Pattaya---Ambiance Hotel?

[+ Lucky]

Is the Ambiance Hotel still a preferred place to stay? I heard that they changed owners. If not, what would you recommend?

[Guest rampo]

For those wanting to stay in the middle of Boyztown, the Ambiance Hotel and Le Cafe Royale continue to be the places to stay. Close by, the Welcome Plaza Hotel is not a specifically gay-oriented hotel but a good alternative for those who don't want to pay gay premium rates. I believe that the Flamingo Hotel is still popular with those who like to stay in the Sunee area, and the Jomtien crowd have had good things to say about the Bondi Guesthouse.

[fedssocr1]

I am staying at the Ambiance literally right now. The staff are very polite and nice, but frankly this is about a 2.5 star hotel or so. The beds are the least comfortable I have ever had to try and sleep on. I changed rooms after the first night but the second one isn't much better. I am also pretty much right above the gogo club so it is loud music until closing time if you want to sleep before then ask for a higher level.

 

The private car transfer from Bangkok was very easy which was nice.

 

The "free" breakfast isn't much to speak of. You can either have toast and coffee or tea (continental?) or 2 eggs, toast, meat, tea or coffee (English).

 

The location can be a blessing and a curse. Pattaya is really pretty small though so it is easy to get around wherever you stay. It is almost too easy to take a boy out from one of the million bars in the surrounding area and bring him back here. If you have no will power make sure you budget accordingly. :-)

 

I am enjoying Thailand. Pattaya is pretty crazy. I have seen things here I never expected to see that's for sure.

[Guest rampo]

>I am also pretty much right above the gogo club so it is loud music

>until closing time if you want to sleep before then ask for a higher

>level.

 

Most of the Boyztown bars - including BoyzBoyzBoyz, the bar beneath Ambiance - close down at 1am, so I wouldn't think that the club noise would be that much of an issue for most people on holiday. (Pattaya is definitely a nightlife-oriented town.) It was much more an issue in the pre-Thaksin days when the bars closed at 3am, 4am or later.

 

Apart from paying a "gay premium" for hotels like Ambiance, Le Cafe Royale or (in Bangkok) Tarntawan, you will also find that none of them offers a low season rate since they are fairly busy year-round. Most of the other hotels, including some of the very pricey ones, DO offer low, high and sometimes mid season rates. If you are looking for nicer hotels at comparable rates, it pays to visit sites like asiarooms.com.

[fedssocr1]

I will say to Ambiance's credit that when I came down with food poisoning and needed to go to the hospital they took very good care of me getting me there, waiting to see if I would be admitted (which I was), and then coming to get me the next day when I was discharged.

 

They also called Purple Dragon for me when it was obvious I would miss my flight to Chiang Mai due to the hospital stay and the guys at Purple Dragon took care of rebooking my flight for me and then calling us on our way to the airport to let us know. If you are looking to spend as little as possible obviously this is not the route to go. But frankly I am loving having a personal guide show me around everywhere and having all of the transportation arranged. It has made the trip very easy. Everyone has gone out of their way to make me welcome and have all been very kind to me. The guys at Purple Dragon tours have gone out of their way to take care of me and a couple of special requests/arrangements, I cannot recommend them highly enough for the first time visitor or anyone else.

 

Other than my little detour to experience the Thai medical system (which was excellent and cheap, $350 for an overnight in a nice private room, all medication, etc) I am having a great time.

 

Chiang Mai is beautiful. We went to the two gay bars with hosts/shows here over the last couple of nights, maybe that belongs in its own thread.

[Lookin]

Are you still in Thailand? If so, has the coup affected your plans?

[fedssocr1]

I am still in Thailand, but I leave tonight to head home as scheduled. The only effect the coup had on me was its unfortunate timing leading to the cancellation of the concert I was attending when it happened. Very disappointing.

