Updates on Patong/Phuket?

[newalaan2]

Have decided to make a return to Phuket/Patong on upcoming Thailand trip later this month. I realise it's rainy low season time down there Sept/Oct, but not that bothered about rain etc.. Anyway have booked at C & N Hotel just outside Paradise Complex for a change and will have a rented car from the airport so no transport issues which are often the biggest hassle there. Flying there from Suvarnabhumi with ThaiSmile (Thaiair subsid)rather than Don Muang, so easy taxi from Jomtien.

Just to see if anyone has visited recently, and can update boy/gay bars, Music bars/clubs/discos. Trip reports are few and far between here nowadays with Phuket one's almost non-existent........but surely some members are still making the trip there?

Appreciate any info.

[Oliver]

I can't comment on the bars- my boyfriend and I were at the far end of Patong Beach out of choice- but I can offer a word of optimism about the rainy season weather....sunny the whole time, not a drop of rain. Our previous visit in September three years ago was the same. Hope I haven't tempted the weather-gods by saying this....

[paperboy]

when i was there in june with my cambodian bf, the bars were very quiet, if i was going there i would def take a boy with me, loved Phuket and all the beaches and things to do on motor bikes, BUT patatya its not

[FarangRuMak]

Looks like Phuket is on its last legs then.
I was thinking of going in the near future.
Its been 8 years since I stayed.
Connect Guesthouse is my preferred venue.
I hope it's still there.

[scottish-guy]

Connect was still there last September - I had a few drinks on the terrace.

We stayed in Aquarius and took the room with the Jacuzzi at approx 50GBP per night. Huge room, huge bathroom, absolutely spotless and everything worked!

Staff were very helpful in organising taxis for excursions etc (which is a major headache in Phuket) and I would recommend it if you don't stay in Connect

[Oliver]

I recommend the taxis but not the Patong equivalent of the baht-bus; they charge a flat-rate of 200 bht per journey and operate a successful cartel.
Patong was surprisingly busy when we were there; the friendly taxi driver who became our guide claimed that there was little difference between the wet and dry seasons, though the pricing and occupancy of our hotel suggested otherwise. I've never seen the Paradise area anything other than very quiet, even on my first visit in 1998..

[Nirish guy]

Connect was still there last September - I had a few drinks on the terrace.

WHAT !!! You were in thailand last September and you didn't you notify Minimee in advance to provide the usual full documentary evidence of landed stamped visa exemption form and photo of you outside a bar with a dated newspaper all as required for all confirmations purposes by him !? Don't be letting your admin slip so shabbily next time or next time there's a chance he might not believe you and it'll all be your OWN fault now you hear !!

[pennyboy]

If I remember correctly SG DID post a copy of a receipt for a snack in Fiddys Patong. Strange as I thought he didn't care.

[BOY69]

I had been at Patong last August very quite due the low season .most of the time was cloudy with occasional rain.not many boys at Royal Paradise complex but some cute boys at the massage parlors .most of the gay venues were close or not fully operated I had great fun at ZAG very nice ambience, Boat Bar was really a joke far cry from its glory days years ago my favorite gogo bar My Way was close.stay at the Connect guesthouse very disappointing the rooms need urgent renovation and the corridors are dark and dangerous at night one wrong step and you may fall downstairs it was my first and last stay there.
I can not recommend the C&N hotel as far as I remember it's not gay friendly and the rooms are dark and gloomy better the K-hotel with nice pool and green surroundings or the Aquarious gay guesthouse with its freindly staff and very good breakfast or Adonis guesthouse.

[scottish-guy]

If I remember correctly SG DID post a copy of a receipt for a snack in Fiddys Patong. Strange as I thought he didn't care.

I don't care - I treat MiniMee's obsession as more of a joke than anything else. However I'm glad you mentioned the receipt as I have just remembered the expression on my BFs face as he bit into his first and only "Roll and Square Sausage"

:D

[christianpfc]

...rented car from the airport so no transport issues which are often the biggest hassle there.
But the problem to find parking remains.

http://christianpfc.blogspot.com/2016/12/phuket-patong-29nov2016.html

Phuket (Patong) 29nov2016

Summary: Food is overpriced (twice of what you would pay elsewhere), gogo bars reasonably priced and good offers, beach looks much nicer than in Pattaya and now has umbrellas coming back, but still no beach chairs. Many Russian and Chinese tourists. As a gay prostitution destination, I consider Phuket a good alternative to Bangkok, Pattaya, Chiang Mai.

