torrenova

In the city you've got a good one on Soi P72 (yes, the same as the hotel). Its outside the Cherry Lodge Hotel I think. Was Bt500 for 80 pieces with a usual 24 hour turnaround at latest. I use the one in View Talay 2B and they'll turn it around ASAP if asked.

Can you chuck some ocsts in there please as I'm sure a lot of guys would want to do this but are unsure of both the technology and the cost.

That's good !

The signs on the gym now say Bt8000 for one year. His daily rate used to be Bt99. The website says it is still Bt99 per day. I think the withdrawl of the offer stinks and if I did patronise his places, I would think seriously about continuing to do so.

Mulphy, On forums, using unnecessary use of CAPITALS is called "shouting". You constantly do so and fail to heed requests to desist. It is also much, much harder to read actually. As for LK Metro, you are the only owner constantly banging the drum. Sometimes banging too hard goes beyond getting the point across and turns a positive into a negative. Just a thought.

I play pool for Witherspoons on occassion (Fridays) and obviously am home and away in the area. Some good bars (a bastard when the rains come though !) and some great people but the go-gos are crap. I like the area but then I also like Naklua. Perhaps if Mulphy would stop SHOUTING all the time and get a mate to post about how good LK Metro is rather than doing it himself then we'd believe it a little more. Why just re-hash a post made everywhere a month or so ago ?

Vientiannne (vast selection, good quality, ok prices) Kiss (good prices, consistant quality, open late) Pan Pan (for pasta only) Pig & Whistle (just about everything is above average) Bei Gerhard (top german place in Soi 33 Naklua) Alt Heidelberg (great value soup, schnitzel and salad special) Zen (japanese restaurant in Royal Garden - imported sashimi) Osama (japanese place around the corner from Tukcom - great value) Loads of other "value" places but haven't tried the "top end" places as I haven't yet had a need to.

All the supermarkets have cakes but they tend to taste like shit. The Thais like them though !

There's a bloody thread on here for an offer. It is / was pinned to the top of one of the forums. Some offer like Bt2400 or so, quite a saving.

Flew them one way about 3 years ago and said never again. Full of arabs trying to use mobile phones on the flight, the coldest plane ever. Bahrain, the coldest airport ever. Ran out of water. Shit food. Cheap. If you have the money, use someone else.

There is some merit in what Whitespider sas above. UK tourists (in the last 10 years or so) have thought of the Baht as being roughlt Bt60 to GBP 1. Now for the last few years that mental calculation has moved to Bt70 to the pound and complaints are rolling in. Now individuals cannot alter the exchange rate but they can do something to reduce their "unnecessary" expenditure, which has the same net effect of increasing their personal exchange rate. Stop overpaying the girls. Stop paying ridiculous barfines at or around Bt1000. Stop paying the girls Bt2000+ making an argument that "it is

I don't know the name but the Pattaya Mail used to carry the name (in a classified advert) of an english solicitor who visited every six weeks. Perhaps you can find it online or pick up a copy to see if the advert is curently running.

Forget fair properties period. They charge way OTT and have shady business practices. Look in the classifieds. You say you are moving here and want a condo but you don't state where. If you don't know, then get a room in an hotel for a month and sort out a condo when you know where you want to be. As for duration, think about this: 6 months at 15k per month plus 15k deposit 3 months at 20k per month plus 20k deposit Now if you walk away from the first one (6 months) after 3 months, you have paid only 60k, even if you forfeit the deposit. In the second example, you will hav

Pan Pan in Jomtien is ok again. The best I know at the moment is in Naklua, Soi 33. Just about 3/4 of the way up on the right hand side past Bei Gerhard. Their lasagne is awsome as well.

Way OTT in my opinion and with little or no potential uplift. Some recent builds are selling for less than off plan. Potential rental returns are going to be a very low yield. When you get to that level, the people who can rent want a house and those who want a condo like that have the money to buy. Too many dodgy deals done with those in the know before the general public gets a loook at the units left. Do you know how they build these ? The advertising people, marketing people, land owners and anyone else involved gets a cut from the properties. Then the "real" buyers pay up but what

I wonder how many probems with taxi drivers are in fact not the taxi driver's problem but problems created by the customer and / or unforseen circumstances. For instance: Not taking his number with you. Not giving him your number. Not giving out your name correctly for an airport pickup. Not going to the correct meeting point. Telling him the wrong terminal. Telling him the wrong flight time or flight number. Telling him the wrong hotel for hotel pick up. Taking another taxi which is pushed in your face and just forgetting about him. This is not just in relation to Mr Toom b

Laundry can go by the piece or Bt500 for either 60/70/80 pieces. Even staying for a week or more it is probably more cost effective to go for the set option as you can go through 6+ pieces a day.

Never send an agreed amount of baht. Send the foreign amount for a much better rate.

Credit and SIM validity are not the same. My DTAC goes out for 1 year irrespective of my credit (SIM life has to do with previous credit, not current credit). Just dial *101# to see it. For 12call dial *121#

A valid point was made there about personal inflation versus overall inflation. Electricity is way up over the last few years, perhaps nearly 100%. I suppose foodstuff has increased but I would not know how much as I don't monitor it. Inward costs for alcohol purchases is up significantly. I know that costs for the girls is up. Their rent has increased, as have their daily food costs. Perhaps insignificant amounts to tourists but very significant to them. Some rents have fallen but others have risen. Generally it takes more work to find places at good rentals. Hotel rooms have gen

View Talay would seem to fit your needs. I live there in VT2. 2 pools, good laundry, minimart on site, internet no problem (512/256 @ Bt700 per month). Bikes and baht buses just outside, walk to the beach at Jomtien in 10 minutes. Your best bet is to drop by and look at the adverts in the foyer as many agents have unrealistic prices. Loads of information in the local papers as well.

Bangkok Bank and Siam Commercial both offer online banking but generally not for people on holiday stamps (getting the account is easier). You'll need an address and a letter from immigration to get the internet banking for sure, though sometimes they don't ask for it.

As you state, the nearest HSBC bank in in Bangkok. However, the HSBC debit card has CIRRUS and MAESTRO on it and as such, it can be used in nearly every ATM in Pattaya. Check your daily limit (usually GBP 500 or GBP 1000) and up the limit if necessary. Also, beware that if you are a heavy spender, it is better to infomr HSBC in the UK that you are going abroad and will be using a series of cash withdrawls. Bring a couple of credit cards as well as backup.

I've used him and his driver on loads of occasions, even phoning at 1am to get a car for 5am and always ok. Better though sometimes to get a Thai talk to him if the description of where you want the pick up or what you want to do is difficult to describe. Perhaps a couple of issues in the past but not "many similar experiences" as Gabor states. If he was crap, I wouldn't use him.

Distribution is the main problem if you live here. My ex's family were in the jean business but that went downhill - to China as you suspect. Ebay is high costs and massive competition. If they would use a higher percentage but no or lower up front ocosts then it could perhaps work out.