teelack

Plus 1 for me. They do however need to be managed in a better way.

Thanks for reminding me that you are there and I am here. Bugger!

One more thing about Soi 2.If you do have mobility issues there are a constant stream of baht buses going down there. Seems that if they have no customers when they get to Soi 2 they may as well go down the soi and back onto Bach Road. It has to be said however that there are less and less stopping as they all want to be taxis and get the bigger fares but it is still good if you have problems or indeed if its raining. There is also a taxi place half way down run by a dependable lady (her boss and owner is a cop) and she can do a good and quick job of getting you anywhere.

There seems to be a load of these places in the streets beside Tuc Com. Heading back towards Walking Street about 2 streets down same side as Tuc Eom. There are also about half a dozen places in the last 200 metres in Soi Buakhao before you get to Pattayya Klang.

One other new feature of the area is that there is a ne night market. The old one was at the end of Second Road but the new one is a 100 meters to nearer Big C on the same side. This is handy if your looking for the odd gift to take home. Despite all the noise and trucks etc I was amazed that the Classroom a'gogo was still going strong. This place has some resilience.

As far as I am aware all the Sabai properties have lifts as long as the building is over one floor. The area around the big pool at the Sabai Lodge for example is only one floor up so no lift.

I am flying next month from Ghangzhou to Bangkok! Ah well, it cant happen twice-can it?

Some eight weeks ago they were getting to the topping off stage and the main concrete pours were tailing off. I have to believe that they must be into the fitting out stage. Perhaps I was lucky but there was never a noise issue with this construction. There was in fact more noise from the Sala Thai restaurant refurbishing. They closed it down for some weeks and totally revamped the place. One other point about the area. I did have some good nights at the music bars on the Second Road just around the corner from Soi 2. There are some good bands here and a few reasonable ladies but beware of the good looking hello girls and the less tasty staff once you get seated.

Thanks for that. A good laugh.

Thanks as usual. It was worth the effort just to find out how to pronounce Wan Khur. Noted it a lot in recent Thai / farang conversations.

I am a Sabai fan but dont limit yourself to the Lodge. Do the homework on the Resort and the Inn. I also believe that the Empress is good as well. I have used tham for some years now and have aleways been guest friendly but they are also up front in wanting security with ID requirement until they know the girl and the guest and then its up to you.

I missed the mini bus last year and a cab was 700 baht so it is still a reasonable trip.

The thing about BC is that it is a more gentle version of Soi 6. The girls are easier to deal with and they require less drink and at substantially lower prices. I have never met a place that is so dedicated to the one on one experience like this place. I was around when they had the dance competitions and whilst fun I am always running for the bus as I get into the place so much without having to be entertained by other methods. I will admit to not being a fan of Soi 6 whereas the ambience of BC is just right for me but that is Pattaya. Always something for everyone as long as you are prepared to get out there and look. I have indeed heard of punters going on a bar crawl that have got a taxi home within an hour because they just didn't get the place but on the other hand I have heard a lot more stories of guys getting to stay the night there as it just seemed to be the right thing to do!

Have to say Evil that this is perhaps the first thread here about Ban Chang where the subject regarding eating is about actually eating food!

Thanks for the review. I have eaten at times in the other restaurant that is straight across from this one in the Tipp. This place is also quite good for a European breakfast. As a side issue this side of Second Road heading back into Walking Street is actually worth a night out. There seems to be a permanent Issan show at one bar and there are good bands at places like the Bodega and Wonderbar.

Thanks and good to hear from you. Just over seven weeks and I will get back onto those bar crawls. I will look up the guesthouse that you mention.

Well if the reason to avoid a place because it has Indian, Russian and Arab guests then you may as well stay away from Pattaya. I have been staying at one or the other Sabai properties for perhaps the last 3 or 4 years and there is a complete mix of all races and types. Very few Americans but plenty Germans, British and French. The only issues that I have seen were some Turkish guys felt that they were on a romantic date and decided that the pleasure of their company was better than money and refused to pay. Security soon sorted that out. My guess but on the basis that I am pool side nearly every day that at least 50 % of the Sabai clientele fall into the three race bracket above but I would without hesitation recommend the Sabai group to anyone.

Thanks Andy. I know where this place is and the location is perfect so I will look forward to that.

Thanks but this thread which I did read tells you absoloutly nothing about the Yensabai Condos or the area that they surrounds them other than a general comment about lady boys. It is clear from Evils post that he has been in the Yensabai area of late but he again didnt mention the Condo's as there are other options in the area. Based on this look about he has given a heads up about the area and thats exactly what I was looking for rather than generalities. Perhaps Cicero will come back with the promised report?

Can someone point me to it please. I cannot find it.

Thanks to all the those that have been responding to this thread. Looking at the usual booking sites such as Agoda and Sawadee I believe that prices are on the rise and perhaps more people in the future will be looking at alternatives. The following are some of the points that my research have bought up. Apartments and condos under say 20000 baht a month are hit and miss if you look at the reviews and check the map for the location. For instance the best buy by far was the Yensabai apartments but the neighbourhood seems so difficult that I have stopped considering it. The reviews are enlightening and the problem is to know what is real and what is not. One place I saw had only 2 reviews and one was 1 out of 5 and the other was 5 out of 5 so go figure. The rental agencies seem dreadful to deal with at a distance in that the terms and conditions some impose are draconian. You have toll of a lot of digging only to find that the lease is for a year, needs 3 months deposit and will only accept cash and so on and on. If you are not interested in finding your way back to Jomptien, Naklua or the dark side a look at Google maps is a must. Some of the places shown as being "Central Pattaya" are not! I have researched dozens of places and I will keep looking but the moral of the story is clear. You need to bite the bullet and do the leg work while you are in Pattaya and not just rely on the Internet. If you see a place advertised on the Agoda type agencies I would always Google the place and look at its own website. I do believe that I will have to soften my insistence on a swimming pool and accept that it might be better to pay 100 baht for the days that I swim. This in itself will open up the search parameters. This year alone I will have spent well over 100,000 baht on accommodation and that seems a bargain for a hotel (looking at the accommodation web sites) but if I want to keep coming to Pattaya at least 3 times a year I need to keep the search going. I do still believe that this is where this forum is very useful and worth the occasional irritation. I still look forward to suggestions.

Thanks Mick. Between you and Evil I have made my mind up. I guess when we talk about accommodation if its to good to be true then it is. Teelack, just stay the fu@k away from there, yet more stupid unreliable information from the worlds biggest clown and bullshitter

Thanks Evil. That is the sort of no nonsense, no bull shit response I was looking for.

Not particularly helpful as I was looking from some comments from people that actually knew the area and could advise if it is safe or otherwise.

I would appreciate it if you would expand on that please. You obviously know the area and have a strong opinion.