Report on Aquaris in Patong Beach

Presently I am staying at Aquaris Sauna in the heart of the Paradise Complex in Patong Beach, Phuket. It is one soi over from the main gay soi and very central to the gay action.

It is my first time staying at Aquaris. As this trip was a longer working holiday, my one important need was 24 hour access to the Internet. Aquaris was the only place in Paradise that offered high speed wireless Internet (backed up by line connections in the suites). They offered me a rate of 22K baht per month for a suite (actually a nice studio without full kitchen facilities). This included daily maid service, all utilities, and free entry to sauna areas. It certainly beat the rents of places in the Pacific NW in the USA. They have a number of room options with very competitive prices.

My room is very nice. It has a king size bed, full size fridge, a large sitting area (leather sofa, easy chair, and coffe table), nice wardrobe, desk, TV with full cable, hot pot, free tea and coffee, decent minibar, air con, celeing fan. It is tastefully done with walls in pale yellow and stone terra cotta floors. The bathroom has copious amounts of hot water (but none in sink) and some wonderful smelling cosmetics from the shower dispenser (soap, shampoo, conditioner).

One of the best features is that the huge windows are tinted and have double panes, so one hears NO noise from the street. It is very quiet and peaceful in my room. They also have a set of light drapes and very heavy ones that block out all light. The hotel rents DVDs and a DVD player for 100bt (inlcudes two movies) per day. No free drinking water in the room although the large bottles of cheap water from the minibar cost only 20 baht. No worries for me, as I've filled the fridge with my own refreshments.

The hotel rooms are all on the third and fourth floors. The first two floors are taken up by the small lobby and the sauna/massage area. One of the nice things about staying here is that all sauna areas are free to use and there are discounts on massage (although they have few boys and none are my type). On the roof there is a huge rooftop patio/deck with a very nice jacuzzi that looks out over Patong Beach.

The suana areas are nice (but not luxury standard). Local boys only pay 50 baht entry (farang much more--300bt). There are always lots of cute boys in the sauna area, and a wide variety of types. About half the boys are money boys and half just like a little white rice. The main sauna area is darker with a large jacuzzi, a huge steam room with many private areas, a small suana, and a shower area. Through this area is a dark room area with many small cubicles that look well maintained (I don't have to use them as I have my own room).

On the ground floor there is a very nice pool with lots of seating and a decent little bar. Next to the pool is a gym with glass walls, so one can sit at the pool and watch the boys work out. It is actually a decent gym with both machines and free weights as well as some stationary equipment. As the wireless Internet works there, I like to go down on some afternoons and do some work while watching the boys. The music can be a bit loud, but not too bad.

The only downside (for some) to having the sauna and hotel together is that from 3:30 to 9:30 as one enters and leaves the hotel, one is beset by a great number of people wandering around in towels. I talked with a couple of guests who found this offputting, but I like seeing an assortment of eye candy every afternoon (even when I'm just coming and going---twice, I've scooped up the candy to take to my room on my way back in).

The service is fine although the new owners (a very hot European couple BTW) while very friendly are a bit lackadasical with service issues (I emailed to change my reservation dates and got a confirmation reply but still was not expected and put in a smaller room my first night with no real apology). The lobby is tiny, and the place definitely exists as a place for gay men to have sex (it is men only). It can make for an unusual living situation.

There is no food service, but the old owner opened a restaurant next door by the name of Aqua (one would think the two businesses were connected, but I get the feeling the old owner does not get along well with the new). The place is very good, with decent service, a great breakfast, and a number of 40 bt Thai meals that are quite tasty. They have an extensive Western and Thai menu with an open kitchen and all the major newspapers on hand. They seem to have sucked a large amount of business away from Connect (which is ten steps away).

I highly reccomend this place as long as one is aware that he will be staying in a very active sauna (from 3:30-9:30). However, the rooms are very nice and comfortable and very quiet, so even if one does not want to partake of the suana, it is still a good bet. The rooftop patio and jacuzzi are great, and even the most uptight traveler would surely find at least one cocktail by a pool full of towel wearing Thai boys at least a tad invigorating.

