hojacat

Thanks for the tip @floridarob That looks like a decent with good internet (which is important to me) Quite close to the U Hotel which my Filipino friend suggested. Didn't know it was the whoring area though🤣. So I guess it makes having people over easier? They don't have any guests hours or charge extra for guests right? MOA is one of three areas I was looking for together with Makati and BGC. I booked the hotel I was in last time: JiangInn. They kinda had the same guest policy as 1898 but the advantage was that it's 2 minutes walk from Glorietta. Looks like in Manila only the high end hotels let you have guests over without registering them and that's one of the reasons I don' go to Philippines as much as in some other Asian places, even though it's probably the easiest to get guys and quite affordable. Another big problem I encountered in Manila was that Grab will often give me a "No drivers available" message, starting from the airport where I ended up have to stay in line for a normal taxi. Had the same problem a few times in the city, too. Do you know if the situation is better? AI mentions JoyRide if you want to nook a motorcycle? Has anyone ever tried it?

Thanks for your recommendations in Cebu. Never been there and plan maybe 3-4 trips while in Manila. My tip usually when looking for Airbnbs in other Asian countries is to filter by 'Self Check-in` as it means that the reception is not involved with guests coming in and out but looks guest registering might du rigeur in the Philippines. As you said it tends be a bit embarrassing checking guests both for me and the guy visiting me, especially since I average 3-4 guys per night and sometimes I tend to have 2-3 guys at the same time😅.

Was in Amsterdam during the pride weekend. Everywhere was superbusy. Long lines especially at NZ and Church. At NZ there was a line pretty much from 2:00PM till 2:00AM. had to wait at least 1-1.5 hours to get in. not sure if it was because of pride but I paid 28 euro each time I went. Last time I was there (around 4 years ago) I remember it being only around 20. The line at Church was even worse as the place is small and it would completely fool so you had to wait for people going out. The price I think was around 16 euro. They had different themes each night. Went to Dirty Dicks. The entrance is technically free but you have to order a drink. Overall didn't enjoy it that much. Too small and the crowd was not of my taste. Visited also Free Willie, which actually was the only when you didn't have to pay for entrance. Wasn't bad but for some reason not much action going on. Overall though it was a great weekend. Had so much fun and boys. Because it was the world pride it was much busier than usual and probably the most Asians I have seen at a pride in Europe. Almost a mini Taipei pride😆

Hey @Olddaddy how was the guest policy at the Airbnb you stayed at in Manila? Was it easy to bring guys over or you had to register them at the reception and they had to leave their ID there? Anyone in here knows any good hotel or Airbnb in Makati that has is easy on bringing guests over. I've hear Shangri La is very lax with guests but I'm looking for something cheaper. A filipino friend friend of mine suggested U Hotel Makati, but that looks to be tto cheap, plus I like it to be a bit closer to Glorietta mall. The last time I was in Makati, almost 4 years ago I stayed at a hotel with a bit of a inconsistent guest policy. some guests just walked straight to my rooms, some other guys were asked for their ID and it was kept at the reception till they left. Sometimes the front desk will even call me to check if everything was fine. In Cambodia and Vietnam which tend to have a bit of a strict guest policies in their hotels, I have found Airbnb tend to be pretty lax and you can bring guys over at every time of the day or night without having to check-in. Never tried an Airbnb in the Philippines but reading some of the comments and asking some of my Filipino friends, even at Airbnb guest have to go through check-in.

According to a good Taiwanese friend I talked with during Pride weekend, Hans Men's Spa is starting to become popular with the younger crowd. This is all thanks to the foolish price policy followed by the owner of Soi 13: people with a Taiwanese ID pay 300 NTD between 6:30 PM–7:00 PM and 11:30 PM–12:30 AM, but everyone pays 1,000 NTD at any other time—a significant sum for younger guys. My friend, who is in his early 30s with a very attractive body and face, now prefers Hans over Soi 13 since he tends to go out late at night. I still haven't checked out Hans myself as I continue to go to Soi 13. Between 7 PM–9 PM on a weekend, there is still a pretty good number of twinks there. However, even during Pride weekend—though attendance was higher than normal—I think the crowd might have been smaller compared to both Hutong in Hong Kong and Keybox in Singapore on a Saturday night (when I went last Saturday at around 8 PM, I couldn't believe I had to wait 20 minutes in line just to get in; the line stretched outside!). Btw, @PeterRS, is the price for Hans still around 340 NTD?

