kopite

I've never gone through immigration at DMK so not sure how bad it gets. I've flown in there on an internal flight through and the whole 'grab a ticket and wait for a cab' was a pain. So I may pre-book a taxi.

 

Slightly off topic but does anyone know if they have SIM cards for sale at DMK? I've never noticed before as usually get that at BKK.

Bangkok Flight Services, or BFSPremiumServices is no longer in that business..

 

Try https://www.limousine.in.th/fast-track-immigration.html

 

I have used them when arriving at Swampy and Don Muang.

Definitely worth the money at DM when a shed load arrive from China.

Thanks for that. I've just made a reservation. I'll be arriving at just before 9pm, so I want to try and get to the hotel quick enough to be able to maybe grab a girl for the night. 555

 

Edit: they've come back to me and advised they have been told to suspend fast track services from DMK. Bugger.

Do any of these agencies service Don Mueng? I'm going to be flying in via Air Asia in the evening so want to try find a service which offers the fast track and taxi to Sukhumvit.

Sometimes when having a pad Thai I'll start off with chopsticks but by the end when it's mostly small bits I'll switch to a fork and spoon.

I stayed in Mercure on my last trip and they loved it.

 

Great vibe being in the middle of soi 11. The restaurant/bar next door is great. There are actually quite a few decent bars on soi 11 includIng Oskars. Nice sized swimming pool too.

 

Obviously they are gf, although I didn't once get asked to sign the girl in. Literally walked straight up.

The patong scene has changed a lot over the last few years. Less and less p4p in your face on lower bangla now and more general bars to cater to all demographics. The main blow has been the slow death of the tiger bars. I remember going to patong for the 1st time in 2011 and tiger was heaving front to back with bars.

 

Still plenty of fun to be had. Especially in the discos.

 

The one thing which puts me off about phuket though (and Samui to an extent) is how greedy the tuk tuk and taxi drivers are.

I'd be interested to hear your findings. I try to learn written Thai, but it's at snails pace for me as I have 101 other things going on in my life. But I do enjoy trying to decipher what the girls say on Facebook without typing it into my dictionary to translate.

 

A lot of them talk slang/improper. Makes it harder for me ha.

I've seen a few Thai girls use use กู when posting stuff on Facebook. My dictionary says it's a 1st person pronoun which is 'old' and not used much now. Have to say I wasn't aware of it being impolite.

 

I figured it's some slang version as I never see the girls on Facebook starting with ฉัน. How rude 5555.

Not sure why but I really fancy the view from this hotel.

 

But I'm wondering what will the drawbacks be.

 

Shopping and massage joints nearby?

How much of a pain will it be getting back here from lower Sukhumvit after a night of partying.

 

Has anyone else stayed around the riverside before?

I’ll be there! Can’t wait. Anyone want to meet?

Sure. What dates are you there?

 

I'm flying out this Sunday but will be in Koh Samui for a week. Arrive in bkk 18th for 5 days.

I wouldn't bother tbh. That's not to say you can't have some fun though. Why not just book a room near the airport and get the girl/a girl to come

To you. Some hotels might even allow you to book half a day.

Any soapy in krabi ??

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

No.

 

But you may find a few girls willing to offer extras for massages.

Confirmed I'll be down on the 20th June 2018 :D Already part of the line group can't wait!

 

If anyone wants to hit a few bars in between punts please shout out

How long are you there for?

120 days and counting.... -_-

87 now for me [emoji3]

I just checked out of Mercure on Soi 11 today. Great location right in the middle of the Soi. Opposite is Hillary 3 for some beer bar/girl attention. Free pool tables upstairs. The Australian bar is over the road if you want to watch sports.

Nana BTS 5/6 minute walk. Lot’s of restaurants in the area. Late at night - around 3.30-4.00 am good choice of FL wandering around with a variety of quality and prices. Watch the LB’s they are beautiful and difficult to tell the difference. Nice little salon over the road called Grace where I got a haircut and beard trim for AUD$11 by a cute LB. Rooms here are big and comfortable - very clean. Great price too. Breakfast if not included in your rate is available in the restaurant downstairs called Alex - small buffet selection with egg station but good and fresh - around AUD$12.00 - Hotel is guest friendly but they ask that ID is left at Reception so no problem. I would stay here again. Alex Restaurant/Brasserie turns into a bit of a nightclub at night. I was on level 3 facing the Soi but little if any street noise in my room. Sleep quality was great. Cheers.

Sounds promising. I've got 6 days booked here for June and can't wait. Did you manage to check out the pool? I usually stay around Asoke so looking forward to a change of scenery.

Another vote for the Sofitel...And the gym is excellent as well.

 

For a decent hotel for less $$, try to "new" Mercure on Soi 11. The old President Palace. Not nearly as nice as the Sofitel, but cheaper and a great location.

I've booked there for June.

 

Was considering the Sofitel over by Lumpini Park for a few night, as the view is spectacular. Or maybe I'll just go there for lunch one day instead.

Why not just pin a topic warning any newbies that doing that sort of thing will result in a ban?

Most of what I said in the chiang mai thread applies here. Some differences to bear in mind.

 

Koh Samui is more expensive. A lot more. A cab from the airport in chiang mai will probably only be 150-200 bhat max. Depending on where you are staying expect to pay between 500 and 700 bhat on Samui. You can of course take a shared mini van with other tourists for less.

 

The bar action is in chaweng (more lively) and Lamai (more laid back beer bar type scene). Think there are some bars in Mae naam but I've never been there.

 

I generally find the locals more hardened and unfriendly in Koh Samui vs chiang mai. I'm talking about the taxi drivers, touts and other folk who are more dead set on wanting your money.

