Anyone in Bangkok or Pattaya for New Year's? Is the gay night life kicking in?

[aperolspritz]

HI everyone! I stumbled upon this forum and another one while searching for events in Bangkok this New Year.

I'm thinking of flying to Thailand on the 29th of December from Singapore, to spend New Year and hopefully meet new friends. I am coming from Berlin/Amsterdam via VTL flight to SG.

It's not my first time in Thailand, but I haven't explored the gay scene extensively since I went there with family before moving to Europe.

 

I'm still browsing through the forum for some updates on the current situation.

I would also like to ask for your opinion, if you think it is worth it to spend New Year's eve in Bangkok or Pattaya. 

I'm 30 years old, mixed-asian guy living in Berlin. I want to just drink a bit, party and meet some new friends. I have tried Babylon Sauna before, but I can't fully remember how it looks like now, and I heard it already closed. What`s the next best sauna? either in BKK or Pattaya?

I've also never been to Pattaya so I'm thinking of going there 1st week of January.

I'll be flying back to Berlin via Singapore on the 6th if January so I guess 8 or 9 days is long enough for these 2 cities. I actually still don't know if they will let me enter back Singapore coming from Thailand for a transit. I have to confirm with SG airport about this.

Thanks! :)

 

[kokopelli 2]

Pattaya is as dead as it can get!  Bangkok does seem much more active since alcohol is allowed in restaurants and other venues.

[GPAPA]

3 hours ago, aperolspritz said:

What`s the next best sauna?

 

Never heard of any famous sauna in Pattaya, but there are R3、Mania、39 Underground、Chakan in bangkok. While R3, Chakan still making promotions and 39/Mania more for the locals. They are all not doing really great during pandemic. You can find R3 sauna from twitter. The owner makes up all kind of activities all the time

[Gaybutton]

37 minutes ago, GPAPA said:

Never heard of any famous sauna in Pattaya

https://www.facebook.com/pattayagaysauna/

https://sansukthailand.com/

[vaughn]

3 hours ago, aperolspritz said:

I would also like to ask for your opinion, if you think it is worth it to spend New Year's eve in Bangkok or Pattaya.

What`s the next best sauna? either in BKK or Pattaya?

I won't be traveling this Christmas/New Year, but i still think it can be worth it if you don't have your expectations too high. Bangkok would be where i would stay, unless you want a quiet new year in Jomtien (pattaya).

VCK (@vckcoolspace on twitter) and Krubb (@krubb_bkkth on twitter) are the most popular saunas that i see the boys i follow go to in Bangkok.

They both seem somewhat foreigner friendly, they seem to attract more of the twink crowd than muscle but that might be biased by who i follow as to what i see.

[Gaybutton]

4 hours ago, aperolspritz said:

I would also like to ask for your opinion, if you think it is worth it to spend New Year's eve in Bangkok or Pattaya.

In my opinion, the short answer is absolutely no.  I live in Pattaya.  From where I sit, the current situation sux.

In Bangkok none of the bars are open yet.  Whether they will be, what the imposed rules will be, and how many boys will have returned to work in the bars by then is anybody's guess.  Right now restaurants can serve alcohol, but only up to 9:00pm.  No word yet when that might change.

In Pattaya no bars and no alcohol even in restaurants.  As it stands now, restaurants in Pattaya will not be allowed to serve alcohol until January 16 and there is no word at all as to when the bars will be allowed to reopen.  The government restrictions have effectively killed Pattaya's holiday season.

I keep stressing that for the bars can reopen is by far not the same as will reopen.  We really don't know how many bars, especially go-go bars, have even survived to be able to reopen.  I am expecting many of the bars won't reopen until it appears there will be a good chance of enough customers to make it worth reopening.

There will be varying opinions about this, but my own opinion is I wouldn't be planning a trip to Thailand at least until we have a much better picture of what is happening and when it will be happening.  If it were me, I'd be hoping for a trip to Thailand maybe around March or April if things are returning to at least a semblance of normal by then - and the way things are currently going, that's a mighty big if . . .

I have a gay Thailand board too.  If you wish to check it out, it is:  https://www.gaybuttonthai.com

[Ruthrieston]

With the bars and clubs ordered to remain closed until 16th January at least there is no reason to head here for New Year at all. Babylon is gone now too, the land sold for development. 

[vinapu]

1 hour ago, Ruthrieston said:

With the bars and clubs ordered to remain closed until 16th January at least there is no reason to head here for New Year at all. 

but it doesn't mean boys evaporated, guy hunting may be actually more exciting

[Gaybutton]

8 minutes ago, vinapu said:

but it doesn't mean boys evaporated, guy hunting may be actually more exciting

Perhaps - if that is the only reason a person is traveling to Thailand.  

