torrenova

Unless you need business facilities, the best rooms and suites at the better mid range hotels are very good. In Bangkok, I usually insist on 5* places but in Pattaya, somewhere like the Residence Garden (available through this website), where all rooms are suites, easily suffices. I am actually looking (in another thread) for a RG type place in the heart of Pattaya. The best I have at present is the Sandy Spring. They have suites for Bt2500 per day but if you become a member of the hotel at Bt350, they will discount the room for you. The Marriott (http://www.marriott.com/epp/default.asp?MarshaCode=PYXMC) has good however quite small rooms but if you a a member and collect points, then it could be an option. People say that Marriot charges guests. That is crap but you may need to remind the hotel that he who pays the piper calls the tune. By the way, the Marriott has the coldest beer, in frozen glasses, served in the shade, around their great pool.

I take your point. I just really hate keys, for the room or for a safe. I remember when I lived in Mallorca and we used to have a little game whereby we (the residents) would guess which hotels the tourists were staying in, just by looking at their keys. It was surprising and disturbing how accurate we were ! I wouldn't pay an extra say Bt500 per day for the safe but when you do increase the budget, you gain not only the safe, but facilities, often better staff and perhaps location etc. I am really just surprised that the Sandy Spring, which has the perfect location for me, built their hotel recently and didn't specify in room electronic safes. It just seems that the Thais need to employ a farang during the design stages to identify which bits of 5* hotels are / should be incorporated into new build Thai hotels (not 5*) aiming for the farang market.

You gets what you pays for. No real digs but don't you guys think an extra USD 5/10 per day is worth it, rather than worrying whether the room stinks or the carpets are worn ? All (and I mean all, whatever anyone says are guest friendly).

Completely proves my point about electronic safes being highly desirable. Keys are old hat. Move over to digital !

Thanks for the info. Will probably walk in on my tour and see the facilities from ground level.

Should be back on the beat around 11th / 12th Oct.

I've stayed there, as I said, but I was just looking to see whether I could find similar facilities near Soi13/4 as the food in the RG is not so good and the location is sometimes a bit far out.

Can you elaborate on the "safe that you supply the lock for ?. What is that if you already have an electronic safe ? Also, their website http://www.timbarbeer.com/ shows the rooms in a real bad light. Are they really that bad and how much are they, if you remember. Thanks

I'm getting picky on hotels again and hope you guys can fill in some of the gaps so that I can choose the best hotel for my upcoming trip. Stayed at the Residence Garden a few times. Many good things about this hotel but a few downers. It has no bathtub (which I would like) and its location can become wearsome after a few days, with multiple trips back and forth each day. Also, the food is not good. However, I still class it as very good, especially through the FLB at Bt1350. Here's a list of requirements, both absolute and desirable. In room electronic safe - absolutely must have. Location - nearer to Walking St than RG, not Soi 2, preferably around Soi 13/14 ish. Pool - should have. Balcony - preferable. Bathtub - would be nice, but shower imperative. Clean - no shit holes please. Price - up to about Bt1500 per day. Of all the above, it MUST have the electronic safe, so if you guys know one, please post it up. Thanks. PS, was going to stay in Sandy Spring but alas, no in room safe !

I am more concerned whether the big metal bird falls out of the sky rather than the physical attributes of the staff. See http://www.airsafe.com/events/regions/asia.htm Air China not too safe really, when compared to others. Always amazes me that guys will fly via anywhere, with massive stop overs and with mickey mouse airlines just to save a couple of pounds.

Doug, Obviously you must live near Manchester but have you thought of going direct from London, using a short hop to Manchester. This far out, most airlines will quote full economy or highish prices. Keep trying regularly until Xmas. I would have thought that you could achieve better than that price via LHR. Personally, I hate the 6 + 6 type flights as i never get any sleep. I would call trailfinders (www.trailfinders.com) and ask them. If calling London, call their City office rather than Kensington.

And he writes his ATM code where ? on the outside of the safe ? Still a 1 in 9999 chance but yes, if they did get lucky, they might try the same number. Continuing on electronic safes. Does anyone know what happens if you keep putting in the wrong code. Does it lock out like an ATM or what. I was just thinking that if it did not, they could just stay there and keep tring sequential numbers until it opened. Does the safe monitor incorrect numbers for management ?

In Bangkok, JW Marriott, Sheraton, Westin, Landmark, Banyan Tree, Shangri-La, Peninsular, Marriott Spa, Hyatt all have electronic room safes. In Pattaya, the Residence Garden has the ecectric safe, sorry but don't know about others.

