Bangkok/Chiang Mai advice

[jimmie50]

I will be visiting Thailand in October for three weeks.  For the first nine days, I will be in Bangkok solo.  After that time I am part of a small group tour that originates in Bangkok heading north and ending in Chiang Mai.  I have taken a number of small group tours over the years and really enjoy them.  However, I am looking forward to being able to explore Bangkok on my own this trip.  While I have been to Thailand several times, it has always been to visit friends.  They are not gay and not familiar with the gay scene at all.  So, I have several questions for the group as I am seeking some advice or recommendations.  

On previous trips, I have always stayed with friends in a condo or Airbnb, neither of which has been in the Silom area.  Our last trip we stayed in an Airbnb rental in the Empire Building (Sathon area), so not too far from Silom.  It was just down the street from Chong Nonsi BTS so easy to get around.  During the tour portion of my trip, hotel arrangements have been made everywhere by the tour company.  Lodging in Bangkok for the tour will be at Galleria 10 Hotel near Asok/Nana BTS.  My dilemma is this...for the first part of my trip should I plan to stay somewhere around Silom or a place closer to the Galleria 10 for convenience when it is time to transfer?  Also, would you recommend looking for an Airbnb or a hotel?  If a hotel in Silom, which one would you recommend?  I would prefer one that offers breakfast (more western, please), good internet, and no issues bringing someone to the room as a guest.  

Since the tour ends in Chiang Mai on November 4, I plan to stay a couple of extra days there to explore on my own.  Does anyone have any places for massage they would recommend that provide more of a full service experience?  I've been reading a fair amount on here about the lack of many gay venues.  Any suggestions would be appreciated...or if you know of a local gay guide I could entertain for a couple of days.  

Finally, I need to book a one way ticket from Chiang Mai to international in Bangkok for the return trip to US.  Any recommendations on airlines?  

Thanks to all!  Appreciate any advice.  

[captainmick]

Stay in the Silom area.  Taxis and Grab cars are cheap and arrive quickly so very easy to transfer with your luggage to Galleria 10 when the time comes.

Le Meridien and Crowne Plaza are both very well located and to be recommended.  At the budget end of the market, you could consider The Quarter Silom by UHG, The Raya Surawong or Ibis Styles.

Avoid Airbnb as it is banned for short stays in Thailand so you could have problems at the property if you have booked through Airbnb.

[daydreamer]

I can't speak for massages, but I sometimes do off massage boys to take to my room for other fun.  In Chiang Mai, in the very central Thapae Road area, just a short walk from Thapae Gate and the old city moat, there is Classic House Massage on Thapae Soi 4.  I have taken a very nice hilltribe boy from Classic House in the past to my room, just a short walk away.

As for a guide in Chiang Mai, if you go to the Siam Roads website, you can find Woody's profile in the Chiang Mai section.  In fact, Woody is the owner of Classic House massage.  His profile says he offers the following: companion, masseur, driver, concierge.  He has a car, so he would be a perfect guide for you, and he could take you to any location you wish in northern Thailand.  The Siam Roads website is managed by one of our fellow forum members - user name @Moses.  Moses also runs the Sawatdee Gay Thailand website.

As @captainmick said, stay away from AirBnB rooms, as you may run into trouble.  They are only legal for stays of 30 days or longer.  I have read a report on a different website forum where immigration police raided a building offering short term rentals, and confiscated the passports of farang that had rented rooms short term.  

Just because you may see short term rental rooms on booking sites does not mean it is legal.  If they do not comply with the 2004 Hotel Act, they are not legal for short term rent.  The exception for short term rentals is if the building is licensed as a serviced apartment or a condotel, those are legal for short term rentals.  AirBnB is not illegal, but they must comply with the 2004 Hotel Act, and a large percentage of them do not. 

 

[jimmie50]

Thanks for the recommendations.  In Chiang Mai I will be staying at the Empress Hotel.  It doesn't appear to be too far from Classic House, so I will definitely check it out.  

When you book a hotel in Silom, do you do so directly with the hotel or use something like hotels.com, booking.com, or some other travel site?  I have used Expedia on some of my other travels, but not in Thailand.  I have seen mentioned in the forum a site called Agoda.  Is that good...and safe to book online?  

I am somewhat familiar with Siam Roads.  Last year I had booked with them for Mac in Bangkok.  Spoke about that already in another topic on the forum.  He was a 'no show' and Siam Roads did refund my money.  I may give them another try and see if Woody is available during my stay.  

