It's now damn expensive!!

[Olddaddy]

This post is for us VISITORS who holiday in Thailand

I was talking to another gay farang yesterday in Pattaya , a man in his late 70's from Europe 

"It's now daaaaamn expensive!!!😆

Older guy who had been coming to pattaya for years on & off 

He mentioned something to me now that he doesn't work ( retired in Belgium I think he said )🇧🇪

That Pattaya and his yearly trips are just becoming too damn expensive!!

He said he was on a Government old age pension and was retired from work.

So by the time he pays airfares , accommodation, now boys are demanding 2000 baht etc ,bars ,meals, his 3 weeks trip was something like $3000 US I think he said it over 

The point is ,I'm still working so can afford it although I have cut down on money boys and bars 

I did suggest he use the sauna nearby but he said his "fetish" was young guys who didn't frequent the sauna 

I do save money because my fetish is older 

But have any of you guys actually cut down your visits because of financial reasons?

Instead of twice a year or more it's now once ?

Do you find it too expensive to do the number of trips you used to do ?

I guess if you retired on a big retirement fund ,own your own home etc it doesn't bother you 

[vinapu]

I found it bit more expensive but what is not ? So far I did not cut trips for financial reasons neither I plan to. If I need I will be looking for savings somewhere else.

I'm low maintenance at home and , other than boys , also when travel which helps. Some if us are complaining about bar prices and yet nest in Hiltons and Marriots if the world so there's a lot of reserves to save on.

[Londoner]

I note that my Jomtien hotel is putting-up prices for my November visit, but only by 200 baht pn. Bearing in mind that I've been paying the same price there for five years, I'm not complaining.

I also see that baht-buses are charging the same 10 bht that they were in 2000. 

Beer prices in bars are higher than in 2000, but the increase is less than it is in the uK.  Restaurant prices have risen a little but they remain excellent, so much so that I find London prices fearsome when I come home. 

Air fares have certainly increased but there are many good deals  for long-haul flights available, at least from the UK. As for travel within  Asia, the budget airlines still provide good value.

When I arrived in 1995,  an off was in the region of 500 bht+ but it had increased to 1000 bht by 2005.  If it is now 1500 in Pattaya, then the increase is by no means  surprising.  I understand BKK prices are higher. When I was (idly!) Googling London prices, the usual sum required was (in Thai terms) at least 6000 an hour.

Conclusion; we get a good deal. Or at least, I do. Anyway, for me, my trips to Thailand are such an essential part of my life that any sacrifice at home is worth it. 

 

 

[bkkmfj2648]

Hi Olddaddy,

I like this thread and I do not mean to derail its intended purpose of VISITORs to Thailand - as opposed to us that live here full time.

Since I live here now - I like to go out of Thailand every once and a while and I find Vietnam extremely good value for money - with a discount of between 20% to 30% from prices in Thailand.  And with the low cost airlines available to us here in South East Asia - it is still good value for money.

I see that perhaps for you Olddaddy that you find the Philippines good value for money over Thailand ??

[Moses]

As I already wrote in one of the posts here, for me Thailand has become more commercial and less interesting, and in 2019 I switched to Vietnam.

If we talk about the trend, then after Covid I am seeing a sharp increase in trips to Vietnam in Siamroads, and a decrease in trips to Thailand. I predict that Siamroads will have more trips to Vietnam this year than to Thailand.

[vinapu]

43 minutes ago, Moses said:

 I predict that Siamroads will have more trips to Vietnam this year than to Thailand.

Hope this means Thai boys will be more reasonable with tip expected.

[jason1975]

I won't say it's now damn expensive but it is definitely more expensive than 2 years ago. Guys are asking for more baht for ST and LT. Even massage guys are asking for higher tips. Entry prices for bars have also gone up.

[tm_nyc]

8 minutes ago, jason1975 said:

more expensive than 2 years ago

Definitely!  But the Thai baht is weak at the moment (against the USD & Euro at least) so that offsets the higher prices somewhat.

[Matthew285]

As someone new to Thailand having had my first visit in February, with my second comming in November and then February again I dont have the history that most on this forumn have.  I can only say that I found the prices to be excelent for me, compared to the UK, and it was not just the bars and boys but just the general feeling of being so relaxed and having a holiday.  I suppose its what your used to paying and for newcomers like me i still see it as bargin prices.

i am in Vietnam, Ho Chi Minh, for the first time for 16 nights later this year and it will be interesting to see what is the same and different from the knowledge I have after 1 visit to Bangkok.

Just to say reading these forumns before my first trip made it so much more enjoyable.

[stijntje]

I'm from Belgium too. 

The prices of plane tickets to Thailand have doubled compared with 2019. I don't notice much difference in hotel prices.

Prices for special services in Thailand are still very reasonable, and inflation of prices in Thailand is lower then inflation of prices in Europe.

[macaroni21]

@Matthew285 hits the nail on the head. Gay visitors to Thailand are spread out over a spectrum. At one end would be those who have been regular visitors for years, even decades. So naturally, their point of reference would be the prices that used to be. Moreover, by now they are likely to be older and retired and on fixed incomes, so they will notice how prices have moved.

At the other end of the spectrum are newer and generally younger visitors to Thailand (Thank heavens for them, otherwise the scene would be well and truly dead). Their point of reference would be prices in their home countries. My guess is that the ratio between prices in Thailand and prices the West have not budged very much, though in dollar terms, both prices have moved up. So, the new generation of visitors to Thailand are as delighted with the happy discounts they see today in a similar way as the previous generation saw (and were delighted) back then.

[vinapu]

Whatever one may say I still strongly believe there are very few places in the world where on may hire hunky model material for 120-150 USD if not less for overnight company .