Can anyone recommend any hotel but preferrable an Airbnb in Nha Trang that doesn't require to check-in your guests? I know some of the users of this forum travel there often.

Mini inn is the most popular gay-friendly hostel in Taipei. If you actually decide to stay ask for a bed on floor 4-6 as those are where gays stay. floor 3 is actually mixed. A lot of action actually happens in the dorms and the bathrooms of the place. Another gay-friendly hotel thought to a smaller degree is also Singles Inn.

https://dtinews.dantri.com.vn/lifestyle/vietnam-overtakes-thailand-as-top-travel-destination-for-chinese-tourists-20250916200019851.htm Wonder if it holds truth also for gay visitors?!

Just to clarify, entry at Soi13 is technically 1000 NTD for everyone, but there's a discount period between 6:30 PM – 7:30 PM and I think again from 11:00 PM – 12:30 AM, where people with a Taiwanese ID only pay 300 NTD. Because of that, the place is usually pretty dead before 6 PM. The real peak hits around 7 PM—it gets quite crowded then—but by 9 PM, people start leaving, and it quiets down fast. Even though there's a late-night discount, I’ve noticed it doesn’t really draw a big crowd. Before COVID, entry was just 600 NTD. After Taiwan reopened, they bumped it up to 800 NTD. I went during Pride last year and it was 1000 NTD. Thought maybe it was a Pride weekend thing, but I went back again in January and April, and it was still 1000. That pretty much makes Soi13 the second most expensive sauna in Asia, right behind Hutong in Hong Kong (258 HKD). It's actually more expensive than Kaikan in Tokyo, Daikichi in Osaka, or even KeyBox in Singapore. As a foreigner, the only way to pay less is to buy coupon tickets—10 for 6000 NTD. . I'm not sure if they all have to be used within one year. You can also try to buy a single ticket from a friend; they’ll still accept it even if you’re not local. Honestly, it feels like Soi13 is capitalizing on not having a real competitor right now. Kind of ironic considering they originally started out as the cheaper alternative to Aniki, which at the time of closing was also charging 1000 NTD. The pricing system now makes it only really "worth it" during that small discounted window, which means I’m super time-conscious when I’m with a guy there—if you spend too long with one guy, the place might be dead by the time you're free again. Silver lining: by 9:30 PM you know it’s probably not worth staying, so if I’m not satisfied, I’ll usually just head over to Commander D or The Hunt. Honestly, Soi13 needs a better promo system if they want to attract younger guys. For example, Hutong only charges guys under 25 40 HKD, and on Mondays they get in free.

Does anyone have the name of any high-rise apartment in Nha Trang available on Airbnb or other platforms that allows guests without having to register them them at reception? Would prefer it to be near the beach.

https://www.npr.org/sections/goats-and-soda/2025/06/18/g-s1-73130/hiv-prevention-drug-lenacapavir-fda-breakthrough You can have just an injection every 6 months as your prep now, if you can afford to fork out 28K$ each time.

Based on the experience of people in here, which gay sauna in Paris has a higher number of twinks, especially Asian twinks in Paris? I know the two biggest are IDM and Sun City.

One advantage of paying at the reception instead of using the machine is that you can use your credit card if needed. One great thing about gay saunas in Japan is that, despite the various restrictions—and sometimes stricter ones for foreigners—the entry fee is the same for both locals and foreigners. This is quite different from much of the rest of Asia, where dual pricing is common in places like Taiwan, Hong Kong, Thailand, and Singapore. The receptionist at Kaikan in Shinjuku has always been kind to me, though I'm not sure if it's the same person working in the afternoons. For some reason, I tend to visit saunas in Japan after 10 or 10:30 PM, thinking that's when Japanese guests usually go—unlike in other parts of Asia, where peak hours are typically between 7 and 9 PM. I should probably try going earlier sometime; if I’m not mistaken, the entry fee is even cheaper before 9 PM. Two other places I’d recommend in Tokyo are Body Breath and J-Spark. I’m not sure how "daddy"-friendly they are, but they’re worth checking out. However, on my last trip to Japan this April, my favorite was definitely Daikichi in Osaka. I’m not sure if it was due to the Expo in town, but the crowd was fantastic—lots of young twinks, both Japanese and foreign. It almost felt like the old Hokuoukan, which sadly closed around two years ago.

