groenthusiast

Makati is a very trendy and bustling newer area with some luxurious outdoor malls (e.g, Glorietta and Greenbelt in the Ayala Center area) for cruising, drinking, eating, and people watching. Like everyone else, local gay guys love going to the Makati malls to hang out, see/be seen, and have fun. It's always crowded. 
I stayed in a hotel right in the Ayala Center: Holiday Inn & Suites Makati. It was pretty nice.
Using apps such as Grindr will help you find lots of new friends in this part of Manila and elsewhere.

Is where the gay action used to be, I've been told Makati is better area to stay...I'm going in Feb and is where I'll stay, I stayed is Pasay last time and although it's nice and near the Mall of Asia, wasn't much action on the apps there. A friend stayed in Makati and he said it was non-stop 🤨

My preference is Manly Gay Men. I am not into Fem Guys or Straight Ones. And I had no problems meeting my kind of guys throughout the Islands.
My first several trips I spent time in Manila. But I found going outside Manila was more enjoyable. The traffic in Manila is terrible. Sometimes it took over two hours to go from Malate to Makati. Too long just to try a new restaurant. I took new friends on trips to Baguio in the North, Bangatas to the South, Puerto Galera on Mindoro. And of Course Boracay Island!!! Then I went to Cagayan de Oro on Mandanao and said "Forget Manila!!". On to General Santos City, and Davao. Great guys in all those places and fun places to visit. Camiguin Island, Samal, Siargio (Surfer's Paradise). Then I settled into Cebu City. Would go there for 2-3 weeks and enjoy time with many old and new friends. Side trips to Bantayan Island, Oslob, the Camotes, and over to Panglao on Bohol Island.
In Cebu City I booked rooms at the Crown Regency Towers, at the Quest Hotel, at Best Western LEX. All good hotels at about USD50 to 70 per night. Then I found a great Condo in the Crown Towers #3. Two level loft style unit on the 23rd Floor. For a stay more than 1 week it was USD60 per night. I was HOME!!
I had my share of young men! And most spent the night. There were some just for an afternoon visit. Many said they were Tops but I also found agreeable Bottoms. None asked for money, but I gave them 1000-1500P, USD20-30, plus benefits of shopping, dinner, 3-D movie, and evening at a Club. Now I see many hot guys on Romeo. The hotest offer massage and fun for 2000-2500P, USD40-50. Short time. Much like in Thailand. But no Go-Go Bar Fees. I have tried a few but find the Home Boys more my liking!! Ages 20 up to 32. I was finding the guys in their late 20s, early 30s, more and more attractive.
So ask me more Questions!!

PART THREE:
THEATRES: I could never get a definitive answer from the internet if the sex theatres were still open. Most said they were closed or no longer operating. If you look at them from the outside, you might think the same. I found three that were open and operating with NONE having air conditioning. It was like being back in a Times Square movie theatre from the 1970’s. The first two are located in that place in Manila where you can buy anything illegal that you want… right next to the Recto train stop! The largest place was Dilson Theatre located at 1608 Recto Ave, Quiapo. When you walk in, there will be trash around the entrance and the escalator will be broken. You pay for the 100 pesos ticket there on your right at the entrance. Then you go up the non-working escalator to a reception area where you will see about 15-20 young men standing around. As you go into the theatre, trust me when I say that about 15-20 young men inside there will suddenly start coming towards you. They will ALL say hello and start touching your dick even as you are only in the back section. They will ask you, “Would you like service?” I just say “Maybe later”. Get your bearing and find a seat where you can scope out the place. Guys will continue to come to you to offer their service. Now, this lower section is the section where you usually pay for the young men to give you a blow-job. Some will also engage in some passionate kissing as well if you ask. I actually had a number of my threesomes here with one guy kissing me while the other was giving me a blow-job. They would switch back and forth and it was amazing. Obviously, I had learned to keep my money safe since I was told by a gay older man that the guys would go through your pockets whilst giving the service. You should know that theatre is hot, reeks of smoke, and the guys are insistent. You can then go up one level to the upper section via the stairs in the reception area. From there in that massive section, you will have the free no-pay sex amongst gays with a few young hustlers standing around to offer as well. You need only show an interest in any young man, tell him what you want, and then tell him “500 pesos?” If it is just a blow job or kissing then that price is the norm. If you want something more like anal sex, then you will need to go offsite because there is no place to do it there (including even in the worst bathrooms I have ever seen there). There are many cheap hour hotels around this area. I went to look at one by myself to see what it was like. Let me just say the beds had bed bugs and there were roaches everywhere in the room. Chance it if you want, as the guys will know where an hour hotel is nearby. The second theatre has no name (that I know of) but is further east down Recto about 100 feet past Dilson on the same south side of the road. It has two levels but is much much smaller. I was told it is filled with young men that have been kicked out of Dilson. I ventured in and was quickly grabbed by a very young guy that look to be on drugs. So, I decided to just exit for the day but came back a few more times. Most of these boys are from the Tondo section of Manila which is very poor. Same price, same services. I also tried the Baclaran Cinema as listed on the net, but it was boarded up and closed. There was another theatre further east towards Quezon City that was of a similar size to Dilson, but the name and location escape me at the moment. I went once but it was simply so far out to try again. 
ROBINSON’S MALL AND STARBUCKS: If you enable your Grindr while in Robinson’s Mall, the profiles will all show 5 feet away and every young guy will be messaging you to find a daddy. I met many a young man at the entrance by the escalators. We would chat, I would ask if he would like sex for 1,000 pesos at my hotel 1 minute away, and WHAM… off we went for an hour or more of fun. It was as if I was at Robinson’s “young horny male buffet” instead of a mall. As for Starbucks, well… this place is well known to gays in Manila. It has an outdoor section with tables, an indoor internal section with tables next to the cash register, and another outdoor section that juts out into the interior of Robinson’s Mass. The past time is to get a coffee, sit at that indoor mall section and watch people come and go. Female prostitutes are in front of the two small vendors next to Starbucks so you can watch them. Then, you can also meet your sex prospects here by having them visit you at your table. I would tell the young man, “I am an old man, sitting at Starbucks in blue jeans, a white shirt, tennis shoes, and having a coffee. If you want to chat after you see me and maybe do something more for a little cash, then text me you are interested, tell me how you are dressed so I can see you, then introduce yourself to me”. If he looked like his photo, then we might have action. If he did not or seemed just weird, then I’d hand him 200 pesos for the conversation and simply say I’m too tired for sex right now. Starbucks is also a great public place to meet a guy if you are concerned with first bringing him back to your hotel. 
SEX: I am a 6 foot overweight 61 year old white man. Pinoys are very short and I clearly stand out in the crowd as a giant among the hobbits. Just know that many can even be less than 5 foot tall. It took a little adjustment to having sex with such smaller guys. Likewise, their dicks are also on the small side as you will see from Grindr where guys are considered massive when they advertise their 6 inch tools and tall at 5 ft 10. The young guys that sucked were simply overjoyed at sucking my average size dick and calling it massive. If you are into feet, which is not my thing, these short guys also have the most massively wide feet that I have ever seen. Most seemed to prefer the side fun, but others were the usual of active and passive. I did have to bring my own condoms (and lube) since the pinoy dick sizes (and the condoms at the pharmacy I checked) were usually very small by my western standards. If you are passive or want to try being passive, then a young short pinoy stud with his sexy body and smaller cock may be the perfect choice for you to start with. 
PRICE: 500 pesos ($11 USD) in the theatre (75 pesos ($1.56 USD) for an entrance ticket); 1,000 ($20 USD) plus travel for app/parlor/Robinson guys to your hotel (excluding massage); up to 5,000 pesos ($104 USD) for HUNQS or “A list” masseurs (excluding massage)
LANGUAGE: Filipino (Tagalog) and English. You will do fine with just English as it clearly shows you are a sexy foreigner!!! 
SUMMATION: I typically worked in the early morning, arranged for a B list parlor guy or Robinson guy to come to my hotel at 1:00 pm, then got a young man from one of the apps for 3:00 pm, then visited one of the theatres between 4-6 pm, then had supper and sex with an app guy or Robinson’s Mall guy from 7-9, and then did work for the next day. I usually averaged 5-6 guys a day. I went to the massage parlors on my first trip, but had no desire to go to them again for my last trip since I had so many other options including bringing the guys to me. I also travelled to Cebu and Davao City which offered pretty much the same items with the same prices. In all the cities I used Grindr, Planet Romeo, Twitter, and Facebook.

