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ARI23

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  1. Love
    ARI23 reacted to KLW in Hep-B   
    Well two years on and I am still here living with it.
     
    I had my annual medical check up last week and I am in better shape now than I was when I was first diagnosed, all blood counts back to normal viral load lower than it was when first diagnosed etc.
     
    I have just moderated my alcohol intake, I.e. Less than one bottle of Vodka / day and keep beer under 12 per day, I jest you not, plus a slightly healthier diet ( no vodka on my cornflakes), Joking aside, where as I used to drink everyday I will now go a few days a month dry and allow the body to recover and have started eating more fresh food, currently in Vietnam there is no fast food so no option but for fresh, feeling as fit as a fiddle for a 50 year old.
     
    The only downside is how it is perceived by various Nations, Middle East is a no go area for me anymore as is Australia (Work Permit Wise) even in Vietnam it was a struggle to get medical clearance signed off, now if I worked in F&B, Medical or Childcare I would understand but I design oil Refineries and Power Plants I am only intimate at work with my computers.
     
    HBV is not HIV but many countries attach the same stigma against it, but as I said 2 years ago, life is too short to worry, onwards and upwards guys!
  2. Love
    ARI23 reacted to sydney69er in Best hotel in Bangkok if money is no issue.   
    I rate Hyatt Regency, not as the best hotel but the best location (for mongers), on corner of Soi 13 Sukhumvit. Price around 7000 THB per night depending on season. I have seen it cheaper but 7K seems to be the average. Suites go for 13,000 THB per night. Great buffet breakfast, nice swimming pool and gym on level 6 and very cool rooftop bar. I have stayed at Park Hyatt (over 16,000Thb per night for standard room) which was very nice but not the same awesome location as Hyatt Regency.
    Hyatt Regency is a very nice 5 star hotel. 1 minutes walk to Soi 11 with heaps of restaurants to choose from, and Cindy's Secret.
    450 meters - 4 minutes walk to Check-in Bar. 8 minutes walk to Nana Entertainment Plaza, 9 minutes walk to Soi Cowboy. 2 minutes walk to Nana BTS if you want to venture out around Bangkok.
    Street walkers (GG and LB) right out the front most nights.
    When I stay there I very rarely venture further than 450 meters!
    Or Sofitel, just on next block past Soi 13. I have not stayed there but still great location.
    Pics of a King Deluxe Room from my stay at Hyatt Regency in July last yeat


  3. Love
    ARI23 reacted to gainsbarre in Mercure Soi 11 Review   
    Very accurate description
    I am staying there quite often but I am surprised about the power outlets there is one on each side of the bed and even with a USB plug
    I am travelling a lot so as platinum member I enjoy executive lounge access wich includes happy hour e ery day. Small buffet and free drinks cocktails beer wine whatever.
    I would suggest for those staying often there to negotiate a special price. I am staying the on average 30 to 40 nights a year. And I got a fixed rate in their best room for 3000Thb
    Prices in that hotel went up quite a bit indeed and last check was like 145eur per night which is imo overpriced.
    Novotel soi 4 is for the moment one of the cheaper options in the neighbourhood around 75eur
    Of course location of Mercure is perfect. However novotel is 150 meters from WN

    Verstuurd vanaf mijn SM-A536B met Tapatalk


  4. Thanks
    ARI23 reacted to Bwana_LB in Mercure Soi 11 Review   
    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.
     









  5. Love
    ARI23 reacted to jeanbon in HI   
    My name is Jean.
    I had story with lb, some years ago. Great experience, and more problems.
    I like this forum, thanks to those, who share .
    Happy New Year.
  6. Love
    ARI23 reacted to Ted135792468 in Citadines soi 8 & 11 (updated 2014)   
    I just finished up a stay at Citadines 11. Here are a few of my observations:

    Book through their website. Expedia wanted 4000 Baht a night for my one bedroom condo unit. I booked it through their painfully slow website for 2350 Baht per night after taxes. There are lesser rooms, but I was only in town for two nights, so the extra 350 Baht per night upgrade was not a big deal.

