hkaus72

Yeah the bellboys mentioned the toll receipts and then someone said "They don't always give them". Not sure if that was legit or not. Anyway, all good in the end and I think an hour later I was happily sucking on Nicky/Maxx's large appendage. This was in the days when it was always hard. 

No worries, thanks for the reply. 

I actually took a journey 5-6 weeks ago, was back to normal fare. Around 250-270 fare from near Asoke to Suvarnabhumi, and then throw in the B75 in tolls, it's back to B320-300, which is what it had normally always been. The dude in November clearly had a broken or clocked meter, which I thought at the time because he caved pretty quickly when I started disputing the fare. 

No worries, thanks for the reply. 

I actually took a journey 5-6 weeks ago, was back to normal fare. Around 250-270 fare from near Asoke to Suvarnabhumi, and then throw in the B75 in tolls, it's back to B320-300, which is what it had normally always been. The dude in November clearly had a broken or clocked meter, which I thought at the time because he caved pretty quickly when I started disputing the fare. 

Somebody's sniffy disgust over what 2 consenting adults are privately doing in a hotel room is their problem, not yours. 
They're strangers you'll never see again and there's no need for you to give a shit what they think. 
 

Just spent 8 nights at the Mercure on Soi 11 and thought I'd offer up my take.
I had a King room with shower and bathtub, one of several options. It's not their largest or their smallest room, but was plenty large for my needs (photos below).
I arrived at midnight, and check-in was quick and simple. I purchased a room without the breakfast add-on, as I like to explore various breakfast options around town. I booked well in advance, while prices were still depressed by Covid, so got a rate of about $86/night. When I checked in, the rate being offered at that time was about $112.
My room was on the 16th floor and away from Soi 11, so as quiet as a room will get in that part of town. I had no issues with noise
A funny moment: I was only interested in sleeping after a 27 hour trip with a 15 hour time change, but could not figure out how to turn off the room lights. I searched everywhere (I thought) for the switches, finally calling the front desk to send someone up. The control for the room lights (nearly all of them) was in the middle of the bed headboard, hiding behind a stack of pillows.
Description of room:
The room was plenty spacious, and had pretty much everything I would want. The king bed was comfortable and the bed linens were high quality. Four large pillows. There was a desk with two chairs, and an additional two guest chairs with a small table. Opposite the bed there was a small storage unit with two drawers for clothes, and a flat screen TV above it. TV worked fine and was decent sized, but I never watched any TV. To the left of this, towards the door to the room and the door to the bathroom, was a platform to set luggage on, a small fridge (not a minibar), and then a closet with a decent sized safe (big enough for a laptop). Across from the closet was the door to the bathroom. As mentioned, the bathroom had both a glass-enclosed shower, with adjustable/handheld shower head and a rainfall shower head. Across from the shower was a full tub with an adjustable/handheld shower head (for some reason, many Thai girls seem to prefer to shower in the tub...I don't get it). Tub had a wall mounted soap dispenser, shower had wall mounted soap, shampoo, and conditioner dispensers. Next to the shower was a toilet with the essential bum gun, and next to it a shower and sink with ample room for storage of toiletries.
Pros: 
Comfortable bed Good AC that was easy to control air speed and room temp Great hot water. It was easy to control, and never ran low. Two large bath sheets and two smaller bath towels Plenty of seating for guests. Chairs came in handy for sex as well. Housekeeping was responsive to requests for extra towels, hangers, etc. I tipped daily. Good reading lights by the bed. Cons:
Lighting was hard to control. No dimming, and ceiling lights were either all on or all off. No power outlets next to the bed! Charging phones had to be done at the desk or on top of the fridge. This was a nuisance. Aside from liquid soap, shampoo, conditioner and body lotion, there were no other amenities in the bathroom. No plastic hair cover for the girls, etc. Fridge was on the small side. Room for a few drinks and not much else. The Hotel:
The lobby is nothing fancy. From the driveway you walk through sliding glass doors, across a seating area with a concierge stand, past the elevators (one left, one right), and to the actual reception desks. One of the two hotel restaurants (Lily Fu's) is on the ground floor to the right of the hotel entrance, and can be entered from inside or outside the hotel. Another restaurant (Gaucho Argentinean Steakhouse) is loosely affiliated with the hotel and is just to the left of the hotel.
The hotel has a parking garage (4 levels), a pool, bar, and gym that sit above the parking garage, and 16 floors of rooms (1-16, minus 13th, plus a Penthouse level). I spent a fair amount of time at the pool. One of the better pools I've used. There are actually two pools: a smaller and very shallow splash pool for kids and a larger pool, still fairly shallow (1.2 meters) for swimming. The pool is surround by ample seating of various sorts with shade for the sun-averse. The bar sits at one end of the pool, and has a decent drink and food menu. Neither cheap nor overpriced. The gym, glass enclosed and looking out over the pool, was also very good, with plenty of cardio and weight machines.
Pros:
Lobby easy to negotiate. It's a decent walk (of shame?) to the elevators, but you have the option of skipping the desk and taking your guests straight to your room. Elevators require a room key to get to a particular floor, so no surprise guests will appear at your door (as has happened to me at other hotels). Breakfast buffet at Lily Fu's is excellent, at 299 baht. Egg station, all the usual options for American/English breakfast, tons of Asian options, good selection of fruit, juices, breads and pastries, coffees and teas, etc. One can sit open air in the front of the restaurant facing Soi 11 or sit back further inside or at the bar. In the evening, Lily Fu's is a bar/restaurant and is pretty active. Good drink options, reasonably priced, and usually quite crowded. The food is primarily pan-Asian and good, but there are better options, so I only had a quick meal there one time when convenience was key. Gym was great and never crowded. Pool would get busy, but there was always ample seating. Cons:
The hotel is definitely a family hotel. Not exclusively so, but if you're a shy monger just know that you'll be dealing with lots of couples on vacation, families with kids, and so forth. The clients were incredibly diverse, a little United Nations. Didn't bother me at all, but I know some here prefer hotels that cater primarily to mongers. I'm afraid there are fewer and fewer of those, and they are generally not the best hotels. Pool area could get noisy when a few families with kids would show up. The pool is my reading area, and shouting kids are distracting. Come on the early side for breakfast. At least while I was in town the restaurant got quite crowded by 9:30. Fortunately, I'm an early riser. Conclusion:
Depending on the rate I can get, I'd definitely stay again. Did I mention that Cindy's Secrets is about 100 yards from the hotel, and that it's a short walk to Check In Bar? And that Soi 11 really has lots of options for food at any time of day, and plenty of nightlife. By 9 pm freelancers show up along Soi 11 closer to Sukhumvit. I definitely preferred staying here over Soi 4. Soi 11 is now also the hub for the mobile marijuana dispensaries. There were at least ten vans selling marijuana along Soi 11 (and tons of dispensaries along Sukhumvit), including two vans parked in front of the Mercure in the evenings. Didn't imbibe. I liked getting in walks to the skytrain from the hotel (maybe 5 minutes), and Terminal 21 is just a 10 minute walk.
The morning I left, at 5 am, there were four girls from Cindy's sitting in front of my hotel, so I went out and chatted with them. The street was still pretty active, but mostly filled with bargirls and freelancers ending their nights by getting something to eat or drink. I don't think Soi 11 ever sleeps.
 

