Slobbert

The first time I went to Thailand my doctor gave me some pills for malaria prevention. He did this only because I golf a lot and he figured my chances of getting bitten by skeeters were greater. I only took them the one time. Nothing happened and I haven't had any kind of innoculations for any of my subsequent trips. I don't go off into the provinces much but if you plan to do so, it might be a good idea to follow Mescalito's advice for tetanus and hepatitis at the very least.

Stay as long as you can. Once you get there, you'll know why.

Eltilza.... There's a 7-11 on Soi 3 at Second Road. Can't see it real well because it's sunken down from street level.

The door width may be the least of your problems with the bathrooms in the older parts of the hotel. When you enter the bathrooms you have to step down two or three inches. I suppose they were built this way to keep any water from the showers from running into the room. You won't be breezing through those doorways. And Centcm is right.....lots of stairs to get to many of the rooms. I looked at the rooms at the new Sabai Resort across Second Road and the bathrooms were bigger but I can't remember if they have the same drop-off as the Lodge. I've stayed at Sabai four or five times and they've always resolved any problems I've encountered while there. Good luck to you and enjoy your stay.

Although a little older (50) than you, I was in a similar situation earlier this year. I had a nice stash of cash and investments that was earning interest while my interest in getting up and going to work every day was waning (I'm a lot like BigD in that respect). I did the math, searched my soul and retired in March 2005. I'm able to spend about half my time in LOS and half my time in Farangland. Maybe some day I'll make the complete move over there but for now I'm content with the situation. Everybody has different circumstances but for me, retiring early was the right choice.

Thanks, Elef. That will keep me from lugging my own smokes from home.

Does anyone know if that Havana Cigar shop is still open? It was in the strip mall on Second Road across from the Apex Hotel last time I was in town.

I stayed at the Penthouse a couple different times when I started coming to Pattaya. It was totally bizarre and I guess that's what appealed to me. I never saw any roaches or other varmints but that was a few years ago. If your room faces the soi it's gonna be noisy. As I remember, the owner is a Brit named Dudley. He seemed a nice enough guy and did me a couple favors. If his son is now doing the day-to-day managing that might explain why the hotel has gone south. My preference these days is the Sabai Lodge on Soi 2. It's a quieter location than the Penthouse but it's very convenient to Big C, the three major soapies, the Soi 2 beer bars; baht buses run past the hotel every few minutes. The hotel is clean, the staff friendly and attentive and they don't hassle you about guests.

Tom, Avoid -- Katoeys Riding on motorcycles Touts selling lottery tickets, flowers, maps of Thailand, belts, wallets, or watches that also light your cigarette. Survey takers Sample everything else. The only plans you should make are your airline and hotel reservations. Anything else will just go up in smoke because, after all, This Is Thailand. Have fun!!

I really appreciate all this input. For the past two years, I've been trying to get up the nerve to have some dental work done when I'm in Pattaya. After reading about your experiences, I feel much better about it and I'm scheduling an appointment when I'm next in town. Thanks!!!

The Sabai Lodge saved my bacon on my last trip. I had booked another hotel (not to be named -- oh screw it. This is hotel info....Peace Resort) and when I arrived there at two in the morning after 22 hours of travel they had no reservation for me. Even after I showed them my confirmed internet booking. What to do? I remembered reading about the Sabai Lodge and figured it wasn't but a few blocks away. When I got there they happily showed me a room and I liked it. The bellhop was very accommodating. He said, "Mr. Slobbert, I think you need lady to relax after your hard trip." How could I argue with that? I had a great stay with Sabai Lodge. Any problems I had were minor and taken care of promptly. The staff was friendly, great location near the major massage parlors, Soi 2 beer bars and Big C mall. My only beef was the controls for the lights, air con and TV remote are on one control box on the night stand. Kinda awkward sometimes. I'll stay there my next trip. Wbill, I'd be curious to know how you like the deluxe cottage room. Hope to hear from you.

I've stayed there a couple times and it's VERY basic. If that's all ya want, you'll be happy there. The buffets are good and the pool decent. My other beef is they don't take credit cards. Gotta keep ponying up cash every few days to keep the roof over my head. Also, they charge a deposit for the in-room safe and (sometimes) forget to refund it when you check out unless you ask for it. Give it a try. If you don't like it, there's only a thousand other hotels to sample.