First Thailand trip

[Latinoking]

Hi all,

after seeing the strings of positive Thailand holiday threads I have been tempted to make my own arrangements and visit the lovely land of Thailand.

Just before confirming flights and hotels i wanted ask for some last minute advice to ensure I'm not missing anything for my first trip to the land of smiles.

Coms: as others have advised I believe the best way to arrange punting meets are using the following apps. Thai friendly, We chat, line and lastly if lucky potential match's on tinder/bumble. if I've missed any please let me know.

Location wise: Bangkok for variety of options and city exploration.. Pattaya and Phuket- less options + but has beaches.

While looking at places i think ill most likely end up in Phuket for my first visit. is there anyway to distinguish which hotels are guest friendly.

Best way of exchanging currency? still unsure of this one some advise would be appreciated.

To do list: Visit a bj bar, A soap parlour, strip clubs/bars and independents wgs + exploration of Thailand. any recommendations are apricated  .

Scams to avoid: from what i read i believe the most commons so far are currency exchanges, over paying rental fees on travel/ bikes  and rental hire jetski scammed where they claim you have caused damages to the jetski ect.

Any other? please let me know.

Thanks in advance and ill be happy to keep everyone updated during my journey 

[Bartolomeo]

I'm going Thailand next week (for 3rd time but 1st time to include sexy times  ), and will be going Bangkok & Phuket. If you type in google "guest friendly hotels in Phuket", the first two links, give list of hotels and also their recommendations.

Actually from my reading on here, it seems there's lot more choice of women for escorting in Pattaya than anywhere else

I'll also be interested to hear from others on how they get thai baht out there, but i've done a fair amount of research on the ol internet and my plan is:

1. Take £300 or so with me and once at airport, go down to lower levels to currency exchanges there and exchange £50, so that I can pay for taxi at least and food or whatever when i get to hotel area
2. Exchange rest of money at a currency exchange place
3. When I need it, withdraw the max daily amount of £500 worth of thai baht from an ATM using my chase card (0% fees and interest abroad). I know ATM will charge 220 baht fee, but I can't find better and more convenient method than this, unless anyone knows better? Also £500 should last me a nice chunk of trip

[Jimmybigballs]

If your just going for the weekend the £500 will probably just about be enough 😂

[randompunter1234]

I'm going Thailand next week (for 3rd time but 1st time to include sexy times  ), and will be going Bangkok & Phuket. If you type in google "guest friendly hotels in Phuket", the first two links, give list of hotels and also their recommendations.

Actually from my reading on here, it seems there's lot more choice of women for escorting in Pattaya than anywhere else

I'll also be interested to hear from others on how they get thai baht out there, but i've done a fair amount of research on the ol internet and my plan is:

1. Take £300 or so with me and once at airport, go down to lower levels to currency exchanges there and exchange £50, so that I can pay for taxi at least and food or whatever when i get to hotel area
2. Exchange rest of money at a currency exchange place
3. When I need it, withdraw the max daily amount of £500 worth of thai baht from an ATM using my chase card (0% fees and interest abroad). I know ATM will charge 220 baht fee, but I can't find better and more convenient method than this, unless anyone knows better? Also £500 should last me a nice chunk of trip

No. 3 is in my opinion the best option... always opting to select the option of billing in local currency

[METEOR]

What sort of accommodation do you waht want?
I stay in a guesthouse type place in Patong pretty much on beach and about a 8-10 minute stroll to bangla.
Guest friendly and around 10pm the owner goes home so you enter via a side door so unless you bring a girl home for all night no one will see. Think it's around £15-20 a night.

[LordGrantham]

Reports that in contrast to Bangkok and Pattaya, Phuket is busy.

[southcoastpunter]

i have been to thailand three times thid year - i think Latinoking and bartomoleo are perhaps over thinking/planning this. on a trip that will cost £2000 plus (and depending how long you go fo mayber £3k plus) don't worry about perhaps a £5 difference in different ways to get money - just use your cash card at one of the many ATM's around.

also i never sought out so called "guest friendly" hotels - every one i booked just was. they all are - well 99% are!.

