MC_Ldop

Thanks very much!

Was thinking that was the 4. You have any guesses on the 5? Maybe the Amari?

Here are the links: http://latestays.com/mystery-hotel-beach-r...pattaya-4-star/ http://latestays.com/mystery-hotel-beach-r...pattaya-5-star/ I'm guessing one is the Marriott. Not sure what the other could be.

Anyone every use the four-star or five-star Beach Road options on Latestays? If so, what hotel did you end up with?

I've had Kobe at steak houses in NY and Tokyo. It's an amazing experience. Here's more info on the beef from Wikipedia: Kobe beef in Japan is registered trademark by Kobe beef distribution promotion conference.[2] It must fulfill all the conditions as follows:[3] Tajima cattle born in Hyōgo Prefecture Fed by farm in Hyōgo Prefecture Bullock or Virgin cow, meant to purify the beef Processed at slaughterhouse in Kobe, Nishinomiya, Sanda, Kakogawa and Himeji in Hyōgo Prefecture. Marbling ratio called BMS[4] is level 6 and above. Meat Quality Score[4] is A or B Gross weight of beef is 470 kg or below. In accordance with popular belief, the cattle are fed a beer a day, and they are massaged with sake daily and brushed for setting fur, and fed on grain fodder.[5][6] When the cattle are ready for slaughter, they are slaughtered in a humane and painless customary way in order to keep the meat tender and at its highest flavor. A Kobe beef distribution promotion conference plans to make a pamphlet in foreign languages detailing Kobe beef due to the ambiguation of what actually constitutes Kobe beef, and the fact many tourists who visit Japan receive incorrect information.

I stayed there last June with two other boardies. They didn't ask for joiner fees. Is this a new development? I have a review and pictures in this section on Villa Panalee.

What email addresses are you using? Their spam filter seems overly aggressive. I was getting no response from them through Gmail or Yahoo, but once I switched to a private domain, they responded quickly.

It depends on where you like to hang out really. I'm a fan of PBR and I like that it's just off of Soi Buakhao. It's also faster to get to Walking Street. That said, if you spend more time on Soi 6 and the beer bars in North Pattaya then Summer Spring seems like a better choice. Personally, I like the the location of PBR exponentially better.

Find the holy grail: excellent maid service that provides excellent STs.

Thanks for the pics and thoughts FM! Also, belated (way belated) thanks for the Internet drink from November. I hope all's well with you!

fo_renaissance@lkpattaya.com I'd email the manager directly. If it's the same guy, his name is Mr. Tong.

You can contact Paul and Jan through the boards. Paul is BM lostinspace. Toom's email is toom39@msn.com.

See, to me it's far less interesting and convenient to stay there. There's better food and more diverse to be had at the Soi Buakhao area, the hotels are better, and it's more centrally located. From the sounds of it, do you mostly hang out on Walking?

So use a baht bus or a motorbike taxi. Where do you like to stay that you have to avoid walking?

As others have said, they move fairly quickly -- much faster than the route along Beach Road during the evening. I'm amused that people find the area inconvenient. The baht bus drops you off at Second Road and Pattaya Tai. It's practically the same as being dropped off at the beginning of Walking Street. What map of Pattaya are you using? If you're staying on LK Metro then you don't have to walk far at all to catch a baht bus to Walking. It would be the same walk -- and in many cases shorter -- as if you were staying at a hotel between Beach Road and Second Road.

I've used Mr. Toom several times without any issues. However, now that Jan is working again, I'm trying to support her. Two weeks ago, she got me from the airport to Pattaya in one hour and five minutes, safe and sound.

The Vegas hotels are poorly chosen. There's no reason an adult should have to go to Circus Circus or Excalibur. The Flamingo, MGM Grand, and Luxor are old hotels that don't compare to several of the nicer and newer place.

I recommend the Sheraton. It's much nicer than any of the hotels mentioned in this thread. It's convenient for Walking Street, but that's about it. I posted pics somewhere in the hotel section.

I like the Metropole a lot, but the Renaissance has the better pool. Sabai Lodge is a notch below both LK hotels.

Compared to Smith and Wollensky's or Peter Luger's, Sizzler is very cheap.

Thanks for the pics! I'm looking forward to the next batch.

Sounds good, but way expensive for top sirloin. Do you know where the meat was from? Agreed. The steaks at Sizzler are okay, at best. The salad bar is a pretty good deal though.

