Milk78

Quite possibly going to be in Vietnam in May. Probably HCMC but also considering Da Nang. Any post Covid hotel or AirBnb recommendations?

Those words also speak to the character and not just age. Yes, the sentence does talk about age, but not necessarily just "younger than their actual age". The last guy I met on that trip looked 23 and was closer to 40.

What is the boy situation like - any bars? Good on the apps?

I am planning a trip to LOS at some point between late April and the beginning of June. Hotel prices, whilst not expensive seem to have risen a fair bit. There are still deals to be had for sure, but this time out there I am looking at apartment/ condo options that will help me keep the costs down. If anyone has any recommendations that can post that would be really helpful. I am not particularly fussed where as my travel plans are very flexible, so any of the usual spots - BKK, Chiang Mai, Pattaya, Ko Samui, Being close to the boys would be good, at least not miles away from any action. Wifi is important. Any thoughts?

Simply not true. How else would Foodland have its many customers from these forums or would they have the awards that they do without your championing? I think not.

I have not had a 4 hand massage and is definitely on my list for next trip. Maybe one in a massage shop and see what happens and then if extra services are not forthcoming I will sort it out via the apps. I have not used the @vinaputechnique of getting a boy to suggest the partner but it seems sound and sensible advice to me. As can be banked on from such a pro in all things Thailand related.

Love Happy Beer Garden. Some of it is quite pricey I think for what it is, but it is friendly, the beer is cold, and the service is great. Nice to hear the night markets are back. I went to one in April last year and it was dead.

Last time I was on route to the Raya from the airport, the driver asked me to get in the front so he could look at the route on my google maps!

There were a few mb, but in my experience, on the apps mainly just gay guys looking for some fun. The gay "scene" as it were is pretty small. There are a couple of bars and I did visit a go go place a few years ago (not sure if it is even still there) but it is not that kind of place in general.

It is a young, vibrant kind of place, which I was really struck by when I was there last April. After a week in BKK, I spent a week in Chiang Mai surprisingly I saw many more white faces there than i did in BKK. There is clearly a very large nomadic population there. I can see why - it is cheaper than BKK, the internet seems to be stable and fast (pretty much everywhere), loads going on, cheap eats and cafes a plenty, nightlife is varied and good - live music, high end cocktail bars and more middle of the road drinking holes. The contemporary art scene is also really good. Basically, all the things you tend to get in a university town. I like Chiang Mai a lot. Of course the university also provides a ready supply of good looking, educated students to meet.

No problem with joiners at the Raya. The main entrance lifts go to all floors the reception is on floor 5 (I think) so you don't need to even go near them if your room is on a different floor. At night the main (front) entrance shuts and you have to go through the guest car park and use that lift. There are "security" guys at the barrier but they won't give you any hassle at all - they didn't even look up from their phones when i brought boys back. At least that was the situation in April when I was there. I liked the Raya.

They do, but they can be tricky to find, short of searching through airports across the continent. Choice of flights is also reduced post covid. For example, business class flights between Helsinki/ Stockholm and BKK were, pre Covid, really good options, considerably cheaper than UK options. They seem to have disappeared - still better than UK but not by nearly as much in terms of saving. Paris on the other hand does seem to be considerably cheaper that it has been in the past when I have looked. I have checked out a few locations but it may be that others have stumbled across hidden gems? I live in hope anyway.......

I thought that might be the case. I can't actually find the flight i was looking at now to check! It seems Turkish Airlines might have a bit of a sale on as they are offering very good options out of Paris in Business.

Just had a quick look - yes, does look as if there are some good options there. I will investigate further....

That's interesting to hear. I have some very decent fares with Austrian and wondered what they were like as an airline. I have flown Swiss a couple of times from London with a transfer in Zurich. I found that I do like that route, the transfer is really easy. I will look at Austrian again.

I have seen some well priced business class flights from Paris to BKK flying with Air France. Has anyone done this route? Is business in Air France any good? Does anybody know some other cheap routes flying from Europe to BKK? I am based in the UK.

I have only been to BKK a couple of times but stayed a week there on each occasion before moving on to Chiang Mai. There is loads to do and see. I started this thread last time I went asking for restaurant tips. Loads of good suggestions -

I stayed at the Raya in April 2021. I liked the hotel a lot. Cheap (although i think prices have gone up a bit now that it is busier) and pretty comfortable. It is probably mid range. There is, or certainly wasn't when I was there, a dining room so no breakfast options. I stayed in the Grand Deluxe Room which was really big - 45 sqm? They also had a policy for late check out with rate for additional time displayed at reception. My return flight was quite late in the day so being able to buy a few extra hours for really not very much additional cost was really welcome. They were still doing some work somewhere in the hotel when I was there although I think it was nearly all done. I understand that the policy of entering via the car park is still in force at night. For me, it really wasn't a problem. There was a security guy on 'duty' but he barely looked up from his phone, let alone questioned or made anything awkward. Absolutely no problems whatsoever. I think it is a great option if the budget doesn't stretch to a more high end option.

