Papa

Found the Woraburi Inn brochure and my notes, here's some info. Woraburi Inn is located on the corner of Soi 4 and Soi Ulit. Brochures says: room rates from 360 to 750 Baht. Air, refrig., cable tv, hot water, safety box and 24 hour room service. Has "Free Breakfast" stamped on the brochure. Telephone: 0-2656-7029, 0-2656-7236, Fax: 0-2656-7027 and http://www.sawasdee-hotel.com e-mail: woraburi@yahoo.com I've some notes that I believe are daily/monthly rates for delux and the next two upgrades in rooms. For daily I have B675/765/900 and for the same monthly B4200/4760/5600. ;D Good value for Baht. Papa Tom

Chico posted a review on the Woraburi. Go to the next page and look through the threads of "Hotels in Bangkok." The rates are extremely reasonable for a week or a month. Its about a thousand paces away from NEP on Soi Nana, near the Omni but across the steet on a corner. It has a/c, fridge, phone - the basics. The elevator worked ok. There were putting in a new pool last March that looked nice from my quick glance. This is what I call a Thai budget hotel. The rooms are clean and painted, but not upgraded and a bit small. The doors are wood planks. The delux is a bit bigger than the standard, but not fancier. The staff seemed friendly. I'd probably want a room open to the street view. 8) They room they showed me had a view of the wall of the next door building. Dynasty Inn has the same type views. My memory of the Waraburi come from me checking out the local NEP area hotels this Spring, but didn't stay there. My recollection is that you could stay in the standard room for a day at B350, a week for maybe B1500, and a month for about B4500. Two good places to eat between the Inn and NEP are Jools and the Bus Stop Beer Garden. I believe the Inn had a restaurant, but I didn't look at it. The main drawback is that the rooms are drab and some chaps may not want the five minute walk to NEP. But there are various bars along the way that are interesting. Hope this helps. Papa Tom

Well said, Dad. Echster definately prefers a full plate. But his numbers are a good guide. Oddly his estimate of 800 Baht per day for meals exactly matches mine own. I'm addicted to having a very nice meal at the end of the day. I'm collecting such data for possible retirement in LOS. But I also believe that comparable meals at home would cost three times as much. Echster must be a super negotiator (or hansum man) as his B2500 per Agogo girlfriend strikes me as the absolute minimum (bf + B2000). And if the Don is going in high season (Dec/Jan) the rate will be B500 plus more. When I go into the FLB (not a high priced bar) I usually spend B6000 for my beers and drinks for the ladies over a couple hours. But I only do this a couple times per Pattaya visit. I take the local tours (zoos or parks) for maybe B500 each. Hire a car/driver for sight seeing trips out-of-town. And as I have just turned over 60, I couldn't handle the wear and tear that would come with spending $400/day on TGs. Singha, and karaoke. My wardrobe is full, but I probably spend B10,000 plus per trip on clothes, shoes, watches. CDs, etc. Probably half as gifts for friends. It's hard to control yourself (financially) when your have the run of the LOS toy shop. Papa Tom

ANA has a low economy rate of $650 plus tax out of IAD (Virginia) during September. Requests have to be 14 days before flight, so that would make 16 September the last day to take advantage. My ticket cost more than $700 with tax and another $25 for leaving on a weekend. There's a few hours layover in Narita, making the trip about 22 hours. My Thai agent, Sirion, of TT & Tours (703 528-8861) handles my traveling. Maybe ANA has other specials. This is about $200 below ANA economy flights during low season. Papa Tom

Since most Pattaya visitors are more likely to be robbed at home than in Pattaya, you decrease the chance of being robbed by vacationing in Pattaya. Yes, I am serious. After a pleasant vacation in Pattaya I returned to my Virginia USA home this July to find that one of my cars had been stolen. > Papa Tom

While the rest of the board members are busy working up lists of bars, let me slide in a recommendation of a good Jomtien eatery. If you head opposite from Pattaya on the beach road until you come to the bend where the road turns away from the beach, there is a popular seafood restaurant - just off that bend. I forget the Thai name but I believe it translates as Uncle Wu's. Enjoy. Papa Tom