Question on general taxi fares in BKK nowadays. 

It used to be a taxi from Asoke to Suvarnabhumi was about B280-B300 excluding the Tolls (B75). 
Few weeks ago I was there and the meter seemed to be out of control. I mentioned to the driver when still halfway there, that it shouldn't already be reading over B300. I got the old "my english no good". I insisted and insisted and eventually at the airport, while the meter was showing B615, he said "Okay Okay, B500 okay". 
I paid him, only because on the way I'd texted a mate that lives in BKK to ask about rate to the airport and he came back with "Oh around B600" which I thought was nuts. When I asked if fares had suddenly jumped, he replied "Ahh you could be right, yeah that seems a lot". So I was then confused, had a flight to catch, so paid him the B500. 

Anyway, have fares in BKK gone up that much? Last time I had been there was pre-COVID, but the fares had been pretty standard (apart from the odd increase), for many years. 
It could be that fares really have gone up, or maybe now that tourists are back, taxis are just taking the piss again.

I'm constantly amused by those who fret over how others choose to spend their money.

Sorry, but "plenty of people" is just blatant hyperbole.   

Folks, I would caution anyone transiting through HKIA. I know they are now down to 3 days home monitoring and no hotel quarantine, however prior to this recent change, some transiting passengers that tested +ve were being stopped and sent to Govt quarantine, even where their ultimate destination didn't care about +ve/-ve.
Anyone thinking of transiting through HKIA, you really need to check current arrangements there. 