[newalaan2]

I thought it was only a couple years since I visited Phuket, but checking back diaries I see last visit was 2013...4 years ago! I've been visiting Phuket since 2000, I used to visit at least twice a year, often 3 times a year to about 2010 at the start of trips as I found it a nice relaxing start to a Thailand visit. I tend to use Jomtien nowadays for the same 'settling in' purpose. After I hooked up with bf trips were less from about 2008 to 2013, but still made the effort at least annually. Will be interesting to see what (if any) after hours/late night clubs/karaokes are still on the go.

Nowadays as with Bkk and Pattaya......gay orientated bars/clubs/karaokes not that vital, still give them most custom but equally comfortable at any live music bar or club. So we'll see what's on offer.



But the problem to find parking remains
Thanks for the link to your blogspot regarding Patong, I had read before but forgot about it, some good info. Regarding the parking problem......I assume you refer specifically to Patong. I have driven around Phuket many times over the years and always found tons of parking at all locations visited all over the Island. Yes, Patong is a challenge, but one fortunate side effect of a change of accommodation base from the Paradise Complex to C&N hotel just along the road, is they have available parking for guests. When renting a car in all other parts of Thailand I always have a 4x4/bigger vehicle, in Phuket it's a Honda Jazz which can squeeze into some small spaces when necessary. Being able to leave the car parked at C&N when in Patong is all I need as all places we visit in Patong are walkable.



I can't comment on the bars- my boyfriend and I were at the far end of Patong Beach out of choice- but I can offer a word of optimism about the rainy season weather....sunny the whole time, not a drop of rain. Our previous visit in September three years ago was the same. Hope I haven't tempted the weather-gods by saying this....
Never mind the 'weather gods' I'll hold you personally responsible for any long lasting serious downpours we encounter.


when i was there in june with my cambodian bf, the bars were very quiet, if i was going there i would def take a boy with me, loved Phuket and all the beaches and things to do on motor bikes, BUT patatya its not
The early years of my visits 2000-2008 or so, gay areas and bars/clubs were always busy with boys and customers, thankfully that tied in with being my more adventurous/energetic/frantic holiday years when the schedule was.....wake 3-4pm from previous night/morning 6am bedtime, eat as it started to get dark late afternoon in time to hit the entertainment spots all night again....and repeat. After that I became more in tune with driving round the Island, discovering 'daytime' with bf enjoying all the other stuff I had missed in those early years as Patong began to get quieter. As you say, pattaya it is not.


I had been at Patong last August very quite due the low season .most of the time was cloudy with occasional rain.not many boys at Royal Paradise complex but some cute boys at the massage parlors .most of the gay venues were close or not fully operated I had great fun at ZAG very nice ambience, Boat Bar was really a joke far cry from its glory days years ago my favorite gogo bar My Way was close.stay at the Connect guesthouse very disappointing the rooms need urgent renovation.

I can not recommend the C&N hotel as far as I remember it's not gay friendly and the rooms are dark and gloomy
I never really liked My Way as the owner was a nuisance. I preferred Tangmo as I got on well with the mamasan there and he had great contacts in available boys outside the bars, especially in the clubs and karaokes at the far end of Patong. Back then lock-ins were common at a few of the Paradise Complex bars. Stayed couple times at Connect when Jochems/KnudsBar Guesthouse was full, usually in the tower room, but never really cared for Connect. When Knud got forced out I usually stayed at Sundowners who had a couple of big rooms with balconies.

When did you last stay at C&N? Reason I ask is that I have never come across any reports of issues with gay friendliness there, in fact colmx a member here has stayed many times (with bf?) and recommends it. Also they have refurbished/remodelled rooms which have bright blue backdrop lights and appear to be anything but dark. Pool not important for us, have booked a bigger, what they call 'VIP' room so we'll see how we get on.

[colmx]

When did you last stay at C&N? Reason I ask is that I have never come across any reports of issues with gay friendliness there, in fact colmx a member here has stayed many times (with bf?) and recommends it. Also they have refurbished/remodelled rooms which have bright blue backdrop lights and appear to be anything but dark.

As NewAlaan says above - we (BF & I) have stayed in the C&N on our last 3 visits to Patong, never ever any issue with joiners - except that there were never enough for me! Joiners have to sign in to guestbook in reception...but that policy is applied equally across both sexes.

The refurbished rooms with the White doors are anything but gloomy - they are like something from Star Trek with the bright blue LED lighting

Agree about ZAG being a great spot for some late night drinking... Unfortunately my BF recommended to all of our Khmer "gang" from last trip that they should move and to work in Pattaya... which they dutifully did (within a week of our visit) - so we will have to find a new gang on next trip!

[newalaan2]

As NewAlaan says above - we (BF & I) have stayed in the C&N on our last 3 visits to Patong, never ever any issue with joiners - except that there were never enough for me! Joiners have to sign in to guestbook in reception...but that policy is applied equally across both sexes.