PART ONE: My work had taken me to Manila for a four week stay last January and again this past December. This is a compilation report of my own personal experiences. 
HOTEL: Makati was certainly the place of choice for straight titty bars and female prostitutes, but it seemed from the gay guides that Malate was the place of choice for gays.  After checking out the various web site gay guides, I decided to stay in a cheap business hotel across from Robinson’s Mall. My gay work colleague decided to stay in an Airbnb but quickly moved out because the place had security guards either registering your guests or not allowing you to have guests unless you provided the guest’s driver’s license 24 hours ahead of the visit. In fact, I am absolutely sure that the Philippines must employ 90% of their citizens to work as security guards… they are in those same white crisply starched shirts as you will see in front of every business. The cheap hotel I stayed in offered breakfast and I chose it precisely because of location and not comfort. It also had no security other than the bell hop. At the Mall across the road was the famous gay meeting place of: Starbucks! I had thought Malate was filled with gay bars, but I was mistaken. However, like Makati it IS filled with karaoke bars and women strippers at the bars and massage parlors.   
GRINDR AND PLANET ROMEO: I was getting over 20 messages an hour from my profile when I opened it on these apps. I laid out what I was clearly looking for in sex, as well as noting that I would be happy to help with donation for a young student’s debt (so as to bypass the app restrictions). I quickly learned how deceiving the profiles of guys can be. You will note that the profiles usually say something like “not a trace” or “manly” to reference being masculine and “tropa” for group action. Two types of guys started messaging me: 
FIRST TYPE--Most of the profiles that contact you will show “masahe” (or some similar way of writing massage) or “not for fun” or “available” or “hagod” to describe the massage they can provide. They will usually just message you with a set price list. This list is for the massage only. The “ES” or “extra service” is something extra you pay for. As was reported on another review, the guys do NOT like to say how much the ES is, if they would offer it, or even what it would be if they offered it. I decided to try a massage for my first afternoon and the guy came to my hotel. The price he quoted was 1,000 pesos ($20.00 USD) for the massage. He also happened to be the one guy that said on messaging that he would offer ES but would only talk about what the ES was when we were in person. I had to meet him outside the hotel and we walked in together to my room. Well, he showed up and he clearly was much older than the Grindr profile photo. In fact, he was wearing so much makeup to make himself look younger that it was just weird. When we got to room, he proceeded to the bathroom and then disrobed to his underwear. He had me lie down on the bed nude with a towel over my ass. He then proceeded to do a fairly decent massage. He then asked me if I wanted ES. I asked what he had to offer. He then said 1,000 more for a hand job, 1,500 for a blow job, or 2,000 to fuck him. I just couldn’t get past the 40 year old in make-up that had used photos of when he was 20. So, I declined and we parted ways. I learned a lot from my first mistake. Thereafter, I always asked to video chat with the guy to see what he looked and acted like before we met. It quickly became clear that a large majority of guys were using photos of themselves when they were much much younger. I also made it clear thereafter on my profile that I did not want a massage, but sex only. Further, I wanted a great kisser with the use of the tongue. Interestingly, I learned a new phrase I had not heard of before: Side Fun! This was their way of saying you can kiss, cuddle, and suck each other, but not engage in anal sex. So, I became very explicit during my first meeting a guy by saying I wanted side fun, a great kisser with the tongue, mutual sucking, and both cumming. If a guy came to my place and would not kiss once I got inside the room, then I asked him to leave and gave him a little money for travel. They never got angry as the culture is not one that likes confrontation. I finally became very clear with them… if you lie about what you offer then I will not pay you at all. I should also mention that HUNQS on Planet Romeo had guys offering sex for 2,000-5,000 pesos, but the very same guys in regular profiles texted to offer their time for 1,000. I finally settled on some regularly guys that came to my hotel every other day for sex. It started as “side fun” but they quickly started offering more for the same price since I was a regular. Because I could trust them for a good experience, I also gave them tips and other items over time. 
SECOND TYPE: You will have tons of messages from 18–25-year-old guys that look very young. Simply put, they are looking for a sugar daddy. They are very very specific (to the point of getting angry) that they are NOT there as “money boys” but are looking for just friendship and relationship with an older man. Make no mistake in your mind, it is not as if the entire young male population of Manila has been genetically bred to like old gay men. As you befriend them, they will start to ask for travel money, then other small “gifts”, and then BIG gifts. Suddenly their mother or grandmother is in the hospital needing care, or their laptop just broke, or etc. The story is the same for many of them. The positive of meeting these guys? I had some of the most passionate and incredible sex of my life with these young sexy men. They were simply amazing and incredibly kind. Most were straight or bi needing money, with the others being gay and needing money (usually for school). The negative? They are ready to marry you after one sexual encounter, they are clingy, they don’t want you to have sex with anyone else, and they expect their daddy to treat them (their son) appropriately. The sad part is that I had heard so many stories from these guys about older western gay men who started a relationship with them and then just dropped and ghosted them after a few weeks. It was heartbreaking to hear them say, “You’re not going to leave me too, are you?”  In turn, this also hardened some of these younger guys (knowing the old men might drop them so quickly) to start asking for things early on in the encounters. So, make clear your expectations up front with them. When you write that you are a white foreigner on your profile you will be inundated with messages of guys wanting you to be their daddy. PART TWO TO FOLLOW…