In terms of "less options" - bangkok being the capital and a large city has the biggest range of options, but Pattaya has everything you might want and plenty of options. Phuket less so - but still plenty in Patong,  less so in other resorts in Phuket. But Phuket has more in non punting stuff to do so it depends what you want. ThaiFriendly works well in all three locations and there are plenty of bars, clubs and other places to meet ladies. You can't not get laid if that is what you want!

I have never felt anything but very safe in thailand - just take normal precautions.

[Latinoking]

First off, thanks for everyone's input so far I've already locked in a weeks worth of adventure for January next year  .
cant wait.

All that remains is booking my accommodation. i am thinking about staying in Bangkok for a few days before heading down to Pattaya and Phuket. 

Are hotels easy to book last minute? for example if i show up in Phuket and ask to book for 2 nights would there be an issue for not booking in advanced?

for added context the reasoning behind asking for guest friendly hotels is an added security measure as advised in the other threads. I.E making sure they are not underaged and not being scammed / have goods stolen whilst washing up in the showers.

also noted that apparently some places add fees at the end of check out if they notice any "guests" show up which is annoying... id rather pay upfront and be advised instead of being hit by an "extra" bill at the end of the trip.

Once again i appreciate all the feedback from the experience Thailand visitors.

[Zigura]

January will be the busiest time for tourists, but there are a huge number of hotels, so booking a room at short notice should not be a problem.

Some hotels check the ladies ID and give you a call when your guest is leaving, to check you are ok. Others hotels with big lobbies do not. I have never been charged extra, for having guests.

For a weeks trip, and if you are only punting, then I would stick to Bangkok and Pattaya.

[southcoastpunter]

January will be the busiest time for tourists, but there are a huge number of hotels, so booking a room at short notice should not be a problem.

Some hotels check the ladies ID and give you a call when your guest is leaving, to check you are ok. Others hotels with big lobbies do not. I have never been charged extra, for having guests.

For a weeks trip, and if you are only punting, then I would stick to Bangkok and Pattaya.

agree with this - my first trip was january this year and i booked hotels the day before or the morning of the day i wanted. no problems at all. and like Zigura, was never charged extra for having guests.

[wirralpunts]

@Latinoking Your going to have a blast

Thai friendly and Tinder will go nuts in the tourist areas with Freelancers offering there services pretty much any dating app for that matter.
Bangkok stay around Asoke Soi (Thai name for road/Street) 4 and 7/1 are particularly lively for the bar scene were i stay my first few days. Sois in the 20s good for massage scene.

Pattaya a must visit for adult adventures. The central Pattaya area is pretty much one giant light district soi buakhao area is a bit more reasonable price wise and a bit more chilled than walking street.

Phuket I've only been once but the Bangla road area has a bar scene with plenty on offer more expensive than Bangkok or Pattaya but has great beaches.
Other options if you like city’s mountains and a bit of culture then Chiang Mai could be a shout much smaller girly scene but Loi kroh road area you will find bars and still plenty on tinder.

For reall Tropical Island vibe Koh Samui has a small scene around Chaweng Beach and freelancers online As do the two neighbouring Islands. In my Opinion better beaches than Phuket but I've only been around Bangla there.

One last shout would be Hua Hin again a much smaller scene than Pattaya or Bangkok but plenty of options Around Soi Bintabaht, Soi 80 and Soi 94. The beach here is far better than Pattaya almost as good as the islands its actually one off my favourite spots in Thailand as a good mix of everything but not as expensive as the islands.

In terms off Hotels, I've never had an issue with bringing back guests in any of the tourist areas probably the only place this might be an issue is certain establishments in Chiang Mai old city near the temples. One guest at a time that is if you want to do the threesome thing lots will then ask for a joiner fee. If booking online always book for two people to avoid any doubt.