    The one bedroom unit of mine was spacious, clean and well maintained. It had a functional kitchen and a split bathroom. The only complaint that I listed with them was the toilet room. It had the porcelain throne and a small sink. But the throne was damn near against the wall/sliding wood door. You can see a huge void in the corner where the old shower used to be. But they never relocated the throne to the center of the wall to make more room for the user. It is fine if you are 50 kgs, but I am double that. So I had to sit at a slight angle when having deep thoughts. Across the hall was the large basin with mirror and a full size tub/shower.

    I had a corner unit on the seventh floor. I could hear the night clubs nearby and there were complimentary ear plugs on the safe. But as a monger, bedtime was 3am to 4am, so it was not an issue.

    A breakfast buffet is included in the price and it was decent by western standards. The restaurant is open 24/7. It is packed at 4am with mostly Westerners.

    The living room and the master bedroom each had a 42" flat panel TV. Most places only give you one.

    You can send your laundry out for ungodly prices, carry it over to the 24hour laundry shop across the street (down an alley, look for the signs) that is priced by the kilo, or go up to the 9th floor. The gym and pool are up here. It costs 90 Baht for one token. It takes 2 tokens to do a load. 1 for washer, 1 for the dryer. They are full size units. The laundry soap & fabric softener is included when you buy the tokens from the front desk.

    This place is within walking distance of Check in Bar, Nana Plaza, Terminal 21 mall and splits two of the BTS stops. There is a ton of street action on Soi 11 and on the strip down towards the Westin Hotel. The Westin sidewalk was overflowing with LB talent.

    The hotel is LB friendly. I had Beam come over on her day off and stay overnight without any issues.

    My cab ride to the airport using Grab at 11am was 400 Baht plus 78 Baht in tolls. You can take the BTS to the airport line for cheap, but I had a full size suitcase, a full size gym bag, a fully loaded computer backpack and my CPAP bag. I was not in the mood to haul all that down 7 blocks in 93°F heat just to save 400 Baht.

    I was brought up by hired car from Pattaya, so I do not know what that cost would be from the airport.

    Depending on how long I plan on staying im Bangkok next year, I will plan on booking here again.


    Sent from my SM-G965F using Tapatalk


  7. Love
    ARI23 reacted to Ropey in Citadines soi 8 & 11 (updated 2014)   
    Excellent review, especially the tip on booking via the hotel website for a decent discount.
  8. Love
    ARI23 reacted to Kingdomguy in Useful tip to get fast track security at Heathrow   
    Hey,
    if you buy a first class Heathrow express ticket from Paddington London to heathrow then you can use the fast track / vip security section at heathrow.
    i tested it in November and it worked. I was through security in less than 5 mins.
    Standard class is roughly 25 quid and first class was 32. (Although could always use Elizabeth line but takes an extra 40 mins plus going through normal security).
    https://www.standard.co.uk/news/transport/heathrow-express-fast-track-london-airport-transport-elizabeth-line-cost-b1032416.html?amp
    Could be a useful alternative if pressed for time or can’t be arsed with the long waits!!
  9. Love
    ARI23 reacted to Knobby in Miami Hotel Soi 13   
    It was fine for me.
    Room over looked the pool on the 3rd floor.
    Kettle and cups but no coffee provided.
    Small fridge and safe.
    Shower was fine.
    Bed a little on the hard side for my liking but I manged to sleep.
    Joining fee,
    The higher cost room you book the more guests you can have with less cost.
    Room I booked meant 1 guest free but second guest was 500 baht.
    If I had booked the top level room then 2 guests free.
    I had no problems during my stay. Good location. 7-11 right there and places like the red lion for food and of course a short walk to any action and BTS.


