oliver17

The biggest threat to the public at Bangkok buffets are Chinese tourists who don't dish food on to their plates, but grab entire platters directly from the serving line to take back to their tables.

Maybe a bit off topic, but I had my first experience with Thai healthcare and its costs just today. A few days ago, I noticed my longtime regular girl was beginning to use her phone while holding it very close and realized she needed eyeglasses or contact lenses. She just turned 29 and is getting to the age where vision starts going south. We went to a chain optical place called Better Vision in Siam Paragon mall. There was no appointment, we just walked in and an optometrist gave her eye exam. Afterward, she chose a pair of frames and the Dr. proceeded to lay out the various options and upgrades for the lenses, stuff like extra-thin lenses, tinting options etc. When it was all over, my wallet was lightened by 28K baht. Her glasses will be ready for pick-up in 2 weeks (they send the frames overseas to Japan for lens installation). The hard sell on upgrades reminded me of buying a new car and having the dealer try to load your car up with a lot of dealer installed bullshit just to jack up the price. I've been wearing contact lenses and eyeglasses for decades myself and so I already knew what was and what wasn't needed for ordinary eyeglass lenses. Still, 28K baht for it all was more expensive than what you would pay in America. I wonder if it was the same mentality found elsewhere in Thailand of farang customer = jackpot.

Bullshit. "Ladyboy" is what they call each other. As a matter of fact, I have never heard an LB use any other term than "ladyboy".

Tiger's mama was Thai. That's what makes it on-topic.

Since he's a golfer, I do believe this question answers itself.

Some of those old buzzards may have been Jack Nicklaus or Gary Player or some other former great. As we learned a few years ago when Tiger Woods sterling reputation was destroyed by an avalanche of media stories featuring escort girls and cocktail waitresses, some of these guys are bigger players off the golf course than on it. You know what I mean.

Only Chinese tour groups can provide the answer to this question.

They must be referring to guys who don't put the toilet seat down after taking a whizz.

Let's face it, the most influential business model in Thailand is the Ping Pong Show.

Bruce Willis says your board name totally rocks.

Several years ago, I booked a room at this hotel for 2 weeks to use for ladyboy escapades while my "real" hotel room was several miles away on the riverfront. It was essentially a glorified short time room for me, except it didn't have the sleazy feel of a typical ST room and I only had to check in once. Nana Plaza still had 5 or 6 ladyboy bars open and it was an ideal location to take ladyboys from the gogos. The decor looks pretty much the same today as it did then.

Some good news on this front. The Polaris lounge at ORD reopened in late April. The link below details the renovations. I have a ladyboy trip coming up in a few weeks and I will likely be flying ANA out of Chicago . I can't wait to check this place out. https://thepointsguy.com/news/united-polaris-lounge-chicago/

Years ago, there was a Thai airline that prioritized hiring of LB flight attendants. Some BMs here may remember it. Read the Guardian link first, then read the Wikipedia link to learn the fate of the airline. https://www.theguardian.com/world/2012/jan/17/pc-air-transgender-flight-attendants https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/P.C._Air

It takes 20 - 24 hours to fly from anywhere in the US to Bangkok. You can connect in Hong Kong, Tokyo, Seoul or Taipei. You can choose from several Asian airlines and they all set their flight schedules to accommodate US travelers connecting elsewhere. Most of the layovers are anywhere from 1 hour to 4 or 5 hours. It's the same thing flying east with one of the Arab carriers. Flying west takes 1 to 2 hours longer than flying east due to western winds blowing across the globe. The winds are going to slow you either coming or going to the US. I have been flying thru Asia since the end of Covid. I used to also fly the Arab airlines, but they have gotten way too greedy and you get more bang for the buck from top shelf Asian airlines these days. Japan Airlines, Cathay Pacific, Singapore or ANA - you can't go wrong with any of them. I am normally very cautious with my money but I always fly business class on LB trips because I simply could not handle being crammed into a coach seat for 22 or 24 hours on an airplane. I know most other BMs from the US or Canada do the same for the same reasons.

If you rank the big 3 US airlines, most folks would say United is entrenched in 3rd place. I try to avoid United myself when flying domestically, preferring Delta or AA. That said, I think United's Polaris lounge in Chicago is pretty much on a par some of the best in the world, just one cut below Qatar or Emirates lounges in the Middle East. Last year on a ladyboy trip, I flew ANA biz class out of Chicago, which gave me access to the Polaris lounge at O' Hare. It was far superior to anything ANA had in Tokyo and that's saying something. I was shocked at how good it was. The reason you see middle aged gals working overseas flights is because US age-discrimination law prohibits airlines from dumping flight attendants when they hit 30 or 35 like Asian airlines do and their labor contracts allow them to get the overseas gigs because of their seniority ranking. That's not necessarily a bad thing because while I enjoy being served by a 25 year old cookie on a flight, I would much rather have the older ladies on board in case of an emergency. Same thing with pilots. I want my pilot to be a guy with gray hair who flew in the military, has one zillion hours in the cockpit and likes to go fishing with his grandkids. Absolutely.

