Guest anonone Posted January 27, 2011 Posted January 27, 2011 I just returned from a one week visit to the Pattaya / Jomtien area and thought I would share some observations. I have enjoyed hearing what other visitors have experienced on their trips, so I feel a need to return the favor. This was a very different type of trip for me as I spent the whole week with a Thai friend I met on a previous trip. It was also the first time I stayed in Jomtien complex instead of in Pattaya. I don't think I will stay in Jomtien again. It is just a bit too calm for me during the evening hours. The lack of a go go bar is also a big drawback. I missed being able to easily pop into a go go bar for a drink and a bit of eye candy. We ended up making the trip to Pattaya every night, which was not very convenient. For me, it makes a lot more sense to stay in Pattaya and go to Jomtien for the beach during the day if I feel like it. Some quick thoughts on the various bars, etc. Krazy Dragon: One of my favorites on every trip. Visited once while on my own for a bit. Good selection of dancers, active and always moving about. I had a nice chat with a dancer over a couple of drinks. I noticed that there are now several dancers wearing tight briefs instead of the standard KD loose shorts. I recall another poster saw the same thing several weeks back. I don't know if this is by request of the dancer or if dictated by the owner. I think it is ok as some dancers look better in this type of outfit and it provides some variety. Another random thought: Previously, I seemed to recall the dancers all wore a lanyard around their neck which contained an ID pouch. I didn't recall seeing that this time around. I always thought this was a nice idea...look, nothing to hide, here is my ID, look if you want to. Not sure if this is a permanent change or if I totally have this wrong. hmmm. Anyway, Recommended. Copa: This was the first trip I spent any time in Copa and I was impressed. We actually went for the cabaret shows and I enjoyed them more than I thought I would. Great mix of songs, comedy, and dance routines. We went on several different nights and there was always something different. Well done. The underwater show was not really my thing. Didn't hit me as very sexy. Go go dancers were pretty good. Mix of multiple types, though not a very large number of them. They did all seem engaged with audience (smiling, eye contact, etc) which I always find appealing. Boys Boys Boys: Hopped over here between shows at Copa. Go go dancers much more on the masculine / muscular side. Very few twinks, slim guys here. Show starts with a shower scene, solo for one song, joined by a partner for a second song. Both in dark briefs. I found it rather boring. Then launch into a full cabaret / Tiffany style show. They have a lot of lady boys for this show. I think I saw 6 or 7 at various times. It was OK, but I greatly preferred the show at Copa. Funny Boys: Again, one of my favorites on every visit. I prefer slim guys and funny boys never fails to impress. I was there pretty early (again, by myself) and popped in for a drink and a look. 30 to 40 dancers and many that I would have liked to spent time with. Mamasan was not pushy at all, friendly, and a keen eye on keeping everything in the bar in shape. Recommended. Happy Boys: This rounds out my favorites list and is the last of the go go bars I actually visited this time around. Again, a very comfortable and well-run bar. Staff is attentive and friendly without being pushy at all. They have a different thought on the dancers, with only 5 or 6 on stage at any time. At the end of each song, one leaves and is replaced by a new dancer. So, each guy is on stage for 5 or 6 songs. Come to think of it, I think Wild West Boys does the same thing. The advantage is the guys seem to be more engaged and actually go go dance instead of just stand there. I assume this is because they get a "break" and are not "on" all night long. The drawback is it can seem to take forever to switch out if you are not really into any of the guys on stage. Not a bad thing by any means, just different. I guess I have rambled on for long enough. Already looking forward to my next visit and missing Thailand very much. Quote
Guest fountainhall Posted January 27, 2011 Posted January 27, 2011 I guess I have rambled on for long enough Not at all! I enjoyed the Report, thank you. It always like to have different perspectives on bars. Your 'tastes' seem to co-incide more or less with mine, although I have not yet visited Copa. Did you try The Venue, I wonder? I happened not to enjoy their show, despite the enthusiasm of the boys on stage, largely because the presenter turned me off. But several posters found the complete opposite. I admired the innovation, though. Quote