My Flipino BF tells me that the reason a lot of Malls are so packed is that as it's so overpoweringly hot there people go to Malls for the (free) aircon !  This based on the fact that it's much more pleasant to spend the afternoon sitting there or walking around a Mall than it is to sit at home either sweating it out or having to spend money running an expensive home Ac machine.  
Likewise re the fancy cars I know even from watching his family and friends that Flipinos ( or actually most Asians it seems!?) having fancy cars definitely does NOT mean they are rich or have a lot of money.  In my experience they buy the biggest car they (cant) afford just to be "seen" in it and so that they can LOOK like they have money and a great lifestyle to show off to their friends - whereas in reality they maybe hardly having enough money to put petrol in the bloody thing !!   Shallow ( as I've pointed out to him, but he and they see nothing wrong with showing off ( what you dont have !)   

I have lived in Manila for 20 years. Most of the things mentioned in this forum about Philippines are just the tip of the iceberg of what this country has to offer.
 
All you ever gonna need is https://peoplelikeus.activeboard.com/.
 
It is mostly in Tagalog (just use google translate) but asking/replying in english is pretty much welcomed over there.
 
It has everything you will ever need for your sexcapade in the Philippines. It has classified and field reports of filipino money boys (both freelance and affiliated with massage shops), massage shops reviews, gogo bars reviews, sauna/bath houses reviews, even tips and tricks on how to book basketball players, models and celebrities. 
 
So yeah.. you're welcome

Was recently in Okinawa and was keen for a spicy massage. Tried to make contact with Stud Okinawa but without success. Moved onto Mans Spa. Booked a 90 minute massage via email. Wasnt able to get my selection but they recommended a young fresh face who turned out to be perfect.
Met him at the door of the room and quickly swapped pleastries. He was a beautiful smooth lad no older than 19. I could easily imaginehim starring as the innocent partner in a Japanese gay porn. We quickly stripped and showered. I couldnt hide my excitement when he started washing me and he wasnt far behind. The only hair on his boody was his tuft of pubic hair surroundi g his quickly growing cock, which was a very impressive size;)
The massage was basic, his lack of experiance showiing. That didnt matter as we cut away the massage after 20 minutes. He was rock hard and lèeking pre cum the entire time. Too be a teenager again!
I would have loved to have topped him, but was happy to just fool around for an hour. We both ended up coming, then showered. When I went to leave he hugged me and noticed I was hard again. He asked if i wanted to cum again. Looking at his naked body and quickly rising cock i ended up stripping off and getting off tother again:)
Id recommend them to anyone visiitng Okinawa. I would advise booking a couple of days ahead if you can. They specialise in young athletic looking guys. While I only say my massuer, he was very handsome with a sexy body and beautiful smooth skin.
I found the massage places using this site: https://gayandasia.com/en/okinawa
Good luck!