I'm not an expat either but collect useful information for retirement in LOS. You should contact the Social Security office months before your planned retirement date. You want to give them documents stating the day you retire and want to begin eligibility for receiving SS payments and the bank (address and account number) where they should send your monthly SS check. Doing this, everything is set for them to start payments immediately upon retirement. I recommend the SS check go to an account in a large bank, as I have know small local banks that have failed. I would follow the same practice that I currently use. I use my bank debit card that lets me draw up to $300 per day in cash from a LOS ATM or exchange booth. It also lets me purchase in amounts up to the balance in my account. If I needed a large amount and had a sufficient balance, I'd probably buy that amount in gold using my card and then sell the gold to get the Baht. I have a Bangkok Bank savings account and have on occasion wired money from the states to my account. I'm charged $35 for this regardless of the amount. For peace of mind and to avoid Thailand Baht depreciation, I'd prefer to keep most of my money in a US bank. If I am in LOS I don't know how to get at my account other than my debit card. There's about $50 deducted from your SS check, supposedly to help pay for medicare/medicaid. Since social security checks are treated as income you will probably have to file US income tax as long as you collect it. You can probably do your taxes by email from LOS. Hope this helps. :) Here's another "morbid" thought, for about $100 or more/month you can get a long-term care health plan from an US insurance company. It's suppose to kick in (start payments) when you become incompacitated - need a nursing home care. You do not make any payments after being judged eligible. Thailand and Pattaya are starting to set up apartment houses with facilities for the elderly, ramps, clinics, etc. The Japanese elderly are partly driving this Thai business. It really might not be so bad if your TGs were visiting you daily and you sat around trading lies with fellow expats or surfing the Internet. These are international plans so you could activate it and use it while in Thailand. Papa Tom

After looking at the previous posts and reviews, maybe I can add a few positives. I stayed at the Ambassador a half dozen times between 95 and 99. My rooms did not have any problems but I could tell that management was not refurbishing wear and tear. Its a big hotel and if you have a serious problem they should be able to move you to another room. The room size of average. if you need USA electrity, 120 vs 220, there is a 120 outlet in the bathroom. The tower rooms are newer and should still be in good shape. But you will pay maybe another 500B for these. They run a bus to their Jomtien Pattaya Ambassador Hotel for about 300 Baht. I would take this bus to Pattaya and then grab a taxi to take me to another hotel within Pattaya. There are lots of shops and eateries in the hotel. I found the barber shop convienient. They have turned a parking area into a beer garden with live bands and food and drink booths. And yes the location is great - between NEP and Soi Cowboy. Maybe a good plan is to try the Ambassador and look around to see if you want to move elsewhere. Papa Tom

Yes. I mispoke by saying it is ON Beach Road. It is on Soi 7, half way between Beach Road and Second Road. If you look at the pattayacity.com map you will see its locale. Go to http://www.pattayacity.com/pattaya/soi7.html? Once you have pulled up this map, click on P&W and the P&W home page should pop up. Papa Tom

The P&W must be an excellent choice of hotels. ;D Read the three P&W hotel reviews of satisfied customers. Suggest that you also read the many P&W restaurant reviews (one review is mine). I haven't stayed there, but I've enjoyed their food - very tasty and reasonably priced. It's located at one of several Pattaya centers of action - maybe the best collection of beer bars. And it is on beach Road. You should also find the P&W home page easily. It should be among this board's links. Chok Dee! Papa Tom

My recommendation is the Dental Clinic at the Bangkok Pattaya Hospital. Not only is this one of the best hospitals in Pattaya but they are reputed to have excellent dentists. My experience with them resulted from noticing that my Thai girlfiend was heavily addicted to toothpicks. Having guessed this was a clue to visit the dentist, I took her to a local dentist office. They did some work and advised that she needed additional major work (root canal) on six teeth. This was beyond their capability. This put me off the local dentists except for minor work. I asked around and was advised the Bangkok Pattaya Hospital had a top-notch dental clinic. They did the work and I was impressed with their professionalism. The cost seemed reasonable - cheap. Haven't had any personal experience though. Papa Tom

