Yes, another question about the Tarntawan

[paborn]

I'm prepared to brush off all the nasty comments about my question. So prepare to be ignored.

Recently, I've noticed, on several boards the remark that the Tarnawan beds have cement mattresses or words to that effect. As I'm booked there I would like to hear from recent visitors.

[gerefan2]

Not cement, but made for nocturnal activities!

[Josan]

NO! Not in any way! I sleep the best there and everything else tooooo!

[Nirish guy]

I'd disagree and say that yes the beds can be a bit har there, as much as I love my room there I can't say it's the best sleep I've ever had...but it's "ok" and certainly better than other places I've stayed in Thailand, where the bed can sometimes feel akin to one lying on a bed of bricks with a thin sheet draped over them.

[frequent]

Anyone who thinks the beds are hard should sleep on the cement floor; compare and contrast!

[paborn]

Thanks everyone. I appreciate your answers and if you want to drift off topic it's OK with me. Ah, the joy of the ignore list - not being annoyed by the freak.

[a447]

No problems with the beds for me.

[frequent]

No problems with the beds for me.A typical beat up I'm afraid - maybe even Fake News

[paborn]

"I'm prepared to brush off all the nasty comments about my question. So prepare to be ignored."

Methinks someone did not understand my post.

[Asia Traveler]

Yes the mattress is firm not soft but I have found them to be very good for sleeping and fun.

[frequent]

"I'm prepared to brush off all the nasty comments about my question. So prepare to be ignored."

Methinks someone did not understand my post.Poor old paborn, a master of inconsistency. Two self-congratulatory posts earlier about how he’s ignoring me and now a post threatening to ignore me

[arsenal]

I've never stayed there and feel I've missed out on one of life's great pleasures.

[Oliver2]

My commiserations; you certainly have. You'll be telling us that you've not stayed at Ambiance next.

[Nirish guy]

Yes the mattress is firm not soft but I have found them to be very good for sleeping and fun.

The last part I absolutely concur with - like everything in life I guess it's a bit of a trade off, but it IS reasonable enough to get a half decent nights sleep and certainly isn't the worst so I wouldn't worry too much about it.

[Smiles]

Granted that this may be quite a generalisation, but from long observation I would say that most hotels in Thailand have firmer mattresses than what you are used to in the West. Some very much firmer!
Personally I prefer it that way -- it took some climatisation -- and now our house has 'firmers' in both bedrooms. Screw the visitors.
Good luck finding a softy.

[arsenal]

No Oliver, I haven't stayed there either. Gay ghettos with all their bitchin, bellyachin, moaning an screamin queenin are not my cup of tea.

[a447]

Actually, the Tarntawan is no longer the exclusively gay ghetto I believe it once was.

These days hetero couples, Japanese golfing groups, single women, families, guys bringing back bar girls, etc stay there.

Maybe "gay -friendly" would be a better description.

[frequent]

Maybe "gay -friendly" would be a better description. Even that's a bit bold from what I've been told. "Not gay unfriendly" is how a friend who stayed there recently described it, commenting also that it's certainly not as gay friendly as under the previous management

[Oliver2]

Sixty stays, four of them under new management. No more and no less gay-friendly.

[a447]

I haven't noticed any change in the attitude towards gay guests since the new management took over.

Everyone is still very polite and friendly.

[scottish-guy]

Jesus Christ

[paborn]

Are you suggesting the mattresses are that old?

[Nirish guy]

Jesus Christ

He stays there too ??? Wow, just shows you that word of the dearly beloved Tarntawan travels even THAT far eh ! :) I wonder does he take a suite ?

[scottish-guy]

The initial question was a fair and reasonable one - are the beds hard or not.

Now it's moved on to entirely subjective value judgements of whether the hotel is gay/gay friendly/neutral/straight friendly/family friendly or aggressively heterosexual (Frequent will be along imminently with his Kinsey scale musings) - and how it compares to the atmosphere of last year/5 years ago/a decade ago.

Maybe it'll progress to:


Are the eggs served at breakfast white or brown and have they been laid by free range or battery hens? Do the aforementioned hens get organic feed or a bunch of chemicals for their breakfast?

Has anybody ever had a double yolk in the breakfast egg from The Tarntawan - if so can we have the day, date, time, and table number please. Did you leave an extra tip because of the double yolk and next day were you disappointed not to get the same? If you were disappointed by the lack of a double yolk on Day 2, did you take this up with management and if you did, was it the same management from 20 years ago?

