Gaybutton

The trick is to do your "this time of year" booking early, months in advance if you can, both with accommodations and flights.  At the time of booking, unless you know with certainty your accommodation doesn't put on these kinds of dinners, I'd ask about it.  If they say they don't do these dinners, I'd try to get that response in writing.
 
While I realize it's not possible for everyone to make bookings far in advance, the sooner you can the better your chances are of not ending up stuck in an accommodation you don't want.  The closer you get to Christmas, the more difficult it becomes to find vacancies where you want to stay, sometimes difficult to find vacancies at all,  and more difficult to find flights.
 
If you can't find hotel space, one idea is to try to book a condo for a month.  Most condos require a minimum of one month.  You might not be able to stay for a full month and would have to pay for a full month, but depending on how long you're going to stay, that can still be less expensive than staying in a hotel and a lot better than ending up in some dump far away from where you want to be.
 
If you're going to stay for more than two or three weeks, renting a condo might be a better "first choice" than a hotel.  You'll usually pay half the price, or even less, than you would pay in a hotel and you for sure wouldn't have to worry about mandatory dinners or bringing a 'guest' to your room.  Some have maid service and some don't, but it's not very expensive to hire a maid to come in a couple days a week. Of course, perhaps a good alternative to a maid might be hiring a, shall we say - less than modestly clad young gentleman to do the room cleaning . . .
 
By the way, despite the collapse of the ruble, Pattaya is already starting to fill up with Russians anyway.

I agree about booking somewhere else, but it may not be easy to avoid.  All too often people don't know about these dinners until they arrive at the hotel.  Not everyone knows to ask and often the hotel doesn't volunteer the information.  I wonder how many people reading this topic didn't know about the existence of these dinners until we started posting about it.
 
Until I started coming to Thailand, I had never heard of this sort of thing.  These dinners are usually "offered" for Christmas and New Year's Eve.  I've never seen them at any other time of year.  Meanwhile, that's right in the middle of the highest part of high season.  Finding a room elsewhere may not be so easy.  And if you used a credit card to make a deposit for the room, if you go elsewhere you can kiss your deposit goodbye.

The larger issue is the fact that many resort hotels in Thailand do force a holiday dinner on their 'guests.'  Many of these hotels charge their guests for it whether they want to go or not.  You can eat somewhere else if you wish, but you'll still be charged for the mandatory dinner.
 
That's not necessarily all bad.  I stayed at such a hotel one time.  The dinner was mandatory, but it was also excellent and the price was very reasonable. But since I was not aware of the dinner until after I had checked in, because of it that was the last time I ever stayed in that hotel.
 
The problem is when you find yourself staying at such a hotel, but you were not informed in advance about the dinner.  Not many people appreciate that little surprise and knowing nothing about it until after they've checked in. 
 
How would you like to be someone who has friends in Thailand, had planned in advance to have your holiday dinner with them, and then discover you're in a forced dinner hotel?  What if it's a dinner you can't even eat?  Maybe you become ill and can't eat at all.  Maybe for religious reasons you can eat only kosher or halal food.  Maybe you're on a diet.  Maybe you simply don't want a big dinner. 
 
If the hotel informs you before you commit to a booking or offers a holiday dinner, but it isn't mandatory, then no problem.  But when a hotel fails to inform its guests in advance, only one word comes to my mind:  SCAM.
 
After all, who asked these hotels to put on such a dinner in the first place? 

For me, I don't care what they're serving.  There is no way I would stay at any hotel that intends to force a dinner, or anything else for that matter, on me.  While I understand that hotels doing this spend a lot of money putting these dinners together and they need to make sure it isn't a financial disaster for them, that's not my problem.  And if they are going to force a dinner on their customers, why does it have to be so expensive?  Include me out.
 
However, for those of you who intend to be here for Christmas and/or New Year, unless you want to stay at a forced dinner hotel, if you haven't made your hotel booking yet, you better do it right now if you're going to have a prayer of staying where you want or even anywhere near where you want.
 
In Pattaya, hotels are almost always full during the Christmas season.  Flights to and from Thailand too.  I hope those of you who plan to be here took care of hotel and flight bookings weeks or even months ago.  If you haven't, don't wait.  It may already be too late.

9000 baht for a dinner?  That's nearly US $300 per person.  What in the world are they serving?
 
How would you like to pay that price and then it turns out you don't like the food?

Since you brought it up, I've always gotten better, quicker, and much more attentive medical care in Thailand than I ever got in the USA.  The quality of care in Thailand far surpasses anything I ever got in Florida, that's for sure.
 