[Olddaddy]

15 hours ago, Moses said:

As I already wrote in one of the posts here, for me Thailand has become more commercial and less interesting, and in 2019 I switched to Vietnam.

If we talk about the trend, then after Covid I am seeing a sharp increase in trips to Vietnam in Siamroads, and a decrease in trips to Thailand. I predict that Siamroads will have more trips to Vietnam this year than to Thailand.

Very interesting 

Yes Vietnam seems upcoming desto

I may try it later this year , so you ha haven't been to Thailand particularly Pattaya since 2019?

Your probably not missing much actually still the same , probably less boys though 

[Shonen]

I guess I’m lucky as my pension is the same as my salary before I retired. However the cost of living increases we receive don’t seem to keep up with the real inflation out there.

i did sell one of my condos right about when Covid hit and I’ve blown through that money. Now I’m planning on selling my other one and renting.

I think 1500 short time is reasonable. I find bar bills rather expensive though. But I like hanging out in bars.

i spend half the year in Pattaya and half in USA. So I only pay for one round trip flight.

[gayinpattaya]

You get what you pay for I guess. Living in Pattaya I have seen rent prices increase, and I put that on the influx of Russians pushing up demand. Having said that, it's only about 20% higher then pre-covid, but 50% higher than post covid. 7-11 has seen massive increases, which doesn't effect me as much as it does the Thai people. Then again, Thai's are smart and use the markets, which have seen smaller price increases. I have to say though, the price of Durian is sickening. It shocks me to see Thai people flocking to these pop-up Durian shops and spending a fortune on the stuff. Luckily I can't stand it. The same can't be said about the boyfriend....

As for boys and bars, yeah it's getting very expensive for visitors. 100-120b in Jomtien Complex for a bottle of Chang is just wrong. I refuse to pay it. Walk 50 meters to the main road and the girly bars sell for 55-60 baht. It's just ripping off the gay tourists. Most expats I spend time with, who are generally not retired but work here, buy bottles of whiskey/vodka/gin and that keeps their prices down. You can also give boys drinks from your bottle, which doesn't class as a boy drink. But still tip them if you're getting them drunk! 

As for boys, well, pay what you want. As said in another thread recently, there are some pretentious little queens running round demanding 4k ST. I'm sure some are paying it, good for them. There are other boys just as cute who will run to your condo for 1000 baht. Especially now in low season. It's very quiet around here. 

I personally am spending a lot less time in bars as life is getting busy for me. Often when I do go out, I find myself in places that are not "boy bars" and have just as much fun. It's surprising how available boys are in Pattaya when you learn enough Thai to engage with them. That cute waiter in the restaurant you like, good chance he will come to your room after work! 

Anyway, pay what you want or don't. It's your journey. Be like the Russians and sit on the steps of 7-11 with a bottle of Chang. 

 

[Olddaddy]

1 hour ago, Shonen said:

I guess I’m lucky as my pension is the same as my salary before I retired. However the cost of living increases we receive don’t seem to keep up with the real inflation out there.

i did sell one of my condos right about when Covid hit and I’ve blown through that money. Now I’m planning on selling my other one and renting.

I think 1500 short time is reasonable. I find bar bills rather expensive though. But I like hanging out in bars.

i spend half the year in Pattaya and half in USA. So I only pay for one round trip flight.

So you 'd have to know your return date I guess everytime you fly in?

What do you do the other 6 months in the USA?

[Moses]

21 hours ago, Olddaddy said:

so you ha haven't been to Thailand particularly Pattaya since 2019?

Why? I visited TH in 2021-2023 also, main reason is - there are no direct flight btw Moscow and Saigon since COVID. I use Bangkok as stopover, also I spend week on Kwai river in floating hotel - for detox after VN :)))) + I have friends in Th, so short visits to Pattaya also were interesting. I forgot: where - here or on SGT - I have posted photos from Kwai and from "Agate"...

[Shonen]

22 hours ago, Olddaddy said:

So you 'd have to know your return date I guess everytime you fly in?

What do you do the other 6 months in the USA?

What I’ve done every year is buy a round trip ticket that returns before my retirement visa expires. It expires in February, so when I arrive in Thailand I always change my return date to April. 
I was only three weeks before my return ticket needed to be changed on my last trip so Etihad denied me a change. Had to buy a new ticket for 28,000 baht!

But now I know to use a make believe return ticket from now on. I’m pretending to go to Philippines from Thailand in November so I can fool the airlines.

[Olddaddy]

How do you do that ?

I know there is a website that can sell you a fake ticket to show immigration that your leaving the country and they send the flight details to your email (fake)

I changed my return flight recently to 9 days later , Thai airways charged me 9000 baht 

 

[reader]

1 hour ago, Olddaddy said:

How do you do that ?

I know there is a website that can sell you a fake ticket to show immigration that your leaving the country and they send the flight details to your email (fake)

 

I wouldn’t be eager to get discovered by Thai immigration to be using fake ticket. Especially if I was a frequent visitor.

Going to Fake Bar ok. 😉

[Shonen]

On 5/29/2024 at 3:04 AM, Olddaddy said:

So you 'd have to know your return date I guess everytime you fly in?

What do you do the other 6 months in the USA?

It’s funny, but after six months of being with mostly very young Asians, I spend most of my time in the USA going to our senior center, hanging out with very old people.

i play pool and cornhole. Today I exchanged porno sites with an old geezer. 

[Olddaddy]

9 hours ago, Shonen said:

It’s funny, but after six months of being with mostly very young Asians, I spend most of my time in the USA going to our senior center, hanging out with very old people.

i play pool and cornhole. Today I exchanged porno sites with an old geezer. 

Lol....best post I read in a long time 🤣