So I visited last Sunday to Thursday, 4 nights 
Bangkok to Manila via Cebu Pacific 
My first mistake I took a Thai guy with me which means I couldn't interact with other young guys on the SkyTrain etc because they seen me with him.
So next time I will go alone 
 I chose Airbnb and the reason why is because I wanted a condo building rather than a hotel reception ,they still have security guards but less intrusive,too many people walking in so they don't care about your visitors 
I stayed in The Beacon Makati condominiums
Next time I will stay closer to Ayala One shopping mall where the MRT is , because Grab is too expensive,
Yes they will like SIDES as many of them didn't want to fuck ,they just wanted to spank my ass and wanted me to lick their ass and dominate me
Some just came over in their lunch breaks from their work nearby ,pulled down their pants and I sucked them off all in like 15 minutes 
 
I will be going back just for a week to be spanked again and pissed on and my face slapped 
I ended up licking like 10 assholes in 5 days and I could of done more
It's not the same in Pattaya paying boys, the guys in Manila genuinely wanted to spank me and piss on me...all for free 
It was 825am I had a guy who was a young security guard message me he was in the next building, message me saying he love to quickly come up in his break and piss on me ,he expected no payment 
Makati , BGC shopping malls ,
I found a guy in Venice shopping mall in his 20's sucked his cock in the toilets....for free 
 
 
 
 

Just finished a week in Manila and had more guys than I can handle and I said No money boys 
They love big 🐻 Daddies in Manila I think there is more top guys wanting to fuck old caucasian guys 
If I being  a big hairy Daddy with a beard at 60yo can meet FREE young Filipinos who only in two cases asked for taxi/grab  fare then I'm sure you guys can !
The problem with Manila is the traffic so Grab charge a lot
One taxi fare was 500 pesos and return about 300 baht but he was a young uni student 19yo and worth it , unfortunately he was a bit clingy and wanted to go to the cinema with me after sex which I don't like 
You can see it's  0825am in the morning in Manila and my Grindr was going berserk 
I said twice in my profile No money boys and had a lot of guys fuck me from age 19 to 34yo for free 
Of course I saw profiles "for hire" asking 1000 pesos around 600 baht but Im stingy and don't want to pay 

I (51yo Australian) have been in Manila since Friday night and once again I have found that all my hook-up research and planning before arriving was just not necessary.  I looked up massage spas like Greenappleboys and Redappleboys and booked two of the Redappleboys (Karl and Miko) before I arrived.  They were beautiful but too young (both 21yo) and unexperienced for this bottom and so in the end that was probably 7000 pesos (3500 each) unnecessarily spent. They both did have beautiful bodies and big hard cocks though that were a delight to suck on...
When I opened my Grindr looking for tops I was flooded with messages and any top guys I messaged returned pretty nearly a 100% success rate, even meeting two guys in the same hotel.  Only two other guys involved money.  A 28yo guy across the street messaged me late one night asking if I wanted a massage and suck him for 2000 pesos so I said yes and then the next night he came back with his cute as a button 23yo friend who he fucked while I watched and sucked off as he rode the older guy... I gave them a nice tip. 
All other guys were free sex from Grindr and Scruff.  Grindr is as buggy as hell at the moment so some have also connected with me through Telegram. I have had 17 sessions of sucking and sucking and getting fucked so far, 4 paid and the rest free.  And i think the rest of the week I am here will be repeats because I've met some really beautiful guys that I want to see again.  Only one guy was uncut and the rest cut.  The uncut guy is one of the most beautiful guys - a 32yo guy from Cavite.  Other than the two 21yos from Redappleboys, all the others have been 25-40.  The after sex laying, touching and chatting is far more common and far longer than anything I had in Bangkok last year.  As strange as it may seem, i don't think I could have learned so much about Filipino people and culture if I was just doing the tourist thing.  The fact that so many Filipinos speak really good English helps too. 
I am staying in the Holiday Inn and Suites at Makati which is nice but the it is both a blessing and a pain to have security at the entrance checking everyone entering and leaving and I get awkward smiles from the guards already because of seeing me bring different guys in with me.  I usually meet guys somewhere outside the building or in Glorietta Mall and then walk in with them and then the security doesn't ask them for ID.  I have to escort them out through the door again after we finish our fun following their detaining of one guy I met because he couldn't tell them my fullname and room number and the poor guy couldn't get through to me for 10 minutes or so during one of Grindr's bug attacks... The security are very proactive.  So my advice for any hotel guests doing what I've been doing... Bring your hookup in with you and then take them back out again!
I was also interested in the cruising culture in Manila and research a lot of cruising areas, but the ones I have found so far have too many people around, there are cleaners practically living in all of the toilets around Makati which makes hooking up impossible and I've been too busy to look further afield at the cruisy parks and cinemas that are supposedly here.  I have been told the Isetan Cinema at Recto is very cruisy, practically a sex on premises place, and I am hoping to check it out before I leave.  
I am super impressed with Manila so far and though I had planned to return to Bangkok for my next escape in December, I am thinking of coming back here again. I have managed to see the sites around Manila and I'm going to Tagaytay tomorrow so I'm not spending every hour on my knees or all fours!  But when I am on my knees or all fours, this place is giving me some of the hottest experiences of my life...  I hope this post helps others... I definitely recommend the Philippines!
Twitter / X Pages with Redappleboys including the guys I met - https://x.com/MeduzaRedapple or Telegram number 09932317268...
 