 

If you didn't see it on the news it would be hard to know that it even happened. Things here in Bangkok are more or less normal. Except BBC World has been knocked off the air as the coup leaders have clamped down on the media. Things are actually a little worse now as far as civil liberties go than they were when the coup first happened. I think most people here are happy to see Thaksin removed from power and the turmoil of the last several months resolved for now. But I don't think people will be happy for long if the abridgement of their rights continues. The coup leaders promise civilian government will be installed within two weeks along with an interim constitution. I think they will need to meet those deadlines.

[+ Axiom2001]

Fedssocr1, I do hope that you will be willing to record your impressions as well as some of your experiences while in Thailand! I was last there in December of 2005 and January 2006 for almost a month. ...went to Bangkok, Pattaya, and Phuket primarily, the latter being my first time.

 

Do you mind clarifying: "I have seen things here that I never expected to see..." once you've rested from that long, long flight! I'm highly curious! Also, was this your first time to visit "the land of smiles?"

[Lookin]

Thanks very much for sharing your experiences and insights.

 

Sounds like a memorable visit!

[fedssocr1]

This was my first trip to Thailand. I spent 3 weeks there. All in all I had a great time.

 

I arranged my trip through Purple Dragon tours (used to be Utopia Tours). They were a joy to work with and all of their guides were great. They arranged all of my hotels and transfers so I didn't have to worry about anything. The guides were all professional and licensed by the Tourism Authority of Thailand.

 

I spent about 3 days in Bangkok, then 4 days in Pattaya, 4 days in Chiang Mai and it's surroundings including day trips to Lamphun and Lampang, then a couple of days in Chiang Rai and the north before a final week or so back in Bangkok. I mentioned earlier my trip to the hospital in Pattaya which was unexpected of course but all worked out fine.

 

I saw a lot of temples. There must be a million Buddhist temples in Thailand. I am not really religious or particularly spiritual myself, but I did find the temples to be very beautiful and I think the Thai devotion to Buddhism goes a long way to explaining their national character.

 

In Bangkok in addition to the big temples like Wat Pho and Wat Arun I also saw the Grand Palace, the world's largest teakwood mansion that used to be one of the royal residences, the beautiful Italianate throne hall in the same park complex as the team mansion and the white marble temple that was built with the leftover marble from the throne hall. Of course I also did sample the boy bars as well. My first night guide took me to Boys Bangkok and Future Boys. That night the shows were relatively tame because they claimed there was a lot of police around. We also had dinner at a restaurant on Silom Soi 4 called Sphinx that was pretty good. I went to Future Boys again when I returned to Bangkok last week and the sex shows are back to their explicit selves. It is strangely unerotic though. I also stopped in at Classic Boys on my last night in town to see their show and was underwhelmed. If you like tiny little boys (who appear to be of legal age) you might want to go there, but the mamasan is very pushy. There are better choices for sure.

 

I also checked out all of the shopping malls while I was in Bangkok. There are lots of shopping malls, but the prices are basically the same as here.

 

And after the guys at Purple Dragon went above and beyond to help me get the details I was supposed to see my favorite band ModernDog play a concert on the 19th. Unfortunately the coup shut the club down after they had a chance to only play half of a song. That was going to be one of the highlights of my trip so it was especially disappointing that it was called off at the last second.

 

I have to say that the only thing that bothered me much in Bangkok was all of the people trying to sell me things at all times just walking down the street. By the end of my time there I was pretty sick of it. I didn't want to buy any "sexy movie" and I didn't want a "lady massage" but at every step some one wanted to sell me one.

 

Pattaya really wasn't my cup of tea either. I found the whole place to be rather depressing. My comment about seeing things I never expected to was aimed at a couple of bars in Sunee Plaza that frankly appear to only employ underage gogo boys. I thought Thailand had really clamped down on the whole child sex thing, so I was very surprised to see entire bars full of 13-17 year old gogo boys. I am not much of a beach person, but I do think that the way the beach setup runs there is very good. You go and have a seat and the concessionaires take care of getting you drinks and you just pay your tab at the end. Of course there again is the endless stream of people who want to sell you all sorts of things or give you a manicure or massage. But it is easy to wave them off. I did have a couple of decent massages there though.