Pete

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[sing_lofty_sing]

Pete, never stayed at the Aqua. but did visit it. I didnt like the guy who seemed to be in charge. I asked him somthing and he totally ignored me.
So that was my only visit there. I stayed at Siam Palm which was ok, but the rooms were a little small but clean and quite. Boss is a nice guy.
I like to stay at places that allow girls in as well as on the odd ocassions i do like female company now and then.
I stayed once for 4 nights in the luxury resort, Baan Yin Dee. What a lovely place but real exspensive but nice for a few days.

TV with full cable

Last time I was there channels such as BBC Prime seemed unavailable. When you say "full cable", can you elaborate?

I would elaborate, but I am not a TV watcher, here or at home. Except for the Thai boys turning it on, I only turned it on one time for ten minutes. There were about sixty channels including about 10-15 English ones (I think). The room does not have a guide to the TV channels, so I'm not much use in this area.

The room does not have a guide to the TV channels, so I'm not much use in this area.

So the phrase "full cable" is utterly meaningless - especially as it's via the satellite?

... have stayed at the Aquarius. I booked a suite room for Bt2400 but the room I booked was unavailable so they put me in a room that usually rates at Bt3400 but I was still charged the lower rate. Staff very friendly and helpful. Cable (satellite), as far as I can recal had very few English speaking channels, I don't even think they had BBC News (shock horror). Internet in the rooms was intermittent (actually rarely worked) and slow and it was often better to go down to Aqua restaraunt downstairs and log into another companies server (I think their was a travel shop that I hitched onto most of the time). Aqua is also a very nice place to sit back, have a cheap snack and do a little num watching.

I found in Phuket (Club One Seven Deluxe - Bt1500, Blue Dolphin Superior Bt1650 and Aquarius) the rooms are all very nice and the service (especially Club One Seven) excellent. However, the room rate compaired with the rooms/suites available in Pattaya is a little over the top in my opinion.

... much more like the Aquarius I know, Fatman41. However when we have someone spruiking its values and I see a phrase I think highly improbable (in this case "full cable") I'm always tempted to ask for further and better particulars (which is another way of saying that I'm testing the bullshit meter)

Fatman,

The first room they put me in, I had tremendous problems with the Internet. In my new room, it always works and is very quick. I also like to take advantage of the free wifi at Aqua. Nice to know you had a nice stay here, as I am greatly enjoying mine (I guess in part because I never watch TV, so am not put off by the poor selection).

Pete

I stayed 3 nights at the Aquarius last week in a suite (I think it was the "James Dean"). Agree with Pete. Enjoyed the cruising and the steam area. Had fun with 2 local boys. Found it to be friendly. Room service was fine. No issues. Probably would like to check out the Blue Dolphine next time - practically less than a minute walk over. Anyone has any thought on the Blue Dolphine?

Hope you are still enjoying your stay Pete, I did enjoy Aquarius, as I said the staff all seemed excellent and the location is just perfect.

As for the Blue Dolphin Flipviet, I found the rooms a little cheaper than Aquarius for an equally great location. I did not use the massage and pool facilities there so I cannot vouch for them, but they looked more than acceptable although less active (never saw anyone in the pool). The place is split into three sections I recal. Ground level has pool access, up one flight of stairs (inside or outside the building) is the main reception desk, smallish bar and where breakfast is served - As I recal the bar here does not stay open late (I think closes sometime after 10.00pm), but you wouldn't really want to hang around when there are so many other better places to be at night. Also on this floor is private massage rooms and sauna. All rooms are accessed via the 1st floor from an outer door, so if you do not like your friend having to show id there is nobody here to check it, a truly private hideaway.

To access the rooms from the first floor, you walk up a flight of indoor stairs to 2nd floor. Here there is a motion activated sensor to switch on common area lighting - very tricky sometimes to get it to work and you may find yourself on hands and knees in pitch black climbing the steep stairs. I had a room just one flight up. The room was actually two, with a sofa'd lounge kitchen (sink and cabinet/fridge area), no micro, no hotplate, but with tv, air and fan. The bedroom is of decent size with another tv, air and fan. My abiding memory is of dark wood making up a significant part of both these rooms. The bathroom was adequate.

There was supposed to be internet here but when I could not access it the French guy owner (very nice guy and helpful with most things) could only say that his internet was working. Even when I plonked myself by the reception for brekkie I could not get it to work and the connections to other 'free' servers was not as good as when sat at Aqua.

If you like a busier place then Aquarius may be for you but as far as having a decent room in a good location, both Aquarius and Blue Dolphin are much of a muchness as far as I am concerned.