Thank you @macaroni21. First of all, I do distinctly remember many full-on-body contact during massage while in Bali. The way it happens differs from what normally happens in Thailand (I do have some Thai experience but it is more limited than my Balinese one). During the 'regular' massage session (i.e. the first 45-60 min of your 'massage' experience), nothing happens. The masseur remains dressed and he will - very gently but firmly - place your hands and arms on the massage table in a way that guarantees no 'accidental' touches. Then, when you are on your back (and most likely, fully erect by that time) and he is finishing your regular massage, he will ask you 'Do you still want extras?' Remember, you have to pre-agree the extras - be very specific what you want - before the regular massage session starts. When you say yes, he will lock the door to the room/cubicle and remove all his clothes very quickly. Now, if you want a full naked body-to-body massage, you should tell that to your masseur before the regular session starts. If he refuses (that happens very rarely), you simply go back to the front desk and request another performer. As the full body-to-body massage has already been pre-agreed, this is what he will start with now - and 15-20 min later, he will move to other parts of the 'extras' that you've pre-ordered. He will definitely climb onto the table for the extras. I've had this service many dozens of times over many years, and I have been very rarely disappointed.
As to the traffic and where to stay... The trafic was still bad in 2019 though they did try to introduce one-way streets with dubious results (it will take you much less to get to your destination but then it will take you twice as long as before to get back to your hotel — so overall, you still spend the same time in traffic jams). My advice is to walk. If you place yourself strategically (see below), it won't be more than a 40 min - 1h maximum leisurely stroll from your hotel to the massage parlour. It not only saves the money but is very pleasant, actually. I always stay at beach front hotels, which means I'll have to walk 5 min to Seminyak Square and about 40 min to Jl. Sunset Road. Massage parlours are rather scattered all over Kuta/Seminyak but the bars - if that's what you are after - are very compactly packed by Marriott Courtyard, which is about 10-15 min walk from the beach. As I recall, Primera Hotel Seminyak (it is a 3-* place, I think) and Marriott Courtyard (slightly more upmarket but still very affordable) are - literally - nextdoor to the bars, they are within 1-3 min walk from them and are on the same street.

Elegantz and Adam's Apple are on the same street (effectively) but within 30 min walking of each other. It is slightly to the north of Seminyak proper and about 1h walk from the bars. They are on a street that goes away from the beach into the island (Jl. Batu Belig that later on becomes Jl. Tangkuban Perahu). If you stay somewhere near W Hotel and take the short route, it will be a 10-15 min walk from the hotel to Adam's Apple (Adam's Apple is closer to the beach while Elegantz is much further down).
Generally speaking, walking makes much more sense than taking a cab: you'll spend the same time getting to your destination but walking is free.

If you choose to stay near the bars, it will be about an 1h walk to get to Elegantz and Adam's Apple. This is when you should consider if taking a cab will be more sensible. You can take a cab to get there and walk back, for example (popping into a restaurant or a bar on your way back to your hotel).
Overall, there isn't a magical place where you can stay and be within 5-10 min walking distance from everything: while (almost) all the gay bars are compactly located at the same place, massage parlours are scattered all over, and depending on which one you'll end up fancying more, you'll still need to travel there. Having said that, the scary reports of hours spent in Balinese traffic jams are often exaggerated: it might be true if we are talking long-distance travel but if we are talking covering a distance of 3-5 miles maximum, it is most certainly a huge exaggeration. Yes, you might spend 25 min in a cab doing a journey that normally takes only 7-10 min, but it is not that bad.
I hope the above helps!
I'd still be very much interested to know how Seminyak looks now, in late 2022: remember, all my information is based on my personal experience of November 2019. I do wonder how the pandemic affected them all. I did a quick Google search and it looks like all the places mentionned above (apart from M-Spa at Paul's Place) are still operational and, surprisingly, their price level is still (approx) the same as I remember from 3 years back. But what about the level of service?

Any recent trip reports, anyone? Thank you all in advance!

I think it might be a good time to revive this topic and see if there are any up-to-date reports on what's happening in Bali now (Seminyak and Kuta in particular). I was visiting Seminyak for many years and my last time there was in November 2019 and I can only confirm the excellent succinct summary of @camsi1975. I've never been a fan of bars but Mixwell, BaliJoe and the bars nearby were still going strong then. (If you don't know, gay bars are tightly packed next to each other at Jl. Camplung Tankuk within 2-3 min walk from Marriott Courtyard. If you are into this kind of entertainment, it is both convenient - you don't have to cross the island to get from one bar to another - and inconvenient as it might be quite some distance from where you are staying.)
The easiest and safest way to find company over there is to use M2M massage parlours, of which there are many. M-Spa at Paul's Place (Jl. Kayu Aya, just opposite the flea market and 2 min walk from either the Seminyal Square or the Oberoy Hotel, Ku De Ta club or Seminyak Hotel) has always been my favourite for the simple reason that it was - literally - 2 min walk from my favourite hotel. Admittedly, it was the main attraction of Paul's Place: the place was a bit seedy but the quality of the massage was generally quite high. It was a proper massage parlour rather than a poorly disguised knocking house though a happy ending at the very least was always implied in their service. Sadly, Paul's Place (i.e. both M-Spa upstairs and a lovely antiques' shop downstairs run by the same gang) was closed in early 2019 - to my utter devastation. I'd be very much interested to know if the place has been re-opened: Google says it is only 'Temporarily Closed' now while several months ago it was marked as 'Permanently Closed'. When I was there in November 2019, some preparations for a full refurbishment of the building were taking place (that was long overdue in any case) but, presumably, because of COVID, nothing was happening (as far as I know) for more than two years. It will be a huge shame if Paul's Place is gone for ever as it was a legendary institution of Bali serving the clients for several decades, as I was told at the time. When I was there last time, the price of a 90 min massage was circa IDR 300-400k (proper high-pressure full body massage, done very professionally) with IDR 200-400k expected for the 'extras'. Overall, you should expect to pay IDR 600-700k for the whole experience, which, as I was told, might go up to IDR 1000k or even more if you have some very particular requests. I've never paid more than IDR 700-750k though. To get the most of your experience, it would be most advisable to explain to the manager downstairs (very briefly) what your expectations are, as far as the physical/anatomical characteristics of your masseur are concerned, so that he could point the right guy to you. As soon as you are in the room, it is most advisable to be very direct and, firstly, order the 'extras' in advance of the massage and agree on their details. The boys there never looked too close at the clock and in most cases, delivered what was requested quite well. The selection was also reasonably wide-ranging: up to 4 guys working the shift, mostly in their early 20s but professionally trained as masseurs; once or twice a week, a daddy was there too (mid-40s, good shape, surprisingly well-endowed, good masseur but rather cocky and arrogant). I've never had any problems with them asking for additional tips/more money (sadly, this is rather common in other establishments) as, as a regular client, I was even given a 15% discount from my 2nd or 3rd visit of the season (the discount covers the official price of the massage only, not 'the extras'). You pay for 'the extras' to the boy on copletion and, having had your shower and dressed, you pay for the massage bit at the till on your exit - you can even be given a till receipt, if you need it. Normally, it wasn't necessary to book your time in advance - you just turn up at your pleasure and see if the goods on the display during this particular shift take your fancy. Four-hands massage was also available there (approx. 1.5-2 times the price of a regular massage). Their opening hours were from about mid-day till about 8-9pm the latest, and the last couple of hours were not the best time to turn up as there were only 1 or 2 boys available. Their working hours surprised me first but then it was explained to me that they simply don't want the drunken clientele who could turn up on their way from the restaurant or a bar back to their hotel for a messy quicky as they are difficult to manage.
Pretty much any massage parlour I've visited in Kuta and Seminyak operates the same way. They differ only in terms of their interior (some are more upmarket and new, others are less glamourous) and some have more emphasis on massage while others have massage only as an afterthought. I'd strongly recommend go for the former rather than the latter: guys are much more professional there, and you get two services for the price of one (an excellent massage and some good sex to follow). I've never been a huge fan of the Elegantz Spa (I think they simply overcharge for the same service) but if you fancy a more upmarket experience and want to visit a sauna (why would you when you are in the tropics?), then it is the place to go. M2 Spa at Jl. Raya Patitenget would be my preferred choice, under these circumstances, though: in my opinion, they beat Elegantz. Banana Spa and Adam's Apple are on the other side of the spectrum: they are more about sex than about massage and consequently, they don't do either well enough - that's my personal opinion based on my personal experience, of course. Banana Spa position themselves as a club but their concept of a club is an outdoor pool where you are free to splash after your session (why would you?). Adam's Apple is so unremarkable that, while I've been there before, I can hardly remember the experience (it is not necessarily a bad thing, of course).