No, it has nothing to do with COVID. Late February to early March is when Sydney traditionally hosts its gay pride event, officially known as the Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras. The WorldPride event that took place during the COVID emergency was held in Copenhagen, in mid-August. I remember Denmark had lifted most restrictions, including the mask mandate, just a week before Pride. People were happy simply to gather in groups again, but the event was overall much more toned down compared to the one before it in New York City and the one after in Sydney. June is when the Stonewall Riots occurred in NYC, which is why most cities hold their Pride parades during that month. However, some major gay destinations celebrate Pride in other months—for example, Berlin Pride is at the end of July, and Amsterdam Pride is in early August. I assume Tokyo and Bangkok want to align with the "June Pride Month" theme and have scheduled their parades accordingly. For Tokyo, even though it can be a bit hot, the weather is still manageable. But for Bangkok, it would definitely make more sense to host Pride at a different time of year. At least I'm glad Taipei continues to hold its Pride at the end of October. Even though there's always a risk of rain, it's a much nicer experience to walk in cooler weather than if it were held in June.

Well, if a beautiful city like Cape Town, despite its serious public safety issues, can host a WorldPride, Tokyo definitely has the infrastructure and capabilities to host such an event. Keep in mind also that WorldPrides haven't always been hosted in super gay-friendly places. I was a middle school student in Italy when the first WorldPride took place in Rome in 2000, which was a Jubilee year. Besides the expected criticism from the Catholic Church, both the Prime Minister and the Mayor of Rome, though both belonging to left-wing parties, ended up being against the parade. The former said that a gay pride event in a Jubilee year was very inappropriate but that unfortunately he couldn't block it because of the Constitution, and the latter rescinded the city's financial support, though it was then partially restored. However, he insisted that the organizers couldn't use the city's logo for any event. The next one in Jerusalem was even more problematic, and I think there were even doubts about the personal safety of the attendees at one point. Why hasn't Tokyo decided to apply for WorldPride? I need to ask my friends in Tokyo more about this, but I would speculate that either there isn't a local gay organization big enough to pursue the candidacy, or if there is, the whole Kaohsiung Pride controversy might have caused them to view InterPride, the organization that assigns the event, with a more doubtful eye. They might think it's an organization with a political agenda that goes beyond gay rights. Personally, I have been to the last three WorldPrides (NYC, Copenhagen, and Sydney) but I'm going to skip the one in DC. I think the one next year in Amsterdam might be more interesting

Actually the world pride is always scheduled as a two weeks event, with several activities on each day. As you can see from their history and the numbers you brough about the attendants to the ones in Paris, the Gay Games are an event mostly popular in North America and to a lesser degree in Europe, and even there probably to an over 40 age group. Outside those areas many people might not have heard of it, when on the other hand everyone knows what a pride parade is. so HK should have done double the usual promotion to neighboring markets just to familiarize them with the concept of Gay Games. Of course, co hosting it with a city which is much closer and cheaper to probably the biggest visitor's market of the event, were not going to help HK with the attendance number for the games, no matter the political situation in the city. I think Bangkok should definitely bid for the world pride in 2030 when they have a high chance of getting it though I don't think June would be the best month to host it in there if they are indeed going to host them.

Gay Games are a much smaller event compared to World Prides. I remember the ones in HK took part in mid November, just two weeks after Taipei pride. I asked most of the people I met that weekend in Taipei if they were going there also. Only one Singaporean guy was planning to go, most didn't even know the event existed. My HK friends said there was pretty much no promotion in the city about it and that the only visible sign was a slight larger number of foreigners in clubs and saunas. As for Taipei hosting them, if you see my other post about the world pride, I think they have no intention to apply anytime soon.

I don't think Taipei is going to apply anytime soon as they might get caught in the same controversy as Kaohsiung did. This year world pride which will take part in Washington DC this weekend was originally scheduled to be hosted by Kaohsiung, Taiwan, marking the first WorldPride to be held in Asia. However, WorldPride and the Kaohsiung hosts came into conflict over the branding of the event, and withdrew in August 2022; WorldPride had requested that the event be named "WorldPride Kaohsiung" or "WorldPride Kaohsiung, Taiwan", despite having previously agreed to using "Taiwan" (which was chosen for alignment with Taiwan Pride, and to be inclusive of plans for associated events outside of Kaohsiung). WorldPride stated that this was for consistency with its prior events (which have typically used the host city name), but reports indicated that WorldPride's changes may have been politically-motivated due to Chinese government policies that do not recognize Taiwan as a separate country from China. I think another Asian city with the potential of hosting a world pride is Tokyo. This year they moved their pride from April to June and officially called it Tokyo Pride instead of Rainbow pride. The Shinjuku ward government is also pretty gay-friendly, but i guess there is not a strong ush by the local organizers for such an event.