Guest anonone Posted January 27, 2011 Posted January 27, 2011 Thanks Fountainhall for your kind words. Although we stayed in Jomtien, we actually did not visit The Venue this time around. As I mentioned, we pretty much went into Pattaya every night after dinner. From what I recall from a visit in December, I enjoyed my one experience with them, but it was not someplace I would head back to with regularity. It was a little different having interludes of music videos playing on the screen in between acts. I probably would have enjoyed it more if the selection of music was more to my taste. I agree the boys on stage were enjoyable. I do recall The Venue had some waiters that were very attractive. I did not get the vibe that they were "off-able" in a formal sense, but I did not make any inquiries. Anyone know what the deal is there? After reflecting on it a bit, I think the part of the shows I enjoy most are the dancing/backup boys. The ones that are having a ball being up on stage are just adorable. The big smile that breaks out on their face when they miss a step or forget a move. I just love it. There was a dancer in the Copa show that I just became infatuated with and would just watch whenever he was on stage. A great smile and attitude. I really hope he is still there when I get back in March. I will be on my own and would love to meet him. This is strongly related for me to the discussions in other posts about a desire to have a bar with "soft core nudity" type of entertainment. I would much rather see a playful, relaxed dancer than some robot mechanically jacking off in a corner. The famous Thai smile will win me over in a heartbeat. For some reason I have always passed on the Copa prior to this trip as well. I checked out their website and it just didn't seem to be worth a visit. After reading on this forum that someone really enjoyed the show, I decided to give it a shot. I am really glad I did and ended up there for 3 nights worth of shows. I really appreciated the variety of music they offered. I was to the point if I heard "it is raining men" one more time I probably would have flipped out. They had a great Thailand song / routine on my first night that just blew me away. I am a sucker for that type of stuff. Unfortunately, they did not repeat it on my other 2 visits. They had 3 main performers (ladyboy type) that were a lot of fun. Interacted with the audience, had me laughing out loud several times. A larger ladyboy did a routine with Have Nagila (Jewish song) that was a riot. Whole audience was clapping, singing along, and laughing. It is certainly worth a visit, and I will definitely be back there in a couple months. Quote
Guest fountainhall Posted January 27, 2011 Posted January 27, 2011 Whole audience was clapping, singing along, and laughing. It is certainly worth a visit, and I will definitely be back there in a couple months. Referring back to another thread, did you get the impression that there were more Thais or more farang in the audience? Quote
kokopelli Posted January 27, 2011 Posted January 27, 2011 Nice post aononone. Always good to see someone posting something positive. Quote
macaroni21 Posted January 27, 2011 Posted January 27, 2011 Referring back to another thread, did you get the impression that there were more Thais or more farang in the audience? Pattaya's gogo bars rarely see more than 2 or 3 Thais in the audience. They don't even see many Asian tourists -- one of the reasons why they are struggling, a brief high season notwithstanding. Quote
Guest anonone Posted January 27, 2011 Posted January 27, 2011 Referring back to another thread, did you get the impression that there were more Thais or more farang in the audience? In regard to my visits to Copa, there were a lot of Thai in the audience, though they appeared to be coupled with their farang partner. It was sort of a date night atmosphere. The first, earlier show had a large audience, the place being almost full. I did see a few single Thais in the audience but more single farang. I have to emphasize that most of the audience appeared to be coupled up. Pattaya's gogo bars rarely see more than 2 or 3 Thais in the audience. They don't even see many Asian tourists -- one of the reasons why they are struggling, a brief high season notwithstanding. I think this really depends on if you include go go bars that have a large show. As I mentioned above, Copa had probably 35-40% Thai of a full audience, admittedly coupled up with their farang friend. A few single Thai visitors sprinkled in as well. From what I recall, Boys Boys Boys was also more attended by Thais during the show, again more or less coupled up with farang. I didn't hang around after the show, but I am betting most of the couples left after the show, just as we did. In a go go that does not have a nightly "show", there are certainly less Thai visitors. For example, when I was in Krazy Dragon, the guest at the adjacent table was a single Thai guy, probably about 40 years old. I know he had a drink or two and was joined by a dancer, but I left before he did so no idea if he off'd anyone. I was in right at opening time, so there was probably only 5 or 6 total customers, and he was the only non-farang. Quote
macaroni21 Posted January 28, 2011 Posted January 28, 2011 Oh, I meant Thais going as customers in their own right, not as farangs' dates/rental for the evening. In show-less bars, when you said you saw a few single Thais, how do you know they are Thai? Could they not have been other Asians, e.g. Malaysians, Koreans, Singaporeans? Quote
Guest anonone Posted January 28, 2011 Posted January 28, 2011 Oh, I meant Thais going as customers in their own right, not as farangs' dates/rental for the evening. In show-less bars, when you said you saw a few single Thais, how do you know they are Thai? Could they not have been other Asians, e.g. Malaysians, Koreans, Singaporeans? Hi Mack. I do not know for certain that the gentleman was Thai, good point. Just a quick impression based on his interaction with staff / dancer. To be perfectly honest, most of my attention was concentrated on the dancers and not my fellow patrons. Quote