Pantherz

Wow thanks for your post it really added a lot to the story after having just read the book. If anyone happens to see Chai or knows where he works, it would be great to say hello to him.

Now that’s an oxymoron.

Thanks that’s helpful. I was thinking that I’d prefer to be in Bangkok over the weekend and go to Phnom Penh afterward, but was worried that I’d miss out on the weekend vibe. Doesn’t sound like it’s an issue. I guess the guys each take a day off on alternating days throughout the week.

How are Space Bar and Toolbox early in the week? Do they tend to be better since the guys are less busy with tourists, given that bars are usually slower from Monday to Thursday? Or are they worse because fewer guys are scheduled to work?

I just finished reading this book. In the epilogue, the author mentioned that he could be found as a “ghost guide” in Patpong and Soi Twilight, which suggests the book was written before the pandemic. He’d be in his mid-50s now and might still be around one of Silom’s two gay streets. Has anyone come across him?

Thanks, it would be my first time so that’s a compelling reason to give the Hilton a try.

Thanks for the info! Is the beach clean and swimmable there? I have been told that some areas of beach in Pattaya aren’t very clean. How did you find the area around the Hilton?

I’d say that’s the best in Bangkok at the moment, followed by Mandarin Oriental and Four Seasons closely tied. None are conveniently located for gay nightlife, but wonderful properties. You will probably want to spend a lot of time on property at the pool anyways since you will be paying so much for it. Are you going to be inviting over any dates?

The W Bangkok was focused on a lot of Chinese families last time I was there. People in pajamas and slippers down in the lobby and all. Very noticeable change of demographic. Breakfast was very unpleasant with all the children running wild and touching everything with their hands. Definitely not the same LGBT demographic of traveler that it used to cater to in Bangkok. I probably wouldn’t return again and I’ve stayed there many times.

I don’t like it anymore since the renovation. It used to have an open feel to it so you could better see people who were coming and going, but now they have segregated it quite a bit from the rest of the lobby with big walls.

Bali gets a lot of hate because of them and because of all of the digital nomads, but there are still lots of cute Indonesians and Asian travelers!

Has anyone stayed at the Hilton in Pattaya? I just looked at a couple videos and the beach and views look nice. I had asked about Andaz Pattaya a while back in a separate thread and was told that it is too far out, but looking at Google Maps the Hilton appears to be more centrally located.

Some of the problems included being loud and boisterous in restaurants and by the pool, jumping queues, and smoking where smoking is prohibited. There are good and bad people everywhere, but the type of tourist that was at Le Meridien when I stayed there wasn’t the type of tourist I wanted to be around. Maybe I just had bad luck and they were part of a large group. Who knows.

Thanks for the suggestion. I hadn’t heard about that one. 4.7 / 5 stars on Google Reviews with 1,475 reviews so it looks like a pretty solid property.

Yes, Bohol is beautiful so that’s a great suggestion. I went quite some time ago. Have you been recently? If so, what was the vibe in the area around the hotel like?