Kevin Meacher, of Jasmine Mansion fame, has loads of new stories on his blog, Riff-Raffles. As some of you know, Kevin is in the process of getting a divorce from his Thai wife. Several of the stories touch on the subject and his wife has been leaving all sorts of comments on the blog. Here are some samples and links to the newest stories. Rabies and Raving Neighbours The past couple of weeks in Pattaya have seen me hit by a series of minor, yet nonetheless debilitating, illnesses. It appears that no sooner am I through one ailment, the next is knocking on my door and barging in without waiting for a welcome. I have considered asking for a season ticket at the local hospital, such is the frequency of my visits recently. Unfortunately the visits to the hospital have not been for me, as both Sam and James have been in need of medical attention. Sam, who has a devil may care attitude to life, came off his bicycle whilst playing in our village. He sustained some pretty nasty looking gashes to his foot and although he avoided the need for stitches, his foot is heavily bandaged and very concerned he may miss the start of the school football season. James is a rather more circumspect child, although his injuries were also as a result of him riding his bicycle around the village. However, with James it was not through his actions that he was harmed. As he rode past one of our neighbour’s houses, they opened their front gate allowing a rather ferocious “pet” dog to escape onto the street and immediately set about attacking my six-year old. Fortunately the owner’s managed to restrain the beast fairly quickly and before anything more serious than a small bite to the back could be administered. Full Story The Newcastle Welsher vs. The Bonny Lad Why things always happen in multiples is a mystery to me…but they most certainly do…especially in Pattaya. No sooner had we avoided having our first non-paying guest at Jasmine Mansion by the skin of our teeth than we were in that same scenario all over again. (This is Thailand!) An elderly man from Newcastle, England had arrived mid-evening a week ago and had claimed he had no money or credit cards or passport or clothes. He informed our reception staff that all of his possessions were in his house and his Thai wife had thrown him out after gaining proof of his most recent infidelity. He needed a place to stay and would be able to get some money the next day and wanted to pay for a month whilst he tried to sort his life out. Our staff took it upon themselves to take pity on him and gave him a room without first telephoning Mrs. Boss or me — to get would be a resounding negative response in answer to any question, regardless how laced it may be with a sympathetic tale. Why staff take a kindly approach to customers with no money or proof of identity over the safe route that ends up as a kindly approach to those that pay them is a mystery to me and, of course, it is me that ends up having to try and deal with the mess they have created. Full Story The Thai-Woman Time-Bomb Explodes The real downside of chronicling my Pattaya adventures as they happen to me and writing them truthfully and honestly is that sometimes I have to expose myself. It would be easier to hide from everyone’s gaze and then only reappear once the dust had settled. That, however, is not really telling your tale and is most certainly not live action from the front! The most recent episode in my life has seen Mrs. Boss reopen hostilities and this time she appears armed with nuclear warheads. The reason behind her present attack has left me somewhat bemused and befuddled — more bemused and befuddled than normally I would hasten to add. I am still presently trying to get a handle on what occurred and why it triggered the explosion it has most certainly caused. This metaphorical explosion created a crater deeper than the Bingham Canyon mine in Utah and saw me buried deep beneath the shit at the bottom of it. Full Story My Thai-Lady Volcano Continues to Erupt I sat quietly for a few minutes and smoked a cigarette in an effort to calm my nerves. I then asked Peter if he would call Mrs. Boss and talk to her about the lawyer’s comments — it was his damned document anyway and I was really just some poor sap caught in the crossfire. Peter duly obliged, although quickly wished he hadn’t. Mrs. Boss rounded on him with the same ferocity that only moments earlier had been trained on me and he was equally unable to get a word in before she cut off the call. He bravely tried again — tried a further three times in fact — but all calls bore no fruit and he eventually admitted defeat in endeavouring to get the conversation onto lines that resembled some form of sanity. I returned to Jasmine Mansion a few hours later, hopeful that the wrath may have subsided — at least sufficiently to allow me the chance to explain the situation. Even if I could not persuade her that the contents of the note did not mean what she had interpreted them to mean, at least I hoped to show that there was no desire to hide this from her, nor was the situation anything whatsoever to do with me. I was wrong and I failed — failed miserably. The anger was still there and for the next hour in the hotel, the drive back to the house, and then a punishing further two hours at home (enduring more verbal assaults). Everything and anything she could think of that was negative was thrown at me, including sins I had committed only in her dreams! Full Story Going From Bad to Worse in Pattaya So the saga continues. Our relationship is now at an