For those who live in Thailand, I hope you have decent medical insurance.  For those traveling to Thailand, I hope you make sure your own insurance covers you in case of illness, accident, or any other emergencies. 
 
While most medical care in Thailand, including prescriptions, is far less expensive than in the USA, depending on the problem it can get expensive enough that medical insurance is a necessity.
 
As an expat, I carry my medical insurance through Cigna.  Cigna has policies especially for expats.  For US $3400 per year, I'm covered for a cumulative million dollars per year.  I opted out of dental, outpatient, and prescriptions.  They're inexpensive enough in Thailand that I don't think I need coverage for those.  My deductible is US $375.  Other than the deductible, you don't have to lay out the money and wait to be reimbursed.  That's what I like most about it.  They'll deal directly with the hospitals.  They'll work with any hospital in Thailand, but they do have a preferred list.  Both Bangkok-Pattaya hospital in Pattaya and Bumrungrad Hospital in Bangkok are on their list.
 
Luckily, I haven't needed to use the insurance just yet.  I hope I never do, but if I need it, it's there.
 
If you're interested in checking with Cigna, their web site is:  http://www.cignaglobal.com

No.  I was too old to fight in that one . . .

Yes, damn it - I'm over 60.  Oh well, I'm an official old man.  I guess I've been an old man for quite some time.  When I was still living in the USA, a friend and I went to a Chinese restaurant.  We each had the same thing.  When the bills came, my friend's bill was $3 higher than mine.  He called the waitress over to ask why.  Her answer - she pointed at me and said, "I give him senior citizen discount."  I nearly fell off my chair.
 
One thing to check when buying expat insurance - some insurance companies won't cover you at all if you are past a certain age - usually 70.  Even if you've had a policy with them for years, when you reach their age limit, goodbye insurance.  In other words, make sure your policy continues coverage as long as you keep paying your premiums, no matter how old you are.
 
Aunt Esther:  "You heathen!  You're a dirty old man!"
Fred Sanford:  "Right!  And I'm gonna be a dirty old man 'til I'm a dead old man."
-  'Sanford and Son'

Post one and find out.
 
I'm beginning to wonder if you've ever even been to Thailand.  All you ever do is nitpick and try to ferret out "gotchas."  I have yet to ever see a single post from you about anything you've ever done in Thailand, anyplace you've ever been in Thailand, a single restaurant review or recommendation, a bar you've ever been to, an answer to anybody's questions about anything at all in Thailand, a single experience you've ever had in Thailand, a single post that shows you have ever so much as set foot in Thailand, or anything other than these typical posts you come up with. 
 
That describes every post I've ever seen you submit on any board and the full extent of your "contributions" to the boards - and why every last one of them are meaningless.

Did you think through that statement?  A boy who has very little money is going to hire a lawyer to try to sue a farang, whose name and whereabouts he probably doesn't even know, for defamation when that same farang could just as easily counter charge him with extortion?  Right.
 
I've already mentioned Gay Romeo guestbooks in which farang who think they've been cheated, stolen from, etc. posted their negative comments right in the boy's guestbook.  These posts come from people who the boy has met and knows who they are.  Have you heard of any resulting lawsuits?  Ever?
 
As I've already said, for the boy to even know who to sue, then the farang would have to be the only one the boy ever tried to extort.  Otherwise, how could he possibly know who to sue?
 
Did you consider the idea that if the boy really planted a ya ba pill in the OP's room and actually would be dumb enough to call the police, when the police find the ya ba, guess whose fingerprints would be on the packet or on the pill itself.
 
Nobody asked for anything more than the boy's Gay Romeo profile name.  Even if you actually believe the OP's post, my position is if someone is going to accuse a boy of trying to pull a stunt like that, then if he's not going to tell us who he's accusing he shouldn't  post in the first place.
 
If the board owner was worried about a lawsuit if the boy was identified, very simple - he could edit out the name and/or delete the post.
 
Why on earth some of you would take the OP's story at face value without having any idea what the boy's side of the story might be goes beyond me - unless, of course, you operate under the assumption the farang must be telling the truth and telling the whole story and the boy would only lie.

I think I'll do the same.  I don't see much point in posting more variations on what I've already been saying throughout this topic. 

If he isn't, I am.  Your story has no credibility whatsoever.
 
Do you want to make your story at least somewhat credible?  Firecat69 is absolutely right.  Give us his Gay Romeo name and profile number - and don't try to get away with saying he deleted his profile or must have changed his profile name.  That way it will be easy for the rest of us to find out if this boy pulled this crap with others - or only you.

