Sa-teef

"As regards Northwest, I have simply given up on this carrier." I agree with you Jimmybb !! I liked it MUCH BETTER when NWA and United were duking it out for market share! Now they seem to be in bed with each other, matching price rise to price rise in MSP departures. I couldn't find anything with those two under $1300 this summer so had to relent and go back to Eva out of LAX and am using America West to the coast. Under $1000, but the connections kind of suck. The positives are that I arrive at 1100 in BKK and depart at 1630. It's like an extra day and a half in LOS in my view. I left my bag in Pattaya so I'll just have carry-on this trip in August. I've been watching them for my November trip, and they are down around $1200 now. Trouble is, I can go through LAX or SFO for $900 from here in the Midwest if I want to put up with the transfers. If China Airlines or another asian airline decides to offer cheap non-stop or one stop seats out of Chicago I would think they could generate significant traffic fast? ~Sa-teef

The BJ Guesthouse, Restaurant & Bar has a website. I found it on Google a while back. The hotel doesn't have a website yet, but the e-mail address is listed in the hotel review section. Vikingfan is me BTW, from a prior life on here. Never got around to changing it..... ~Sa-teef

Take the Queen Vics rooms, newer and better furnished Now I'll concede the Vic has a great restaurant, the propr has been around a long time and the furnishings may be better. But considering the BJ Holiday Lodge is new and has been open for barely two months, how the HECK could the Vic be newer? They renovated about a year or so ago as I recall...? Soi 3 is a much quieter location and you can get in and out of there with a TG and few will notice it. QV's location dictates that you will be running the gauntlet of Soi 6 with Miss Right-for-Tonight and a few hundred girls will notice each nightly change. As long as you aren't planning a liason with any of the ladies upstream from the hotel, all well and good. But the ladies (and ladyboys!) of Soi Six aren't known for their tact or good manners & there will be the ocassional heckler in the crowd. Fortunately Soi 3 will never become a fashionable location and I'm glad of that! ~Sa-teef

That pile driver in the lot next to the AA Residence was incredibly loud when I took this pic on June 11th or 12th, exiting the Sportsman for breakfast. The Whitehouse Condo area was dusty and busy, but not particularly loud. The new hotel or condo farther west of the AA Residence is just a concrete shell right now but at least 6 stories high, so there will be work going on there for a good long while yet. If you are a light sleeper, it's not a particularly good area to be in right now. Even up on Soi Three I could hear the noise from the highrise condo work down on Soi 5/6 area of Beach Rd. I wouldn't want to stay on Soi 13 right now personally. But that's just IMO. ~Sa-teef

I just got this from Flipper Lodge beginning of the week. Flipper Lodge Hotel Special Promotion from 01 May - 31 July The special offer for promotion as : Program 1. Stay 14 Days : Pay 10 Days Room rate @ 645.-Bht Room only Program 2. Stay 7 Days : Pay 5 Days Room rate @ 645.-Bht. Room only Program 3. Stay 5 Days : Pay 4 Days Room rate @ 720.-Bht.Room only Program 4. Stay 1 - 4 Days we wish to offer the special price is, the room rate is @ 880.-bht.room only. Sounds like a good price if you want to be right in the action and will be there a while. I found an apartment elsewhere, but it would be a consideration if you were still in the market. ~Sa-teef

"Isn,t love grand!" Can be a real rascal sometimes! Thanks Chris! It's been a long dry spell! Won't be on much from mid-May to mid-June so TRY HARD TO STILL BE ON THE FORUM WHEN I GET BACK! Hehehehehehehehee... ~Sa-teef

"She has a Thai Boyfriend" Don't they all? Actually half of them are married (I think) at RG and the other half are VERY pure. But their buffalo are really a sickly bunch.... Just send the money to ME. I'll be in town in ten so I'll be happy to spend it in a manner at least as frivolous a she would. Gosh, aren't we a helpful bunch around here....? ~Sa-teef

"You can always PM me so we can have a good time." Oh Sara! You can be such a little hussy sometimes! Last time I see you you said you would lub me LONG TIME ! Now I cry all day and night. I die for sure! I must jump off building. Drown myself in the ocean! BTW, has that stupid buffalo healed up yet? ~Sara's FORMER love bunny~