Scams stay away from Jet Skies, Taxi drivers who approach you offering to give you a tour and ping pong shows. If hailing a Taxi insist on them putting the meter on or get out in the cities Grab and Bolt (Asian uber) avoids any taxi scam issues. In the less busy areas agree on a price beforehand if the meter is not an option.
Money exchange. You will better rates in the city than the airport but shop around make sure you have pristine bills though they won’t exchange for torn notes or any with marks on them.

@Bartolomeo One option to avoid the ATM fee/Daily Limit is to use a credit card to take money out over the counter in the bank you will need your passport and hotel address (Only use a card with good FX fees though and pay it off before the statement. Halifax clarity and 118 money are both good options no foreign transaction fees). The millage will vary on how easy this is depending on the area but I done it twice last trip once i Pattaya and Once in Bangkok were the staff had great English.

How long are you going for? I'd recomend Land in Bangkok Have two three nights there head to Pattaya on the bus for 3 or 4 nights there really is no place like it for the girl scene in thailand. Then pop back up to bangkok And fly Bus or train to anywhere in the country that takes your fancy.

I'm going back for new Years and Already counting down the days

[Swapmeister]

I have never taken a WG back to my hotels in Bangkok or Phuket (3* and 4* places). So I have no idea what would happen if I did. But I saw nothing that would suggest that Management cared.

Unless your 'date' dressed like a bar girl, I can't imagine that Security would take the chance of offending a guest that is with his Thai wife.

Even if a 70 yr old white guy with a 20 Thai girl shouts WG! walk in separately. Security isn't going to challenge a young woman on her own walking through to the lifts

[Swapmeister]

Re scams, as I walked to Wat Po (temples) i was asked by guys hanging around where i was going.

I read how people would tell you that the place was closed but they can take you somewhere that is opened. So i knew to ignore these guys.

[clivethomas]

Never heard of a hotel that wasn't guest friendly in the red light areas of BKK or Pattaya.  Most will say absolutely nothing when the girl walks in, either on her own or with you.  There is no reason to be shy either, they will assume you are here for the girls.  They will also assume that any Thai girl you are with is a hooker, Thailand has a strict class system and make no mistake we are dining out at the bottom of it.

Phuket can be different though.  Some hotels there will want a fee for guests and I think the odd one doesn't allow them at all. I stayed at the Palmyra in Patong last year just after things opened up and I think the joiner fee was 1000 baht, which would actually be more than the room was at that time.  These are hotels aimed at families or that have quite a few local travellers I suspect.  A quick email to the hotel you are interested in booking will confirm everything.  Some hotels also require the girls to be 20+ and not 18+.  The hotels are not out to get you though with surprise bills, it just depends what guests they are aiming for, it is up to you to establish whether they are guest friendly which will not take you long.  There is currently a publicised crackdown in Patts on hotels ensuring that girls visiting the premises are at least 20.  How many will comply is unknown but they might do for a few weeks.

Wirral punts has some excellent advice.  If I can add to that, I would say that flying to Bkk, taxi down to Patts (recommend Nams Lady Drivers for this) and then onto Phuket and flying home on a multi city ticket is a good way to see the country for the first time.  It shouldn't cost you much more, if anything, to fly back to the UK via the middle eastern airlines and will save you spending a day travelling back to BKK.  That is a pretty good starters tour to Thailand, it is very varied in places you will see but will also be punting heaven.  Phuket is a great all rounder, not the cheapest and very touristy but there is so much to see and do and Bangla Road is still a great night out.  From Phuket you can do day trips galore and it has pretty much everything you would expect a major tourist island to have.  If you have longer than 2 weeks I would recommend Samui too.  Plenty of girls around, a big massage scene there in Lamai and Chaweng and then pretty much every whore descends on Soi Green Mango at night, home to the legendary Green Mango club.  A stunning place to visit and plenty of company to be had and the girls do not command gogo prices.

