the Philippines?

CheshireTom, on 27 Sept 2013 - 04:26, said: I don't begrudge guys asking a bit more like a baht bus wanting 20B at 4am or asking a motorbike to take me to some remote area in the early morning hours. But my OP is talking about between to major areas, WS & Soi LK Metro, around midnight - which most people would consider to be "prime time business hours" for those areas. But the above doesn't even apply to my OP because the simple fact is the guy agreed to a price before I got on his bike then tried to charge me double when we arrived. That's 100% out and out scam no matter how much lipstick you put on that pig.

Better that than a knife in yer ribs, as I almost found out first-hand

What makes my OP all the more stupid in hindsight is that several times both before and after the incident I’ve had motorbike taxis drop off girls at my condo and charge me obviously inflated prices. In those cases I’ve tried to press back a bit, though in a light-hearted way “What? Did you drive her from Bangkok?” But I think I’ve only won a concession 1 time out of half a dozen or so encounters. And there was one time when I started my pushback and my girl just rolled her eyes and dug the cash out of her own purse before taking me firmly by the arm and marching me up to my condo. I could practically hear her thinking: “Silly farang! You about to pay me over 10x and you want stand here boxing boxing taxi instead? Now come loom and boom boom all my holes most nasty, kinky ways you can! Maak Maak!!” There I am, just moments away from living out my wildest fantasies laying hot pipe in an exotic, breathtakingly beautiful girl – and instead I’m choosing to waste my time arguing over a few baht with a sweaty, smelly taxi driver that's just sitting there, grinning at me, knowing my dick wouldn't let me win? It’s amazing how distressingly stupid I can be regarding my priorities sometimes…

After coming to Pattaya for the better part of a decade and spending over a year total in town, I’ve always tried to be practical when thinking about what I’d do when faced with getting mugged, etc. Is a phone or a few baht really worth risking one’s life? Or at the very least dealing with a farang-hostile legal system that would likely require payoffs or worse. The frequent stories of locals ganging up on farangs when things get physical also really underscores the need to be realistic about when it makes sense to fight back versus stoically taking it so one can get on with the business of mongering. So several years ago I made the conscious decision that, unless I really through my life was at risk, not to try fighting back. That also includes deciding ahead of time to generally never get involved, even if witnessing truly offensive acts. That may sound fine on paper, but in the heat of the moment it’s tough to resist the gratifying temptation to watch the other guy on his hands and knees vainly trying to fish his busted teeth out of a pool of his own blood with two sets of broken fingers. For example, last high season things didn’t escalate to that point, but in hindsight it was shocking how quickly a situation devolved and how stupid I acted over a few baht – exactly what I promised myself I’d never allow myself to do. Around midnight one of my favorite girls in a soi LK Metro bar sent me a text asking me to BF her. I was at the entrance of Walking Street and so got a motorbike taxi. Even though the price is always 50B, as is my habit I first fished a 50B note out of my pocket and showed the driver, asking “Soi LK Metro – 50 baht ok?” He nods an I hop on his bike where he proceeds to make record time getting to the soi, weaving in ‘n out of the light traffic clearly secure in his faith of Buddha protecting him, or at the very least unconcerned if Buddha chooses that moment to “call him home” and if a farang is along for the ride, well then all the better. I climb off the bike and make to hand him the 50B note, and that’s where the drama starts. “100 Baht!” I first try to make light of the scam, laughing it off and saying “No, no, always 50 baht”. “100 Baht!” he shouts louder with a no doubt colorful stream of obscenities, drawing the attention of the group of other motor bike taxi drivers nearby who start laughing and calling attention to the show to their colleagues. I ignore them and try again. “I showed you 50 baht, and you said ok” I said firmly, again trying to hand him the money. In response he just shakes his head. “You show me 50 baht, but I not say ok!” Ah, checkmate. Well played, Thai man. Well played. But then again, fuck you. His satisfied smile beamed brighter than any of the neon signs on LK Metro when he saw me reach into my pocket again, only to burst into an even louder stream of insults and obscenities when he saw my hand emerge not with another 50B note, but just 20B. I held the cash out to him, not saying anything or reacting while he continued to work himself into more and more of a frenzy. Meanwhile my lizard hindbrain was frantically, and futilely, trying to reach up and choke some sense into my frontal lobe. Was this aggravation really worth a few extra baht? Especially when I could have a one of my favorite girls snuggling in my lap instead of standing in the street arguing with an asshole? Finally I had enough and made a show of putting the money back in my pocket and turning my back on him (again, in hindsight a really great way to get a rusty knife in the ribs) while also keeping an eye on the group of other motorbike taxis to see if any of them started to make a move towards me to help their fellow countryman play “kick the farang in the head”. “Ok! Ok!” he shouts behind me, then snatches the bills from my hand as I held them out like feeding a chicken carcass to a crocodile. More insults and obscenities as he then guns his motorbike, hurling a final insult over his shoulder much to the delight of his audience of colleagues as he raced off. “You fat farang buffalo! Next time you walk!” Luckily this story had a happy ending, with me shaking off the aggravating encounter and soon ending up balls-deep in one of my favorite girls. But in hindsight the situation could have quickly gone sideways, especially if the guy was flying on a fresh yabba buzz, or especially if some of the other motorbike taxi drives came to his “defense” against the evil, exploitive farang. So how stupid do you think I was for taking such a large risk over something so petty? And how would you have handled the situation? I think the fact that I was caught so off guard because it was such a blatant scam on such routine situation was the main cause I reacted as emotionally as I did instead of being smart and using my head. Have you encountered a situation in Patts that, in hindsight, you took a stupid risk instead of just parting with a few baht?

