THE_DRUID

A BAR GIRL FROM SOI 8 [smiley=kissing.gif]

Although having booked flights to L.O.S.many times i am aware that the outward part of the trip cannot be altered once the ticket has been issued.I was wondering that since the SARS scaremongering plus the Gulf war if the airlines(being between 50-70%capacity) are showing any leeway to this policy.I'm flying on Emirates at the begining of July from Manchester.I booked this flight through Trailfinders before the SARS/Gulf war broke out,i couldn't get on the 2pm flight because it was full so i had to opt for the 8.30pm flight.Now i have found out that due to lots of cancellations the 'early' 2pm flight now has seats available!I phoned 'trailfinders' with whom i booked the flight and they told me that once the ticket has been issued there was no chance of changing the designated flight unless i cancelled lost 50% and re-booked!It seems absurd when there's room on the flight and it's the same day just a few hours before, that a simple alteration can't be made.My other suggestion was that if i turned up at the airport for the 2pm flight would Emirates let me on the flight if their are empty seats.Trailfinders told me they had know knowledge of airlines letting customers do this.I am a member of the Emirates air miles club and am awaiting a reply from them via E-mail on my predicament. ???The Druid

It looks like i'm swaying towards staying at Flipper house on soi 7.The only problem i've had is that i've sent them numerous E-mails but have never had a reply back.Can anyone tell me if they've changed their E-mail address.Ihave been sending to Booking @flippergroup.com. ???The Druid.

I need a bit of info especially from any of you out in L.O.S.at the moment.I'm heading back to Siam in July and i'm tossing up on two hotels at the moment.Flipper house on soi7 have a very good offer on 'off season' it's 750 Baht per night but if you stay 5 nights you pay for 4,if you stay 7 nights you pay for 5 or if you stay 14 nights you pay for 10.I tried E-mailing them only for my efforts to bounce back on me.I really wanted to know if their offer also applied to their sister hotel Flipper lodge On soi8?I also wanted to ask them what sort of deal i'd get for an 18 night stay at Flipper lodge on soi 7.The other hotel i've been making tentative enquiries about is Sunshine hotel on soi8.They also have a deal of free nights depending on the length of your stay.Their rooms were quoted at B770(before discount).But they also have rooms for B500 but have told me via E-mail that these rooms are not available with a discount!!I found this strange as i am aware Pattaya is a buyers market at the moment with a big drop in tourism.I usually stay in hotels at around B500 in central/south pattaya areas so i'd appreciate anyone with some good feedback on any 'good deals' in Funcity :) THE DRUID.

Anyone stayed at BLISS MANSION soi diana,would appreciate any info on the aforementioned hotel,prices,joiner fees?etc. Cheers, :) [smiley=beer.gif] DRUID.

JUST GOT BACK FROM L.O.S. AFTER THREE WEEKS.DEPRESSING TO BE BACK BUT THE WHEELS ARE IN MOTION FOR MY NEXT EXCURSION AT THE BEGINING OF JULY.STAYED AT SIAM SAWASDEE ON SOI BUAKOW.IT'S PROBABLY ABOUT THE TENTH TIME I'VE STAYED THERE NOW,I MUST SAY I THINK THE STANDARD HAS DROPPED THERE,MAYBE IT WAS TO DO WITH THE FACT THAT THE PLACE WAS FULL AND PEOPLE WERE ACTUALLY GETTING TURNED AWAY AS THE 'ROOMS FULL'SIGNS WENT UP.THE COST WAS B2950 FOR A WEEK,B12OOO FOR 1 MONTH(30 DAYS).OR B500 PER NIGHT.THESE ARE HIGH SEASON RATES.IN LOW SEASON IT GOES AS LOW AS B350 PER NIGHT.SIAM SAWASDEE HAVE NOW INTRODUCED A STOCKED MINI BAR,BEFORE THEY JUST SUPPLIED AN EMPTY FRIDGE.PRICES ARE NOT EXTORTIONATE BUT THERE SEEMS TO BE A BIT OF A 'SCAM' GOING ON WITH MYSTERY ITEMS BEING ADDED TO YOUR BILL.I WAS BILLED FOR A BOTTLE OF MEKONG,2 BOTTLES OF WATER AND A BOTTLE OF COKE.ALL OF WHICH I NEVER HAD.WHEN I QUERIED THIS THE RECEPTIONIST CLAIMED IT MUST HAVE BEEN YOUR T.G. WHO DRANK IT! I ARGUED MY CORNER AND NEVER PAID IT.I THEN DEMANDED THAT THE CHAMBERMAID REMOVE EVERYTHING FROM THE FRIDGE AND LEAVE IT EMPTY FOR ME TO STOCK UP MYSELF FROM THE 7/11 ACROSS THE ROAD.SO THAT'S WHAT THEY DID.ALL IN ALL I THINK I'LL TRY ANOTHER PLACE NEXT TIME. THE DRUID