Yes, the Breeze is very guest friendly. If you look at the board hotel reviews you will find six reviews of the Bay Breeze Hotel. The rooms are good size, the beds are big, and the large windows let in plenty of natural light. I was there for a couple weeks this July and have been a regular for the last 6 years. Uncle Charlies across from the front door still grills tender 16oz. T-bone steaks on Tuesday and Thursday evenings. There are bars everywhere. Recommend you stay at the Breeze, but also check other hotels. I haven't found a better value and I like the central location. Papa Tom

FLBs special rate for the Residence Gardens in Pattaya looks good to me but there are plenty of specials throughout LOS. Other home pages tout hotel specials. So does the LOS media. One of them is a listing in the Phuket Gazette. If interested go to http://www.latestays.com/phuket/index2.html Papa Tom

Pattaya offers an outstanding variety of good/great restaurants and other eateries. Did you notice the restaurant review on the FLB home page? There are 66 Pattayare eatery reviews posted. The local newspaper, pattayamail.com on the Internet, is probably the best source. If you have the time and inclination, go through their archives and their restaurant reviews. They are especially good source for spotting the great/cheap buffets the top hotels offer. My experiance is that sorting out what is the best restaurant(s) for you is a personal thing. The one FLB review of my favorite (Vientaine on 2nd Road) gave it a rating of 6 out of 10. Not very good. But I found the best Thai entree I ever eaten there and another great Chinese entree among the hundreds on the menu. And my regular Thai lady says its her favorite place. So for me its a 10. Sometimes for a late lunch I go to the TQ1 Agogo because it offers great fries and pretty good cheeseburger. And the ambiance is better than Micky Dees. If you just muck around you'll stumble on good food. A bit of a search to find great food/ambiancer is worth the effort. Papa Tom

A big minus about staying at the Penthouse is that there are no fire escapes, the wiring is by Thia, and the hallways are like rabbit warrens. The plus is that in case of a fire the jump will not be more than five stories. Up to you. Papa Tom

I'm an American who lived in Germany for 2 years. I recommend you go to Pattaya. When in Pattaya suggest you visit the Salt and Pepper restaraunt run by an Austrian and has mny German customers. This is on Second Road opposite the Lek hotel in the middle of South Pattya. It has a Thai and German menu. Many German speaking visitors stop by and chat with the owner. ou will feel very comfortable there. Papa Tom

June is a fine time to be in Thailand/Pattaya. Its a bit before the rainy season. March is the hotest month. November has the best weather, rainy season is ending and the temperature is warm vice hot. June is in the off-season so there all hotels should have vacancies. Restaraunts and bars are less crowded. The social scene and recreation venues are there 12 months of the year. Enjoy. Papa Tom

Howard, I've been thinking the same. It'd be nice to have a place in Pattaya or Thailand waiting for me. Looked at condos in Pattya, read related threads and newpaper articles, and talked to expats who have bought and rented. But there are so many reasons to go slow, rent for a year or two and do some carefully research on the market and locations. The Pattaya Mail resident financial expert put out several columns regarding this. He advised that (in general) that the Pattaya condo market is such that it is cheaper to rent than to buy. If you can get to the old open board threads by Papa, I identified his articles (issues 384 or so). There's lots of scams: misrepresenting the property, leaving a packet of bills for the new owner to pay, presenting documents in Thai that puts the ownership in another name, and so on. The local environment could change rapidly, putting stress on you and degrading the value of your property. The hot, humid weather takes its toll on the condo facade and maintenance is required. Some developments have infrastructure problems, such as the water being off for hours or days. Some owners have wanted to change their address to solve the problem of discarded TGs knocking on the door. Your scenario has the additional disadvantage of you being out of the country for an extended time. This is an invitation to old girlfriends and others to break in and do a little looting. Unless you are able to walk away from the property with a significant loss without suffering, I suggest you take your time to purchase a Pattaya condo. For me, renting is the least stressful way to go. But as TIT, it's up to you. Chok dee! Papa Tom