Phuket not the same - split thread.

[Nathan B]

Phuket: I stayed there once, was not impressed

You should give Phuket another chance. I'm also only into cute masculine guys, and my initial reaction to Phuket was the same as yours - on my first trip to Thailand in the mid-90s I arrived in Phuket after a week in Pattaya. I was due to stay 3 days, but changed my arrangements after the first night and went straight back to Pattaya. But I gave it a second chance the next year, and nowadays I can quite happily spend 10 days in Patong. Sure, you're never going to have the variety of Bangkok or Pattaya, but both My Way and Tangmo each have 40-50 or more boys available and if you can't find at least two or three you like... The other smaller go-go bars like Mamasan and Passport are fun, and recently a couple of massage boys have knocked my socks off. The gay scene is modest, but very friendly. And, lets face it, Phuket is a much nicer place to spend time relaxing than Pattaya..the beaches, the local restaurants, the day trips available, the general pace of life are really in a different league. My recommendation would be to spend 3 or 4 days unwinding in Phuket before hitting the Pattaya madhouse.

As far the boys in general go, I think they're the same as they always have been. I'm sure we were all blown away on our first two or three visits - so many boys so easily available and eager to please, the first holiday romance or two - but after a while we get jaded, picky and so demanding.

However I find a guy's enthusiasm, if not the ability, to speak English is pretty essential for anything other than a quick fuck. Unless he's Adonis incarnate, I'll get bored very quickly if he's sipping a Singha and staring blankly into the ether.

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[naklua]

Phuket: I stayed there once, was not impressed

You should give Phuket another chance. [...] Sure, you're never going to have the variety of Bangkok or Pattaya, but both My Way and Tangmo each have 40-50 or more boys available and if you can't find at least two or three you like...

I totally agree to your argument that the variety is much less in Phuket.
When I went there the year after the Tsunami I visited also My Way and was very disappointed. Although the bar was huge and many guys were working there, I could not see a single one of them being of the type I was looking for. The place reminded me a little bit of BBB in Pattaya - mainly Godzilla-like machos, some aloof show-boys and some featureless or mediocre boys. I got the impression that the concept of the bar is to live on its shows and not so much on catering to customers seeking a guy for the night.
Tangmo had many ladyboys back then.
The only bar I liked was Uncle Charlie's - I think it was closed for good last year. Especially one of the guys working there - a masculine and very cute 20 year old lad (he was straight, but nevertheless enthusiastic in bed; however he was a 100% top) with a smile to die for - caught my attention and I offed him three times during my 4-night-stay.

And, lets face it, Phuket is a much nicer place to spend time relaxing than Pattaya..the beaches, the local restaurants, the day trips available, the general pace of life are really in a different league.

I took a totally different impression back with me. The atmosphere to me was not that nice, because I got the almost constant feeling of being a target of rip-offs and scams. Walking along the main road almost every minute some guy or lady approached me and wanted to sell me something, sometimes in a rather aggressive way- walking along Suriwong Road in BKK at night is unoffending compared to this hassle.
The tuk-tuks wanted to charge a minimum fare of 100 Baht, even if it was only for a few hundred meters - thus I walked a lot and most of the tuk-tuk drivers I saw (there were rather few) were always waiting for customers but not driving and therefore not making any money; the played it Thai-style, i.e. ignoring the law of supply and demand or even perverting it in the way that the price has to go up if nobody wants to buy at the price already offered; better no business at all than not being able to cheating the tourists.
The seafood-restaurants near the Paradise Hotel were over-charging (about three times what comparable restaurants in Pattaya charged - and that during low season and in the aftermath of the Tsunami) and their service was sub-standard (slow, even when there were only few customers; non-attentive and preferring to chat to each other or going for a smoke rather than doing their job [like serving the rice the forgot to bring and so on]).
Accomodation was quite expensive compared to Pattaya or even BKK, also it was low-season/after Tsunami and an additonal special discount was applied by the place where I stayed.
On the other hand I was positively surprised that the boys I offed did not try to over-charge me. My sample of boys was of course a small one as I did not stay long, but all three of them were very nice and not greedy. They (and only they) prevented my trip from becoming a total disaster.

My recommendation would be to spend 3 or 4 days unwinding in Phuket before hitting the Pattaya madhouse.

Thanks for your recommendation - maybe I will give Phuket a try again this year. Some special promotions on accomodation and/or flights could turn the balance in Phuket's favour...

[lonelywombat]

[quote=naklua]

Phuket: I stayed there once, was not impressed

You should give Phuket another chance. [...] Sure, you're never going to have the variety of Bangkok or Pattaya, but both My Way and Tangmo each have 40-50 or more boys available and if you can't find at least two or three you like...

.

[quote="Nathan B":1b020jbr] My recommendation would be to spend 3 or 4 days unwinding in Phuket before hitting the Pattaya madhouse.[/quote]

Thanks for your recommendation - maybe I will give Phuket a try again this year. Some special promotions on accomodation and/or flights could turn the balance in Phuket's favour...[/quote:1b020jbr]

I enjoyed the walk from Club17 to the bars and of course as a gay hotel no problems If I offed, I used the bikes by preference. My friend plans to return in feb or march using a direct flight into Phuket and then Bangkok Air to Pattaya.