Like Nick said, any LB or GG you pick up from the street or out of a bar will know where the nearest short time hotel is. Follow her lead. There is no shortage of cheap hotels in the area, and there won't be any difference among $20 - $30 USD hotel rooms.

alwayslooking but not alwaysthinking

You're not missing anything on the KokoroBkk site. Heavily photoshopped girls who aren't nekkid is all they have. FWIW, this place refers to their girls as "product". I wonder what the warranty is on the product if you get saddled with a starfish or a clock-watcher.

I don't disagree that young folks are generally more socially enlightened than their parents, but some cultures and age groups will be stuck in the old days and I don't think that will be changing anytime soon. For instance, think about the growing number of Muslim families that visit Thailand. These are desirable tourists with money and there is no way a hotel that wishes to attract them is going to hire an LB for the front desk to check them in or serve them in any other capacity. Mainstream middle age and elderly Western farangs are also tourists with money and while they may be more liberal than Muslims, the mere sight of an LB is guaranteed to have them nudging and whispering to each other. I have seen their reactions myself one million times over the years, you probably have as well. Even when young Western farangs visit LB bars, they frequently regard it a they would visit a zoo, shooting pics and video to post on social media for some laughs. Ladyboys are everyday stuff for us, but for most other people in the world, LBs may as well be from outer space. Hotels and other businesses that cater to tourists know this and they adjust their hiring practices accordingly. That's why you rarely see ladyboys working for them.

Page 10 Hotel in Pattaya employs several LBs, or at least they did the last time I was there. They work the front desk and there are also a handful of them in the restaurant. I have never seen that many ladyboys working straight jobs in one workplace before or since. The down side is Page 10 is absurdly overpriced for what they offer. Even the presence of LBs doesn't make it worth your money. Sad to say, but I am sure most hotels prefer not to have LBs working in positions that directly face customers for business reasons. Most mainstream farang tourists find ladyboys weird and unsettling, and while Thai folks may publicly accept the presence of LBs in society, their real attitude about LBs is revealed by the fact that most families wouldn't stand for their son becoming one or marrying one. Hotels no doubt prefer to avoid all that stuff by only hiring ladyboys for low-visibility jobs only.

Welcome to the forum. I stayed at Hopeland for 3 nights during my last Bangkok trip a few weeks ago in January as well as staying at Citrus Suites, Park Royal Suites and Lohas Suites. Some of the issues with Hopeland were detailed by other guys in this thread. A few too many folks hanging around in the lobby all the time, some of them snoozing away on the sofas. My room was large and I had no complaints except for the bullshit dim lighting in the bathroom. It was so bad, they may as well have had candles in there. I never tried their restaurant. No worries because a few paces away is the very solid Det 5 bar/restaurant which is open all day and serves from a big menu with modest prices. You can't go wrong with that place. It is a bit of a hike down Soi 8, but they have a golf cart to transport guests to Sukhumvit. If you don't want to walk down Soi 8 to the hotel, you can take a moto taxi from Suk for 20 baht. During the day when the sun is beating down, that's money well spent. Of the 4 hotels I stayed at, I would say Park Royal Suites and Lohas Suites both offer more bang for the buck that Hopeland. I think Citus Suites is overpriced for what they provide, but it's popular with many BMs. In this price range, the best of all the suite hotels for mongering purposes is Adelphi Suites on Soi 8. Yes, they can be pricier compared to the other places, but if you can stomach spending the extra cash, it's definitely the best place to stay due to its location with equal proximity to all the lounge bars. None of them are a more than a 5 -10 minute walk from Adelphi.

When they assign you a room, the very first thing you need to do is open the shower door and verify there are no sewer odors coming from the drain. I ran into this issue during my stay there in December. They gave me a new room. I know that Thai plumbing can be dodgy in older buildings, so it was surprising to experience it in building just a few years old. FWIW, I have stayed at Citrus Suites 3 or 4 times over the years and never had any odor issues until last visit. What is interesting that I had the same issue with a Citrus 11 room a few years back. The staff there gave the impression they were quite well acquainted with the problem of smelly shower drain odors. Make what you will of that.

Another alternative is to directly ask for your credit card company for the refund instead of hoping booking sites or the hotel will do the right thing. American Express in particular is very good about protecting their cardholders. Over the years I have cancelled 5 or 6 "non-cancellable" hotel reservations with Amex and gotten my money back every time with no questions asked.

Fortune Town gets a A+ in my book. About 10 years ago, I left on a ladyboy trip and failed to pack my laptop charger. I thought I was screwed because the laptop was an ancient Lenovo that was built during the Bronze Age. A guy working the front desk of my hotel told me about Fortune Town. I had to visit a couple of different shops before I found the charger, but people there were very helpful in getting me steered to a little place that sold nothing but chargers and batteries. It really did save me a world of trouble, because I needed the laptop to do work for back home. It's also a fun place just to wander around and look at stuff.

Damn, I posted at the exact same time Mangatanga posted his decision to stay at Citrus. Oh well, folks can use my post for future reference...