Did the waiter pour your tea for you? If so, did he put the milk or the tea in the cup first and did you stir it clockwise or anti-clockwise? Please describe the tea pot - is it china or metal? Was there a selection on teas - and if so please list the brands and varieties offered. If Darjeeling tea was offered was it first flush or second flush?



:crazy_mini:

[paborn]

"whether the hotel is gay/gay friendly/neutral/straight friendly/family friendly or aggressively heterosexual "

I'm trying to recall who made light of my asking if a hotel in Patpong was aggressively straight. I had to retell my story of Dominican hotels that allow in female companions for the night but not males. Just can't recall who it was..............

[colmx]

Based on the gushing recommendations here...I stayed in the Tarntawan for the first time in 15 years last Jan, so I can answer some of SGs questions

Has the décor been updated in the last 15 years?
No

Have the beds been changed in the last 15 years?
Doubtful

Have the linens been changed in the last 15 years?
Yes probably

Have the carpets been cleaned in the last 15 years?
Probably not

Does the toilet flush properly?
No, and no bum gun for your visiting friends either

Does the AC work?
Yes it has 2 modes off and artic

Does it have a quaint step in bath, with a giant step like something built in the 1970s?
Yes

Does it have a CRT TV that I can watch my Thai soaps on?
No it has a fairly modern LED/LCD screen

Does it have bed bugs
According to this report YES: https://www.tripadvisor.ie/ShowUserReviews-g293916-d554499-r602025049-The_Tarntawan_Hotel_Surawong_Bangkok-Bangkok.html

Would you recommend it?
Not to a first time visitor, the Raya 150M down the road is 25 years newer and at a similar price point

[paborn]

The amount of discussion about the Tarntawan on this site would have lead me to believe that bedbugs wouuld have been mentioned. Can anyone confirm this other than the atriip advisor?

[frequent]

Maybe it'll progress to:


Are the eggs served at breakfast white or brown and have they been laid by free range or battery hens? Do the aforementioned hens get organic feed or a bunch of chemicals for their breakfast?

Has anybody ever had a double yolk in the breakfast egg from The Tarntawan - if so can we have the day, date, time, and table number please. Did you leave an extra tip because of the double yolk and next day were you disappointed not to get the same? If you were disappointed by the lack of a double yolk on Day 2, did you take this up with management and if you did, was it the same management from 20 years ago?

Did the waiter pour your tea for you? If so, did he put the milk or the tea in the cup first and did you stir it clockwise or anti-clockwise? Please describe the tea pot - is it china or metal? Was there a selection on teas - and if so please list the brands and varieties offered. If Darjeeling tea was offered was it first flush or second flush?
A friend reports his disappointment at the lack of muesli

[Nirish guy]

I can't recall any specific incidents, however as I've woken up more than once in various hotels with bites and lumps and red marks on me I wouldn't be surprised if I'd had the odd nip in the TT too, but for clarity I dont remember any bad or specific incidents. However as it's fairly common knowledge that most hotels, including some of the top names hotels have incidents of bed bugs ( carried in by passing guests in their luggage from other hotels etc) it really wouldn't be surprising to hear TT was no different than the rest. I guess "getting them" goes with the territory when running a hotel but it's how (quickly) you get RID of them again is the more important factor perhaps.

[scottish-guy]

Well, if you read the trip advisor review you'll see the Manager has accepted it.

That's not to say it wasn't an isolated incident of course - but on this board it should be worth another two dozen posts at least

[frequent]

He stays there too ??? Wow, just shows you that word of the dearly beloved Tarntawan travels even THAT far eh ! :) I wonder does he take a suite ?I believe scotty is referring to Jesus' comments reported in John 14:2 - "There are more than enough rooms in the Tarntawan Hotel. If this were not so, would I have told you that I am going to prepare a place for you?"

[Nirish guy]

I think I prefer 1 Peter 4 : 8-9 - "Above all, Love each other DEEPLY, because love covers over a multitude of sins"

I'm all for deep deep lovin any time of day or night - and hey if that's covering over my alleged sins too well then that just all the better!

[gerefan2]

The initial question was a fair and reasonable one - are the beds hard or not.

Now it's moved on to entirely subjective value judgements of whether the hotel is gay/gay friendly/neutral/straight friendly/family friendly or aggressively heterosexual (Frequent will be along imminently with his Kinsey scale musings) - and how it compares to the atmosphere of last year/5 years ago/a decade ago.