I stayed at the Raya in April 2021. I liked the hotel a lot. Cheap (although i think prices have gone up a bit now that it is busier) and pretty comfortable. It is probably mid range. There is, or certainly wasn't when I was there, a dining room so no breakfast options. I stayed in the Grand Deluxe Room which was really big - 45 sqm? They also had a policy for late check out with rate for additional time displayed at reception. My return flight was quite late in the day so being able to buy a few extra hours for really not very much additional cost was really welcome. They were still doing some work somewhere in the hotel when I was there although I think it was nearly all done. I understand that the policy of entering via the car park is still in force at night. For me, it really wasn't a problem. There was a security guy on 'duty' but he barely looked up from his phone, let alone questioned or made anything awkward. Absolutely no problems whatsoever. I think it is a great option if the budget doesn't stretch to a more high end option.

i would have selected the entire post but that seemed excessive, save to say I agree with it all. I am interested in posts that provide positive advice - "this was amazing", "I had a great time here" etc etc, rather than those that are just filled with hate. There is no way one person can provide a definitive answer/ advice on anything. Of course, legitimate criticism on, say, the standard of a hotel breakfast is always useful observation, but comment on the state of how an entire nation is going to behave is just total bollocks. Simple as that really.

I was there in April so not super recent. The elevator in the car park was not at all bad at night. There was a security guy "on duty" but he didn't even look up when I brought a guy back.

I have not stayed in an AirBnB in BKK as I have found the hotels to be as good value for a week/ 2 week stay. I do like having the option of a kitchen and washing machine, but it is so cheap to eat out, that as long as the hotel room has a fridge i can use to keep beer cold then I find i don't use the kitchen anyway. I have stayed in AirBnBs in Chiang Mai which are fantastic value and much larger spaces than in BKK. These places often have "security" at the gate but they have never even raised their head when I walk in - let alone if I walk in with a boy! I did stay in one place in Chiang Mai that had a notice up in the lobby about not allowing short term rentals via AirBnb. This was clearly not monitored at all as there were large numbers of guests in the lobby with suitcases coming and going all the time. I didn't know about the no AirBnB when I booked it and there were no reviews to suggest that there was an issue with short term lets. So, it seems that some places do have "restrictions" in place but probably not monitored in any way. I would certainly back up the advice here to thoroughly check the reviews that have been posted. In my research - utilities tend to be included for short rental periods (up to two weeks) but for extended times utilities are often charged extra but not always. Pattaya, which i have been looking at quite a bit recently seems particularly keen on this - month long stays utilities are charged on top, electricity especially. On the whole though, I find hotels so cheap in Thailand that the potential saving on AirBnb is much less attractive. And there are a selection of hotel options that are really like serviced apartments and have the extra services included.

I stayed at the Raya in April. I had a Grand Deluxe Room which i think was on the 7th floor? It was large, clean, and bright. The room cost me 1450 BHT for the night. They did not do breakfast. After a certain time the main entrance does close and you have to go to the elevator in the car park, but I am sure it went to a higher floor than reception - it took me to my floor and I was definitely higher than the 5th floor. I had a boy come back, the security on the car park gate didn't say anything or even look in my direction. I suspect the price may have gone up a bit now. I found it to be an outstanding choice. The location is pretty unbeatable and even if the price has gone up a bit, I suspect it is still one of the better value options. One think I did like was the ability to extend your check out time for only a small amount. I wish I could remember the exact price (I may have mentioned it in my trip report at the time?) but it was only something like 100 BHT per additional hour. As I had a late flight the ability to stay in the room for another 4 hours for a nominal amount was really welcome! The prices were clearly on display at the reception desk.

My best hook ups during my trip in March/ April this year were not MB on Grindr. I think the ratio of MB on Grindr was still very low as BKK had not really opened up fully. That is probably changing now. Certainly, it was easier to hook up with non MBs than it was to find MB at that time. Boys offering massage were much more common. And as stated elsewhere, with the bar boys still wearing jeans the appeal of offing a boy there and paying the premium cost as if everything were back to normal was much diminished i.e - I didn't bother and actually avoided the experience. I had two meets in particular which were fantastic with non MBs in BKK, both had blank profiles and because of that I nearly passed them by completely. Only after a conversation on the app did I end up meeting them. I so nearly missed out on some of the best meets i have ever had!

I had a very similar experience. I am not one for temples, but thought if there ever was a time that I was going to do Wat Pho is was when I was there in April. The place was deserted and I had a private tour with, at most, 4 other tourists in the grounds. I too had Reclining Buddha to myself! It was good to make the most of the quiet. On reflection, I probably should have made more use of the fact BKK was empty and done more of the tourist sites. Planning my next trip now for November!