[Boy69]

1 hour ago, Gaybutton said:

Perhaps - if that is the only reason a person is traveling to Thailand.  

Travelling to Thailand is not only for haunting boys , It's the night life , vibrant entertainment venues sightseeing and so on government restrictions killed it all I don't see any reason to visit Thailand on the upcoming high season when the restrictions are still going on.

[Gaybutton]

37 minutes ago, Boy69 said:

government restrictions killed it all I don't see any reason to visit Thailand on the upcoming high season when the restrictions are still going on.

To me, that is the saddest part of all.  Even those of us who would want to support the gay venues and hope to help them make a comeback, now find it virtually impossible to do.  Even living in Thailand doesn't seem to help very much.

I think it is obvious to all that if the Thailand gay scene, especially the Pattaya gay scene, does make a comeback, it won't be a quick comeback.  I believe it will take years.  Just how many years - who knows?  I just hope those of us who are running out of spare years live long enough to see it.

Part of the problem is so much is unpredictable and it is difficult even to guess what might happen.  I would love to see Pattaya make a comeback to the way things were in the gay scene's "golden years", but for those of us who were fortunate enough to be here to experience those years, all we can do for the foreseeable future is to remember them.

[aperolspritz]

8 hours ago, Gaybutton said:

In my opinion, the short answer is absolutely no.  I live in Pattaya.  From where I sit, the current situation sux.

In Bangkok none of the bars are open yet.  Whether they will be, what the imposed rules will be, and how many boys will have returned to work in the bars by then is anybody's guess.  Right now restaurants can serve alcohol, but only up to 9:00pm.  No word yet when that might change.

In Pattaya no bars and no alcohol even in restaurants.  As it stands now, restaurants in Pattaya will not be allowed to serve alcohol until January 16 and there is no word at all as to when the bars will be allowed to reopen.  The government restrictions have effectively killed Pattaya's holiday season.

I didn't know there is still an alcohol ban in Pattaya, and even in Bangkok. 

I thought Bangkok fully reopened and most bars are also open. So it seems like there is still a curfew in most places in Thailand. 

Lockdown is coming in many places here in Europe, but more of a soft lockdown like parties being limited. This might force some locals to travel elsewhere, but their choice of place would most likely be just around Europe. Now I'm already thinking of cancelling a trip to Thailand because it sounds like alot of places are still closed. 

But I have seen a few youtube vlogs showing Bangkok nighlife and a few bars. Not sure about the restrictions tho..Thanks, I'll reconsider my plans. Although like what I said, I just want to have some good party atmosphere, meet new people and good food. Maybe just being in Bangkok wouldn't be bad.

[aperolspritz]

10 hours ago, kokopelli 2 said:

Pattaya is as dead as it can get!  Bangkok does seem much more active since alcohol is allowed in restaurants and other venues.

I was wondering, I thought Bangkok isn't in lockdown anymore and bars are fully opened. It's just that there aren't enough tourist from my understanding?

So I just read in another reply that bars are only allow to open from 16th of January?? geesh!! This is actually a big deal I think? I mean, it is like imposing a curfew without directly imposing a curfew. People go out to drink and chill, I can't imagine sitting in a resrtaurant until past midnight drinking. Althought, that happens sometimes. But I can't imagine any other activities that you can do in the city until past midnight without bars and clubs. I'd probably just sleep..but theere aren't also good gay saunas at the moment. lol

 

How about Phuket? I actually don't like Phuket that much..also, I think the gay scene is better in Bangkok, basing on my short experience in the two places.

 

[Gaybutton]

2 hours ago, aperolspritz said:

Thanks, I'll reconsider my plans. Although like what I said, I just want to have some good party atmosphere, meet new people and good food.

Well, the good food part is certainly available.  And there is no longer a curfew, but with the bars still closed and restaurants forbidden to serve alcohol after 9:00pm, doesn't seem like a curfew is necessary with nothing much to do at night.

As for reconsidering your plans, you're far from alone in that.  You might want to read this article:  https://aseannow.com/topic/1239902-it’s-expats-not-tourists-that-are-visiting-thailand-business-leader/

[thaiophilus]

2 hours ago, aperolspritz said:

I was wondering, I thought Bangkok isn't in lockdown anymore and bars are fully opened. It's just that there aren't enough tourist from my understanding?