 

I really enjoyed my time in the North very much. Chiang Mai is a nice little city. I stayed at a beautiful hotel right on the river called the Lanna Mantra. It is located fairly far from downtown which makes it somewhat inconvenient, but the room I had overlooking the river was exceedingly comfortable and the staff were all very nice. There are much less congested and the scenery is quite nice. It is also a bit mountainous so that is a nice change of pace. The days trips were also interesting. My guide in Chiang Mai was very sweet and did a good job looking after me. We did go to a couple of the bars there to see the shows. The Circle bar has more muscle-y guys, so if that is what you are into you should check it out. The show was OK but the bar was very dark. We went to the New My Way the next night and I enjoyed it more. It is more twinkish with a larger variety of boys. The decor was nicer too.

 

Chiang Rai and the Golden Triangle was also very interesting. It was a long drive through the mountains from Chiang Mai which was quite picturesque. I stayed at the Wiang Inn in Chiang Rai which was a dump. There were a lot more Westerners there than I expected. We went to Doi Tung which is where the King's late mother lived and they have a gorgeous flower garden there.

 

After my return to Bangkok I also took a full day tour to Ayutthaya which was the capital for a few hundred years before it was overrun and sacked by the Burmese. Now it is like a giant historic park with ruined temples and palaces all over the place. I took several hundred photos there. I highly recommend it.

 

I think people who go to Thailand just for the beach or the sex are really missing out. It is a fascinating country with a great history and some of the nicest people I have ever met anywhere. If you go make sure you get out and see the country. I would like to go back at some point and see the places I missed and go over to Angkor in Cambodia.

[+ Lucky]

My own question was answered this month when I stayed 5 nights at the Ambiance. Having stayed there many times before, I didn't notice much difference this time from the previous visits. There was no free breakfast offered to me, but the rooms were nice, as were the staff. We had a deluxe room and a lower level suite.

 

The two rooms came about when I added my partner to the trip and we didn't think we wanted the same small room for both of us. Here's where the problem came in. I had booked the deluxe single and wanted to add the standard room. The clerk, Chang, told me by email that no standard rooms were left, and that the hotel was filling up fast for the New Year weekend. He offered me a free upgrade to the suite and left the deluxe room to the bf.

 

When we arrived, no such reservation had been made, and now I was told that only standard rooms were available. By then I had liked the new arrangement, so I asked to speak to Chang. Turns out I already was. I showed him the emails and he simply stuck to his position that nothing could be done.

 

At that point I asked to speak to the manager, Michael, who had reconfirmed my reservation just two days prior. He wasn't available, so Jim, who I knew from previous visits, came in and fixed the problem immediately. He later introduced us to Michael, who was quite friendly and warm.

 

You might say that Chang had his revenge on me for going over his head. I asked him the rate for the Baht Bus to Jomtien, and he told me it was 20 baht. I learned later that it was only ten.

 

We did enjoy the NY Eve fireworks at the beach, and had some good meals with kind companions. As always, I found the beach a pleasant place to while away the day.

 

We agreed with fedsoccr that Pattaya wasn't so much fun. I had liked it a lot on previous visits, but now found that the boys in the bars were just too young and skinny for my tastes. We visited a couple of the bars in Sunnee Plaza and were appalled. The sight of a grey haired old man french kissing and fondling beneath his undies a boy who looked about ten was just too much for us.

 

So we checked out of Pattaya two days early. No one at the Ambiance thought to inquire why.

[+ Axiom2001]

It was difficult for me to select guys while in Thailand because many of them looked to be sooooooooooo young-- "little boys" to me!