 

Deffo hire a bike (plenty of places around) as it will make it easier and cheaper to explore the island. Or find a girl with a bike.

Hi,

 

I will be arriving in Chiang Mai in around two weeks for the first time, I asked similar questions to the below on different posts for other destinations.

 

Keen on meeting girls on an evening, occasionally during the day.

 

I plan to book an hotel near Loi Kroh Road as that appears to be the ideal spot from what I've read.

 

Any advice on the following:

1) Transfer from the airport to hotel which is really close to Loi Kroh Road?

2) Where is the best exchange shop locally for money exchange?

3) Good massages locally (no extras required - for that I would hope to pick up a girl)?

4) Best place locally to hire a motorbike and possible attractions to visit?

5) Best place to go locally to learn Muay Thai as a beginner?

5) Likely areas where I can pick up a non-bar girl and use as a tour guide for a reasonable LT fee of course?

6) Any other tips/suggestions?

 

I understand that's quite lot, so any responses on any of the above will be helpful and I'll also try and do my own research as well.

 

Thanks in advance

1) Easiest thing is to get a taxi from the airport. Taxis in chiang mai are cheap. Just tell them what hotel you are staying at.

 

2) lots of places so walk around and look for the best rate.

 

3) Again there are lots of massage joints around, especially on Loi Kroh Road. This is thailand.

 

4) You should do some research on attractions in advance so you have an idea of what you want to see. Once you are there you will see plenty of tour booths who can arrange these for you. Your hotel will most likely be able to also arrange this. Im actually going to Chiang Mai in June and have drawn up a small list of stuff to see. I've been before but many years ago.

 

Wat Phra That Doi Kham (หลวงพ่อทันใจ.(Loung Por Thun Jai))

Wat Phra Sing

Doi Inthanon/Baan Ba Pong Piang

Weekend market

Monjam

Elephant nature park

Huay Tung Tao Lake

Mae Kampong/Mae Kampong Waterfall

 

5) You might find some freelancers around bars like Zoe in yellow. Your best bet though would probably be tinder, badoo or Thai Friendly.

 

6) Do research. I see a lot of people these days just starting thread asking "what should I see?". It's far more rewarding to do your own research and identify places you want to see. There is the usual stuff high up on the tourist track but if you put in some time and effort you can find many other fantastic things to see.

 

Follow some Instagram accounts like Reviewchiangmai or thaitraveling for ideas. Use dedicated tourism forums like trip advisor for more detailed info once you find what you want to see.

 

Tuk tuks are generally cheap but beware any tuk tuks soliciting girls.

 

Don't go into spotlight agogo. Foxy lady as far as I know is ok.

 

Don't go into any karaoke joints.

 

The weekend walking st market is great. The daily night market is very touristy.

 

Spend half a day exploring the old city. It's small enough that you can see it all on foot. Get a local sim with data so you can navigate or pick up a tourist map.

 

Eat dinner one night at one of the riverside restaurants like pak daang, The Good View or Riverside. These are popular with the locals so you may need to be wait to be seated. Also check out Dash. Fantastic food.

 

Check out Nimmanhaem road. It's a younger crowd with some cool cafes and bars. It's a nice change of scenery from the usual Loi Kroh bars.

 

There's a central festival not far if you fancy the cinema or need to hit some mall type shops.

 

If you want to watch a real Muay Thai fight then go to Kalare boxing stadium. Things might have changed but I think the fights at Loi Kroh are usually staged. Still good for some pics if you are into photography.

 

There are lots of elephant camps in chiang mai. Don't go to ones where they let you ride on saddles. If you do want to ride one go to a place where you can ride them bareback like Patara. Tbh avoid riding them in the 1st place. It's not good for their bodies. I'd recommend elephant nature park. You get to feed and bathe them and you learn a lot about them too. For both of these places you will generally need to book ahead online. Some places like Mae Sa you can rock up on the day but places like that should be avoided.

 

Avoid the tiger kingdom and crocodile farm. They are drugged up so unless you are devoid of any morals then you don't want to keep those shady businesses going.

I arrived at around 7am last month and the queues were quite short. I had booked a fast track meet and greet with Starlight though. If you do happen to arrive at busy time they can save you an hour or more of queueing.

Yep

 

10th, 18th - 22nd.

 

Was over last month too and surprised to find not many BMs on the ground. Not that I don't mind going it solo but it'd be great to do a gogo crawl with a few guys from here.

Ah so this is the former President Palace. I was wondered what would happen to that place.

 

Can live with a bit of weak front desk service. I generally don't need to talk to them unless there's a problem in the room.

I’m also booked into the Mercure soon for a couple of days. I’ll report back and tell you all about it.

Thanks! Been reading a bit more about this and seems this is a fairly new hotel. Bigger pool than aloft too.

Just booked with Mercure. 17k bhat for 5 nights which isn't too bad. The rooms look really nice and modern. Good gym and pool too.

 

Are there plenty of normal massage joints on soi 11? I get at least one a day .

I used to stay around Soi 11 all the time.

Places on Soi 11 I liked were the Grand Swiss and a smaller boutique hotelier called Double One which wasn't too bad.

On Soi 13 there's a few good options too. I used to stay at Citrus 13. Cheap, clean with good options.

I've stayed at Majestic for the past three trips to BKK, I think it's pretty good.

Thanks I think my shortlist for soi 11 is as follows.

 

Grand Swiss

Mercurier

Solitaire

Fraser Suites

 

Have just emailed them to check they are gf. Pretty sure they are.

 

Aloft doesn't appear to be free on booking.com but may check with them directly.