So I just read in another reply that bars are only allow to open from 16th of January?? geesh!! This is actually a big deal I think? I mean, it is like imposing a curfew without directly imposing a curfew. People go out to drink and chill, I can't imagine sitting in a resrtaurant until past midnight drinking. Althought, that happens sometimes. But I can't imagine any other activities that you can do in the city until past midnight without bars and clubs. I'd probably just sleep..but theere aren't also good gay saunas at the moment. lol

 

How about Phuket? I actually don't like Phuket that much..also, I think the gay scene is better in Bangkok, basing on my short experience in the two places.

 

I think Gaybutton's post above is the most accurate summary of the situation.

As I read it, bars in Bangkok are not fully open but some are pretending to be restaurants until 9pm. (or paying hefty tea money, in which case don't be surprised if some publicity-seeking politician stages a police raid/photoshoot.)

16 January is not a definite reopening date, merely the first possible date the government will consider. TiT so who knows?

Phuket appears to have been consistently deader than Pattaya even before lockdown, so it's unlikely that you'll have any luck there either.

[NIrishGuy]

10 hours ago, Gaybutton said:

I live in Pattaya.  From where I sit, the current situation sux ..........In Bangkok none of the bars are open yet. 

???  Are people not posting in other threads that (some) of bars in Soi 4 are open, albeit with limited early closing times which may or may not be being adhered too and indeed that word "heaving" was used to describe the crowds there this weekend just past ?

[thaiophilus]

1 minute ago, thaiophilus said:

I think Gaybutton's post above is the most accurate summary of the situation.

 

Our posts crossed - I meant Gaybutton's earlier post starting "In my opinion, the short answer is absolutely no."

[Guest]

35 minutes ago, Gaybutton said:

As for reconsidering your plans, you're far from alone in that.  You might want to read this article:  https://aseannow.com/topic/1239902-it’s-expats-not-tourists-that-are-visiting-thailand-business-leader/

It ought to be obvious that the "reopening" would result in a negligible inflow of visitors.

The requirement for 2 tests and 24 hour quarantine is going far beyond what is necessary for a country that already has delta variant and has delivered 1.24 vaccine doses per capita already.   On most weekdays, they are vaccinating at over 1% of the population per day.

Closing bars in Chonburi for another 2 months, whilst they are already open in Bangkok suggests someone wants to crush Pattaya.   Exactly how do they know that Chonburi will have too much covid for a further 2 months ?

I wonder what the motivations of the Junta are ?     Are those in power intending to buy up a few hotels at really distressed prices ?

 

[NIrishGuy]

11 hours ago, Gaybutton said:

I live in Pattaya. .......In Bangkok none of the bars are open yet. 

Can I suggest that the first part of the sentence perhaps somewhat negates the second there GB perhaps ?

As I'd posted above other people are reporting a different view and I see 'vaghn" ( if I may copy your post sir) has posted the following on another thread re this subject

"'restaurant' in name only is what most places are doing it seems. From what i am seeing in insta stories of the boys in other places in bangkok, it is business as usual, dancing, bottles and drinks on the tables, no food in sight. They're partying it up until 2-3am." 

I see other posters also mentioning that DJ station is allegedly reopening again in some form.

So while I don't deny for a second that things aren't as they were or that the law says "bars are closed" but like most things in life people always seem to find a way to work around such things and that appears to be what's happening in Bkk too just like many other cities right now.

I guess this also goes back to a different conversation over on SGT recently where one member posted that they thought "a good time ( in pattaya) could still be had ( if you were up for it and knew where to look / who to talk to find it) and both yourself and MFAS suggested that you believed that was highly unlikely in your opinions ( or words to that effect). Which i guess goes back to just how hard and how much effort a person is prepared to put into to looking for that fun and actually seeking it out maybe and that to me is very much a how you see life thing, either being the whole glass half empty thing or half full thing just maybe?

I think if I were the OP and was maybe finding myself sitting at home over New Years, alone and bored then personally I think I'd be saying "fuck it" and getting up and going to Bkk ( or anywhere else) and then working hard there on arrival to make the best of things as I found them on the ground and not just perhaps taking someone else's black and white view of "it's useless stay home, everything is closed in Bangkok ( and everywhere else) view just quite as readily as that view is being projecting perhaps -but I guess that's just how I roll in life and you GB I know may take a slightly more conservative view of things in that regard, but for the sake of balance it's good the OP does get a good balanced view of course.

 

[aperolspritz]

1 hour ago, thaiophilus said:

I think Gaybutton's post above is the most accurate summary of the situation.

As I read it, bars in Bangkok are not fully open but some are pretending to be restaurants until 9pm. (or paying hefty tea money, in which case don't be surprised if some publicity-seeking politician stages a police raid/photoshoot.)

16 January is not a definite reopening date, merely the first possible date the government will consider. TiT so who knows?

Phuket appears to have been consistently deader than Pattaya even before lockdown, so it's unlikely that you'll have any luck there either.