And did I already mention www.Dancewatchers.com ?

+1 Search dancewatchers and you'll find a number of reviews from myself and others. And their website shows a good variety of condos at various price levels as well.

I've posted several reviews of my stays at Dancewatchers condos over the years, and am overdue for my most recent trips. So, a quickie review on my recent stays in View Talay 6 and and also View Talay 2A earlier this year: I needed a good quality condo in mid-May with reliable, high-speed internet for just a few days, and Dancewatchers delivered with a good unit in VT2A, #17-811. Everything worked, and the AC did a good job keeping the room cool. The bed was a high quality high-rise style that was firm and comfortable and a large king size that allowed for plenty of room for fun with the girls. Highly recommended. And earlier during High Season I stayed in 2 condos in VT6 #18-650 & #16-565 back in November during the course of a month, and both units were great during my stay. Everything was clean and worked well. During my stay the condo’s owner even had a service crew do a thorough cleaning of the AC. This wasn’t just a quick wash of the filters, but rather a full tear-down cleaning that took over an hour to complete. The bed was also high quality, a high-rise style that was firm and comfortable and a large king size that allowed for plenty of room for fun with the girls. The housekeeping service was also very convenient, basically providing the same service as a hotel but with me being able to specify a more convenient schedule of just few days a week. So both buildings were convient and reliable with no hassles or distractions to take time away from my trips. I’ve used Dancewatchers for several of my past trips, and they continue to be my first choice for future trips. Apparently Tik has added more condos to their inventory for VT6, but I suspect they'll still fill up early for the next High Season as they have in years past. So if you're planning a trip, it would be a good idea to start looking at your options sooner rather than later.

Maybe because it's one's constitutional right as a US Citizen to have it if one wants? Though that pesky US Constitution doesn't count for much in the post-Bush/Cheney Amerika. Prediction: within a few years US Customs will also search your computer for illegal/pirated mp3 & movies unless you can prove legal purchase...

+1 Just search "condos" and you'll see a lot of reviews, including a few from myself. Since I rented my first condo from Dancewatchers in View Talay 6, that location has always been my first choice - as has DW for their reliable service and fair dealings regardings deposits, etc. And you can pay by credit card so you get the frequent flyer miles towards your next trip...