Maybe it'll progress to:


Are the eggs served at breakfast white or brown and have they been laid by free range or battery hens? Do the aforementioned hens get organic feed or a bunch of chemicals for their breakfast?

Has anybody ever had a double yolk in the breakfast egg from The Tarntawan - if so can we have the day, date, time, and table number please. Did you leave an extra tip because of the double yolk and next day were you disappointed not to get the same? If you were disappointed by the lack of a double yolk on Day 2, did you take this up with management and if you did, was it the same management from 20 years ago?

Did the waiter pour your tea for you? If so, did he put the milk or the tea in the cup first and did you stir it clockwise or anti-clockwise? Please describe the tea pot - is it china or metal? Was there a selection on teas - and if so please list the brands and varieties offered. If Darjeeling tea was offered was it first flush or second flush?



:crazy_mini:

Well as you asked...

I cannot comment on double yolks. However I was in Sunee Plaza (the other place that gets posters going) once when my Thai friend ordered a hard boiled egg off one of the carts. He was over the moon when, on the first bite of it, he found it had a chicken inside. He devoured the lot!

Regarding the Tea again I don't know, but after a meal in Sunee we ordered deserts. I asked for Fruit Salad and cream. The waiter bought Fruit Salad and Salad Cream!

Sorry for the thread drift Francois.

[scottish-guy]

My bf regularly eats eggs with a chicken inside - 3 or 4 at a time, although he refers to the creature inside as a “duck” :D

Maybe it is - I’ve really no idea what a duck egg looks like and these just look like hen’s eggs to me - but in my opinion the very idea is disgusting irrespective of the precise identity of the occupant of the egg - and I keep telling him so, but to no effect

[frequent]

... - but in my opinion the very idea is disgusting irrespective of the precise identity of the occupant of the egg - and I keep telling him so, but to no effectThe aesthetics of food are interesting. I've read that the state banquets the Chinese put on for visitors often deliberately include dishes they know their Western guests will find repugnant but cannot refuse for fear of giving offense

[Asia Traveler]

Stayed at The Tartawan Surawong four times this year. Corner suite. No bugs, AC works great, clean, bathtub and separate shower all work well, plenty of hot water, never used the TV, furnishing are old but clean. As to any changes in gay friendly status there was a change that was attempted by the first manager after the sale. He was the young guy that is no longer there. He threw out all the gay guides and told staff not to have them again. Under him lots of staff left or were fired. He took down the hotel sign and moved to the The Tartawan Apartment. He took the over the hotel email address and used it for The Tartawan Apartments. He changed the airport transfer car from hotel paid to guest pays cash to driver when arriving. The Hotel is now called The Tartawan Surawong. New email. New sign. New manager. Things seem to be returning to normal except that like everywhere else there are many non gay people in the hotel just as there are in the gay bars.

[arsenal]

Despite the billions of words already posted in previous threads this one has managed to be highly entertaining with some wonderful musings so good stuff.

Frequent wrote.
"The aesthetics of food are interesting. I've read that the state banquets the Chinese put on for visitors often deliberately include dishes they know their Western guests will find repugnant but cannot refuse for fear of giving offense."

Having been to many of these banquets I can confirm there's usually an ingredient or two that raises an eyebrow. But it's not designed to repulse foreigners. It's what they eat or often don't actually eat but just cook and look at. Bare in mind thst at a Chinese banquet you don't have individual dishes so guests eat only those which they want.

[frequent]

Frequent wrote.
"The aesthetics of food are interesting. I've read that the state banquets the Chinese put on for visitors often deliberately include dishes they know their Western guests will find repugnant but cannot refuse for fear of giving offense."

Having been to many of these banquets ...Which state banquets have you attended recently?

[arsenal]

OK Frequent, you win. But please, no more crying like a baby girl and pressing the red triangle when you get it back.

The banquets I've been to have all been organised by the local government. Happy now? Paborn willl provably post something soon and you can continue your endless stalking of him or gerefan2.

[Deleted text] you are.

Abusive language aimed at another member has been deleted as it was considered to have violated rule 2.3 which prohibits personal attacks.

Jellybean
Moderator

[frequent]

OK Frequent, you win. But please, no more ... pressing the red triangle when you get it back.How else can I tease the Mods?

[arsenal]

And yet you hide from me, not the other way round so who's being teased.

[StevieWonders]

And yet you hide from me, not the other way round so who's being teased.Your a legend arsenal 10+ posts against frequent in the last couple of days and he is too scared of you to reply. You are my hero on this Board keep up the good work.