I think I just may be somewhat familiar with Gay Romeo. 
 
I happen to enjoy the hassle of getting to Jomtien, buying drinks, and flirting - when at least there is someone to flirt with and buy drinks for.

Many, definitely including me, complain about the lack of boys at Dongtan beach anymore.  They've disappeared.  As a result, I no longer enjoy the beach.  The myriad of other problems at the beach are not exactly enjoyable either, but I certainly remember taking all the eye candy - and their availability - for granted.  Whatever the reasons why the boys are gone, they're gone.
 
Because of that I rarely go to the beach anymore.  I don't think I'm alone in that.  I am guessing the beach concessionaires are suffering due to a lack of customers, just like so many other places in Pattaya.  After all, the boys were customers too - whether they paid their own way or farang were buying food and drinks for them and renting chairs for them.  Without the boys, that's another source of income the concessionaires have lost.
 
For me, the boys were the main attraction of the gay beach area and the reason I used to go nearly every day.  Maybe the beach concessionaires at the traditionally gay areas ought to think about starting to do things to make the boys want to come back.  Maybe the gay beach area scene does not necessarily have to be "Gone With the Wind."  If the concessionaires start doing things to re-attract boys to the beach I'd certainly start going to the beach again.  I'll bet their farang customer numbers would dramatically increase, at least in the gay beach area.
 
I really have no idea what the concessionaires can do to bring back the boys, but if they will try some ideas of their own, and whatever they do actually works, maybe that could save the day.

That brings to mind another one that often happens to people, in keeping with Murphy's Law. You come to Thailand for a holiday and you finally find the perfect boy of your dreams . . . and it's the last full day of your holiday.

If anyone truly believes that bars are going to be forced to stop selling liquor at midnight, and would comply even if they were, then I've got a bridge in Brooklyn for sale. 

I happen to be a very regular traveler, but this is the first time in my life I have ever seen ABF. Again, people make assumptions that just because they happen to know these things, so does everybody else. Is it asking too much to just write the words when posting?

I had an interesting experience. I am not a fan of porn. Those who know me also know I never buy or download porn and I neither watch it nor am interested in it. But there was one exception. By sheer accident I found a few of porn videos that included one Thai guy in particular in each of them. That boy really turned me on.
 
Then, only a few days later I was on Camfrog and to my surprise, there he was. I contacted him and told him I'd love to meet him. He was interested. It turned out that he lives practically next door to Center Condo, so meeting him was no problem at all. He was very nice, very polite, and very affectionate, and he had told me he had been hoping for a farang boyfriend.
 
After we met I told him I had seen his videos. He was very embarrassed and was afraid I would think less of him for having been involved with them. He said he did it because he was desperate for money and was paid 5000 baht each time he did one. I told him I don't think less of him for it and I was really turned on by them.
 
I asked him how he got involved with porn videos in the first place. I got the answer I expected. He said a friend of his had done some and the friend put him in touch with the guy who makes the videos and convinced him to do it. It was easy money and for him, very good money.
 
That didn't help very much. Her literally begged me not to tell any of my farang friends about his videos if he was going to meet any of them. He was also scared to death that somehow his family would find out or even worse, see them.
 
We dated for awhile, but it eventually fizzled out. He just never was able to shake loose of the fact that I had seen his videos. I'm sorry I ever told him. I had no idea he would react like that.

I think you won't have any problems at all and going to Khorat with the boy might very well turn out to be the highlight and most memorable part of your trip to Thailand. 
 
"I want you to go with me to my home too" seems to me to be a good indicator that he does want you to go with him, whether he said it a second time or not.  If he didn't want you to go, he would have had no reason to have said that in the first place.  If the boy has any reason why he doesn't want you to go with him, believe me he'll come up with some excuse as to why you shouldn't go.
 
If things really do go wrong for you in Khorat, well - there's always Gay Romeo and the canal . . .

You'll find a good listing of budget hotels, some as low as 450 baht per night, at:  http://www.hotelscombined.com/Place/Nakhon_Ratchasima_1.htm
 
I've been to Khorat a few times.  There is enough to do to keep you busy for a couple days - city sights, a very good zoo, the city canal at night (plenty of boys to pick up there).
 
Whenever I've traveled to a young companion's home town, I've learned to let the boy and/or his family be the tour guides.  They know all the places to go, including many interesting places that most of us have probably never heard of.  I wouldn't worry about meeting his family and friends.  You'll most likely be welcomed with open arms.
 