PBG has seen its share of mixed reviews on the boards, and sadly my one experience there was one of the negative ones and so extraordinally awful with the food & staff that I never returned - even after spending well over a year in Pattaya all told from my various trips. But fair credit to a business owner that's willing to invest in making some major improvements, so I'll give it another shot during these next few months.

Have you considered renting a condo instead? That ball-park price can probably give you some good options for View Talay 6, my favorite location on Beach Rd next to Central Festival mall. Just do a search on condos and you'll find a variety of reviews (sprinkled with some entertaining "alternative" views) for Dancewatchers and others renting units in that building.

"Internet Rallies to Send Pitbull to the Most Remote Walmart in America" Epic ...

I used PayPal to pay by credit card; just email Tik for payment options.

Pics on the Dancewatchers.com website. All my pics are cluttered with TGs, and this trip *all* of them were only willing to do pics/vids if I promised not to post them

I recently did a long-term stay, 4 months, in Dancewatcher’s condo #16-566 in View Talay 6: http://dancewatchers...views.html.html I had used that condo on previous trips, but no more than a month at a time. If I had a live-in the studio would have probably felt cramped towards the end, but as a single monger it ended up being ideal. Plus the option of paying with credit card meant that I’d have that many more frequent flyer miles towards my next trip Serious mongers have different priorities than regular tourists for their accommodations, so I go into a lot of detail in this review on all the key points that matter to me. Some of these may seem obscure or minor to others, but they all add up on my scorecard. Location: View Talay 6 is one of the best locations in Pattaya, right next to Central Festival mall between Second Rd and Beach Rd (both major baht bus routes). It’s only a short baht bus ride to Walking Street, as well as a very short walk to Soi 8 & Soi 7. You do have to deal with one floor of stairs (or a ramp) to get to the service elevator on the second floor, or walk up another set of stairs the third floor which has the main lobby and bank of elevators. Security is decent with guards on duty at all entrances 24 hrs and CCTV on all floors. The third floor has several laundries, convenience stores and restaurants along with a hair salon. Noise: During the 4 months I only heard construction noise in the building a few times, and no more than an hour or so. You do hear some noise from the PA system and traffic cop whistles from the mall next door, but those were pretty minor and never loud enough, for example, to interfere with any video recording one might do. Internet: The WiFi connection was password protected/encrypted and good enough for doing Vonage business calls. The WiFi router is in the room so you also have the option to connect directly with a cable for more security. During the 4 months I never had a problem with the connection. It was fine for doing business over the internet, such as conference calls with Vonage. TV: The room has a great 42” TV with VGA & audio connections for hooking up your notebook. There was a wide selection of channels and the high-quality audio system that really made for a great theater room, regardless if the girls want to watch zombie movies or cartoons. Housekeeping & Extra Towels: When you have as many as 4 girls sharing your room, extra towels quickly become a priority. I’m happy to report that there was no problem getting extra towels when I asked, and the towels were actually quite soft unlike towels at many other high-end hotels that are so stiff they’ll leave your nipple bleeding if you aren’t careful! The housekeeping staff was very flexible, pretty much able to service the room any time before 5pm including delivering your laundry. One also has the flexibility of only getting housekeeping a couple days a week, which I found to be a good balance. Cleanliness: I’m a self-confessed clean freak; the first thing I do with any hotel room or condo is give everything a thorough wipe-down with antibacterial wipes, and yes, that includes the remote controls. I’m happy to report that the room was *very* clean and I never saw any bugs, ants, etc. despite many girls often leaving food sitting out overnight. All the furniture seemed pretty new and high quality with the couch and chairs being vinyl and so much easier to wipe down than cloth seating. The AC was also clean and strong. Electrical & Photography: The room did NOT have one of those bogus card-activated master power switches that would cut off all power when you left the room. This means you could leave the AC on and come back to a cool, crisp room (though the AC was powerful and pretty quick to cool off the room from scratch). This also means that you can charge your computer and camera batteries while you are out. And the room has lots of AC outlets throughout for doing so, as well as plugging in extra lights for photos, etc. The room has excellent lighting throughout that are all controlled via dimmer switches next to the bed. In general, the room is very “photo-friendly” in that there are lots of places one can place cameras & tripods. Kitchen: The kitchen area is modern with stove and full-sized refrigerator along with microwave. There is also a full complement of silverware, plates and cooking utensils provided. Balcony: You have a lighted balcony that is convenient especially for the girls who may want to smoke or bring back really stinky food to the room. The view directly in front is mostly blocked by the mall, but you do have some view of the ocean and city along either side. One tip: the balcony doors lock, one should pay attention when one is on the balcony and the girl is in your room. It would be easy for her to lock you out and then take whatever she wanted. Bed: The bed is a real highlight of the room with a high quality, king-sized mattress. All the linen and pillows seemed to be high quality. The headboard is the ideal height for additional camera mounts as well, and the dimmer switch for the overhead lights is also a nice touch. Plus the bed is raised to about mid-thigh level which opens up a wide variety of additional standing positions for one’s amorous adventures. And the closets next to the bed have huge floor to ceiling mirrors – also a very nice touch (many would say a requirement) for a monger’s room. Shower: The shower is relatively large, well lit and with a glass door connecting to the bathroom. The hand wand ensures thorough cleanliness of all one’s nooks ‘n crannies. The water pressure was very strong. Bottom line: Dancewatchers condos in VT6 continue to be my first choice for future trips. For a serious monger, they tick all the important boxes. So, what do you guys consider to be high-priority features for a serious monger’s room – especially those that a civilian tourist may not really notice?