Thai Friendly, Tinder, Bolt taxis, Grab taxis (and food delivery) will take you far.  Agoda is the Daddy for hotels in Thailand.  Still worth checking Trivago to compare all sites but usually the cheapest Agoda rate is obtained by searching for the hotel name on google.  This will prompt you to enter dates and you can get up to a third off at times compared to going to the website directly my experience.

High season is here and some things are getting silly, internal flight prices have rocketed, especially for the new year period.  If you are going over Christmas or in January then a little bit of forward planning might be sensible.  High season can catch you out at times.  After January it is just Chinese New Year and Songkran to plan around but for most of the year you can travel to Thailand with almost no plans at all

[METEOR]

As above regarding Samui, probably my favourite place and although a small girl scene there's still good quality. But plenty to do during the day and can visit the nearby islands

[Latinoking]

Thanks everyone for the additional l advice. So far the plan is stay in Bangkok 3days and then wing it for the Pattaya mainly and i doubt ill have enough time for Phuket but ill try.

One question though, what's the etiquette with Thai friendly, I've been testing it out recently just to get an idea of how it works for when i visit in January.

So far plenty of match's but never any Reponses back to messages? Even when they initially make contact with me first ?

[Bartolomeo]

@Bartolomeo One option to avoid the ATM fee/Daily Limit is to use a credit card to take money out over the counter in the bank you will need your passport and hotel address (Only use a card with good FX fees though and pay it off before the statement. Halifax clarity and 118 money are both good options no foreign transaction fees). The millage will vary on how easy this is depending on the area but I done it twice last trip once i Pattaya and Once in Bangkok were the staff had great English.

How long are you going for? I'd recomend Land in Bangkok Have two three nights there head to Pattaya on the bus for 3 or 4 nights there really is no place like it for the girl scene in thailand. Then pop back up to bangkok And fly Bus or train to anywhere in the country that takes your fancy.

I'm going back for new Years and Already counting down the days

ah thanks! I have clarity card so that's a good option. Is there any limit to how much you can take out with that method?

I'm only there for 11 nights unfortunately. I have a 3 day event I have to attend in Phuket which is why i've booked 6 nights there as I want to do couple day trips out to other islands. I then go back to Bangkok for one night and i've booked place right close to Nana Plaza

[clivethomas]

ah thanks! I have clarity card so that's a good option. Is there any limit to how much you can take out with that method?

I'm only there for 11 nights unfortunately. I have a 3 day event I have to attend in Phuket which is why i've booked 6 nights there as I want to do couple day trips out to other islands. I then go back to Bangkok for one night and i've booked place right close to Nana Plaza

It varies by ATM but Bangkok Bank will definitely let you take out 20k on a clarity card at the ATM.  If you go in the branch with your passport I believe you can take out whatever you want. Make sure you always decline the ATMs kind offer of doing the conversion for you as they will have you off with the exchange rate.

[LordGrantham]

I took £ cash and exchanged as and when needed at Superrich or TT for day to day expenses , but I opened a Chase bank account and got a debit card, loaded cash to pay for accommodation. There are no foreign transaction fees.

[Swapmeister]

"So far plenty of match's but never any Reponses back to messages?"

Based on what others have posted in other threads, girls aren't going to waste time on you if you aren't in the country. It makes business.

[southcoastpunter]

 agree with swapmeister - many ladies on ThaiFriendly told me that get LOADS of messages from guys saying they are coming to Thailand next week/next month and then they never hear from them again so now they don't bother much with you until you are there!

[Bartolomeo]

It varies by ATM but Bangkok Bank will definitely let you take out 20k on a clarity card at the ATM.  If you go in the branch with your passport I believe you can take out whatever you want. Make sure you always decline the ATMs kind offer of doing the conversion for you as they will have you off with the exchange rate.

ah thanks!