He has stayed at the Merlin before and there are special offers he is considering right now. His story is he had no problems taking a boy back from the ocean end, not through the foyer. If the price is for a double room and not per head, you should make a booking for a Thai to arrive later

My last 3 trips to Phuket -just days before tsumami, one year later and last year were all different I stayed at the old Club17, then the new and then Connect. Connect is so handy but I got so lazy with no excercise. I am considering maybe the Merlin or the Beach Bungalows for my next trip

I have heard mixed stories about apartments in Paradise area, and in one of the saunas

I made a note of a posting last year re a Spanish gay Hotel in Madrid that had opened just around the corner from Paradise. I have seen no reports

[url="http://www.hostalpuertadelsolphuket.com/"]http://www.hostalpuertadelsolphuket.com/[/url]

[jinks]

Let's try and stay on topic.... Phuket here :clown:

[naklua]

Phuket: I stayed there once, was not impressed

You should give Phuket another chance.

I'd like to give you some details of my 2005-Phuket trip in order to encourage comments about what has changed since then. In this first posting I will focus on the gogo bars.

In September 2005 I visited 6 of the 7 gogo bars I was able to find:
Drink prices were 100 Baht at all places; boy-drinks 150 Baht & off-fee 200 Baht, at least at Uncle Charlie's (I did not offer drinks to boys at all bars and offed guys only from U.C.'s, thus I am not sure about the overall pricing policy in this regard).

1. Uncle Charlie's (opposite Paradise Hotel): I think this bar has been closed already, but I am not sure. This would be regretable, as this was the bar I liked the most. Big stage, many boys, 3 - 4 of them really handsome guys. Very limited number of ladyboys. I offed one of the lads working there three times (also he was a top only he was good in bed and had a nice personality). Two other ones I offed once each (one versatile, one top only) and their service was average to slightly above average. Paid 1200 Baht for short time and the boys seemed to be OK with that (I am not that stingy...).
Mamasan told me to have worked at Gentlemen's in Pattaya before (at least she knew the Swiss owner's name).

2. Tangmo: not to my liking; boys were mostly on the small side and many ladyboys. Although the had a large number of dancers (about 30) only 3 or 4 of them passed my non-ladyboy test.

3. Passport: small bar, fem boys mostly. Some of them rather old, some of them chubby.

4. Superboys: A little bit outside of the Paradise complex. Small, tatty bar, very dim lightning that made it very difficult for me to judge the (few) boys' looks. Some of the guys were working their best parts. Was the only customer, the guys (about 6 - 8) looked rather bored and unenthusiastic.

5. My Way: Very big place, elaborate and expensive looking interior design. Sadly the guys' looks did fall short compared to the bar's nice design. The boys were rather big (tall and/or muscled or chubby) and most of them older (25+ years). Not my cup of tea. Cannot remember the show, which I think is the bar's main selling point. I do not care for shows, as I visit gogo bars to watch boys and not ugly show-ladyboys.

6. CU Tonight: about 20 boys; all of them dancing at the same time, i.e. no rotation scheme as in almost all other bars (the boys must be very tired at the end of their shift). I could not see a single boy attracting my attention.

7. Spartacus: They offered a nice outside show (I was seated at one of the nearby beer bars when watching), but as almost all of the show-dancers looked fem, I did not go inside.

I am very interested in comments which of the above mentioned bars are still open and what they offer regarding guys. If any new bars have opened since then I would also appreciate comments on them.

[Nathan B]

The two main gogo bars are still My Way and Tangmo.

My Way has mainly masculine guys, and there are usually 4 or 5 I like. A few have been around for years. The guys often seem to come and go pretty much as they please - they work a couple of nights, then you won't see them again for a week.

Tangmo is more mixed, some ladyboys, typically younger guys than My Way.

Both now have three - yes, count 'em, three! - cabaret shows every night, typically with only 15 minutes between shows to see the gogo. You really need to go early (before the shows start around 10:30) to see all the guys properly

Passport is the same as ever - a small but eclectic selection of dancers - including the ugliest gogo boy in Thailand (I know, I'm superficial).

Spartacus is now a massage only place. Typically has 12-15 guys to choose from.

Both Spartacus and Passport have the same owner as My Way, and consequently there is some rotation of staff between the venues.

Yes, Uncle Charlies closed a couple of years ago. A newish gogo bar called Mamasan, out of sight right at the end of the soi, apparently has the same owner and has some of the same staff. Usually only 15 dancers or so, but I have seen the occasional stunner here.

I haven't been up to Superboy in years. It was delightfully seedy then, and I assume it hasn't changed.

CU Tonight has closed.

In October a new bar was being built opposite My Way. It may well be open by now. I'll be back in Phuket next month & will check it out.

[llz]

Great update, thank you ... what a contrast with the meaningless ranting and bitching that seem to become the rule on many neigbouring threads on this board ...

