oliver17

I am not flaming you here, but this sentence is confusing. If you aren't ashamed to be seen with a ladyboy, then why do you care what people say or think when you are seen with a ladyboy? If some stranger disapproves of what you and another consenting adult are doing, that's his problem and not yours.

Landmark is LB friendly. Many BMs stay there, and nobody ever has any problems.

Considering that many expats are 60 or 70 or even older, this info won't be very valuable unless Thai Immigration authorities have figured out a way to contact mom and dad in the afterlife.

Earlier today, Sheluver had posted some useful hotel info along with pics in this thread, but now it has all disappeared. I think the forum has had a little trouble today with broken links and pages loading completely.

Better Fawlty Towers than the hotel Barton Fink stayed at.

Some of the photographs here were collected from the Grand Swiss website and are noted as such. The (very) amateur efforts were shot by Yours Truly. LOCATION: The official address of Grand Swiss hotel is Soi 11. The actual location is on the side Soi 11/1 as indicated on the map. Soi 11/1 is primarily a pedestrian Soi with very little vehicular traffic. Check In Bar is a 5 minute stroll away. Nana Plaza, Chaos 9 and the rest of Soi 4 are a 10-15 minute walk depending on the bullshit clogging Sukhumvit sidewalks at any given time. ABOUT: Grand Swiss is part of the Compass Group. Their properties include Citrus 13, Legacy Suites, Le Fenix, The Continent and several others. Compass Hotels offer efficient and very friendly service as well as meticulously maintained properties. It is hard to go wrong booking any of their hotels. NEIGHBORHOOD: Soi 11 features numerous farang-oriented restaurants and bars for every taste and budget. Taxis, tuk-tuks and scooter taxis are readily available around the clock. Nana BTS is about a 3 minute walk from the hotel. RATES: Basic rooms start at 2400 baht per night. Club level rooms start at 3000 baht per night. They also offer large adjoining rooms sold as suites, but chances are you won't be taking the wife and kids on your Bangkok ladyboy trip. GS Website Pic My room was a Grand Executive (club level room) located on the top 18th floor. The bed was a tad soft for my taste, but I like rock-hard mattresses so I suspect most people will find them perfectly suitable. A desk with good lighting will allow you to perform work efficiently. The minibar. The Grand Swiss provides free bottled water to guests in the bathroom. However, the Evian bottled water pictured on top of the minibar will cost you. More than once, a ladyboy mindlessly opened one of these instead of one of the free bottles and it cost me a ridiculous 170 baht every time they did. I ended up hiding them on a shelf from the girls and telling them to open a free bottle. Everything else in the minibar was reasonably priced by minibar standards, including the hooch. The bathroom. Not much to say about this. The shower offers both rainshower head and hand held shower head. It also easily accomodates 2 people, allowing you to have some fun with your girl while getting clean. The only downside was a lack of adequate lighting, due to energy saving priorities. The Grand Swiss isn't the only hotel that has this shortcoming. It seems like they all do these days. Staying in a club room will give you exclusive access to Grand Swiss' rooftop lounge, the 180 Lounge. It can be found by walking up a flight of stairs on the 18th floor. This place turned out to be far and away my favorite part about staying at the Grand Swiss. The 180 Lounge offers complimentary booze from 5:30 to 7:00 every night, as well as snacks and assorted goodies throughout the day. The best part is the outdoor seating area, which offers terrific views of Bangkok and was a fine place to watch the sunset. I took several ladyboys up here for drinks both before and after fun in bed, and every girl absolutely loved it such as Bee from Fairy Bar. GS website pic GS website pic After drinks at the 180 Lounge Bee tried out the bed with me for longtime fun. Grand Swiss welcomes ladyboys. NOTE: Not once did the front desk call to verify with me when girls left to collect their IDs before leaving, which somewhat defeats the purpose of taking their IDs in the first place. This isn't a big deal unless you bring back a freelancer to stay in your room. I am sure the front desk will call if you request they do so. In conclusion, I recommend the Grand Swiss. It's location close to mongering grounds as well as restaurants and bars is a winner. The moderate rates offer great bang-for-the-buck results. I am sure I will be staying here again on future visits. Thanks for reading my review. Any thoughts and comments are welcomed.

Sorry can't help you. I have never stayed at Aloft. The Grand Swiss pool is on the 7th floor. It is next to the restaruant, and it also has a poolside bar in the afternoons. The pool itself is kind of small, but it was never crowded when I was there. You also get guest privileges at their sister hotel Citrus 13 on soi 13. As I understand it, they have a decent pool there. It's going to be hard finding a top notch pool at a 3 star or 4 star hotel in BKK. I have stayed at Phachara Suites in the past. The hotel itself is fine but nothing special. However, they have a large and very nice pool on the 8th floor. They also have a fantastic location on Soi 6 within easy walking distance of Nana Plaza, and several of the upper floor rooms have outstanding balconies (ask for a corner room). You may want to take a look at them.

I can't answer your question, but I do know that you will surely get more reliable advice from a dedicated STD site than you will from this board. We are just a bunch of pervs here, not doctors .