    Sent from my SM-A805F using Tapatalk


  10. Love
    ARI23 reacted to KendoUK in Top English Breakfast/Fry up places   
    If you're staying around Asok area, a few I'd recommend 
    Red Lion - Soi 13. They do a build your own breakfast option for a cpl of hundred baht, choose 6-7 items
    Sportsman - Soi 13. Best Sports bar in BKK imho, they have 2 different Full English options, one of them is pretty big.
    Bullys - Between Soi 2-4 on Sukhumvit Rd. Recently reopened in a smaller unit, well kitted out though. Haven't tried breakfast yet but the other food has been decent.
    If you go one stop further on the BTS to Phrom Pong, you've got Royal Oak and Robin Hood as well.
  11. Love
    ARI23 reacted to Loz61 in Lower cost options for longer stays   
    I know them, so I book direct. Info@rompomansion.com. Paul is the guy at this end. Fantastic guy, he will look after you.
  12. Love
    ARI23 reacted to sydney69er in Little Tokyo in Bangkok - Soi Thaniya Great Japanese food   
    When I was in Bangkok back in July, I visited Soi Thaniya in Silom, which is only 300 meters down from Patpong Road. Amazing how many times I had been to Patpong but didn't know about this place they refer to as 'Little Tokyo' or 'Little Japan' due to the entire street being lined with awesome Japanese restaurants, from Japanese BBQ, sushi, ramen shops and plenty of others. An entrance to BTS SkyTrain Sala Daeng station is just on the corner of Soi Thaniya.
    I just visited during the day for lunch but heard it is lit up like the streets of Tokyo at night. I just had a ramen noodle soup at a restaurant called Uchidaya Ramen. 270 baht for their Kyushu Tonkotsu 'Special' ramen. Best ramen I have ever eaten!
    If you love Japanese food then put this on your list of places to visit in Bangkok. Go there for dinner, then head down to Patpong to pick up your dessert.
    They do have some girlie bars here, located in the top floors above the restaurants at street level. I heard they are very much like the 'hostess bars in Tokyo'. These places cater to Japanese business men. I heard like in Japan, they pay a fee for a girl to sit with them and laugh at their jokes, tell them how wonderful they are and pour their drinks. I been to a few hostess bars in Tokyo and never saw the point of them as you can't bar fine the girls there in Tokyo but I believe you can bar fine the ones in Bangkok but at ridiculous Japanese prices, something like 5000 - 6000 Baht. Screw that! Get down to Patpong to pick up what you fancy for the night, GG or LB at proper Bangkok prices.
    Definitely worth a visit if you love Japanese food.
     



  13. Wow
    ARI23 got a reaction from OneTrueSaxon in WTF ? No War   
    Ukraine Flag / No War in a 2009 thread
    How that possible ?

  14. Love
    ARI23 reacted to The Amazing White in Hey   
    Hello 
    My Name is Jack I am new to the forum, WIll be visiting Thailand soon
    Hopefully i share many good stories with you all 
    Jack
  15. Love
    ARI23 reacted to hkaus72 in Cathay Pacific   
    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.
  16. Wow
    ARI23 got a reaction from OneTrueSaxon in WTF ? No War   
    Ukraine Flag / No War in a 2009 thread
    How that possible ?

  17. Love
    ARI23 reacted to smegma in Dynasty Grande   
    I called the Dynasty Grande today as I’m in town in a few weeks, given the place was fenced off when I was in BKK 6 weeks ago I was actually surprised the phone was answered and they had reopened just this week. I’ve been staying here for 12 years and am rapt they have reopened however there are some drawbacks, only the front wing has reopened at the moment so no balcony rooms available (to smoke a spliff) and the prices seemed to be a little higher than pre-Covid rates even with a 25% reopening discount, also the excellent gym hasn’t reopened yet and I wasn’t assured it would be if I booked even though she said “open in a couple of weeks”. She said the pool is open which is great, it was a green swamp 6 weeks ago from my vantage point next door at the Citrus Suites.  You have to book directly with the hotel website as you can’t book with Agoda or booking.com just yet.  Anyway I’m gonna go with the Citrus Suites again for this trip and hopefully they are fully operational and back to normal in a few months.
  18. Love
    ARI23 reacted to Knobby in Carry on Only Tips   
    Am setting myself a challenge for the 2nd trip of 2022.
    Only going with a carry-on case, no checked luggage.
    I don't like all these new reports of luggage going missing all around the world. Shame as I have a 2x 23kg allowance with Cathay Pacific but I don't wanna risk my main case going missing.
    So am after any travel or packing hacks you know of.
    So far I have found a travel case that weighs only 554 grams and with clothing, footwear,1staid kit and a washbag am currently sitting at 5.85kg.
    I will be taking my laptop so I can cram things like chargers,leads,power banks etc in the laptop bag as that never gets weighed.
    One hack a friend tells me about is getting a travel neck pillow, taking the stuffing out and cramming small items like socks inside (maybe a t-shirt rolled up also) as that never gets weighed.
    Toiletries I usually get when in Thailand but do take my own aftershave and razor. Am thinking when at Heathrow Terminal 3 there is a Boot chemist airside so could get some items there.
    Any other tips or hacks I haven't thought of that you know?
     