I Tried booking a room at SIAM SAWASDEE Via their website.I got a reply within a day or so but unfortunately they told me that they were fully booked untill the end of March!They told me not only was SIAM SAWASDEE on soi bukao full but all of their other hotels in Pattaya were also full! :(I've stayed at SIAM SAWASDEE on numerous visits to Funcity and couldn't believe it was full untill the end of March.Anyway,as luck happens a mate of mine is over on a long term excursion to Pattaya so i asked him to call round to SIAM SAWASDEE to try and secure me a room.My mate E-mailed me last week to say that he'd put down a B500 deposit on a room for me for the end of Feb begining of March.So my guess is that SIAM SAWASDEE are not taking bookings via their website,with Pattaya being pretty busy at this time they obviously prefer to let their rooms out to passers by.. DRUID :)(14 days and counting)

I T

:)ANYTHING BY CHARLES BUKOWSKI, JOHN FANTE,DAN FANTE OR TRY 'THE VAGINA MONOLOGUES',FORGET THE AUTHOR!!!

I'M ON SAS ON SUNDAY FEB 23RD.MY PROBLEM IS THAT MY BELOVED FOOTBALL TEAM WREXHAM HAVE SWITCHED THEIR SATURDAY FIXTURE TO YOU'VE GUESSED IT SUNDAY 23RD FEB. :(THE MIGHTY DARLINGTON AT HOME K.O.3PM.MY FLIGHT LEAVES MANCHESTER AT 7PM.THE FACT THAT I'M SUPPOSED TO CHECK IN 2 HRS BEFORE MEANS THAT I CAN ONLY WATCH THE FIRST HALF!! >:(CAN ANYONE TELL ME WHAT THE LATEST TIME IS TO CHECK-IN.I THOUGHT MAYBE 6PM ???.IF SO THAT MEANS I CAN LEAVE THE MATCH 10 MINUTES BEFORE THE END AND DRIVE TO MANCHESTER(50 MINS)FROM WREXHAM,THUS ARRIVING AT CHECK-IN AT 530PM.ANY FEEDBACK WOULD BE GRATEFULLY RECEIVED.

I used my Halifax Platinum card in C.D. wharehouse and Bookazine in The Royal Garden Shopping Mall Pattaya in October and three weeks after i arrived home(before my statement arrived)i had a telephone call from the fraud department of the Halifax,saying that they'd blocked my card due to their being some unusual transactions made.One was for £1500 worth of household appliances,£500 billed to a company called St George and numerous smaller transactions ranging from £80-£50 downwards.These transactions were made between Nov3 and Nov8 in Australia!! I flew back to the U.K.on October 14th!I never lost my card so i assume i have been a victim of the so called 'skimming' scam.My card has now been cancelled and i am going to be issued with a new one,but it still mystifies me how this fraud has happened,in both stores i watched the cashier swipe my card once for each transaction.Thankfully i am not liable,but it's a big inconvienience.I've spent up to 3 times a year in the mentioned shops on other credit cards and never had a problem.It goes to show no matter how careful you are the fraudsters out there are at work.

Anyone from the U.K.with a natwest bank account can now get American Express T/C's for 0% commision.All you do is upgrade your current account to an advantage gold account,which you can have on trial for 90 days.This costs £6 per month,you can cancel the advantage gold account anytime before the 90 days trial expires and Natwest will refund your monthly £6 monthly payments no questions asked.I've done this twice in the last year and i was told by the Bank clerk in my local branch there's no problem doing this as many times as you like. On the subject of the Nationwide ATM flex account card i agree with valentinoxxx and woody it's the best ATM card to use in L.O.S. No charges and a good rate.I've been using it for the last 5 or 6 trips,the first time i used it before leaving for L.O.S. i contacted Nationwide and they kindly sent me a list of ATM machines in both Pattaya and Bangkok where i could use it not incurring Bank charges fom the participating bank. :) Long may their fine service continue. The Druid.

