jtiger

Why all this bickering about a simple guesthouse? I personally like SkyTop. It's more like going to live with friends who have a big place in Pattaya than going to a hotel. It doesn't take long to get to know the staff and for them to know you. And for me the internet access at SkyTop is critical as it allows me the freedom to leave the US and to keep the business alive in my absense. I understand that the bars next door have reopened (so no more posh garage). The photo to the left (below my name) was taken at the bar next to SkyTop about 9 months ago.

I think that it's fairer to say that there are a lot of great places to stay that provide great value for your baht if you're willing to explore the smaller guest houses in Pattaya. Saying that there's nothing to recommend Skytop makes no sense in a thread full of things to recommend it Perhaps you were saying that there's nothing specific to your particular needs that make Skytop better than other guest houses, but that others may in fact find it a good place to stay. We're all so concerned with finding "the best" when that's such a subjective notion when we consider our differing want and needs.

I'll go along with the skytop recommendation. The "large room" is really large and the broadband access allows me to telecommute during the day (which then gives me the ability to stay in Thailand longer and have the business funding all this fun not fall apart in my absense). I've probably spent a total of 30 days at Skytop in two trips and this is the first time I even thought about the bathroom issue. The bathroom door for room 101 locks (not that I've ever felt the need to lock it) and the opening at the top never really bothered me or my TG. The last time I was here in November the beer bars next door were an annoyance until 2am or so. They were eliminated a few months ago so now it's very quiet at night if you want to sleep or nap any time of the day or night. But I particularly like the staff at Skytop. They are fun to joke around with and very helpful as well.

Thank you very much! That's just what I needed.

Is there any place where I can find out what's playing at the Big C and Royal Garden Mall and what the showtimes are?

Thanks for all the good suggestions. And to the person who asked, since this was an airport related question I felt it fit best fit in this topic area.

How about the old standard: "a bird in the hand is worth two in the bush." I'm in the high tech industry and have many friends in the same industry and only one has a VoIP phone. I've got friends outside the industry that none of them have a VoIP phone. Skype solves the problems of sending voice over the internet and it works for Windows, Linux and Mac OS. Skype is free, it works well and I can use it to talk to anyone who's got a computer. That's a pretty good argument for using it today. In the future who knows what will happen. If the Skype people are smart they'll figure out a way to leverage their huge user base to make money in the VoIP world using standard protocols. If not they'll disappear.

I'll be arriving in a few days at BKK (Eva Airlines from Taipei) and I'd like to get a sim card for my phone before I leave the airport. I've never seen a store selling sim cards on the long walk from the gate through customs and then to the meeting area. Did I just miss the store? I'd like to make some calls from the taxi or make some calls to find my driver if I get in late and he's not there.

Skype is a great and free VoIP program http://www.skype.com Computer to computer is free, computer to landline costs 0.017 euro to first-world countries and more for others. Calling Thai phone numbers is no bargain so I don't use it for that. I've talked computer to computer from the USA to Pattaya for hours at a time (both of us on broadband) and the quality is better than a landline call across the street in the US. You only need to buy a regular headset for your computer. Using a speaker and microphone setup isn't so great since the speaker sound gets into the microphone and you hear an annoying echo.

ATM is the way to go. I bring travelers checks along but I've never ended up cashing them. The ATM is so much more convenient (I've gone with buddies while they cash their travelers checks). I don't have any ATM fee with the Bank of America but that's because I've got one of their premier accounts. I'd still use the ATM if there was a fee. The fee would only be a few dollars and since I take out 10,000 baht at a time that fee is just 1% so it's no big deal. I asked my credit card (BofA visa) if I would still get charged a cash advance fee if I had a credit balance and they said "yes". As for finding an asian bank in the US (to avoid the fee I take it) I haven't seen any bank in Bangkok or Pattaya that has a branch in the SF bay area.

I've normally arrived in BKK at noon and gotten a prearranged ride to Pattaya. This time I can save some money if I arrive at 1:40am. What's it like getting a Taxi to Pattaya at that time? I'd imagine that the traffic would be significantly less than at noon... but the challenge would be keeping the driver awake. Anyone have personal experience in coming in so late/early?

I've got another related question: Is there a place in Pattaya where you can take digital camera media and get prints made the same day? Something close to Central Pattaya Road would be best.

thanks for your help, that's very useful information.

Where is a good place in or around Pattaya to get large prints made from digital camera media? By large I'd like to get 20x30 but failing that then at least something bigger than 8x10.

My experience was the opposite of yours. I found that all but one place I tried allowed me to plug in my laptop. A few placed had places reserved for plugging in a laptop (i.e there was a spare ethernet cable sitting waiting to be inserted into a laptop). My favorite place was on 2nd road just north of the Royal Mall, on the opposite side of the street as the mall and next to a really nice Thai restaurant. It was one baht a minute. since I'll be staying near Soi 8 this time I may try out the Sunshine hotel mentioned just above.

I went out and got a calling card and called them. Sure enough they are still in business. The receptionist said that the web site is being improved and will be up in a week. I also confirmed my reservation for late October. 38 days until paradise!

The Sky Top web site disappeared a few weeks ago (replaced by a "build your web site" page). I hope they are still in business. Has anyone has any recent contact with them? http://www.skytoppattaya.com/

Do I see right? Is the shower in the corner of the bedroom? Is that true for all types of rooms?

BigDUSA, Thanks for the pointer to SkyTop. I was just sitting here trying to remember the name of that place (having seen a mention of it here (perhaps by you) a few months ago). My brain is obviously failing fast.. I better get to Pattaya again before it shuts down completely.

I'm not sure how I got 'red roof inn' into my brain but I actually did contact the Roof Garden Inn. Here's the From line from their reply From: "Roof Garden Inn" It does seem like their web page is in error... but then again they mention Laundry as a service too and that doesn't mean that you have a washing machine in your room. They should have been more clear.

I contacted the Red Roof Inn and they responded promply: So I guess the search for a hotel with broadband in the room continues....

Thanks for the info. That's just what I was looking for. I haven't heard of fast internet available at hotel rooms in Pattaya -- yet -- so I know that I'll have to use a combination of internet cafe's and dialups in order to stay in touch with my co-workers. Having an internet cafe in the hotel will be very convenient.

The flipper lodge web site is not too informative so I wonder if anyone here can tell me if the Flipper Lodge has a high-speed internet access in the lobby. I seem to recall reading about this somewhere but I can't find the info now. If so what's the price (1 baht a minute?). Also is the hotel selling the access or an independent supplier? I'll be coming to Pattaya in late October and I'd like to use such a service for many hours a day and I figure that I may be able to make a bulk purchase of time.

It's a business class seat with economy class meals. Having been used to United Airlines meals the economy class means on EVA seemed tremendous to me. They are even better than United's First Class meals. I highly recommend Evergreen Deluxe.