partyanimal

I like the location of the Sabai Lodge. Baht bus makes everything convenient. To catch the baht bus you don't evenhave to go to Beach Road since many turn down Soi 2 to head back back to Beach Road and then proceed further south. Returning though you will have to get off at 2nd Road and Soi 2 since driver will think you're heading further north and if you tell him to turn you've then hired him as taxi. For food, the Welkom Inn accross the street from Sabai Lodge is great! Try the baked rice in a pineapple for 70 baht or staek tartare for 220. Also the garden at the Welkom Inn is a gre

Even though I only have about 19,000 miles now I talked them into letting me book Economy Plus seats, so I have some great seats on all four legs of the trip. Just got off the phone with United and they reassured me that if I were to cancel let's say the day fefore the flight I'd have to a year of my booking date sometime in Sept of 2004 to either exchange the ticket for a more expensive ticket or get all my money back minus 150 bucks. The implication of this is if one sees a great fare and you have a feeling fares will go way up, and you think you'll probably go, you can lock in that

I called United and told them once I'm at Narita I'll have 25K so can I then be upgraded to conomy Plus. Surprisingly they said yes and said they would fix it it their computer. As a result I was just able to book great seats even on the JFK to Narita segement. Got the first row aisle seat in Economy Plus. Not saying this will work for everyone with around 19,000 miles but worth a shot. So based on this 25% bonus I'll try to get the extra 25% on the Narirta-BKK, BKK-Narita, and Narita-JFK segments. But i have an even more important question for you guys thst know the ins and o

I just booked a United flight about a half ago. I've flown them before and like the idea of being able to have my choice of six movies. Before this trip I have about 28K miles, afterward I'll have 48K. BigD, Does this qualify me for any extra legroom or perks? I'll try to get to the airport early to request a seat by the emergency exit since I'm a tall guy.

The Koenig which has three good reviews on this site has 600 baht rooms; not sure if available at that time.

By the way, the slightly more expensibve rooms at Welkom in are *far* superior to the others and well worth the couple of hundred extra baht. The Welkom Suite, VIP 01 is my favorite, huge room for Welkom, tile floors, and a big bathroom with separate bathtub and shower, and right bu the pool. Other good room is VIP 1, since it has a balcony that overlooks the garden where all the freelancers hang out. VIP 2 has a balcony too but not nearly as nice view as VIP 1. They have 8 mini-suites but somewhat of a misnomer since these are not big rooms. Six of these are by the pool and thre

No problema at Welkom Inn ;D

Just got back to the states last week and absolutely need to go back again! So I'll be returning right after Christmas. Turns out my favorite room (there's only one like it) is already booked at my favorite hotel (where I've stayed on every trip) so I'm looking for a new hotel. Also want to keep my options open, perhaps bring a Thai girl to Ko Samet or Ko Chang or travel alone to Phuket. I don't want to go around searching for a room the day I arrive. I also want to lock in a room in case this is avery busy Xmas-New Year's peal season. At the same time if I don't like the hotel I

Alex was waiting for us at airport and drove us safely and cheerfully to Pattaya. Of course if he wasn't there it would have been very easy for us to take a cab or limo so his showing up on time wasn't an issue for us. Thanks BigD, will check his card in my room and next time I'm at internet cafe will post his email address.

TheGrand Inn on Soi 3 is a perfect place for a one night stay. Their standard room is 990 baht. It's clean. 24 hour access to safety deposit box ay desk. Small hotel so in addition to my wake up call ( always on time) for my final night i gave the bellman 100 baht and told him to come get me if I wasn't in the lobby by 4AM. They take the girls ID and call you to make sure all is OK when they leave. No joiner fee. Very friendly staff. It's a two minute walk to Majestic Suites and NEP. sales@grandinnthailand.com is the email for reservations. http://www.grandinnthailand.c

Anyone know if there are yoga classes in Pattaya with a Thai clientele?

Not enough massage places haha! My favorite in that area is Silom Sauna, it's only 200 baht for a two hour thai massage and I tip an additional 100. I don't like a happy ending though; need to save my stregnth till later. As you exit welkom Inn on Soi 2 is Sunny's toward the beach or toward 2nd road?

You're right Wally; the limo/car they arranged for me was I think 1100 to the airport, forget if that included tolls. But it seems to be cheaper to go from pattaya to Bangkok than the other way around. But more importantly the limo was on time and they were able to communicate to the driver that I wanted a slow ride cause on my way down the Thai Air limo guy drove like a madman. Second trip I was going to Nana area so I took the bus for 90 baht. Just two weeks till I'm back at the Welkom Inn!

Chna Air rules may be different in the UK, but in the USA you can cancel a China Air at the very last minute and get all your money back except for a hundred bucks. You can also change your return flight, space permitting for free. I don't know any other airline with such a liberal cancellation policy.

Thanks BigD, I emailed Alex and he'll be picking us up at the airport. He sends his regards to Mr Denny.

Welkom In is great! My favorite palace in the world! Stayed there twice and will stay there again in September! Great staff! Great food both in the Soi 2 restaurant and in the Soi 3 garden! Garden is a great place to sip a brewski in the adternoon. You get treated really well by super friendly staff and management. The girls at the bar next door will make you happy too! Book the best room available as their best rooms are much better than their standard rooms for only a few baht more. But even if all their best rooms are booked, book whatever you can get. Room lowdown: Three of the

Is your driver Alex or another guy? If some other guy does he have email? Buddy and I are arriving on August 31st. If Alex, I want to do the right thing if I hire him, is 2000 baht standard cause am considering just taking a cab which should be 1200, right?

So Alex will meet me and my buddy at the airport and take us to our hotel in Pattaya, take the toll roads and we pay 1500 flat, no extras for tip or tolls? Is this right guys?

Can anyone recomend a barbershop in Pattaya? What;s the approx price and does one tip and if so how much? Thanks.

Thanks Mats. A big concern of mine is access to the hotel safe when I arrive which will be around midnight. Don't like to keep my money and passport in the room since I'm a heavy sleeper and no need tempting the girls. Do you know anything about their safe? You said the rooms are nicer than at Nana but you'd rather stay at Nana, is that due to location or atmosphere. One final question, the standard rooms supposedly comes with a terrace, did your room have one?

Has anyone stayed there? Seems like a good alternative to other similiarly priced places in the NEP area.

Yo BigD-Two questions about Alex. I'm looking for a driver that will drive slowly since on my last trip the driver was a maniac, so is he amenable to driving slowly and since time is money should I tip extra for a slow ride (hmmm maybe I should ask bargirls for a slow ride). On top of the 1500, do you generally tip? Thanks bro.