Atleast I have an idea now. It's exactly what I thought that if they are banning alcohol serving after 9 pm, there is really not much to do. 

WIth your statement about Phuket being more dead than Pattaya, then I'd say I will stick to my plan on going to Pattaya and Bangkok instead.

How come I saw these videos uploaded a few days ago on Youtube that a guy seems to be having fun drinking in bars in Khaosan Road?

Regarding reopening, it seems like Thailand really went on a full lockdown that is why when they say fully reopen, it means just really slow reopening, with alot of restrictions in place. As I understood with 'reopening', I thought it was the same here in Berlin. It's like nothing happened and everything is almost normal, although ofcourse, you have mask, tests and QR codes..or maybe the fact that we didn't actually go on full lockdown here. Whenever I hear stories from my friends in SIngapore, that they said even meetings are limited to 2 persons only, and alot of restrictions are being implemented strictly. 

[aperolspritz]

37 minutes ago, NIrishGuy said:

I think if I were the OP and was maybe finding myself sitting at home over New Years, alone and bored then personally I think I'd be saying "fuck it" and getting up and going to Bkk ( or anywhere else) and then working hard there on arrival to make the best of things as I found them on the ground and not just perhaps taking someone else's black and white view of "it's useless stay home, everything is closed in Bangkok ( and everywhere else) view just quite as readily as that view is being projecting perhaps -but I guess that's just how I roll in life and you GB I know may take a slightly more conservative view of things in that regard, but for the sake of balance it's good the OP does get a good balanced view of course.

 

Well, my original plan was actually to go the usual NYE party with friends and we were thinking of flying to Paris, since ryanair flights are so cheap now. But these friends are straight friends which I don't enjoy much being with on the eve of new year. LOL. So since I'm going on the Vaccinated Travel flight to Singapore, I thought I could sling by to Thailand for a week or so, since I don't actually want to stay in Singapore for a long time. I lived there before and I think nothing has changed aside from New buildings, and usual tourist spots which I can do in 2-3 days.

[vinapu]

13 minutes ago, aperolspritz said:

Atleast I have an idea now. It's exactly what I thought that if they are banning alcohol serving after 9 pm, there is really not much to do. 

 

What do you mean ?, that's God sent, instead wasting time getting drunk past midnight grab the boy and have real fun with him in your room till morning. It's called Long Time.

All we need now is ground report from somebody who arrived recently as residents may have different perspective at things. So far 10tazione reported from Phuket few days ago  he is happy that he braved himself and arrived.

[Guest]

Whilst I enjoy a beer & often several beers (as other members know), there is far more to life than drinking every night.   I don't drink every night. 

Also, when we had gogo bars open, if I was looking for a boy I'd usually drink water, or maximum one beer.

 

There's an awful lot to do in Thailand besides drinking, during the 16 hours or so I'm awake every day.  

Then, regarding holidays, we have 3 choices:

1. Go to Thailand and adapt to what is available
2. Go somewhere else
3. Stay at home

 

Now as for the "somewhere else" option, since the most frequently raised objection to Thailand is bar closures, where else can we go that has open gogo bars at present, complete with cute lads that I'd actually consider offing ?     I can't think of anywhere.   

 

I was in Thailand earlier in the year & part of that trip had more restrictions than currently in place.    So I have a fairly good idea of what to expect for the next trip. 

 

[Gaybutton]

1 hour ago, NIrishGuy said:

Which i guess goes back to just how hard and how much effort a person is prepared to put into to looking for that fun and actually seeking it out maybe and that to me is very much a how you see life thing, either being the whole glass half empty thing or half full thing just maybe?

If you want to go to Thailand and put in the effort, especially if you think both MFAS and I are too negative about it, by all means go ahead and then let us know how it works out for you.  What's the rush?  If it were me, I would be waiting until things are far less iffy and uncertain than they currently are before I'd be arranging my holiday.

If any bars in Bangkok, or anywhere else in Thailand for that matter, are open, they are open illegally - whether people are posting elsewhere or not.  Fine with me, but bear in mind the police are arresting customers along with the bar staff when they get caught.  If you are willing to take that risk, be my guest.

Even when the bars finally do get permission to reopen, while you're on that long haul flight to Thailand, you better pray there won't be another outbreak while you're on the way.  If that happens, the bars all being ordered closed again will be the least of your problems.

As for the glass half empty or half full, I prefer the way George Carlin looks at it:

"Some say the glass is half empty.  Some say the glass is half full.  You know what I say?  I say the glass is too big."

[Lucky]

7 hours ago, Boy69 said:

Travelling to Thailand is not only for haunting boys ,

I hope not!