Edit: Also, I gave up on the place after 16 years and moved to Sing three months ago.

Folks, I would caution anyone transiting through HKIA. I know they are now down to 3 days home monitoring and no hotel quarantine, however prior to this recent change, some transiting passengers that tested +ve were being stopped and sent to Govt quarantine, even where their ultimate destination didn't care about +ve/-ve.
Anyone thinking of transiting through HKIA, you really need to check current arrangements there. 

Edit: Also, I gave up on the place after 16 years and moved to Sing three months ago.

Folks, I would caution anyone transiting through HKIA. I know they are now down to 3 days home monitoring and no hotel quarantine, however prior to this recent change, some transiting passengers that tested +ve were being stopped and sent to Govt quarantine, even where their ultimate destination didn't care about +ve/-ve.
Anyone thinking of transiting through HKIA, you really need to check current arrangements there. 

Edit: Also, I gave up on the place after 16 years and moved to Sing three months ago.

Ha I agree. Then I read the "Our Team" blurb on their website and see it was founded by two Check-in agents from Stansted and thought........."hmmm, this might be a little bit pie-in-the-sky".
Its a great idea though, I wish them good luck.

It might be some time yet before they are flying. This article from a year ago, estimated would be at least two years.

https://thepointsguy.co.uk/news/will-atmosphere-airlines-launch/

Yeah it’s very much ladyboy friendly.
They probably wouldn’t even bat an eyelid if someone walked in with a goat  (it is close to the Arab area after all)  it’s been an institution for prostitution for nearly 60 years now.

Unfortunately doesn't always go this way. A few years ago, hopped in a Taxi heading towards Asoke and was head in my phone, scrolling through work emails on the way. Not so deep mind that I didn't notice the driver come off well before Rama IX and avoid both toll-gates. Anyway, arrived at the hotel and he's sticking an extra B125 on the meter for the Airport Fee and both tolls. Told him no way, we didn't go through any tolls. He then gets out of the taxi screaming and hollering , trying to shame me into paying him. I jumped out, told the hotel staff to take my bags to the exec lounge (was checking in upstairs), stood there while he kept shouting and screaming, he even offered to drive me "to a police station to talk with them!". Not a fcking chance my son. At this point the bell-boys are getting embarrassed saying I should just pay him, but I stood my ground and the driver shouted again, "we drive through both gates, you pay me now!". So I politely asked one of the bell-boys to loudly ask him in Thai, so everyone there could hear, "If we came through both gates, we would drive to this hotel along Sukhumvit road. So why did you exit the highway near Rama IX and drive down Asoke?". Quietness followed, I paid the man what he was owed and not a cent more. 

Unfortunately doesn't always go this way. A few years ago, hopped in a Taxi heading towards Asoke and was head in my phone, scrolling through work emails on the way. Not so deep mind that I didn't notice the driver come off well before Rama IX and avoid both toll-gates. Anyway, arrived at the hotel and he's sticking an extra B125 on the meter for the Airport Fee and both tolls. Told him no way, we didn't go through any tolls. He then gets out of the taxi screaming and hollering , trying to shame me into paying him. I jumped out, told the hotel staff to take my bags to the exec lounge (was checking in upstairs), stood there while he kept shouting and screaming, he even offered to drive me "to a police station to talk with them!". Not a fcking chance my son. At this point the bell-boys are getting embarrassed saying I should just pay him, but I stood my ground and the driver shouted again, "we drive through both gates, you pay me now!". So I politely asked one of the bell-boys to loudly ask him in Thai, so everyone there could hear, "If we came through both gates, we would drive to this hotel along Sukhumvit road. So why did you exit the highway near Rama IX and drive down Asoke?". Quietness followed, I paid the man what he was owed and not a cent more. 

Unfortunately doesn't always go this way. A few years ago, hopped in a Taxi heading towards Asoke and was head in my phone, scrolling through work emails on the way. Not so deep mind that I didn't notice the driver come off well before Rama IX and avoid both toll-gates. Anyway, arrived at the hotel and he's sticking an extra B125 on the meter for the Airport Fee and both tolls. Told him no way, we didn't go through any tolls. He then gets out of the taxi screaming and hollering , trying to shame me into paying him. I jumped out, told the hotel staff to take my bags to the exec lounge (was checking in upstairs), stood there while he kept shouting and screaming, he even offered to drive me "to a police station to talk with them!". Not a fcking chance my son. At this point the bell-boys are getting embarrassed saying I should just pay him, but I stood my ground and the driver shouted again, "we drive through both gates, you pay me now!". So I politely asked one of the bell-boys to loudly ask him in Thai, so everyone there could hear, "If we came through both gates, we would drive to this hotel along Sukhumvit road. So why did you exit the highway near Rama IX and drive down Asoke?". Quietness followed, I paid the man what he was owed and not a cent more. 