That would certainly be a very accurate statement for the Hilton hotel next door...

I don't quote prices in my reviews because: 1. They are reviews, not advertisements 2. The condo owners control the prices and may change them at any time, so I provided a link to their page with their current pricing info instead

I recently had a chance to check out the new Dancewatchers VIP condo #25-987 in my favorite location - View Talay 6: http://dancewatchers.com/View_Talay_6_Pattaya_25-987.html One of the cool features of the room is the programmable “mood lights” that add a unique touch, and it certainly makes an impression on the girls. By coincidence I had just stayed at a hotel in AC that had similar lighting effects – the “New Millennium Standard Suites” at Angeles Beach Club: http://www.angelesbeachclubhotel.com/accomodation.php But where the ABC room was ~4,500B/night the new Dancewatchers room was a fraction of that price, and being on the 25th floor has some awesome views as well. Some girls were actually afraid of the balcony, but most seemed pretty thrilled at being so high. Studio rooms are usually my preference over 1-2 bedroom rooms, though having a separate bedroom is sometimes nice when you have a (couple) LTs sleeping in. This new VIP room has a cool feature that actually gives the best of both worlds – it has a thick, folding divider wall that you can separate the bed area from the TV area. And since the TV area has the AC, it means you leave your lovely BF sleeping in quiet, warm cozy comfort while you crank up the AC and videos in the other room (there is also a built-in fan to optionally circulate the AC in the sleeping area as well). The front door is also extra thick to provide better soundproofing and security. The fittings of the room are all high quality; especially nice are the full floor to ceiling mirrors across from the bed – I feel a must-have for any monger’s room (especially for pics The shower also has a glass divider wall from the bedroom which makes for a nice tease to start the evening… The high-speed internet and professional workstation area & office chair also make for a good, productive work environment as well. The only hassle with the room is that being on such a high floor it can suck if you get outside and discover that you’ve left your phone back up in the room. But even then the VT6 building is relatively sparsely populated so there usually isn’t much of a wait for the elevators – and you often have the elevator to yourself so the 25th floor usually translated to only another few seconds of actual ride time. Overall I was really impressed with the quality of the room and plan to repeat in the future – especially when I just spent 4,500B for a similar room in AC (and I hear that the Hilton hotel across the street in Central Festival is even more expensive). So bottom line: great quality for a great value in the best location in town - highly recommended.