Wasn't Bangkok supposed to apply for it in 2028? Looks like they didn't as on Wikipedia it says that the only candidates were Guadalajara and Cape Town. Surprised no Asian city have hosted a world pride so far.

I'm only at 5. This year will be my 6th.

I never experienced a hotel in Taiwan where you even had to check in any of your guests, let alone not being allowed to have them in. In most of them you will have to pick up the guy at the lobby since key is required to access your floor, but other than no restrictions on who you can have in your room.

The address is: No. 17, Quanyuan Road, Beitou District, Taipei City, exit 1 of Xinbeitou MRT. I think the entrance fee was just 250, if I remember correctly. Of course it's an American company. You can download either in Thailand or Taiwan. it will use the same language as set up in your Google Play or iOS app store. That's what just my friend has told me. I've only been to emperor twice. I usually go to hot springs when I'm in Taiwan in January and/or March, other times is kinda too hot for me to go to a hot spring. I'm usually a more "straight-to-the-point" type of a guy, so going to a place where I have to wonder if one is gay or not, if it's an appropriate time to touch him or not, ends up being annoying and even a bit boring. I know though that for a lot of people that's what all the thrill is about. I much prefer going to an explicit gay sauna, which I only judge it by the size, age and quality of the crowd that attracts. it's true that same gay saunas have also good facilities, but that's more of an afterthought. Going to the right day and time on soi13 provides a high number of hot twink bodies which you can see, hear and feel right away. If I'm going to a hot spring or spa to relax that the cleanliness and comfort of the facilities is the number one criteria and based on that there is much better both in Beitou and Taipei in general than Emperor, so I usually go to other ones.

what's the check in like and are they ok with guests?

Just take an Uber, at least on your way back. it's never more than 300NTD. According to my friend who goes there often, the best time to go is actually Thursday night, even more than on a weekend. I also would recommend another place called Shan Yue Hot Spring which is 2 minutes walk from XinBeitou station. I think it's popular with gays on Friday and Saturday nights. I went on a Friday night with a Taiwanese friend. Would suggest going around 8-8:30pm. Most of the action actually happens after 10 when the place doesn't accept new customers but the one already present can stay. It's more like an hotel with a man-made sauna but the crowd is really hot, like 90 percent all twinks and jocks between 20-35. I was the only westerner. Didn't play because we left around 9:30 but got the line of one guy which I met later at my hotel and also a guy I hit up later on Grindr told me that he had seen me there. It's not exclusively gay, but they are at least 3/4 of the customers in there.

I have stayed a few times with the last being just in March at an Airbnb in HCMC called Soho Hotel and Residencies. It's a high rise near the walking street. I would say around 50 percent of the building is occupied with short-term guests. You can book through Airbnb, Bookings, Agoda or they even have their own website. I think based on where you book you might even have daily cleaning included. I have booked through Airbnb, so never got it but I have seen the cleaning lady going into some rooms. Think next time might ask the host if they can provide it cause after just the third night my bedsheets show the signs of the high activity level I have on my bed. Checking in has always been super easy. Just walk in straight to the mailbox, get the elevator key and then use a code provided for the apartment's door. Never had to check in or register any of my guests and I have brought people over pretty much every hour of the day or night, from 8:00am-5:00am. they even have free parking, which is pretty useful. I usually book a studio apartment, but it's quite spacious, offers great views and even has a washing machine. I hope that because it's registered also as an hotel they will continue operating in the same way. I don't really wanna use an hotel again in HCMC or Vietnam for that matter. The boutique ones are not that good and the one from international chains have too many restrictions when it comes to guests. In Phnom Phen have used kinda the same type of place the last three times. It's called M residences. It's a high rise and they offer both short-term and long-term apartments. There also have never had an issues with bringing guys at my place. As for Bangkok, I only did it three times in late 2019 and early 2020. I stayed at this place called Klass Silom. As mentioned in here, you had to go through the garage to get in as the front gate would open only by scanning your fingerprints. During the check-in you would had to wait for someone to go in so you could get inside and then get the key in the mailbox. I remember the last time, even the garage was not accessible anymore, so you actually had to wait each time for someone to get in through the main gate so you could also sneak in. Needless to say, that was my last time in there as hotel rates also were quite cheap once Bangkok reopened after Covid. Now though as rates keep going up, I wouldn't mind exploring again the possibility of staying at an Airbnb. Does anyone have any good recommendation for places at Silom?