The refurbished rooms with the White doors are anything but gloomy - they are like something from Star Trek with the bright blue LED lighting

Agree about ZAG being a great spot for some late night drinking... Unfortunately my BF recommended to all of our Khmer "gang" from last trip that they should move and to work in Pattaya... which they dutifully did (within a week of our visit) - so we will have to find a new gang on next trip!

Yes, I thought you usually had joiners as well as bf at the C&N, maybe just a particular member of staff had an issue when Boy69 visited. ZAG late night drinking, hope that's still the case. What about the disco and small clubs which were always up at the far end of Patong turning right out of Paradise past C&N direction? I realise with 4 years passing since my last visit might well be many changes.

You visit any of the bigger mixed disco/clubs/music bars outside Paradise?

[Brad the Impala]

Update for Alaan.

My Way is currently closed for refurbishment, but it sounds like this won't be a loss to you.

Tangmo continues as always with it's selection of more camp guys.

Also still gogo at Passport and OK.

Zag club goes from strength to strength. They have now taken on the best show performers from the Boat Bar, and still have cute coyote guys. The party carries on until 0300 or later.

[newalaan2]

Update for Alaan.

My Way is currently closed for refurbishment, but it sounds like this won't be a loss to you.

Tangmo continues as always with it's selection of more camp guys.

Also still gogo at Passport and OK.

Zag club goes from strength to strength. They have now taken on the best show performers from the Boat Bar, and still have cute coyote guys. The party carries on until 0300 or later.

Thanks for that Brad, good to see you're still on the go, over the years you've always been one of the few here who've been consistent with reliable Phuket info.

Also good to see 3am+ for Zag. I don't know if it's the same guy who is involved with My Way as before, the available guys there never interested me anyway, but the self-indulgent owner just sealed the reason for it not to be a regular haunt, so yes probably not a miss.

Sounds like Boat Bar may have seen better days, it'll be interesting just to see what's still on offer around Paradise.

[BOY69]

Yes ZAG is very good I enjoyed to be there in my last trip on August great ambience, polite staff and show was very entertaining, On the contrary Boat Bar was a big disappointing the ladyboys show was a joke and the whole place look like a shady garage it's a far cry from its glory days years ago.

[colmx]

I don't know if it's the same guy who is involved with My Way as before, the available guys there never interested me anyway, but the self-indulgent owner just sealed the reason for it not to be a regular haunt, so yes probably not a miss.

Bad news is that AFAIK the owner of ZAG and MyWay are the same... They were certainly sharing staff between both venues on my last visit...

As for the other late night clubs... we never got beyond ZAG on our last visit... Like Heart of Darkness in Phnom it had an atmosphere that reminded us of the old X-Ray in Pattaya and we didn't need to venture elsewhere...

Incidentally I saw my one and only Thai "ghost" in C&N... BF is always seeing ghosts... I have never seen one... But the shadow crossing our room on our last night frightened the beezejus out of me!

[newalaan2]

Yes ZAG is very good I enjoyed to be there in my last trip on August great ambience, polite staff and show was very entertaining, On the contrary Boat Bar was a big disappointing the ladyboys show was a joke and the whole place look like a shady garage it's a far cry from its glory days years ago.


Bad news is that AFAIK the owner of ZAG and MyWay are the same... They were certainly sharing staff between both venues on my last visit...

As for the other late night clubs... we never got beyond ZAG on our last visit... Like Heart of Darkness in Phnom it had an atmosphere that reminded us of the old X-Ray in Pattaya and we didn't need to venture elsewhere...

Incidentally I saw my one and only Thai "ghost" in C&N... BF is always seeing ghosts... I have never seen one... But the shadow crossing our room on our last night frightened the beezejus out of me!

Good to see there's going to be a decent late-ish night venue in the Complex to enjoy. 3-4am is my limit nowadays anyway. As long as the owner I refer to keeps away from the mike, something he found difficult to resist in previous years.

Regarding this 'ghost', and this just might be a coincidence...but if he appeared after 5am in the form of a gentleman with a top hat, carrying a cane, the Johnny Walker logo from the front of the 'Red' bottle you probably just consumed 'appearing' in your mind just might be closer to the truth. I'll keep this info from bf, he's a 'believer' too!

[scottish-guy]

Regarding this 'ghost'.. if he appeared after 5am in the form of a gentleman with a top hat, carrying a cane...

Maybe Colmx should enquire if Arsenal was in Phuket at the same time.

[arsenal]

Scottish wrote.
"Maybe Colmx should enquire if Arsenal was in Phuket at the same time."

I think I'll hand that one over to my tame Jockhunter. MINIMEEEEE. Fetch boy.