Yes it is south of Hua Hin, about 20 minutes away. The car service drivers have taken different routes to get us there, both through Hua Hin and around it. I don't think any time is saved one way or the other. As said in the review, the hotel does operate a scheduled shuttle van into Hua Hin, but only in the evenings. The drop-offs and pick-ups in town occur at the clock tower with the portraits of the King and Queen. In the vicinity of the clock tower is a pretty good night market, and also numerous restaurants. JJ told me there is also at least one ladyboy bar in Hua Hin (one of her friends works there). We didn't visit, but I did see pics of the place. It looks like they have about 6 or 7 girls available, and as you can guess they aren't quite - I am being kind here - BKK quality ladyboys judging from the pics. The resort is isolated, but during the day there was no incentive to leave and during the night you can take the shuttle into Hua Hin. Pranburi itself has a couple of farang-oriented bars within walking distance, but neither one of them was much fun. The Sheraton at least implies that they are on the beach, but directly across the road is nothing but rocks at the waterfront. There is also a fairly impressive walking trail / bike trail under construction along the waterfront. They had made a lot of progress on the trail since I was last here back in January. It looks like it will be a boardwalk type thing with food and drink available along the route. The first pic below is looking across Sheraton's lawn to the waterfront.The 2nd pic below shows the trail and the waterfront. The figure in the middle is JJ taking (what else?) selfies for facebook. The guy in the water was a fisherman gathering up his nets. Below is a pic of a typical walkway at the Sheraton. Our villa was about a 10 minute stroll from the big restaurant and reception area. There are no motorized vehicles on the paths, the staff uses bicycles to get around. The pics below are from my January 2016 visit here with Sofie. We spent 4 nights there. Sofie generated some interest in another thread here recently http://www.bangkokladyboys.net/forum/index.php?/topic/7289-sophie-maybe/ These pics are about the only ones I have from that trip that are suitable for the regular section. The other pics I took belong in the advanced section, and I will put them there if I don't lose my nerve first. Here, you can also get a closer look at the outdoor sunken bathtub, which was a big hit with both Sofie and JJ. The other pics are from the main restaurant at breakfast. Somebody please tell me what instrument the girl is playing. She provided entertainment every morning during the January visit. I have no idea what the instrument is called, but I hear it all the time in Asian music.

Another thing you can try is to use your miles on another OneWorld carrier, like JAL or Cathay Pacific. You might be able to score an award deal on premium economy, and get to BKK with little or no damage to your wallet and minimize the miles spent as well. Premium economy is not business class, but it beats regular economy.

If you are traveling from the US, you should buy and upgrade. It's a no-brainer since any flight from the US to BKK is going to mean about 20 hours in the air. Do you really want to be crammed into economy all that time even if you are flying for only $25.00? I flew Qatar business class to BKK on last trip in May. Very impressive inflight service and also loved the business lounge in Doha. Too bad they don't offer A380 planes from the US like Emirates does, but Qatar does offer A380s on Doha-Bkk route. BTW, the bars on the Emirates A380s are way more fun than the bars on Qatar's aircraft.

I think just about every place in town will welcome ladyboys, although some may charge you guest fees for their friendliness. I don't know how you define "5 Star" but there are several very nice properties in the vicinity. Close to Nana are JW Marriott and Landmark, down Sukhumvit in either direction 10 minutes away by taxi are places like Sofitel, Westin and Grand Hyatt Erawan. None of these places will charge you for bringing a ladyboy into your room.

The Park Hyatt has a facebook page "Park Hyatt Bangkok" which stated on April 11 "The hotel will open for reservation approximately two months prior to the opening which is scheduled for the last quarter of 2016." That is as precise as they will be about an opening date. Previously, Hyatt had said it would open in mid-2016. Agreed that this place will be much closer to the action than the Grand Hyatt Erawan. Too bad the opening is so many months away. I did a google search for a Hyatt Regency in Bangkok, but all I found from Hyatt was an announcement they made back in 2012. It sounds like you may be right to be suspicious of this hotel ever becoming a reality.

I have a trip to BKK coming up and will be arriving in BKK April 30 and leaving on May 22. My passport expires November 16, 2016. The passport has to have 6 months validity from what date? The date of entry into Thailand (April 30)? Will I be able to get a 30 day tourist visa on arrival even though the 6 month date will occur while I have it? I tried to obtain info from Thai government sites, but have not gotten a definitive answer. Can somebody point me in the right direction, and provide a link to preferably a Thai government site to answer this question? I can get my passport renewal expedited if I have to, but it will cost me $200 US to do so, and I am trying to avoid that expense if I can use my current passport to get entry on 4/30.

I have never stayed at Icheck Inn, but I know for a fact that it is ladyboy friendly. You can email them and ask if you want peace of mind, however. Soi 11 is totally farang oriented, with a lot of bars, decent restaurants of every cuisine and for all budgets. Plenty of currency exchanges, pharmacies, 7-11s also. I have stayed on Soi 11 my last 3 trips and enjoy the area very much. Nana BTS is there also, which is a real plus. Soi 11/1 is bit more quiet with very little vehicle traffic because of its small size. Not much there really, but it doesn't matter because Soi 11 is only a few steps away. CIB is a 5 minute walk, Nana Plaza and Chaos 9 are about a 15 minute walk depending on how many shopping stalls and gawkers are clogging the sidewalk on Sukhumvit. In the evenings, you are better off just walking directly on Suk facing into the traffic instead of using the sidewalks. You will see what I mean when you visit. Don't worry, it's totally safe as long as you walk very close to the carts, scooters, taxis etc parked on the side of the road.