[Sen Yai]

Having spent the last 6 days in Phuket, I can add a little comment of my own following Nathan B's response:

Uncle Charlies - has indeed closed (about 2 years ago I think) and is now called Mamasan. I have not visited Mamasan since my last vist to Uncle C's when I was invited upstairs to see the 'young boys'. I declined. This was a month after the widely reported underage debacle at Uncle C's which caused a temporary closure by the BiB. It re-opened, but not for long before morphing in to Mamasan

Tangmo - still just the same. Mostly fem boys but some are a little more macho and they have a new 'big' boy - approx 182cm 90+kg. Khunying Tangmo did not apear to be around and the shows were a little flat. Drink prices vary depending on what you order. Beers are 150 baht, which is 50% more than anywhere else!

Passport - much the same, although there were a greater variety of boys, all keen to chat.

Superboys - I haven't been therefore years either, but it still exists.

My Way - Still the biggest show bar. The boys were always more macho than at Tangmo, but quite a mixed selection this year.

CU Tonight - has now changed its name to BB Studio (or BB-something!) and is run by Khun Bon of My Way. A good alternative to the 'show' bars with no katoy acts - just a-go-go boys similar to bars in Bangkok. I think this is a good addition to the Patong scene for this that don't really like endless katoy shows.

Spartacus - still there - didn't seem to be doing much business.

WOW! Karaoke - this bar has ben in existance for a year or more and was fomerly Marn-ya. Part of Khun Bon's empire!

KISS disco - another addition to the scene, next to BB's in the building that has been derelict for the last few years. Set up as a late night dance bar, in competition with Boat Bar. Both resonably busy when I was there.

Generally, the scene was busy with most bars quite full. The smaller drinking holes like Knud's were quite quiet as usual - but I think they are run as a hobby rater than a business!

[naklua]

Thanks to Nathan B and Sen Yai for their comprehensive comments on the current Patong bar scene. :cheers: These comments were very helpful to make up my mind: I am very sure now not to visit Patong again for the foreseeable future.
Let me explain in detail:

The two main gogo bars are still My Way and Tangmo.

My Way has mainly masculine guys, and there are usually 4 or 5 I like. A few have been around for years. The guys often seem to come and go pretty much as they please - they work a couple of nights, then you won't see them again for a week.

Tangmo is more mixed, some ladyboys, typically younger guys than My Way.

Both now have three - yes, count 'em, three! - cabaret shows every night, typically with only 15 minutes between shows to see the gogo. You really need to go early (before the shows start around 10:30) to see all the guys properly

Tangmo - still just the same. Mostly fem boys but some are a little more macho and they have a new 'big' boy - approx 182cm 90+kg.

As I did not like My Way and Tangmo, the news that they did not change for the better are bad news to me.
Furthermore I hate cabaret shows. If I liked to watch one, I would visit a dedicated show venue like Alaczar or Tiffany's in Pattaya. 3 shows a night in a gogo bar is outright crazy as it makes almost no sense anymore for customers who are only interested in the guys to visit such a bar. Unfortunately there seem to be many people who enjoy watching this ever repeating nonsense shows, otherwise My Way and other bars doing the same would have been out of business for quite some time already.
I would not have a problem with cabarat show cum gogo bars if there were enough other bars out there which catered to my taste, i.e. just doing the core business of offering (more or less dancing) guys on the stage.

Passport is the same as ever - a small but eclectic selection of dancers - including the ugliest gogo boy in Thailand (I know, I'm superficial).

I am not that curious to go to Phuket for watching Mr. ugly - I have to see a high number of unattractive gogo boys in Pattaya or BKK already.

Yes, Uncle Charlies closed a couple of years ago. A newish gogo bar called Mamasan, out of sight right at the end of the soi, apparently has the same owner and has some of the same staff. Usually only 15 dancers or so, but I have seen the occasional stunner here.

This sounds good, but only a single bar (maybe) catering to my taste is not enough to make me fly to Phuket.

CU Tonight - has now changed its name to BB Studio (or BB-something!) and is run by Khun Bon of My Way. A good alternative to the 'show' bars with no katoy acts - just a-go-go boys similar to bars in Bangkok. I think this is a good addition to the Patong scene for this that don't really like endless katoy shows.

CU Tonight was boring 2 years ago. The news that it is run under a new name by the My Way team works as a deterrent to me...
On the other hand the fact that that this bar is in contrast to My Way not into shows sounds like a plus to me, but it still is not enough to convince me to try Phuket again.

Moreover the number of bars has not increased since 2005. This limits the choices to much in my opinion.

[krobbie]

... you definitely shouldn't go to Phuket. Which leaves more room for me who does. I like the shows at my way along with the coyote dancing guys.

I like the small host bars throughout the soi surrounding Paradise. I appreciate the lack of pressure by the bars to "off" and you can just sit and drink and talk and play board games if that's what you feel like doing.

I love a good katoey show and feel katoeys 'r' Us on Bangla Road is a good show and the gals are huge fun.

The island is quite beautiful if you get out of town. At 150 baht a day for a motor bike, there's no excuse to just do the same things day in day out.

I will be back in Phuket for my birthday in late January, so am counting the days right now. 6 until I leave for BKK. Eat your hearts out.

Cheers
krobbie