All of these places offer outcalls to your hotels but, in my opinion, it is not worth it: it will be easier and cheaper for you to get a cab to go there by yourself and return back to your hotel. And of course, there is plenty of offer on online apps - disguised as 'massage', mostly. In some cases, they will be professional masseurs but 80-90% of them are not, and what they offer is not worth the money they are asking for it (I am not talking about massage now). Taking them into your room is possible but a bit of a hassle (you'll have to go downstairs to fetch them from the security post at the hotel's entrance). Generally, it is not worth it: just go to one of the (many) massage parlours and have fun safely and cheaply there.

I'd be interested to know if anyone has been to XXL Men Spa? What are your impressions? And most importantly, how has the scene changed since 2019? Are M2, Elegantz, Banala Spa, Adam's Apple, etc still open? Are they what they used to be? Or are there any changes? I hope to visit Bali again next year and some up-to-date information will be most helpful. Thank you in advance!

Thank you, forrestreid. I'm quite immodest, actually, but I was sort of waiting for a moment when someone might ask a question or two about Bali, and then I reply saying here's a bit of a resource.
I should add that Bali has to be taken on its own terms, and not assumed to be another Thailand. By that I mean that certain kinds of services or fun readily available in Thailand might prove harder to find in Bali. There are no gogo bars where you can buy boys off the stage, for example.
Another thing I am conscious of is that my taste skews quite differently from others. I like massages, and it's important to me that the massage is good, and not just a prelude to sex. Others don't really care about massage and want to get straight to the sex (some of my own personal friends have that preference too). Since getting straight to sex is not what I want, it's therefore not something I would have investigated, so if someone asked me if that's possible or available, I really wouldn't know.
Then there are others more interested in app hookups, or boyfriend hunting. To them, I have to apologise in advance. These pursuits not being my taste, I have nothing to report that's of any use. Given how limited my posts will be in terms of usefulness, I didn't think they merited any advertising.
Over the next few weeks, the opening posts on my blog will be followed by reviews of each of the six massage parlours I visited, and of five restaurants where I ordered Indonesian food. I won't bother to review western food.
In his mention of Banana Spa, @TMax was referring to this post: Lomi-lomi heaven

I think so...is a different experience....no bars/go-go's to spend your money in, to speak of. There are a a few "straight" bars visited by gays, but with high cover charge for me to justify, I haven't been.

Grindr kept me bus ($25-30usd) , and all the other things I wrote about....not much to do touristy, except malls, sex and movies and sex....since it's not so commercial like BKK, I think the sex was hotter....because it's not their main job and "another day at the office" routine.

Flew Nonstop on Thai Airways in Business class, old 777-200 tired plane, but still the best, friendliest service going.

I did my e- Visa on arrival while in Bangkok and so angry at myself for not noticing an error on my passport expiry date. It self populated from the scan of the passport, but while I scrolled down, I must've changed the date without knowing.

The immigration guy was super nice and great English...when he said there was a problem, I thought it was I entered my hotel address as Bali, because in my mind I was going to Bali first. But that wasn't it, was the wrong expiration date of my passport. My option was to do it online again, go to the VOA counter and he said if I had exact Indo cash, I could pay there. He seemed surprised I had IDR, I paid him...I thought it was a scam, but he gave me an official printed receipt and was easy without having to line up again. It was 500,000 IDR ($30usd) cheap mistake but still mad at myself for being so careless.

I had forgotten how much time from the airport into Jakarta, 1 hr. Grab was about $20usd. 

By the time I got into my hotel and unpacked, it was raining, I just watched some youtube and chatted on some apps and went to sleep.