  19. Love
    ARI23 reacted to katana57 in Carry on Only Tips   
    When I do a carry- on only trip I always use one of these....
    https://www.scottevest.com/products/rfid-travel-vest-for-men
    I get in my iPad,phones,chargers,cables,medicines,documents,passport,keys,sunglasses etc . You can really get a lot of stuff in.And it makes going through security easier too.Instead of having to take out your coins,keys,metallic objects...you just slip off the vest and put it in the tray and walk through the check while they do the scan.I put a pair of sneakers in ,one time!
    If you've got time before your trip, see if you can pick up a used one on ebay or amazon.
    They also do shirts , shorts, windbreakers with loads of pockets. A bit pricey, but well functional.
     
  20. Love
    ARI23 reacted to wagstaff in Carry on Only Tips   
    I see no problem with carryon only.  I've been doing 3-4 week trips that way for 25 years.  There is always a local wash and fold for laundry.  And if not, I can freshen my clothes in the bathroom sink with shampoo and they are dry by morning.  I've only checked bags a couple of times and in every case, my luggage arrived a day or two after me.  Also, no waiting at the carousel for a bag.  I was in a taxi 20 minutes after I got off the plane, including going through immigration, change some money, and grabbing something to eat.  And in today's chaotic travel scene, carryon only gives you much more flexibility to change plans due to delays or cancellations.  If you need a big bag for a couple weeks, you need to learn how to travel and pack efficiently.  
    The only time I'll ever check a bag is if my clothes-horse wife travels with me.  Fortunately, that is a rare event
  21. Love
    ARI23 reacted to American Eagle in Carry on Only Tips   
    This is a method I've used when needing a lot of changes of clothing. I've since switched to minimal clothes opting for quick dry clothing that I can easily wash in a sink, hang up, and dry in the morning.
     
     
  22. Love
    ARI23 reacted to fizzy in Bangkok best hotel   
    Yeah the rooms have definitely been renovated if that was the case, checkout the photos on their site or booking its looking really nice now. 
  23. Like
    ARI23 got a reaction from fizzy in Bangkok best hotel   
    Has it been renovated ? In 2019 there were reviews Hope Land hotel was outdated.
  24. Love
    ARI23 reacted to finklefoss in Hua Hin   
    Thanks ARI123 I'm booked in to the Centra.
    Though I'm going GG for this part of the trip.
    Variety and all that .
  25. Thanks
    ARI23 got a reaction from YoYo27 in Bangkok best hotel   
    Landmark and Sofitel are great hotels. 
    But for the same prices you will get a much bigger room in Mercure soi 11 or Adelphi Suites soi 8 - I would say 30 sqm / 50 sqm - 
    Depends what you prefer (I prefer the bigger room).
     
    Discreet ???  Are you scared of being seen by someone you know with a ladyboy while coming back to your hotel ? Well ... It can happen. I once met a work mate in Nana Plaza. I didn't know he was in Thailand. I was alone, just coming back from a short time session with a ladyboy in a Nana Plaza short-time room. Hmmm.
    To avoid that :
    - Take a session in the short time room of the bars (Cindy's, CIB, Chaos 9, Why Not all have short time rooms upstairs).
    - Barfine the girl and tell her to be in 30 mins at your hotel. Give her your room number. Come back first to your hotel and tell the receptionist a guest will be there soon and that she can go up to your room.
    - Book a girl with Smooci or another escort agency or Thaifriendly. She will go to your room.
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