This place is also convenient for STD tests, but at rates a little pricier than elsewhere. I thought STD testing was all they did there.

Why can't they get coverage? Even if they list themselves as male?

ANA does fly between Tokyo (both NRT and Haneda) and LAX. The return flight from NRT to LAX is ANA. To get the $2800 fare, they want to stick you on United outbound. However, the more I think about this, the more attractive the United/ANA option sounds to me than gambling with China Southern.

While planning for upcoming April trip, I learn that China Southern is flying business class between LAX and BKK for $3000 US. This is about $1500-$2000 less than what my usual favorites like Japan Airlines or Cathay Pacific are charging. Yes, I know this is a Chinese airline we are talking about and you get what you pay for, but this really does look like a genuine bargain. I flew them once before domestically in China back in 2002. They were perfectly acceptable, but I have no idea what their long haul product is like. I am particularly interested in their on-time performance is like, since I know layovers in China can be dodgy affairs and sometimes can be very late. Anybody here have experience with China Southern? Thanks.

Hmmm... now I know why CX pilots always have Aussie accents. It is also rumored they have an undocumented policy of putting their flight attendants out to pasture before they get long in the tooth, apparently right before they hit 30 years. old. One more reason that Cathay stands above the others in my view. I tried matrix for my dates and noticed that the LAX-NRT leg is a codeshare United flight. I would have to think long and hard about this, because I don't even trust United to transfer my luggage to ANA in a competent manner. It seems like every time I have ever flown United, there are issues with flight delays, inoperable IFE systems, snarling employees, etc. They are the worst of the US "legacy" airlines, and that is really saying something. Matrix is very useful. Here is a useful guide in using advanced codes to route your flight however you like: http://www.travelcodex.com/2012/01/advanced-routing-language-in-ita/ You can print out the codes and then call the airline direct and have them input the codes. Or, if you know a travel agent, they will do the same thing for you.

I stayed there for a couple of nights 2 years ago. I remember it was a bit of an ordeal getting a taxi at the hotel itself because of its location. You are better off going out the rear entrance and hiking up Soi 4 a bit to hail a taxi. And it does cater to Japanese as you said. Even the bathrooms reminded me of those you find in Japanese hotel rooms and room service menu had extensive Japanese offerings. Nice review Gympy.

Do you have a specific program in mind? What is application?

Recently I received an email from Hyatt offering Hyatt Gold Passport members 30% off room rates at their higher-end Asian properties. The dates of the offering coincided with my Dec 2015 - Jan 2016 BKK ladyboy jaunt, so I jumped at it and spent a few days at the Grand Hyatt Erawan in Bangkok. The normal rates at the Grand Hyatt range from 6000 baht up to 10000 baht per night, with Club rooms at 8000 baht. If you are so inclined, you can also take one of their cottages starting at 22K baht per night. I selected a standard room at the discounted rate of 4K baht ($110 US). I then traded in some of my Gold Passport points and upgraded into a Club level room. It costs 3K points per night to upgrade. It really was a deal too good to pass up. A similar room in New York or Tokyo would cost around $450-$500 per night, so this was a steal in my opinion. Hyatt also has a Park Hyatt under construction in Bangkok. It is set to open "mid-2016". Park Hyatts and Grand Hyatts offer similar amenities at roughly the same level of luxury, so you can't go wrong either way. The spacious lobby features soaring ceilings and plenty of seating. Also plentiful were smiling security guys dressed in dark suits everywhere you turned. My room was number 1008, a corner room located at the end of the hall... The minibar. Inside was the usual soft drinks, liquor and candy, nothing extraordinary. The well appointed bathroom. Bathroom personal items included everything you need in this cabinet. The Grand Hyatt has 8 different restaurants and bars by my count. A big favorite with every ladyboy I took here was the Bar@494, actually a wine bar that also had ace bartenders who knew how to mix some truly bodacious cocktails. This bar had just the right vibe for a drink or two prior to going upstairs for boom-boom. (this pic is courtesy of Hyatt website). The Grand Hyatt has a BTS station close by (Chit Lom). A taxi ride to Nana Plaza takes about 10 minutes more or less determined by traffic on Sukhumvit. Even at regular rates, the Grand Hyatt offers a real bargain. I certainly would not hesitate to stay there again.

This Bangkok Post article is from 10/31, but does give a thumbnail sketch of the issue: http://www.bangkokpost.com/news/general/749564/aviation-body-hopeful-over-faa-re-audit

FAA, EASA or God himself could downgrade the Thailand Civil Aviation Authority to CAT 1,000,000 and it still wouldn't stop anybody here from flying into BKK to do what we all enjoy doing in Bangkok .