There is no way a branch of western international corporation like Hyatt is going to discriminate based on gender identification. Don't worry about it. If they do, just start to dial their international help line.

There are plenty of areas of Bangkok that are dead to me if there’s no MRT/BTS link but the map has really grown in the last 18 months. 
The MRT Blue line is now a full loop, a la the London Circle Line and since they pushed the BTS Green line on past Mo Chit, they've been opening stations every few months. The last stop, Ku Khot, is right near Don Muang....but behind it. I’m sure enterprising taxi drivers and Songtaews will hang out there once it’s open.
I don’t think there will be any kind of direct rail from DM to Swampy until the Chinese bullet train from Laos to Pattaya is running...one of those I’ll believe it when I see it projects.
I think the ARL to Don Muang is due next year but it well terminate from the new all singing and dancing Rail hub at Bang Sue. Although most of the line and stations look ready, the big hub at Bang Due still looks some way off and CV19 probably hasn’t exactly sped up construction.

Agree on all of the above, the realisation is setting in that this will not return to "normal", any time soon. I have a trip to Bohol, pushed back to November and right now, I'm not confident that will actually go ahead, or even whether the hotel will still be open. I'm supposed to be going back to Australia for Christmas, but if I have to do two weeks in quarantine, then forget it. Lord knows if it would be a good idea to be around my mid-70's parents anyway. 
Right now, I'm really missing those long-weekend jaunts down to BKK, that I could do at the drop of a hat. That's out the window now, for a very long time.

Agree on all of the above, the realisation is setting in that this will not return to "normal", any time soon. I have a trip to Bohol, pushed back to November and right now, I'm not confident that will actually go ahead, or even whether the hotel will still be open. I'm supposed to be going back to Australia for Christmas, but if I have to do two weeks in quarantine, then forget it. Lord knows if it would be a good idea to be around my mid-70's parents anyway. 
Right now, I'm really missing those long-weekend jaunts down to BKK, that I could do at the drop of a hat. That's out the window now, for a very long time.

Ahh yes fluorescent, got it. Like you, I don't see the attraction, even as a kid I never really got into the fluoro zinc. Mainly cause that shit got everywhere and was a bugger to get off. 

