MC_Ldop

This was your mistake. You shouldn't have touched her at all. If the bouncers see some foreigner with his hands around a screaming mamasan's wrist then how are they supposed to react?

Thanks Adam. That was a great way to spend 40 minutes.

I would not transfer a Monet to Thailand. The humidity can't be good for the painting.

http://blog.wired.com/27bstroke6/2008/01/f...-optic-cab.html "Large swaths of the Middle East and Southeast Asia fell into internet darkness after two major underseas fiber optic links were damaged off Egypt's coast on Wednesday." This hitting anyone?

Do you mean Wong Amat beach?

See, the magic of Waffle House is that everything is cooked on one large griddle -- pancakes, eggs, sausage, bacon, etc. The griddle becomes seasoned to add a fantastic taste to everything that's cooked on it. I'm pretty sure it's some form of sorcery or alchemy.

Why the hell would you even care if the girl was impressed with the room? That's stupid. Stay where you want to stay. It's your holiday and your money. I've stayed at places that cost less than 1,000 baht, but I've also paid 5,000 for the Sheraton Pattaya in 2006. In the case of the latter, I stayed there because I wanted to enjoy the bed, pools, service, etc. In both cases, I didn't care about the girl's opinion.

I've seen plenty of listings for houses up on Pratumnak, but you'd need a motorbike or have to rely on motorbike taxi. Any reason you're relying on the baht bus? That's limiting your choices a fair bit.

Yes, it would be hard to drive from Soi 15 to anywhere in Maine. I had cigarettes on the balcony all the time. Noise was never an issue for me. I see. So just because you think it looks like a good place to get mugged, that makes it a "muggers paradise" as you call it -- even though you've never seen or heard about anyone being mugged there. Getting back to useful and practical advice, I think this is a good hotel that's fairly priced. I would not recommend it for newcomers, since a hotel between Beach/Second Road is more ideal for first timers. Nor would I recommend to l

If the driver is bringing you everywhere then why are you complaining about the hotel being out of the way? Yes, but is noise an issue? I stayed there in December and January -- the noise was not an issue for me at all. I didn't hear anything at all. I never had a problem returning home from 4AM on. Nor have I seen anyone mugged in front of the hotel. Have you?

Seat Guru is your friend.

It depends on when you're looking. I've still seen the Westin around $125. I've stayed here a few times and like it quite a bit. I'm thinking of trying the Plaza Athene as my Starwood choice next time.

There's one on Soi Buakhao. If you're walking up Soi Diana, make a left on Soi Buakhao. You'll see it on the right (I believe right around the intersection of Soi LK Metro).

I disagree with a few things. The tuk tuk brings you to Second Road or Soi Buakhao. It's not supposed to take you all over town, so I don't know where you got that idea. There are motorbike taxis at the new mall. It's only "out the way" if you don't know your way around town. I also don't think 1,150 (without breakfast) is expensive for a room in a new hotel with a lift, decent pool, and good restaurant. I do agree that the rooms are small. The building sites are far away enough that I didn't notice any problems with the noise. I've stayed at this hotel for 45 days in the last six

I believe it's a TG-proof spot, so nobody tries to microwave a few sticks of leftover bbq for nine minutes.

One guest is okay. Don't know about two.

I agree. Keep in mind that was the Christmas/New Year's price. It's lower, to varying degrees, throughout the rest of the year.

Here are some shots of the Sheraton Pattaya. It's an absolutely gorgeous hotel with top-notch service. That said, it can be expensive. I used Starwood points for five free nights over Christmas. Another boardie was up there too and paid almost 10,000 per night. I've seen rates as low as 5,000 during low season. The swimming pools (three + one jacuzzi) are fantastic, the staff is top notch, and it's a quick baht bus (private) ride to the Bali High end of Walking Street. If you want to splurge a bit, want some seclusion, and don't mind being up on the hill, this hotel is a fine choice.

The Mercure is the hotel next door.

Here are some photos if anyone is interested. I stayed at this hotel in August, but they only had a standard room available for a monthly rate. That room was okay, but too small for a long stay. This room was much better. I hade no idea what the purpose of this alcove is. I was tempted to set up a straw mat for bad Thai girls. More pics....

He was asking if you have to pay up front when you check in, not if you have to leave a deposit. The answer is yes, you have to pay in full when you check in. Do note that you can lop off 150 if you opt out of breakfast.

Kevin (BM cookie and owner of Jasmine Mansion) has several new stories on his site Riff-Raffles. This time around he takes a break from his Pattaya hotel to head to Udon Thani and Bangkok. Here are some excerpts. Fear and Loathing in Udon Thani So yet again, a trip away from Pattaya sees another series of calamities having befallen me. The most serious problem on my plate was one of my own making — caused, albeit unwittingly, through my own veritable stupidity, but I will come to that later. I had departed Pattaya for a week in Udon Thani to undertake some editing and get a handle on h

That looks excellent. I love shabu shabu. I shall eat there this weekend for sure. Thanks for the rec!

EEO should not apply to FAs, waitresses at Hooter's, etc. It's not right. Looks aside, the attitude of the Thai staff from BKK to NRT is so much better than the usual hags (that were probably FAs in the '60s) haunting NRT to SFO/LAX.

Both of those are excellent. I'm fond of the steak and Guiness pie too.