" I have never come across a "him" managing the operation" I suppose if all else fails, we can just deny he exists? An older gentlemen showed-up with the driver and I assumed he was a supervisor or owner. I'm at a disadvantage because the hotel arranged the transport and it happened over two years ago. But I do know the name of the company I was dealing with. While they were there I was diplomatic and suggested a possible reason why the driver might have "accidentally" mixed the money I gave him with his own. But it was very obvious the games they were playing. I think ting_tong said it best. ~Sa-teef

" I have used them a total of 8 times now and never a problem." I would consider yourself lucky. I used them ONCE about 2 1/2 years ago. I had asked the hotel directly whether I was to pay his driver or at the desk, and the aging manager instructed me to pay the driver. Thankfully I saved the e-mail and brought it with me. I did as instructed and was immediately asked to pay again at check-in! The day manager questioned me about it the next day, and it turns out the driver lied about the amount I gave him, cheating the hotel out of their cut! The driver and his boss showed-up for a face-to-face and lied to my face again!!! The hotel was pretty good about it overall, but Krong Fa is a crook and I would never do business with him again. Oh. And did I mention.... The driver was specificly told to take the tollway ( I stipulated when I made the reservation and told him when I climbed in back) but he took the old road through Chon Buri? A bad bunch to be avoided IMO. ~Sa-teef

" had a recorded message telling me that it was $15 and then after booking the flight the lady told me $15." Sorry guy, it must of gone up. It still says $5 on the website and I checked my e-ticket and cc bill. My "free ticket" for May cost me $54.45 in tax and I was billed 59.45 by United. I made the reservation on Feb 14th, so they must have raised it (along with darn near everything else!) since then. That or they were just feeling sorry for us flatlanders out here in fly over country.... ~Sa-teef

Actually, the call center fee is only $5 Emil (maybe more for you Left Coast Folks!) so you won't have eat at the noodle carts for TOO MANY DAYS! I've never had any luck booking awards upgrades or flights on the website. Always have to resort to the call center. SA huh, you lucky rascal? And I thought I got a good one with TG on the KIX to BKK leg of my awards flight! The engines or wings may fall off, but at least the scenery is better on Thai Airways than the usual old hags on the United flights.... I noticed on my Eva confirmation fax for August that they blacked out June 7th- August 15th as alternatives so there is more than one airline that is cranking up the summer vacation period. ~Sa-teef

I also noticed I could buy the same ticket from the airlines website for $40-50 less than from their website. It is a cute site but I would think twice before i would download their software and be sure to have your firewall up and running when you visit it... ~Sa-teef

Emil, Thanks for the tip. I'll check with an agent in the area. The one real definite dislike I have with UA is their arrival and departure times; 2300 and 0700 respectively. If I shuttle to the coast I can arrive in the a.m and depart late afternoon of the last day. It's like having an extra day and a half in-country to me. Can't rationalize more than 30 days at a time right now to myself or the help so I have the intrinsic feeling that I'm getting more bang for my buck. I was PE last year and that's how I got that Bus Class freebie for May, hehehehee but there are lots of things to consider. Take care, Sa-teef

"This is the time that I cash in my air miles. " Ditto. My loyalty to United will be soon ended with their price increases across the board out of MSP. $1200-1400 are the best tickets I can find on a single major roudtrip MSP to BKK. I'll be going back to Eva in August out of LAX because it seems to be the lowest I can find (at $800) and settle for a no-name shuttle to the coast. I'm trying to look on the bright side. At least if I shuttle to the coast I can catch a late night flight and arrive before noon in Thailand. ~Sa-teef

A beautiful lady inside and out, and the world is a poorer place with her passing. But heaven has one more angel. My deepest sympathies to her family and other friends. ~Sa-teef

Patience is a virtue. There are reviews posted of both hotels (look for the "hotels" on the top left of this page) but Southern Star is fairly new so there aren't likely many people who have stayed there on the forum. Plus the fact that is a bit far out. It's on Soi 12 in Naklua past Wat Po on the left, so it must be at least one km north of the roundabout. Never been there but it looks good on their website and might be worth a look. Have a good trip. ~Sa-teef