1-8 December I took 3 LBs to Koh Samet for some R&R. (I had been in BKK and Isaan for 2 weeks).
The rationale for Koh Samet was that I wanted a beach break and was tired of flying.
Koh Samet ticks the boxes, its a quiet island, about 3 hours car ride from BKK and about 15-20 minutes by speedboat.
***Tip - don't wear shoes, as you may get dropped off on the beach, rather than at a pier, depending on where you are staying.
I didn't want to stay at Sai Kaew, which is the biggest and busiest beach, as I had heard reports of hordes of Chinese tourists and non-stop noise from jet skis etc. 
I chose Ao Wong Duean as it seemed a good mix of some amenities, but not too busy There was a choice of 3 resorts and I chose Samed Cabana.
I was happy with the choice and took 2 bungalows on the beach, which was well worth the premium over the bungalows set further back.
The resort was about 85% Nordic types and 14.8% farangs with their teeraks, plus 1 farang with 3 LBs in tow!
The resort was good value, a little bit tired, but I enjoyed the stay and so would recommend it.
Breakfast was a bit repetitive, but the staff were very helpful and friendly.
For dinners there are about 7-8 options on the beach. My favourite was a pace called 'Nice and Easy' towards the far end (300 metres away?) as it was the best value and had very good service.
They had the usual fire shows on the beach and Chinese tourists were brought in just for dinner at some of the other restaurants. 
There were 2 mini marts in close proximity, so useful for beer and ice runs etc. 
***Tip - take plenty of cash as very few places take cards.
We went out a few times. The LBs liked a beach called Ao Phai which had 3 high end resorts. I preferred the laid back atmosphere at Ao Wongdeuan.
One evening we went out to Naga restaurant, which is joined to Naga Bar and is very well known. The restaurant is a BBQ style joint, with all you can eat for THB 189/person, which was a great deal. The bar next door was busy with tourists painting themselves with effervescent paint. (Whatever floats your boat?)
There's a number of tours you can take. I chose a 6 stops all day boat tour, which became much of a muchness, so would avoid the 9 stops version, as 1 beach becomes like all others after a few hours. The snorkelling was good fun. 
Getting around is by scooter (THB 100 per day) or the pick-up Songthaews. We rented one for a few hours and rode around the island. THB 1,500 for 2.5 hours.
If you go into main town of Koh Samed from a beach resort you will need to pay the National Park Fee - which was THB 50 for Thais and THB 300 for farangs for 5 days.
***Tip - if you go island hopping or travel around on the land, make sure that you take your national park tickets with you. The park rangers jump out from behind bushes to inspect your tickets! If you don't have one, then you need to buy them all over again!
In summary, if you want a nice relaxed break, this resort fits the bill. If you want a romantic get away, maybe Ao Phai would make more of an impression. 
I'd definitely go back to Koh Samet and probably this resort.
***Tip - take a few bottles of booze to drink on the verandah of your bungalow, as the prices on the island are 20-30% higher than on the mainland.
***Tip - take mosquito mats with you. The hotel provides one, but 2 in a room is more effective. 
***Tip - ask the beach restaurants for mosquito coils under your table, as otherwise you will get bitten
***Tip -  you can get to Ban Phae pier on the mainland by public bus, van or car. I chose the private car option and it was about THB 1,800 each way from BKK.
***Tip - you can get over to the island by public ferry, which only runs when it is full. Speedboats cost about THB 350/person
***Tip - if you don't like fish, then maybe not go!
***Tip - try and avoid weekends and public holidays - it gets noisy as that's when the Thais visit
Cheers
SAG

Hahahah I had something similar a few months ago at Radisson Blu. I was waiting for a guest to arrive and I'd been fcking around with notes in my pocket and then placed the payment in the bedside table for later. I'd intended to get some extra towels and took B100 out of my wallet and shoved that in my pocket as a tip for the cleaning lady. Then I locked away all my valuables in the room safe. Anyway, I asked for the towels, minute or so later there's a knock at the door, I accept the towels, I then pass the cleaning lady the folded up tip. Her eyes go as wide as dinner plates, which I thought was weird, but just shrugged it off. I had a hard cock due to arrive soon, so had other things on my mind. Guest arrives, deed done, make payment, guest leaves.
I'm standing there looking at the tv, slip my hand in my shorts pocket, pull out my B100 tip for the cleaning lady. I'm very confused at this point, "Why do I still have B100 in my pocket?", I say to myself.
Go to the safe, grab my wallet and quickly realised I'd palmed her B1,000........and immediately her surprised face popped into my head. I had a good chuckle about it, what can you do? Nothing, just learn from you rsilly error. 

She was obviously extremely grateful for the large tip, as when I came back to my room after lunch the following day I discovered that she'd  left me 14 bottles of water!!
Again lots of chuckles. 

Hahahah I had something similar a few months ago at Radisson Blu. I was waiting for a guest to arrive and I'd been fcking around with notes in my pocket and then placed the payment in the bedside table for later. I'd intended to get some extra towels and took B100 out of my wallet and shoved that in my pocket as a tip for the cleaning lady. Then I locked away all my valuables in the room safe. Anyway, I asked for the towels, minute or so later there's a knock at the door, I accept the towels, I then pass the cleaning lady the folded up tip. Her eyes go as wide as dinner plates, which I thought was weird, but just shrugged it off. I had a hard cock due to arrive soon, so had other things on my mind. Guest arrives, deed done, make payment, guest leaves.
I'm standing there looking at the tv, slip my hand in my shorts pocket, pull out my B100 tip for the cleaning lady. I'm very confused at this point, "Why do I still have B100 in my pocket?", I say to myself.
Go to the safe, grab my wallet and quickly realised I'd palmed her B1,000........and immediately her surprised face popped into my head. I had a good chuckle about it, what can you do? Nothing, just learn from you rsilly error. 

She was obviously extremely grateful for the large tip, as when I came back to my room after lunch the following day I discovered that she'd  left me 14 bottles of water!!
Again lots of chuckles.