Next day I was looking on Grindr and someone in the same hotel on a work trip hit me up...a nice 25 yr old guy sent me his pics, but since he was with a large group of people from his job was really shy about meeting, be we did have fun.

The thing that is annoying here, since it's a Muslim country, most everyone is deeply in the closet. Using fake profile pics or old pics. When they do send you a pic, it's always an expiring one....Lots of free action and massage guys. 

One guy asked for a million and I laughed at him, everyone else was 400k-500k.$25-32usd.

Did a live chat with a 26 yr old, looked latino to me and we made plans to come over.

I'm staying at the DoubleTree and they have an executive lounge with free drinks....he's not a big drinker but had 2 beers and got tipsy, cheap date!

He gave a 2 hr amazing massage and GREAT sex....he came about a liter, or so it seemed. He said he hadn't had sex in a long time. This is the advantage over Thailand, where sex is like a job, here it's a treat 😁

I ended up going with him again 2 more times...why keep searching when you found something so good?  No expensive drinks, no crazy off fees but not as convenient as Thailand.
The gay disco Apollo that I went to last time here, has closed, Covid victim. He said there are a couple of places frequented by gay guys...the cover is about $15usd , is a little far from my hotel, no thanks.

Indonesia is so affordable....I had a fat attack and wanted McDonald's, the food was piping hot and fresh, a double cheeseburger combo mean and a filet o fish sandwich was $5....that would easily be $15 is Thailand or USA.

One Grab motorbike ride was 35 cents USD and another was $1,01.

While walking in the street, almost everyone looks at me, like I'm an alien, kind of strange, but there aren't many westerners here, especially walking in the streets.

Tomorrow I'm taking the luxury executive train to Surabaya, even fewer westerners I'm told. Is an 8 hr tip but in a business class type lie flat seat. The sights look nice from the videos I've seen, but I'm sure a couple of hours into it I'll be thinking, why the fuck am I doing this, lol
 

Yes, I have a holiday home in Goa, and have travelled around extensively. 
There is lots of sex on offer, most for free, as young Indians have a thing for white skin, and having sex with a "European ".
Grindr is very active. In the big cities the first 50 will be within around 500metres. 
Do ensure you use protection, as disease is on the increase in India. 
Several of the big cities  including Delhi, Mumbai, Bangalore, Kolkata and Hyderabad have weekly gay events/clubbing which you will find advertised on Grindr  or just ask. 
Most guys are pretty polite and discreet however, so do bear that in mind.
Lots of offers for massage 💆‍♂️ on the apps too. 

Wanted to try someplace different, so I came to Indonesias 2nd largest city from Jakarta. I decided to take the train, 8 hrs vs flying to see some scenery for a change and they have a Luxury Executive train with lie flat seats....glad I did , was really interesting, left on time and arrived 5 minutes early- downtown to downtown, no long taxi's to/from airports, security, bag check , blah, blah, blah.

Stayed at the Doubletree hotel, got upgraded to a nice suite. Wish Doubletree service and rooms were this nice in USA. Also as a Diamond member, free b'fast, and executive lounge tea time and free cocktails for 2 hrs nightly and canapes/finger foods. The breakfast buffet was impressive here and in Jakarta, both Doubletrees

Grindr was the most popular app, indonesia are a lot of fake pics, so a video call request filters out the flakes. About half were free hookups and half massage/money.

The problem with free hookups, they only want to when they are horny, so if you're not ready when they are, missed opportunities, working guys will come when you are ready.

First days I had massage guys come over, one was good and 2nd meh. ($18usd-25usd) and a freebie, 22 yrs old that was so innocent about life that is was cute....he came buckets 😲

My last night I went with an expensive massage guy 600,000 idr($38usd), 1.5 hr massage and half way thru the massage he was so horny, he asked if we could fuck and he's finish the massage after....very good sex in almost every position, he had a nice dick with a huge head, I'm getting horny writing about it. After, finished the massage like he said, he'd worked at a hotel spa before and knew how to do professional massage. Why do I usually find my best guys on the last night??

One thing I like about Indonesia is most guys are cut.....traveling in Brazil, latin america and asia, is almost all uncut for so many years....being with cut guys is a nice change.

I'd come back here again, not much to do sightseeing, not that I do that anywhere, they do have 2 huge malls that hold some stat in ASEAN countries as being the 2nd biggest or some shit like that. Or a ton of Mosques, if you are into that stuff....

I drop a few pics of the train and hotel............

Off to Bali today, flying.


 

Yes, the Doubletree chain is indeed different abroad than in the old US. Buffet breakfasts in Indonesia are generally huge spreads in larger hotels. Same with Malaysia.
You're traveling in Indonesia during the Imlek celebration (Chinese lunar new year), so you'll see the red decorations everywhere. Probably a little less of it in Bali but still very festive there too in the urban areas. 
In Indonesia, many Chinese guys are cut too. While they're not Muslim (most are Christian or Buddhist), they often like to go with the flow in the genitalia department. The Balinese are rarely cut, however, except for the very few Muslims in the east of the island and a bit elsewhere. But in Bali, as you know, most of the massage providers are from elsewhere and tend to be Muslim. 

Flew here from Surabaya on Lion Air. Many people in Jakarta told me not to fly them, horrible record.

Check-in was efficient, line moved fast, flight left on time, was only 40 minutes and arrived 5 mins late. Since it was Chinese New Year weekend coming up, Bali airport was super busy and my luggage was the last one out....yeah, I was getting nervous. So much better arriving Bali domestically than International.

Was waiting for Grab car when an independent driver convinced me to go with him for the same price, Grab was moving really slow in traffic, but as usual, nothing is at it seems. The indie taxi was in a garage and it took us longer to get out of the garage than Grab would've taken.....