Alright Garty, There's a few conflicting stories doing the rounds as regards to flying in to L.O.S. on a single ticket.A good mate of mine turned up at Manchester airport(two years ago) with a single ticket to Bangkok on Air France and at the check in desk he was quizzed about his return ticket, to cut a long story short he was told that he had to buy the return part of the flight at an extortionate price from the Air France desk or he wouldn't be allowed to board the outward flight. :-[.On the upside this ticket was 'open' and therefore he could cash it in or use it within a year.The reason given by air France on why he couldn't board the flight on a 'single'was that when arriving at your final destination if you are refused entry you are the responsibility of the airline bringing you in.Hence they'd have to fly you back out of the country. :-[On the other hand i've flown in on a'single' before from Sri lanka Hong Kong and The Philippines and had no problems,this was ten years ago so times do change.The general feeling is that it almost certainly depends on the airline you are flying with(double check before you book) and it also depends on the immigration official who stamps you in in BKK.In my experience the Immigration officer at the airport has never asked me to show my onward flight so i'd say it's a very slim chance that the 'Thais' would refuse you entry on a one way ticket. The Druid :)

Does anyone out there have information on how to join the 'Air miles club' for Emirates airlines.I am flying to LOS on Emirates in September. THE DRUID

Hi,I haven't actually stayed at The Rising Sun,but i know a few people who have,who say its o.k. It has mini bar facilities,Air con,safety deposit box. I personally like to stay in a Hotel with swimmimg pool,which you can get for around the same price.The Rising Sun is situated down Soi Yamato and is run by an English guy and his Thai wife.The food their is excellent ,especially the English breakfast for B95 with cuppa tea.The Dogs Bollocks(infamous Chelsea bar) is directly across the street,the Clinic sports bar is further down the road and is run by Ulsterman Derek and Brighton fan Ernie.The clinic is a mainly expat and 'Regulars' hangout(but all are welcome) that shows all the top sports events on Big screen,There's a few go go bars down the street.All in all a lively location to stay. :)

DOES ANYONE OUT THERE KNOW OF ANY TRAVEL AGENTS BASED IN PATTAYA,WHO DEAL WITH BOOKING FLIGHTS VIA THE INTERNET?I WILL BE BACK IN FUNTOWN IN SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER AND FANCY A TRIP IN BETWEEN TO THE PHILIPPINES.QUOTES I'VE HAD FROM THE U.K. HAVE BEEN RIDICULOUSLY HIGH,AS MUCH AS £365 BKK-MANILA RTN.I GOT A FRIEND TO GET ME A QUOTE WHEN HE WAS VISITING PATTAYA AND HE TOLD ME I WAS LOOKING AT B8500(£140) IF BOUGHT IN LOS.I WOULD OBVIOUSLY BOOK THE TRIP TO MANILA IN SIAM(AS IT'S £200 CHEAPER),BUT WOULD LIKE TO SORT IT ALL OUT BEFORE I MAKE THE JOURNEY TO BKK.ANY FEEDBACK ON THIS WOULD BE APPRECIATED. THE DRUID :)

GARUDA,I'M TOLD BY A RELIABLE SOURCE HAS SMOKING SEATS AS WELL AS NON-SMOKING SEATS.CHEAPISH PRICES OUT OF LONDON AS WELL,WHAT MORE CAN YOU ASK!!!!! :)

Got this E-mail address from one of the Daily rags' money pages.www.moneysupermarket.com It literally lists hundreds of insurance companies. One that caught my eye was PRIMARY-MONEY SUPERMARKET EXCLUSIVE Tel 01244 665708. Cost per annum £36.76 which includes medical & baggage.Primary are based in Altrincham,Cheshire.With this policy you can make as many trips as you like in 12 months as long as one stay doesn't exceed 31 days. THE DRUID

Can anyone over there in 'FUNTOWN' brief me on the status of the current crop of new footie shirts.I know next seasons Mu shirt is already available out there,what about the England new reversable away top?Is their any world cup shirts on the market yet? WILL BE ARRIVING IN L.O.S. on may 11.Would appreciate some feedback. Cheers THE DRUID

