All Activity

I had a good walk up and down the walking street, a good evening I must say. Have a watch and see if you'd like to go to, peace.

Thanks for the feedback. Sorry, but I got the dates wrong. Visakha Bucha is May 15. The day off is May 16. Royal Ploughing Ceremony Day is May 13. So no alcohol sells from midnight Satuday 5/14 to Sunday midnight 5/15. That's not so bad. That won't interfere with my activities.

Try this site, hasn't been update in over a year, but maybe they will do one for 2022 https://www.yourpattaya.com/days-when-alcohol-sales-banned-bars-closed-thailand.html

But remember the massage parlours & BJ bars will still be open and FLs will still roam the streets.

Basic rule of thumb - Buddhist holidays are dry, all others - party!

Visakha Bucha Day (Buddah's birthday) is a holy day, so shops, bars and restaurants are barred from selling alcohol for 24 hours from midnight until midnight. All Government offices and many businesses will be closed. Royal Ploughing Day is a holiday for civil servants and government offices will be closed. Banks and companies carry on as normal and the sale of alcohol is permitted.

Now that LOS is opening without quarantines. My self and I’m sure many other BM are looking at their calendar and searching airfares to see when they can return. Unfortunately for me, it will be early May 2022 before I can return. I was looking at the Thailand national holiday schedule. I try to avoid going during national holidays. I’m familiar with Songkran and the craziness that goes along with that holiday. I will a void that holiday like the Covids. I see there are national holidays called Visakha Bucha on May 6-8 and the Royal Ploughing Ceremony on May 16. . Are any BM familiar with these holidays? Does Thailand shut down completing like with no alcohol sells? And do the bar girls usually return back to their province during this time? I’m trying to get a handle on these holidays on whether I should schedule around them. I appreciate any input from BM on Thai holidays.

Well, The Carlton Hotel page on Booking.com answers the question if the hotel is guest friendly with the following, so I would think so: "We are delighted to inform you regarding our joiner policy that there will not be extra charge for the joiner. However, in case of there is exceeding of maximum of the confirmed capacity in each room, there will be additional charge."

Planning on going to Bangkok/Pattaya this December and I like this hotel in Bangkok "Carlton Hotel Bangkok Sukhumvit" because it's new, the rates are good and it allows a third person for a fee. This is the link to the agoda listing https://www.agoda.com/en-gb/carlton-hotel-bangkok-sukhumvit-h10231638/hotel/bangkok-th.html The question is how do I know if they are a guest friendly hotel or not? I googled it and did not find them listed on any Guest friendly lists. But that might be because they opened in 2019. I know I have to book the room for 2 adults. Thank you

Hopefully this happens. Not the first time they announce something and delay it or don't implement it. Bangkok Sandbox was scheduled for Oct 1, didn't happen.

1st Dec it is. The PM outlined this today. No quarantine from 1st Nov from the UK (if vaccinated).

Closings and restrictions certainly move fast, re-openings and getting back to normal... not so much.

Fair enough there certainly was talk of Malaysia opening this month as we have staff there who were telling us and I saw an article on it a few weeks ago….things move fast in Covid world though.

If they are, they're doing a great job keeping it a secret. From Bloomberg: Malaysia eyes international border reopening in December. Now, whoever followed SE Asia tourism news lately, know that "eyes" means jack shit.

Malaysia are opening their borders for tourism this month I believe? A colleague from work has applied to travel there the week after next.

yes i agree. ... far to early ... I have friends in Udon and Bangkok and both tell me just stay away until early next year if all goes well. I'm just sitting here waiting waiting waiting .... I want everything to open 100% safe today ....BUT ... lets get real ... it is not going to open and be back to normal anytime soon. Best we just hope for the best but expect the worst.

Yes, it improved, the daily case numbers are slowly falling, but there's a way to go. In Bangkok, 10pm curfew is still in place. If vaccination continues at the current pace, Thailand reach 70% in December. This is the stated goal by Thai gov't, but after the delta variant it doesn't really mean anything. Several countries (e.g. Cambodia, Singapore, Malaysia) have already passed that mark and are in no hurry to reopen.

I wonder if your ethnicity impacts your likelihood of being scammed? Like for instance if you're a white dude are you more likely to be the victim of a scam?

Holy hell, you weren't kidding with "torturism" :(

It’s improving. Cases aren’t a real indicator as that reliant on testing, but less are dying and the ICU wards are no longer overrun. Plus, they are getting their act together with vaccinations. Slowly heading in the right direction.

Thanks for the thread, I never knew this could happen in Thailand... I guess I'll just never leave a review lol

Can anyone comment on whether the COVID situation has improved?

I was seriously considering visiting Bangkok in Nov/Dec as a newbie, but based on what i've seen online about COVID restrictions... it's just too early :(

Depends on how long you are staying, might be more hassle than its worth. You Can taxi bts mrt to enough places that having wheels wont really make a difference. Also Unless you know thai well enough to have a conversation it could be tough to get much out of the bikes where the thais know less english. But if still looking there was a rental place down soi 4 about 3/4 the way down. Its in an alley on the left. 77/9 sukhumvit 4 www.motorbikerentalbangkok.com website still up so it looks active. not sure about the license but doubt most thai police would know foreign license codes or international licenses.

Don't. It's not worth it. You need to have a real motorbike license and you need to stay sober and need real medical insurance. Spend the extra $20 and hire a driver to take you everywhere. The driver will take you where you need to be, stay with the car (so you don't need parking) and deal with any issues.