VicVegas

Henry Fonda

Gene Kelly

"Texas" (1941)

I had to invoke the "24-hour rule". Pesce has been in a bunch of big name movies, and also a silly comedy I remember from 1982 Young Doctors In Love

Laura Dern was "hotter than Georgia asphalt" in Wild At Heart

Ben Gazzara

Willie Nelson

Danny Glover

Always beware of people who tell you how bad a place is but have never actually been there.

What a hottie she was in her day. Last of the Mohicans

Bette Davis, "What a dump." I disagree. It ain't a dump, though many of you guys seem to be as prissy as Miss Davis when it comes to hotel rooms. Years of dealing with picky, high-maintainence customers have made me a very low maintainence customer (thank goodness). Please take that into consideration when reading any of my future hotel reviews. Funny how two people can look at the same photos and have very different reactions.

Time out for an editorial comment here. OK, I understand "some people" are uncomfortable even thinking about watching a movie that deals with baseball, so they automatically dismiss "Field of Dreams", "Bull Durham", and "For Love of the Game" (though if you sat thru them you'd see that they are clearly about much more than just baseball), but even if you toss those three excellent movies out you've still got: The Untouchables Fandango Silverado No Way Out Dances With Wolves Tin Cup A Perfect World Mr Brooks The Right Stuff

I met him once after he performed at a comedy club. Very nice guy. Bull Durham

Somebody look out the window and see if any pigs are flying - Obsession and I are about to trade compliments. I think that's a good point. One reason I was able to overlook some of the problems with Sky Top was the scenery at the bar that night. I was gonna hide her whole face, but those lips are too lovely to hide.

I stayed Friday night (12/3) at Sky Top. Did not get the best room (I think it was the last available). It was ok, but rather worn looking. Here's the infamous bathroom wall that doesn't reach the ceiling. Notice the sexy lady picture. The bathroom has it's own light. It looks sort of slapped on, but it was functional. IF you had someone staying the night with you and they got up to use the john while you were sleeping, the light would partially illuminate the rest of the room. If your company created some foul smells or noises while using the bathroom they might also "disturb" you. How much would that bother you? Depends on you. I did not bring company back to my room that night, so it was a non issue for me. What WAS an issue for me was the fact that there was no free drinking water in the fridge. There was also no mat to dry my feet on outside the bathroom door, though I think I found it later hanging out on the balcony. Here's the view from that balcony: That's part of the beer bar complex just South of the building. Noise was not a problem for me that night, but then again I didn't return to my room until about 3:30 AM. Even when I visited one of the bars around 9PM they were pretty quiet - no blaring music, and few customers. Here's a shot looking at the back of the building. You can see the beer bars to the left. The night entrance is just to the right off camera. Here's the actual night entrance. They lock the front door at 2AM, so I used the night entrance when I came back at 3:30. Key worked fine. No problems getting in. The wiring did indeed look "dodgy". I'm no electrician but I think they need to update. These wires are near the top of the door. As for check in, I signed for the room and also signed what I think was a damage waiver. My room cost 550 baht and I also had to put down a 600 baht deposit, which was returned to me upon check out the next morning. I'd rate my stay this time about a 6. The staff was friendly, the price was within my budget, the room was just ok, but it was good enough for me. The Sky Top isn't my first choice, but I'd have no problem staying there again.

Most NFL fans over 40 will fondly recall his time on Monday Night Football. Here's a nice tribute video. I was just playing pool at a bar on Soi 7 on Sunday afternoon, and as is my habit when I am about to win (which happens rarely ) I started singing his signature tune. I don't care much for the Cowboys, but I was a fan of Dandy Don.

This is all I needed to read of your response. I'm not going to continue this "yes you are/no I'm not" game with you.

Frankie Valli and The Four Seasons - "Sherry" Great song to practice your falsetto to in the shower.