Ask the boy if, once you get there, he has access to a car or truck you can use to go to all these places.  If he does, then you're all set.  If not, you might want to consider renting a car or hiring a taxi for the day.  You'll be able to see and do much more if you have transportation.  You might even decide to spend more than 2-3 days there.
 
Also, if possible I highly recommend a stop at the PB Valley Winery in the Khao Yai area on your way back. It's best if you can get there by car.  It's way out in the middle of nowhere, but in a very picturesque area.  If you won't have access to a car, contact them and ask how you can get there.  It's really worth it if you can get there and I'm sure you'll enjoy it.  Their tour is very impressive and there is, of course, a wine tasting at the end of the tour.  Some of their wines are truly excellent - not at all like the typical crappy Thai wines.  Don't miss their restaurant.  That too is excellent.  See: http://www.khaoyaiwinery.com
 
GPS coordinates are:  N 14°, 34', 86', E 101°, 14', 05"
 
By the way, PB Valley also has a bistro in Bangkok.  See:  http://themanfrommoselriver.com/2012/12/06/pb-valley-wine-tasting-at-the-great-hornbill-bistro-bangkok-thailand/ and http://www.facebook.com/TheGreatHornbill.Bistro
 
Some of their wines are sold at Villa Market in Pattaya.  My favorite is their Shiraz.

For paper maps, the best I've found is Map Magic, by Thinknet ( http://www.mapmagic.co.th/en/online-store/ ).  The box set includes the paper maps and CDs for the computer.  The paper maps are made from a high quality material that is not prone to tearing.  Several bookstores carry it.
 
If you're going to do much driving in unfamiliar territory, a GPS can be essential.  The Garmin line of GPS products are very good and their maps are up to date.
 
If you have a GPS capable smart phone, the Sygic app is excellent.  I like it much better than the Garmin GPS. 
 
Both Garmin and Sygic have up to date maps, with voice, and have gotten me exactly where I want to go even in the most remote areas.
 
If I were driving a motorbike, I would opt for the Sygic app on a GPS capable smart phone.  That way, you can keep the phone in your pocket, plug in the earphone, and let the voice tell you when and where to turn.

Sometimes it does, but if a boy wants to take you to his hometown to meet his family, relatives, neighbors, and friends, chances are very good he wouldn't want to do that if such negativity is part of life where he comes from.

Sometimes it does, but if a boy wants to take you to his hometown to meet his family, relatives, neighbors, and friends, chances are very good he wouldn't want to do that if such negativity is part of life where he comes from.

Sometimes it does, but if a boy wants to take you to his hometown to meet his family, relatives, neighbors, and friends, chances are very good he wouldn't want to do that if such negativity is part of life where he comes from.

You'll find a good listing of budget hotels, some as low as 450 baht per night, at:  http://www.hotelscombined.com/Place/Nakhon_Ratchasima_1.htm
 
I've been to Khorat a few times.  There is enough to do to keep you busy for a couple days - city sights, a very good zoo, the city canal at night (plenty of boys to pick up there).
 
Whenever I've traveled to a young companion's home town, I've learned to let the boy and/or his family be the tour guides.  They know all the places to go, including many interesting places that most of us have probably never heard of.  I wouldn't worry about meeting his family and friends.  You'll most likely be welcomed with open arms.
 
Ask the boy if, once you get there, he has access to a car or truck you can use to go to all these places.  If he does, then you're all set.  If not, you might want to consider renting a car or hiring a taxi for the day.  You'll be able to see and do much more if you have transportation.  You might even decide to spend more than 2-3 days there.
 
Also, if possible I highly recommend a stop at the PB Valley Winery in the Khao Yai area on your way back. It's best if you can get there by car.  It's way out in the middle of nowhere, but in a very picturesque area.  If you won't have access to a car, contact them and ask how you can get there.  It's really worth it if you can get there and I'm sure you'll enjoy it.  Their tour is very impressive and there is, of course, a wine tasting at the end of the tour.  Some of their wines are truly excellent - not at all like the typical crappy Thai wines.  Don't miss their restaurant.  That too is excellent.  See: http://www.khaoyaiwinery.com
 
GPS coordinates are:  N 14°, 34', 86', E 101°, 14', 05"
 
By the way, PB Valley also has a bistro in Bangkok.  See:  http://themanfrommoselriver.com/2012/12/06/pb-valley-wine-tasting-at-the-great-hornbill-bistro-bangkok-thailand/ and http://www.facebook.com/TheGreatHornbill.Bistro
 
Some of their wines are sold at Villa Market in Pattaya.  My favorite is their Shiraz.