Londoner

Are there any shows in Soi Twilight which feature twinks?

Is that a good thing? I prefer an ID check and a phone call when my guest leaves. I would recommend this strongly to anyone new to Thailand.

The LHR-BKK deal on EVA is a good one. I've done the journey more than sixty times over the past twenty years and only on a couple of occasions has the plane been late. And the Silver Card is worth having too. I was previously a Gold (which meant a personal welcome from a flight attendant on board!) but EVA changed the mileage demands and so I'm a Silver now. Avoid the evening meal on the plane- too late and not very appetising and instead eat in the lounge. A hot dinner, salads , soup and much else is available. Wine and a cognac too. I can eat at a reasonable time in my view- 1800- rather than at 2300 which isn't good for sleep. Another plus is that you can queue at the Business check-in at BKK which is always much shorter than the other ones, even if, like me you are a mere Elite passenger. Then eat in the EVA Lounge, thereby avoiding the uncomfortable experience of eating in-flight. Every three round trips I get an up-grade to Business Class on one leg.

I used to visit but a khatoey mamasan took a fancy (sic) to me....I think she mistook me for another customer and her unwelcome attentions drove me out. Is the coast clear of such people if I return?

Me too; frequently over the years. And yes, Tify is effective. I put the problem down to the plane journey. Since smoking was abolished, the carriers have saved money but cutting down on the quality of their air-cleansing. Dirty air recirculates throughout the journey. One sick passenger can easily effect two hundred others. The effects aren't felt immediately...if I suffer, it is usually after five or so days. And the same thing often happens on the way home. One travel doctor has advised tea-tree oil applied to the nostrils to avoid this problem.

I second Travellerdave's comment....and add that I've stayed forty-five times over the past eighteen years. The cleaning is one of the hotel's strengths.

Many years ago, I stayed in one of those rooms at the back. I was bothered by a giant a/c extractor fan on the building opposite (about a metre away). It would start-up periodically....and very loudly. Perhaps I was unlucky and other rooms don't have this problem. And I didn't like the absence of natural light. But the rooms are good value. I appreciate the friendly and helpful staff at the hotel.....reception, restaurant, cleaners. Both my boyfriend (Thai) and I feel very much at home there. He's in his thirties but the cleaners "mother" him! When we visit hotels across Thailand , he's particularly sensitive to the way Thai visitors are treated.

The suites and the penthouse rooms. Avoid the basic rooms (which I think are called "superior"). These are the ones which face the buildings in Soi 2. The deluxe are good value, particularly in the low season.

That's important to me as well. And also the unobtrusive checking of the IDs of visitors....and their departures. The problem of noise is very real. Why the show bars are now open to the soi is incomprehensible When Copa and LCR are competing in their "battle of the sound-systems " at about 2330, the noise forbids conversation at any of the host bars or on the terrace of Ambiance. Fortunately, the worst of the noise is over soon after 0030. Unless LCR has one of its karaoke nights for the tone deaf. Nevertheless, Ambiance is the place. If you can afford it, choose one of the better rooms; those facing the rear of the building (the cheapest) have very little natural light.

A few further reflections on Phuket. Firstly the beach. I don't agree with z909; the sea is blue- how often can that be said of Pattaya and Jomtien?- and the water is cleaner. As far as the visitors to Phuket are concerned, I feel much more relaxed in Pattaya because gay couples are more visible. My boyfriend and I seldom, if ever, saw other gays outside Paradise Complex. There were certainly khatoeys, one of whom publicly abused him, calling him a prostitute because he was with a falang. That's never happened anywhere else in Thailand, even in places like Krabi and Chiang Rai which have no visible gay scene.. Another difference is the age make-up of Phuket; much, much younger than in Pattaya. Many will prefer this but I don't. Fewer single men, of course, more young straight couples. These reflections relate specifically to Patong. As I said previously, the attractions of Phuket for us are in other parts of the island.

I've been there on about seven occasions, the first of which (about fifteen years ago) was as an independent traveller. I've never been an admirer of Patong, or at least its gay scene. It offers nothing that Pattaya hasn't got and is more expensive, and unless you expect to spend time on the beach (much better than Jomtien's), you are likely to be disappointed. I've never seen busy bars bars there. They were deserted when I visited with my boyfriend four years ago....but that was the low season. There are decent places to visit outside Patong and some good boat trips. However, if it's beaches and swimming you want, Krabi is much better while Pattaya offers a more interesting night-life and better restaurants and shopping. By the way, Patong's straight night-life can be extraordinarily noisy right through to 0600. Choose your hotel with caution. I like Rendezvous, a small gay hotel in the Paradise area.

Regarding mamasans in Bangkok, I don't remember them being so numerous and irritating during my visits in the late 90s. Of course, memory plays tricks- Thailand was, to me, a paradise then- but my impression is that their role has increased at the same time as the number of punters has declined.