Staying in Seminyak at the Primera hotel, an old IBIS, small rooms but super convenient to the bars and beach, $25 usd a night with minifridge and a balcony, cheaper rooms run 17 a night.

Met a guy on Grindr while in Surabaya that was in Bali, since distance isn't shown in Indonesia, it's common to move into an area far away while scrolling. Hooked up with him 2 nights, wasn't a money boy and had a thick dick with a big head, he was horny as a mf. That's a common theme in Indonesia, even the mb's don't get clients as often as Brasil or Thailand, so they come loaded and ready to shoot.

Had a couple of daytime massage in my room from a couple of regulars....went to Mixwell bar all 3 night here.

A guy from Jakarta that I was with for 3 nights, bought his own plane ticket to come out here to be with me 3 nights, time with me paid as 1 "meeting", his reference, like a programa in Brasil or ST in BKK, even though he was staying with me. Seemed like a bargain and so far, so good after 1 night.

Moving to Conrad Bali tomorrow for the last 2 nights....looking for a more relaxing stay just hanging out by the pool and room with him, no bars other distractions.

We did go to Elegantz sauna today, from the online reviews, I was expecting more....was busy, but nothing worthwhile for me. I would've been better using that time for a nap, won't return there.

Also went to the Hard Rock Cafe, I know the manager from years ago in Jakarta and he always treats me like a VIP whenever I stop in, The kid from Jakarta is impressed with the benefits from Hilton status and knowing the HRC guy and manager and cashier at Mixwell, boy will he be surprised at Conrad tomorrow, lol

Probably won't have anything else noteworthy  to add to this trip unless I get married or he robs me....then  off to Manila after.

I got a message from someone in a group (straights) that I've Cruised with before on Princess, that one of our female friends that was an awesome person passed away last night while on the ship from cardiac arrest....boy did she love cruising. 

Makes it even more important to realize, we don't know when our last day is.....enjoy it while you're physically able to 🙏

Just about me last 2 nights, with the kid from Jakarta and staying at the Conrad, he was great massage and sex but also good company, he knew more about what's going on in US politics than most Americans!

They treat you like royalty there and more so when you're in a suite or have Diamond status, got upgraded to a suite because of that status.

Most of the people that I come into contact with remembered me from Sept...they remembered my name, wtf.

They have a new position there called a Curator, is like a butler or RCCL cruise lines or a rock star agent on Virgin Voyages cruises. Almost like a Personal Assistant to do reservations at special events, dinner reservations, etc.

He arranged my car to the airport, breakfast boxes since I left early in the a.m., printed some immigration docs for Philippines, and some other stuff....very handy.

The kid from Jakarta said he's never felt so important and loved the trip, the 3 days flew by and when I gave him money 2 million IDR, $130 usd he said was too much...he bought his own flights, lol

We had fun together and I'll plan my next trip to include him in some of it.

In Manila now and Grindr is blowing up...mix paid/free, let's see how it goes.

This is actually my kink. I am into picking up straight guys off the street, gym, facebook, whatever.
 
What olddaddy said about the Philippines is 100% accurate. There is even like 2-3 threads in a philippine gay forum about picking up straight guys in the public using a card/paper with your number and a bill on it. Personally, I've only had like 1 out of 20-30 success on it. I am more successful in messaging random hot guys in facebook groups etc..
 
This approach is kind of harder to do in Bangkok but maybe because of my poor thai skills. In my 1 1/2 year, I've only been successful twice. First was a straight motorcycle driver I blew in a gas station toilet twice and another one was a taxi driver who kind of scammed me 😅 This taxi driver agreed to meet me in my room, we drank and then asked me for 3,000 down payment first, after I paid, he said that was only the fee for drinking with him. He then asked me for another 1,500 for a blow job. He even forced me to show my account balance which was kinda scary. Anyways, I blew him until he came but it will def be no repeat..
I haven't done this in a while though but lately I have been bored and might try out my luck again

I'm not talking about meeting on Grindr or the apps 
I want to know if any of you have luck meeting guys for sex paid or otherwise in shopping centres, retail stores ,bellboys ,security guards , drivers , etc etc for sex in Thailand!
This is the reason I used to take cards with my Line /WhatsApp number printed to hand out .
The only thing is you  have to be confident enough to approach and make small talk with guys you like .
In Philippines it worked 85% of the time picking up straight guys ready for paid sex , I got pounded by a gym pt in Cebu ,he was married and had 3 sons and pounded my daddy ass for 2,000 pesos ,I loved it as he made a loud moan as he blew his straight load deep into my asshole .
Then the 

A huge amount of moving parts and we will likely see a lot of comparative metrics. Say we keep it to risk of blood clots among those inoculated and the proportion of clot-poz vaxx recipients dying. And vet out dumb analogies such as crushed by a vending machine.
Risk of acquiring CoV by age, risk of dying from COVID stratified across age (in Canada .064% or 1-in-1,570 by reported CoV incidence age 20-49; or .002% when estimating true case incidence).
Risk of blood clots associated with CoV itself, itself also a quantifiable probability, degree to which clots occur and contribute to mortality variance among the infected, adjusting mortality rate according to case incidence ascertainment bias (undercount) as I did for Canada, etc etc. 
Risk of blood clots associated with other elective products such as birth control pill or smoking, risk of dying of blood clots associated with vaccine if post-vaxx surveillance and pre-emptive intervention were to be added, controlling for comorbidity in assessing risk of COVID death among those <50 and in assessing risk of clots among vaxx’d <50, etc, etc. 
Haven’t had my morning coffee yet, but in the spirit of adding illustrations ... the death table, not the clot metrics, is from CDC.

Vinapu and Spoon thanks for the recommendations, really enjoyed them!