mister_handy

OK, I'm looking for a place to stay for my next trip, usually stay at the Pattaya Centre but last trip got hassled about joiner and am not going to stay there again. Not sure where to stay though, tried the RG two trips back and lovely rooms + nice staff but beds were as hard as a rock! Didn't sleep at all well the whole time I was there, ended up going up to Bangkok two days early. The Pattaya Centre beds were always OK, nothing great - is there anywhere in town with genuinely nice soft beds that is guest friendly? I mean, I'm not expecting the JW Marriott or the Westin quality here

I arrive very late on the 17th, going to hit a hotel in Bangers... anyone want to catch a ride to Pattaya at some point on the 18th? If not, I'll just take the bus...

Boy, that makes it easy. Will they be open at midnight?

I got an unlocked tri-band (900/1800/1900) Motorola Timeport for $22 on eBay. I know MBK is the best place to get a SIM but I'm headed straight for Pattaya, where's the best place to buy one?

22 baht per minute isn't bad at all... I think my calling card from here is pretty close to that.

I need to be able to call back from LOS to the US on my next trip ... usually just had quick calls in the past but I may have to do some business. Lots of talk of prepaid wireless SIMs, but what kind of rate can I get back to the US? I imagine I should get a prepaid calling card and just use the mobile to get to the local # for the prepaid card... what kind of rates can I get there? And where is the best place to get those? 7-11?

I get in on 11:45 flight, looking to share a taxi -- anyone getting in late that night, contact me.

Actually, if you're willing to go for Asia Miles as opposed to AAdvantage, you can get miles on Deal of the Month. Still, not as good as doubled miles on UA, though I stopped flying United because of the bad service when I was flying Boston to SFO regularly for work years ago and I've seen no reason to go back.

Basically, just didn't change from last month. $599 from SFO or LAX -- $653.30 with all taxes, from SFO. For what it's worth, about $50 better than the best fare I'm seeing on Orbitz right now for the days of my trip ($703 out of SFO on Mar 19-30) but not as good as the prior United sale on the same dates. YMMV, but since I get the email notices from Cathay, I figured I'd post here.

For me the big benefit of FF miles is getting Elite status -- better seat assignments in coach, shorter lines, better treatment... which requires that I stick with one Airline and it's alliance partners... American in my case, although if I had to start again I might well switch to Screwnited.

Sure enough, I misread the NY trip. $699 is much better from back east than $799! MRT: For the direct link, go to http://www.cathayusa.com/ sorry, should have said that, I forgot they had both the US-specific site and the international cathaypacific.com site.

$599 from SFO or LAX $799 from NYC Not quite as good as the best consolidator deals, but damn convenient and I do like Cathay, so I thought I'd pass it on. Details on their web site.

Travelocity shows a $168 fare for Utapao (UTP) to Phuket (HKT) on Bangkok Airways... I suspect it'll be a little cheaper than that if you get the ticket there.

Should be able to keep busy busy with the diving around Pattaya. I'm not aware of any dive resorts in or near Pattaya (and if you want a live-aboard that's more likely to be something you'll find at Phuket) There are a LOT of dive shops, several of which operate their own boat. I dove through AquaRelax Divers two trips ago, and there are Mermaid Divers and several others. I asked around a lot and got a bunch of references but no really strong recommendations that I can recall for any one of the dive shops. Some links: http://www.dive-pattaya.com/ http://www.larrysdive

I'm sure it will hurt Thailand more than it will hurt Europe. Besides, Boeing needs the business, and America needs the cheap shrimp.

I'm probably at RG on my next trip... but have always been happy with Pattaya Centre so far.

They've always charged a joiner fee if you booked through a package or travel agent; I've stayed three times and never been charged a joiner fee, having booked for two people ("Mr Handy and guest") through their own web page. If someone has booked _through their web page_ and still been charged a joiner fee, they should object to the manager. per http://www.pattaya.freeservers.com/GuestsInfo.htm (This privilege is granted for Hotel Guests booking through our own website www.pattaya.freeservers.com )

Entertainment venues exempt? Aren't people MORE apt to get smashed at a bar than at a restaurant?

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*lol* I spend more in Pattaya too, but it's from Scuba diving during the day... a day diving costs about as much as a soapie visit or a little more than a beer bar long time.

I voted maybe... love Eastern European food, don't know Hungarian as well as some of the others but I'd give it a shot... then again, I tend to eat on the cheap in Pattaya so if it's a pricier place I might never get to it.

If they aren't sold out I highly recommend Majestic Suites as someone else has ... directly below Nana skytrain, and reasonably inexpensive. Smallish rooms but very nice! I'd recommend booking them directly through their own web site at http://www.majesticsuites.com/ rather than through asiatravel or similar sites.

Welcome, and I hope that's HK$9 and not US$9.

I split my time 50/50 on my first trip, and if I had to do it again, I'd do the same... but having made three trips so far, I'd say that Pattaya beats Bangkok hands down. The girls' attitudes are better in Pattaya, the prices are lower, and the whole atmostphere is more relaxing.

I've been through Hong Kong my last two trips, they have a pretty good web page ( http://www.hkairport.com/ ) which I only discovered _after_ my most recent flight, and there's also another guide site at: http://www.hong-kong-hkg.com/ I seem to recall reading about shower rooms, but didn't see either those or any western-style food outlets on either of my prior trips. Also, be careful about time -- it is a BIG airport, and the walk between the low-number gates and the high-number gates can take a long while. (OK, not much compared to five hours.)