You just knew that was coming, didnt you BigD? For the once or twice a year traveler I think it's a good buy. That's why I was glad to see Dave scoped it out and posted it early this morning. We all have unique situations I think. From out here on the tundra, I have limited connections unless I want to shop for a one way to the West Coast and catch a bargain there. But that always involves changing airlines and hauling my baggage twice instead of once. Since I typically go to LOS three times a year and United flies out of both Minneapolis and O'Hare, I fly with them almost exclusively and use my FF miles to upgrade to Business twice a year and take my chances on the third flight. The last time I went tourist my FF class garnered me a free upgrade on three out of the four long legs on the round trip. It's a few more hours travel time, but it's a lot more comfortable. It works for me, but not everyone's life or travels seem to find the right fit. Have a great trip, Dave!!! ~Sa-teef

Good catch Dave! I just logged on to post the same deal. Our West Coast members will appreciate this deal as well as a $613 deal from the East Coast in the same offer. http://www.cathay-usa.com/specialfare/specials.asp Take care, Sa-teef

[b]"I can imagine the look of absolute horror on the face of some TGs as you plug the thing into the wall and then want to stick it .......... where??? "[/b] One of your best quotes ever, Tom!!!!!! Not sure we are supposed to be talking about this here, but then I guess small appliances might sneak thru the cracks! Think small, quiet, single "AA" battery models. The foot 'n a half King Kong models are just going to scare the ba-jebbers out of the poor girl! Several servicable models in the $6-9 price range that will be well recieved on Amazon .com. ~Sa-teef

"Shame the hotel is a shit hole " Ya just knew it was gonna happen, didn't you? Mark, thanks for the great pics of the pool area! Have to admit it was still under construction the last time I was there.....well, as close as the parking lot anyway! ~Sa-teef

I think you are right, Saddic. I got the name wrong tho. The foot path that passes infront of Blues Factory is Soi Lucky Star. Soi 16 is farther south and meets Soi Lucky Star (or the vehicular path anyway) infront of the Marine Plaza. They do seem to have more than their fair share of dust-ups in the neighborhood. When you see all those normally friendly thai guys pulling out the sticks and bats it's time to walk the other way....... I've never understood the thai inclination to just climb into whatever baht bus the drivers point at. I far prefer to walk out there and catch one that's moving.... You never have a long wait, whether you are north or south bound. Take care, Sa-teef

" i found a small little lizard in the bathroom one night manage to chase him out of the room." Hey come on sommy! The geckos have to eat too ya know! If you leave your patio door or window open anytime in the late afternoon or evening the rascals will sneak in on ya. Even in the best of neighborhoods. But take heart! They only eat bugs! What spooks me is if one sneaks in and it is the first thing I see when I open my eyes in the morning scampering across the ceiling! Pratumnak Rd is not QUITE in the boonies yet! It's my favorite way to get out of Walking Street actually. I usually take the Soi 16 or ?...the trail past Blues Factory anyway to get to Pratumnak because it's easier to catch a song taew there by the VC Hotel. You don't have to walk past all the lazy bums on Pattaya Tai who are asking you if you need a ride, then let you sit there for ten minutes until they have a full load! Besides, the tg's all love the seafood place with the high roof and I like the chicken kabob vendor near the street! There's also a bookstore/newstand right by the kabob place that sells low cost thai/english dictionaries. Good information on bargain priced hotels, gentlemen! ~Sa-teef

I usually wait until February to book my April/May trip. Usually pay between $700-900 on UA out of Minneapolis but it's at $1150 right now! With both UA and NW cutting routes to fill-up their planes and the crazy fuel prices, I might have to consider another option this spring. Chicago is 300 mles away and my son lives in Minneapolis now so it makes it AWFULLY EASY flying out of there. I think the days of the $600 tickets at the height of the SARS scare are well past. I'll wait until late winter and see what develops. ~Sa-teef

Well SpongBob, you might have a problem there. Is there ANYTHING north of Cozy Beach (not convenient to town) And south of the Dusit (not low priced) Actually "on the beach"? Lido Beach Hotel is across the street from the beach and about 1k/night. Nova Lodge, Markland or Beach View might have a laundry room for around the same. A few of the Beer bars along Beach Road have rooms above that might have a vacancy, but it would be hit or miss. The biggest problem might be finding something with a vacancy. Dec 11th is a Saturday so you're gonna have a tough time with that. Good luck! Sa-teef