 

One night while in Phuket, I visited a club and enjoyed the show; afterwards one of the managers (...specific title forgotten) came to me and asked why I was not offing anyone. I told him that the guys were just too young looking for me. I did tell him that I'd like to see the main dancer though who had gotten me hot and bothered while watching him dance. Unfortunately, he supposedly did not escort. I became disappointed and left.

 

As far as Pattaya went, I enjoyed myself except being at a party where all of the guys there almost were ex pats (farangs) who had Thai boy friends who were at least fifteen years or more their junior. I could not believe this; I just kept thinking about what the guys had in common with each other; ...how do you converse about various and sundry topics?

Do these young guys really satisfy these older men?

 

I couldn't believe what I witnessed and became disappointed because I felt if I had left to go enjoy the beach and fireworks, the person (farang with boy friend who owned the place where I stayed) would not have appreciated my leaving.

 

But, in retrospect and reflection, I should have called him off to the side and explained my position and left in spite of my feeling some kind of bond.

[kjun]

Pattaya is filth. I know that we should not judge our compatriots but this place is the pervert capitol of the world. I went, saw and left. Never to return. Old men sexually involved with kids and I mean kids. It is disgusting.

 

the Cajun

[fedssocr1]

I gave Pattaya another chance on my trip last year and I actually enjoyed my time there quite a bit better. I agree that it is one of the sleazier places on earth, but a little sleaze can be fun sometimes.

 

I do still find the whole 70 year old farang with 20 year old Thai boy thing a bit odd. Neither party ever really looks very happy which is a shame. But the communication gap must be nearly impossible to bridge, not to mention the generation gap. I hope when I am 70 that I at least look like I am having a good time. :-) And I hope I speak Thai well enough by then to be able to at least converse beyond the short phrases that I know now. I could understand going there to visit the bars and off a boy. But what I don't really understand are the longer-term "relationships". However, I am all for the redistribution of wealth from the 1st world to the developing world, so as long as the boys are being treated well and everyone is an adult doing things of their own free will I suppose it is hard to criticize too much.

 

I stayed at Ambiance in one of the Executive Suites. It was quite nice, except for the construction noise coming from next door.

 

I was amused by the rival gangs of massages boys on the opposite sides of Boyztown street...Pattayaland Soi 3 is it? As you walk down the street they all call out to you "massage, sir?" I felt a little bad about waving them off all the time. I finally gave in on the last day of my trip. None of the guys were exactly my type but I picked the handsomest one. He was totally into me it turned out and claimed that he had been watching me the whole time I was there hoping I would pick him. Now, my BS detector is pretty well honed so I wasn't completely convinced that he wasn't just telling me what he thought I wanted to hear, but he seemed be sincere. And the sex was really good. It happened to be Loy Krathong and he pretty much begged me to go with him later that night to the krathong floating ceremony after he finished work but I already had other plans. Since he worked for the massage place attached to Ambiance when I checked out the next morning and called down to the front desk for help with my luggage he was the one who came up to help me. It is nice to have your ego stroked and to be made to feel attractive. That's not something that happens to me on a regular basis.

 

I did have one gogo boy from Wild West come back to the hotel with me but it was a very strange time with him. He basically wasn't able to perform. He told me I was looking at him too much and it made him nervous. Not sure exactly what the issue was. Maybe it was just a chemistry thing. But eventually he asked me to let him leave and not pay him. I wasn't about to keep him there against his will.

 

I have to say that on this trip I felt like there were a lot more guys who pumped up my ego. One guy, not a money boy, basically seduced me and then practically raped me.

 

I love the Thais. :-) And I miss Thailand. But I will be back in SE Asia for a little over 3 weeks in November again this year. I plan to spend time in Thailand as well as a week or so in Laos and a little bit of time in Cambodia again as well.

[+ Lucky]

I wanted to go to Laos but the bf put his foot down...he's a city boy, he said. But everything I hear about Laos sounds interesting...nice people not corrupted by modern capitalism. No doubt gay life is quite discrete,but that isn't always what I am looking for anyway.