[billybob69]

One question though, what's the etiquette with Thai friendly, I've been testing it out recently just to get an idea of how it works for when i visit in January.

So far plenty of match's but never any Reponses back to messages? Even when they initially make contact with me first ?

Have a look at this post regarding getting the best out of TF -
https://www.ukpunting.com/index.php?topic=260402.msg3730304#msg3730304

As others have said, don't bother messaging them until you are in the country, otherwise you risk being deemed as a timewaster and being blocked by them.

Regarding whether a hotel is 'guest friendly' and whether they have a 'joiner fee' (i.e. whether you are charged for having an overnight guest stay with you), just email them to ask. When I book a room, I always book if for two people anyway.

[LordGrantham]

Agree with Billy, I’ve only heard of one hotel in Pattaya that raised an eyebrow to guests (was family oriented) but didn’t say no.
There are some pages listing guest friendly hotels, I think freejoiner is one.
When I check in I always ask what their policy is, which is nearly always the same, the guest must show ID at reception or to security.
This is a good thing imho.

[Bartolomeo]

Have a look at this post regarding getting the best out of TF -
https://www.ukpunting.com/index.php?topic=260402.msg3730304#msg3730304

As others have said, don't bother messaging them until you are in the country, otherwise you risk being deemed as a timewaster and being blocked by them.

Regarding whether a hotel is 'guest friendly' and whether they have a 'joiner fee' (i.e. whether you are charged for having an overnight guest stay with you), just email them to ask. When I book a room, I always book if for two people anyway.

Damnit wish I read that link on using TF before 
I signed up to premium thai friendly yesterday and set my profile up, but I get into Bangkok on Friday, so it's ok I guess. I haven't messaged anyone.

[southcoastpunter]

Damnit wish I read that link on using TF before 
I signed up to premium thai friendly yesterday and set my profile up, but I get into Bangkok on Friday, so it's ok I guess. I haven't messaged anyone.

there are 4 or 5 different threads about bangkok / pattaya /phuket in the last couple of months or so - maybe read them all and get different takes on things - there is common threads of course and that info / advice is on here had you read them. Its worth 15 minutes of your time. 

[Bartolomeo]

there are 4 or 5 different threads about bangkok / pattaya /phuket in the last couple of months or so - maybe read them all and get different takes on things - there is common threads of course and that info / advice is on here had you read them. Its worth 15 minutes of your time.

I have read them. My comment was jokey in my timing that I missed reading billybob's comment that linked a post on the last page of a thread a year old, and that comment is extremely useful in it's straight forward advice of exactly how to use thai friendly. In particular the first couple lines of:

"Join TF now as a basic member. Set your location as the UK and don't upload a photo of yourself. Use it to go through profiles and 'favourite' any girls you like. Don't message any of the girls.
On the day before you travel, upgrade your TF to premium, add your photo and change your location to Pattaya."

Anyway thanks to you all, i've got a lot of tips and recommendations for when I get out there.

[Maxcrew57]

I read Bartolomeo post re not uploading picture of yourself, but I can't see any option but to upload full face picture (I'm using android, maybe other devices have different options)?

[LordGrantham]

I read Bartolomeo post re not uploading picture of yourself, but I can't see any option but to upload full face picture (I'm using android, maybe other devices have different options)?

You won’t get any responses if you don’t have a photo and verify it, but a photo isn’t mandatory.

[speedygonzal]

phuket: walking down  Bungla st is the easiest way. many freelancers (cheaper if you avoid the ones working on the bars)  some have accommodation near by if you are looking for short service but I think hotels are very open minded. I was a bit paranoid so I call hotel before making the reservation just to be safe. is a very organised system when a lady enter the hotel the reception ask her for an ID (I think they write down the details) I think this is great for both parties.

Bangkok and Chian Mai: thaifriendly was great and enough. just buy the premium service one week before arriving you will be surprised how suddenly good looking you are