The Milagro Beanfield War

Signing your name for their records is standard practice at pretty much every hotel. What was so "dodgy" about whatever you signed at the Sky Top? What lies have I told about the Sky Top? It's all opinion. What photos are you talking about? Semantics. It's an establishment that rents rooms by the day or longer. It could correctly be called a hotel OR a guesthouse. -The room doors open onto the interior of the establishment, so it can rightly be called a hotel. -There are less than 20 rooms and the building is also used for other purposes, so it could rightly be called a guesthouse. -A hostel usually implies very inexpensive dorm-like facilities, but not necessarily, so if they want to call it a hostel I'm ok with that. -If you could park your car in front of the room door it would be a motel, but you can't so it's not. -I won't get into inns and boarding houses since I don't want to make this post any longer than it already is. I hope we've covered enough of the various accommodation terms to suit you. My point is there is considerable overlap. What's funny is that this is such a big issue to you. Am I using language to trick people into thinking it's a better establishment than it really is? Obviously not since I have mentioned several times that it is BUDGET accommodation. Am I hypnotizing BMs with the word "hotel"? Is that your conspiracy theory? More conspiracy theory. You think I delibertly positioned my camera to hide the top of the walls? I took a picture of the toliet because I figured that's what people want to see in a bathroom, not the top of the wall. I haven't been to the Seaside, but based on the pics Tom posted it DOES look better than Sky Top. Just because another place looks better doesn't mean I don't also like Sky Top. Am I only allowed to like one budget hotel in the area? It's still in business, so it's obviously NOT a failure. "Shithole" is your opinion, and your photos don't prove it to me. It's not doing well? So what? What difference does that make to someone who is just looking for a room for the night? Do you only stay at places that allow you to review their books first, and then reject any place that isn't making a profit? NOT spamming, just providing a review. No, you said I had no knowledge of the business, which I took to mean "the hotel business". Besides I have stayed at the Sky Top more than you have, so I have MORE knowledge of it than you do. To answer this question all you have to do is read my OP - I mention Sky Top because I don't think it deserves the bad rep it has gotten on this board. Funny how often I have to remind you about what you have posted. You called me "incompetent", and in your latest post you call me a "liar" and a "spammer". You may call that playful "banter", but I call them insults. This is not the "Battles & Arguments" section. This section of the board is open to anyone who wanders upon the site. I'm not one to go crying to the mods, but IMHO these sort of attacks should not be tolerated in this section of the board. I'm simply providing a review and stating that IMHO the past attacks on Sky Top are unwarranted. Agree or disagree, but there's no need to hurl abuse or insults.

I hope any newbies to this board have caught on to your bias against the Sky Top and are taking your tirade against the place with a grain of salt. You can't just give a contrary opinion. You have to call me names and say I am misleading BMs, like I have some sort of agenda. All because I disagree with you. Your post is laced with judgements. You call Pete a failure because he has rented out part of his space to a tailor, because he went back to Australia to work, because he doesn't have a TV in the entry way. He's not doing things the Obsession way, so he's a loser and a failure. These are the Obsession rules of hotel management. Then you say I have no knowledge of the business? Opps, you've sort of put your foot in your mouth on this one. I worked in the hotel business in the US for over 20 years, and that includes several years in management and 5 years in Las Vegas. I worked at 4-star/5 diamond properties for Marriott, Sheraton, Hilton, Radisson, Omni and Doubletree. If you know anything about the hotel business you might have heard of them. My hotel connections have allowed me to stay in some of the finest hotels in the US. I have also stayed at many, many hotels in Thailand, not just in Pattay but all over the country. Because I'm what you would call a "cheap loser" I have become very knowledgable concerning "budget" accommodations in Thailand. I even stayed in the old Sky Top location for 28 days straight in December of 2005, and have stayed at the new location a couple of times since. I would say all that makes me at least a little bit qualified to write up a review on the place. My advice to other BMs is look for yourself. It's not for everybody, but I don't think it deserves the bad rap it has gotten on this board. BTW, I should be back in Pattaya in the next couple of weeks, and I'll try to spend a night at the Sky Top and update my review.

I know you're just having fun MM, but just to clarify: March 2003, 30ish soi 8 beer bar girl - 1000 baht LT October 2010, 22-year-old hottie from a beer bar on Soi 8 - 1000 baht LT. The 2010 version is much hotter and much better in the sack, so I'm obviously getting better at picking them.

Different but same. 8 years ago I could get a girl long time for 1000 baht. Paid the same last month. Prices of many things have gone up a bit, and the exchange rate has gotten worse, but now I'm smarter about spending my money. It all balances out. One thing that hasn't changed - I always have a great time in Pattaya.

I hate to rain on your parade there Mook, but Laurence Fishburne did not appear in Oliver Stone's 1985 Best Picture winner "Platoon".

The link you provided says: "Very broadly speaking, Thailand's rainy season can be classified as May/June to October. For most of Thailand, the wettest months are usually August-October." Nothing about March and April being part of the rainy season. Thailand has a tropical climate, thus it can rain at any time, but the "rainy season" does not begin in March and April.