Thailand travel help

[Alpo196]

Hi all, first time poster. I've been thinking about traveling to thailand recently and I would really appreciate if anyone could point me in the direction of where to find the real deals(awesome cheap living). Better yet it would be great to actually find someone to travel with to show me the ropes, share expenses etc..
I'm 25 living in California, us and am pretty cool/chill. Any info would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!

[GroobySteven]

It's not that cheap if you want awesome.
You can find crappy digs if you want and admittedly you can eat "awesome" street food for under $2 a meal but if you want to visit the girly bars, meet ladyboys, etc. Expect to spend some cash.

[nevada64]

I've been twice and can't wait for my next trip. Get over there as soon as you can. Enjoy Bangkok, but don't let it suck you in and end up staying there your entire time. Do some exporing, Chaing Mai, the south, Phuket, etc. PM me if you have any other questions.

[dderek123]

Yeah it can be really expensive. But there are a lot of options though. They seem to have something for everyone (and every budget) over there. Although, $100 hotel rooms over there are incredible when compared to a $100 in my hometown. I can't remember the last time I saw a room for that cheap in Canada.

Prices are rising quickly though.

[seamonkey]

I strongly recommend that you use these forums to get all inds of info on Thailand, ladyboys, hotels, etc:

http://www.ladyboyspattaya.com/
http://www.bangkokladyboys.net/forum/

Many of the board members are frequent travellers to Thailand and post a lot of trip reports as well as other good info.

[badpress]

Bangkok probably isn't a great option if it is your first time in Thailand and you are travelling alone. It is a big city that as others have mentioned, can be quite expensive, but most of all it is a hardcore sell in the bars and they can smell a newbie a mile off!!
Also go-go bars are not a great place to meet new people, as the guys that go there are generally there only to look at the LB's. Guess Bar would have been an option, but has had a lot of problems recently and as a result can often be devoid of customers.
There is a new bar called Darkside on Sukhumvit Soi33, but good luck finding that, I have been to BKK more times than I would like to count and I even had to get directions.

A better option, IMO is to take the taxi from the airport to Pattaya. It is only a one and half hour journey and will cost between 1000 and 1500 baht (£20 to £30) depending on your haggling expertise. Once there accommodation can be found extremely cheap, including some nice hotels at no more than 1200baht a night, or guesthouses at around 500baht, and there is no shortage of them (as long as you don't travel over the xmas period). Meeting like minded guys is easy, just go to La Bamba Bar or Sensations and introduce yourself and you will find many guys willing to show you around.
Incidentally, La Bamba also has rooms for rent above the bar. They are relatively small, but clean, tidy and have all the basic amenities a room requires. Add to the fact your neighbours are 7 of the hottest Ladyboys on the planet and it is a good bet for 500 baht a night.

Check out the forums posted above by Seamonkey, or
www.ladyboyreview.com for more info on the scene.

[Jericho]

and admittedly you can eat "awesome" street food for under $2 a meal .

And throw up into a three dollar bucket!

[Jericho]

And if a tuktuk driver mentions 'petrol',tell him to fuck off!

[naresuan]

good advice on here already Pattaya will be cheaper than BKK all round. SOi LK metro lots of good beer deals/happy hours plus as said bit easier to bond/meet like minded guys etc make sure you find a hotel that does not charge 'joiner fees' to take girls or LB's to your room otherwise that will start to add up a bit

[MacShreach]

I take it you know about agoda.com? There are a couple of similar. At less busy times try booking your first night or two with Agoda and then ask to stay on (if you like it). Agoda take 25% and just about any hotel will give you a direct deal for what they get from them.

Last time in Patts I stayed in a new hotel just outside the town centre, which was silly cheap, but the room was lovely, very big, clean, aircraft-carrier bed, aircon, ensuite, fridge, bar, balcony and quiet...damn memory I cant remember the name just now but I will check my records for you....

BKK....The thing with BKK is the fucking traffic. It's just horrible getting around in a taxi or a tuktuk (and the drivers are all nuts or wired on yabba.) There is an excellent Metro though, and the Skytrain. It is a bit more pricey than Patts but not really that much, and there is a hell of a lot to see and do. I mean it is the Big Mango.

If you want cheap but still nice and very laid back, consider Chiangmai. Lots of LBs there too.

In addition to the forums mentioned above (which are great) check out Stickman Bangkok for a mine of useful info.

If this is a shagging trip, your major expense will be fees.