Looked at dates 28/12 - 11/01 Cathay Pacific (via Hong Kong) Outward Sun 28/12 11:50 - 07:45 / 09:05 - 10:50 or Sun 28/12 18:05 - 14:00 / 16:00 - 17:50 Return Sun 11/01 19:00 - 22:40 / 23:55 - 05:05 GBP 629.40 available as of 20:00 Japan time.

The hill is not a worry. As you head out from Pattaya to Jomtien, there is a steady incline all the way up. The RG is about 200/300 metres up this and not a problem to walk. That said, just jump a baht bus - you'll be sweating like a pig if you don't.

Nothing is written in stone but in Dec and jan, they want all their rooms full so flexibility may be harder to get. The only answer you will get is to ask them directly, saying that you may have to move on. otherwise, pay more for a better place where you know you should be OK. final choice is look at their cancellation policies. If 48/72 hours, then book the 2nd one for arival plus 2/3 days. then cancel or move.

If you arrive on time, then you should clear immigration and get to Nana around 1:30 unless you have only hand baggage when it will be a little earlier. No point wasting good money on a nice hotel so crash at Nana. As all the bars kick out totally by 2am, you can hit the streets, maybe just in time for Angels disco or head to Grace or another post 2am drinking hole. Plenty to occupy you outside Nana.

Stayed twice in the last few months. Really good hotel and staff but just a couple of things which are making me consider alternatives for the next trip. The food is not good. I don't know about the evening buffet but room service or by the pool it was very bad, inedible in one instance. The location may not suit everyone. They have cards with the address and map on but the map shows the location from Jomtien, not from Pattaya as would be more sensible and some of the baht bus drivers don't know where it is. Lastly, there is little close to it. If you need anything, you have to head int town. Same same if you want to get changed when in town, another trip back up the hill. Overall, very good place and still very much in contention. Could do with a bath tub though.

Sure, get a girlfriend for a few weeks but the HIV test will be meaningless for 3 months. Also, she might get some extra business on the side ! Girlfriend or not, get bagged up and protect yourself, the girl and the next punter. You would of course be getting yourself tested at the same time - yes ?

I think this personifies TIT. There has been a lot of plugging for this guy and many people plugging other services on this board and many others but I wonder whether people really consider the consequences, especially for newbies, if the shit hits the fan. Think about BGs. We know you can't trust a single word most of them say but we see people getting suckered in all the time. Yet we see far greater problems of a taxi fucking us up and yet we know there is no come back, not from the driver nor from the board members who made the recommendation. I'd trust a taxi driver to come back in an hour or two, or perhaps tomorrow but no way 2 weeks in advance. Fuck me, he might not even be a taxi driver by then. This is LOS remember !

Where did you get that from ?

I know a few guys who have moved to Thailand with vastly differing views on it after a year or so. Some didn't really think through the financial side well enough and are forced to live in lesser accommodation and have a quieter lifestyle than they would like. Others, usually older and nearer "retirement" age are like pigs in shit, as they had planned for a retirement income in their home country which now goes much further in LOS. I think you really have to assess what you spend on holiday and what you spend it on. Then work out what the long term costs of doing the same thing would be (e.g apartment instead of hotel room etc.). OK, you would probably drink less, but might want to play more golf. If you're having to earn baht, I think you'll have little left to fund much extra curricula activities. How much savings do you have to use initially before any income arrives and then perhaps to "fund" a better lifestyle ? If it isn't going to fuck up your life or long term future plans then I would say go for it, but perhaps not tomorrow. If you don't have savings, try and build up a reserve fund over the next 6 to 12 months. Remember, if it all goes tits up, then you will need funds to return home and some money to get started again.

I posted this on the nana boards but here goes. If you book an hotel at the cheap end of the price spectrum, then you are beholding to them for your bed, shelter etc. However, if you book into a 4/5* hotel, they are beholding to you. There never is a problem with guests, unless you flood the place or have the music on full blast at 4am ! Me thinks many worriers about guest fees have not researched their hotels and certainly have not stayed at one 5* chains.

All this talk about BKK-LON-BKK prices being more expensive than LON-BKK-LON is pure shit. Try and get a 12 month price, with changeable dates or open from LHR and they'll ask you for a grand and upwards. Also, any crap about visa issues is just that, crap. Of course, there will be a few travelling who should really pay the electric bill or buy a new pair of shoes with their giro but for most people, an army of credit cards and cash back up will show anyonne who asks that you have enough ammunition to get your sorry little ass back to Blighty. Not a rant. I'm not in the industry but I fly regularly and just hate know it alls who do not have even an internet's worth of information yet continue to post diatribe backed up no doubt with bullshit from their (non flying) mates in the pub. Perhaps those who cannot successfully purchase a ticket in LOS are the same ones who also fail to "pull" in the Beer bars, go-gos etc. 55555555