[arsenal]

frequent, scared of lil ol me, lol. However, I can tell that he likes you a lot.

[scottish-guy]

...Your a legend arsenal 10+ posts against frequent in the last couple of days...

Inexplicably, the Mods (with whom Arsenal is in almost daily contact to whine and play the victim) do not seem to consider such behaviour amounts to trolling. Makes you wonder does it not?

The "ignore" feature provided a wonderful respite from his daily dose of drivel and I thoroughly recommend it to others

[arsenal]

The only time I've pressed the red triangle is to alert the mods of use of the worst racist language used by among others.....Scottish Guy. If that be whining then guilty I plead.

[paborn]

Despite the billions of words already posted in previous threads this one has managed to be highly entertaining with some wonderful musings so good stuff.

Frequent wrote.
"The aesthetics of food are interesting. I've read that the state banquets the Chinese put on for visitors often deliberately include dishes they know their Western guests will find repugnant but cannot refuse for fear of giving offense."

Having been to many of these banquets I can confirm there's usually an ingredient or two that raises an eyebrow. But it's not designed to repulse foreigners. It's what they eat or often don't actually eat but just cook and look at. Bare in mind thst at a Chinese banquet you don't have individual dishes so guests eat only those which they want.


I was to one hosted by the Ministry of tourism and it was wonderful. Nothing repugnant - exotic? Yes. But everything is done to highlight the vast culinary history of the nation.

Technically, I suppose it was a government banquet as a head of state was not with us. However, one eats from a huge selection of dishes that you SELECT from - no one eats everything and NO ONE has to. Anyone saying differently has no idea what they are talking about, They probably have never been far from their cold water, walk up flat in Swansea.

[Eddie]

Based on the gushing recommendations here...I stayed in the Tarntawan for the first time in 15 years last Jan, so I can answer some of SGs questions...

Would you recommend it?
Not to a first time visitor, the Raya 150M down the road is 25 years newer and at a similar price point

Having stayed at The Tarntawan for four nights last week, I would agree 100% with Colmx's feedback. Not horrendous but there are simply better options elsewhere in the same price range.

[paborn]

Eddie, is there a reason that you choose the Tarntawan?

[Smiles]

" ... The only time I've pressed the red triangle ... "
Ahhh Arsenal, those were days weren't they? Eh?
Jellybean has taken up your magic marker and now the board is awash in red (could that be blood?) all over the place.
I'm just happy still being able to refer to Trump as a right fucking cunt. That joy may soon disappear: I'm getting my little xxxxxxxx's at the ready. :dirol_mini:

[Eddie]

Eddie, is there a reason that you choose the Tarntawan?

I was mainly swayed by the reviews on the gay Thailand sites but not because I wanted to stay in a "gay" hotel. That is really not necessary in Thailand.

[paborn]

Reasonable ands thanks for your response. I don't and won't live in a gay ghetto and believe me, in Fort Lauderdale, the area has those for the asking. However, I do believe that if we want the scene tro remain we have to support the bars - screw the apps - and the restaurants that don't even wink when we bring in our BF. I even wonder if the non-gay hotels who are friendly would see the need if we had no choices to keep them honest.

[a447]

For me, it's the stares from the non-gay clientele that I want to avoid when bringing a guy back to the hotel. It's especially uncomfortable in the confines of a lift.

And the guy I am with would also find the tut-tut looks unwelcome.

[paborn]

Exactly!

[Oliver2]

It is important to consider the feelings of your visitor. P. was insistent that I check the gay-friendly credentials of the Agate when we stayed there recently for the first time and, in our early days together, always appreciated the respect he was shown at Ambiance. In those days, there was a very pleasant doorman-whose name i forget- who would go out of his way to ensure that P was treated just like falang guests.

[Josan]

For me, it's the stares from the non-gay clientele that I want to avoid when bringing a guy back to the hotel. It's especially uncomfortable in the confines of a lift.

And the guy I am with would also find the tut-tut looks unwelcome.

I have news for you. In Thailand the 'stares' and 'tut-tut looks' is pure jealous, plain naked jealous!

[a447]

I have news for you. In Thailand the 'stares' and 'tut-tut looks' is pure jealous, plain naked jealous!

Especially when my "friend" is way more attractive than the guy's girlfriend! I'm sure many would be willing to swap. Lol

[frequent]

Especially when my "friend" is way more attractive than the guy's girlfriend! I'm sure many would be willing to swap. LolShe can watch, surely?