vaughn

Oh really, ok that's crossed off my list then. I guess the good news is there isn't exactly a shortage of hotels in the area. I will look at those options, thanks for the info @speedoo1 and @Boy69

Thanks @speedoo1 I was considering the paradise hotel because it is SHA+ but it really does have mixed reviews from recent guests, I might look at some other options in the area as well.

I'm weighing up some options for an April trip, and with the Phuket sandbox being my fallback plan I wanted to see if anyone has info on the Patong scene or any islands/areas near Phuket. Have any members been to Phuket in recent times? Is the area around Royal Paradise Hotel in Patong the only place to find gay massage and host bars? My search has come up with the area around GClub and My Way Bar, with some massage shops scattered around as well. I know the apps are always an option as well, but I am working out where to stay and what I'm likely to find on with boots on the ground. Any info or experience is welcome

Merry Christmas and happy holidays everyone!

Fantastic, If their pastries and coffee are good then it's likely to be my regular for my next trip. I'm the opposite with tea, I will take any old tea bag and have no complaints haha.

Always good to find somewhere serving great coffee, I have added it to my list. Is there much else out that way worth checking out, or was this a dedicated trip to that end of town for the coffee? Good coffee is one thing I had trouble finding on my last Pattaya trip, I ended up settling at Dicks Cafe most mornings which was ok. I saw that there is/was a patisserie cafe on the corner next to dicks in the complex now, so that was high on my list to try when I come back.

I will say that the trip reports from you guys and seeing some of the nightlife starting to come back to life has improved my hope that my trip in 3 months will still be possible and worthwhile. I think the Thais made a very good move with implementing the Thailand Pass, I just need to keep my fingers and toes crossed that things don't move backward too much with Omicron.

jackd is another one, though less popular than some of the others.

If you're looking at options it might be worth considering the current Le Meridien deal: https://www.marriott.com/offers/step-into-thailand-in-style-off-34608?propertycode=bkkdm They say that they do a drive-through test at the BNH hospital on the way to the hotel, so i would imagine that would significantly improve the turn around time. I stayed there for my last BKK trip and loved the hotel, no AUNTS in sight.

I had a quick look on Bonvoy last night and didn't see any mention, just the usual deals so it looks like the way you mention paying at the booth is the only way to lock in that rate. Thanks for the info. Marriott are typically the same in my experience, they do sometimes make exception to the blackout/quota if you're a plat or ambassador level.. but not at my peasant level haha.

Do you need to book while at the travel fair or are they providing a promotion code to use online? How does it work? I was planning on trying another hotel for my (hopeful) trip in April, but if Le Meridien discount is applicable for my dates i will snap that up.

Tree town has had its share of raids as well, along with other straight bars hitting the news with fines every other week, so I'm not really thinking it's targeted at gay venues. I am actually surprised they let them all off with a stern warning... maybe some paper bags were involved? but no headlines about massive fines for the gay venues or patrons is something positive at least.

I don't think it is pre-covid, if you look closely you can see the yellow social distancing signs on the walls either side of the crowd

How are you enjoying your trip? Better or worse than you expected? What is the silom soi 4 scene like, are there many working boys looking for clients, or is it mostly locals partying amongst themselves?

i've always had a sweet tooth, and i'm not above ordering a dessert for main haha

Wow, this is great news! It must be such a relief for the business owners, one hurdle down and some hope there might be some money coming in again. I assume this will immediately benefit the Jomtien area, but I wonder if Boyztown and Sunee will try to pivot and get SHA+ to start serving food with off-able waiters or something similar

meanwhile, instagram story from a certain boy from a bar on Khaosan Rd last night at about 1am.

Agree, I wasn't referring to them. I meant the establishments that did not previously sell food but are now 'operating' under restaurant licenses.

'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. They might reduce capacity, temp checks, QR code and vaccine checks, but i can't say for sure.

Does anyone in the area know the status of Poseidon? I've heard mixed reports on if/when they're openning. Normally i would book at Agate but they're still not showing when they will be open. ***edit*** I did a bit more digging and found Agate's instagram, it appears they are SHA and opened on 15th November. Their website still shows no availability so maybe they only accept booking through the SHA sites.

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.

One of the thai boys I follow posted that DJ station is now open. I'm not sure how they will enforce or check vaccination status of guests, or if the 9pm stopping sale of alcohol is missing a wink next to it.. but good news to see more life returning to Silom

The instagram stories i'm seeing from thai boys partying on Khaosan Rd drinking until 3am makes me wonder how they plan to enforce these rules anywhere, Hi-So or not. Prohibition doesn't work, either they will relax the rules or the population will begin to ignore them and they will lose more control.

I agree with Vinapu on this. It's a risk, but a small one considering the number of arrivals and positive test rates on arrival. I think i saw the number of positive arrivals in the test&go scheme was 0.05, your risk of arriving with covid can be further minimized with proper precautions (N95 mask, self isolation before flying, window seat, good hygiene) depending on how much you are willing to do to mitigate the risk. I would put this risk along side 'mototaxi accident putting me in hospital', it could happen and ruin my holiday but will it stop me getting on one for a short trip. For others it might, for me it won't.

From what people were reporting in the Phuket sandbox it was generally less than 6 hours from test to result, but Bangkok might be another story. I think until a few weeks have passed and we see it working in action we won't know. If you're landing next week and don't have time to wait to find out, i would prepare for the possibility of extending to a second night or see what fees might apply to late check-out after 12pm. to be safe maybe pick a hotel that has partnered with a major hospital for testing and is close in proximity, confirm with the hotel they will be able to test at midnight or 1am when you arrive, find out what the latest checkout possible is before you need to book a second night.