I Agree with Echster, the cheaper flights that are advertised are usually stopover flights.stopping somewhere on the way before you hit Bangkok.This means you have to get seats on 4 planes instead of 2. Good one i saw on netflights.com,also trading under airline network.tel 08702410011 was THAI (direct) from Heathrow for £501 inc tax.Was available for travel out on May 11 but hurry and get dialiing!! THE DRUID

Anyone who needs a flight in May,check out cheapestflights.co.uk or call 080001501345. from london Heathrow QUATAR £353, FINN £387, TURKISH £416, ROYAL JORDANIAN £440, CHINA £445. ALL FARES ARE INCLUSIVE OF TAX. From MANCHESTER. FINN £390, TURKISH £419, CHINA £448, OLYMPIC £487, KLM £491. ALL FARES ARE INCLUSIVE OF TAX. Just to add a few more flights i've come across via an E-mail from NETFLIGHTS.COM Known as AIRLINE NETWORK(Who are based in PRESTON lancs).TEL 08702410011.I've booked through this company quite a few times and recommend them. FROM LONDON HEATHROW.THAI £501 (DIRECT) S.A.S. £479(STOPOVER IN COPENHAGEN) FROM MANCHESTER. S.A.S.£475 (STOPOVER IN COPENHAGEN) ALL FLIGHTS INCLUSIVE OF TAX. i've checked availability out for MAY and it's all systems go so hurry!!!!!!!

Try www.worldplus.co.uk or tel 0870 444 9848 It's an English geezer married to a Thai who started up his own travel agency in Croydon.I'm sure he'll be able to get you a flight cheaper than £600. Finn air seems to be one of the cheapies at the moment. THE DRUID

Garty, If you're staying in L.O.S. for 3 to 4 months you'll need a visa.Also you can't fly into Siam on a single flight without a visa,a mate of mine tried to fly in on Air France and was told at Manchester airport that he would not be allowed to board the aircraft unless he had a return ticket!He therefore had to buy the return part of the ticket there and then at an extortionate price!!Some airlines might not be so strict and i'm sure the Thai authorities in Bkk aren't but it's still a risk. Emirates and Singapore airlines although a little dearer don't charge for changing your return date.China,Lufthansa and S.A.S.charge £50 which i think is roughly the standard charge.Don't forget to check the validity of the ticket some cheap fares have got to be completed in 3 months. THE DRUID

I VISIT PATTAYA 3-4 TIMES A YEAR AND FIND THAT IT'S BETTER TO HAVE A MIXTURE OF CASH,T/C'S,CREDIT CARDS AND ATM CARDS.CASH IS ALWAYS 1 BAHT PER £1 LESS THAN T/C'S.FOR EXAMPLE LAST OCT £100 CASH WAS B6300,£100 T/C WAS B6400.IN THE B100 DIFFERENCE,TAKE AWAY 1% COMMISSION IN THE U.K.(EQUIV B64) AND AROUND B27 COMMISSION FROM A THAI BANK/EXCHANGE,THAT ONLY LEAVES B9 MORE PER £100 BUT YOU HAVE THE ADDED SECURITY OF GETTING YOUR T/C'S REPLACED IF STOLEN.CREDIT CARDS USUALLY HAVE A 2.5% CHARGE FOR CASH ADVANCES.AS FOR ATM MACHINES,IF YOU'RE FROM THE U.K.OPEN A FLEX ACCOUNT AT THE NATIONWIDE BUILDING SOCIETY AND USE THEIR CARD IN ATM'S WITH THE SIGN CIRRUS.THE NATIONWIDE HAS NO CHARGES AS LONG AS YOU USE THE DESIGNATED MACHINES.(OPPOSITE CLASSROOM SOI PATTAYALAND HAS ONE ON THE CORNER).IF YOU'RE STAYING LONG TIME YOU CAN OPEN AN E-MAIL ACCOUNT WITH THE NATIONWIDE AND SWITCH MONEY VIA THE INTERNET TO YOUR FLEX-ACCOUNT(THIS TAKES 24 HRS TO CLEAR FROM ONE TO THE OTHER).REMEMBER THOUGH THAT IF YOU'RE RELYING ON A CARD ALONE AND THE MACHINE SWALLOWS IT,IT CAN BE A NIGHTMARE REPLACING IT!! THAT'S WHY I ALWAYS EXCERCISE ALL OPTIONS. THE DRUID