all time low and we either have days where Mrs. Boss totally ignores my existence or she launches yet another loud — very loud — attack upon me. After a few days of chatting about the present state of my marriage with Peter, I realised it was now time to employ a lawyer. This time it would not just be a one hour consultation, but a proper instruction to act on my behalf and move for a divorce. I had counseled a few people I know about lawyers here in Pattaya, but found no one who gave me any real confidence. One of the lawyers suggested, as he did not handle divorce cases, that I check the listings on the British Embassy web site. This I did and found a company I recognized from back home in England — MacKenzie Smith. They have offices in Bangkok and Phuket, as well as here in Pattaya. They would be my choice. I called to arrange a meeting and this was set for the next day, early afternoon. Full Story Different Than How I Thought it Would Be The low season has now started to take hold and Pattaya appears to be quieter than I can ever recall. However, this is something all business owners tend to say year in and year out and it will likely be no better or worse than previous years. On the other hand my marriage, presently going through its death throws, is giving me almost daily difficulties and simply getting up in the morning is tough. I am sure any of you who have been through a divorce, both male and female, will know it is a very isolated road with fear of what may happen lurking in every alley. I have to concede that I have been a fool. The problem is you only tend to find out your foolishness once the act has been committed! I, however, had thought myself smarter than to be in the position I presently find myself. I thought my life here was going to be so different from the way it has turned out and, most importantly, I truly believed my marriage was impenetrable. Had I not believed in the strength of my marriage it is certain I would not have agreed to have the hotel, our house, the land we have purchased here and our land in Udon Thani all put in my wife’s name. If there is a saving grace, I am afraid at present it eludes me! Full Story Birthday Bashings in Jomtien Well, I am another year older, although whether I can count myself any wiser is a question that leaves me stumped. I suppose I have wisdom now that I did not have 12 months ago, although this has been gleaned in an after-the-event fashion rather than from a thought process being invoked before action was taken. I think they call it learning the hard way…the story of my life I suppose. I had a good day on the 21st enjoying an afternoon and early evening session with Mark. Our recent Monday trips to Jomtien were continued and we spent several hours drinking, playing pool and generally chatting away. Unlike previous weeks, Mrs. Boss was not calling every five minutes with some threat or another, though she did manage one call. “Where you” she barked as I answered my telephone. “I am looking at a condominium in Jomtien,” I replied honestly. This was an early-afternoon task I had set myself and after a 30-minute visit to the lawyer’s office, I had gone to view a couple of new condo developments in the Jomtien area. Full Story Thai Girl Piranhas Ready to Feed This day started off like so many of my others in Pattaya. I went into my office at Jasmine Mansion, ordered a coffee, turned on the computer, tapped in all the passwords then cleaned my glasses as I waited the computer to kick into life. All of these actions are part of my morning ritual and as soon as the coffee is placed in front of me, the first cigarette of the day is alight. I then check my various email accounts and reply as necessary. Messages from friends around the globe, enquiries from customers, bookings and so forth usually take me a couple of hours to deal with. By the time I am finished, the day is well on its way and I feel as though I have accomplished something, however small that something may be. I am a creature of habit I suppose. This was not my way as a young man, but as the years have passed I have become more comfortable with some degree of order in my life. I have no problem with the world advancing, technology inexorably marching forward or even 20-20 cricket — actually that is not quite true as I loathe 20-20 cricket and believe it to be a complete bastardization of the game I love. However, the world can change as much as it wishes, so long as it does not expect me to keep pace. I will amble along at my own speed, thanks very much. I will even check out what the latest ‘this or that’ is, but really, do not expect me to get involved in any of it. My mornings are an integral part of this life I live. However, this particular morning was shattered by the shrill sound of a Thai female voice, and, no, on this occasion, not that of my wife and also not directed at me. “My pussy not have dick for three weeks but my mouth have lots of dick.” A statement which was immediately followed by the raucous, screeching laugh of several Thai girls whose tones resemble those of a hyena on heat (I imagine). Full Story

The Sheraton is a gorgeous hotel with fantastic pools. I posted pics here: http://www.pattayatalk.com/forums/index.ph...c=35591&hl= There Mercure is joke compared to this hotel. For mongering purposes, the location is only convenient for Walking Street. So depending where you like to hang out and look for girls, this might not be acceptable.

Of course you can. There are several restaurants with imported Argentinian steak that's quite good.