When using Airbnb in the past, my Thai friends have actually made the arrangements, so I 'assumed' they knew the risks involved and what the rules are.  Perhaps I assumed too much, but I will look for a hotel this trip instead, since I am going solo.  

[Keithambrose]

4 hours ago, jimmie50 said:

Thanks for the recommendations.  In Chiang Mai I will be staying at the Empress Hotel.  It doesn't appear to be too far from Classic House, so I will definitely check it out.  

When you book a hotel in Silom, do you do so directly with the hotel or use something like hotels.com, booking.com, or some other travel site?  I have used Expedia on some of my other travels, but not in Thailand.  I have seen mentioned in the forum a site called Agoda.  Is that good...and safe to book online?  

I am somewhat familiar with Siam Roads.  Last year I had booked with them for Mac in Bangkok.  Spoke about that already in another topic on the forum.  He was a 'no show' and Siam Roads did refund my money.  I may give them another try and see if Woody is available during my stay.  

When using Airbnb in the past, my Thai friends have actually made the arrangements, so I 'assumed' they knew the risks involved and what the rules are.  Perhaps I assumed too much, but I will look for a hotel this trip instead, since I am going solo.  

I stay at Le Meridien,  Surawong,  and book with the hotel. I find it slightly cheap and you get hotel points, if that is something  you collect. 

[vinapu]

7 hours ago, jimmie50 said:

 

When you book a hotel in Silom, do you do so directly with the hotel or use something like hotels.com, booking.com, or some other travel site?  I have used Expedia on some of my other travels, but not in Thailand.  I have seen mentioned in the forum a site called Agoda.  Is that good...and safe to book online?  

 

for hotels  in Silom, in fact in all my trips to SE Asia I use Agoda almost exclusively as usually they have best rates and availability. Never hurts to compare with other sites offerings though as offers sometimes vary but almost always Agoda's are coming on the top.  Yes , Agoda is safe and sure bet although  check prices carefully as for some countries they show total price , for others price before fees , if any , and taxes.

I'm much more budget conscious than some other members but have weak spot for big rooms so if you ask me, I'd skip new hotel Nishitetsu as well as both Quarter Silom and Ibis Styles in the area but can recommend Quarter Saladaeng, Furama Sathorn, Furama Silom and Baan Silom in soi 3. If price is right my nr1 favorite is already mentioned above Raya 

[ichigo]

11 hours ago, jimmie50 said:

When you book a hotel in Silom, do you do so directly with the hotel or use something like hotels.com, booking.com, or some other travel site?  I have used Expedia on some of my other travels, but not in Thailand.  I have seen mentioned in the forum a site called Agoda.  Is that good...and safe to book online?  

I usually go with whoever is cheaper, usually it is Agoda and I've never had any issues with them in the past, but sometimes trip.com, Expedia or booking directly can be cheaper - I just usually stay from the OTA I don't really know and stick to the bigger companies.

11 hours ago, jimmie50 said:

I may give them another try and see if Woody is available during my stay.

Woody is great, I've used his services once.

[daydreamer]

As @vinapu said, Agoda is a good hotel booking site.  I have used it dozens of times, in several countries.

For a long time, I found that that Agoda only showed the price before taxes and fees, then a couple years ago, I discovered the trick to make it show the total price, so that it's easier to compare room prices amongst different hotel booking websites. 

I have added two images below.  Just for this example, I looked up one night for next month at the Furama Silom Hotel. The first image shows USD (or your currency of choice) at the top of the page.  If you click on that currency acronym, it brings up a pop-up window with options.  Then you can select the total price per night.

This works whether you are logged in to your Agoda account or not.  This way, no more surprises as far as price when you go to the check-out page to make your booking.  

Step #1:  Click on currency

 

 

Step # 2:  Click on Total Price Per Night

 

 

[Department_Of_Agriculture]

On 8/6/2025 at 9:22 AM, jimmie50 said:

I've been reading a fair amount on here about the lack of many gay venues

I wouldn't pay too much attention to that. Most of those sorts of comments come from old farts who get more satisfaction from whining about how places they used to visit years ago have now closed, rather than going out and enjoying the many new places that have opened. They mistake their own increasing decrepitude and impending death for the decline or even death of the scene, not just in Chiang Mai but practically everywhere else. The one good thing about their moaning about Chiang Mai, though, is how it deters the unpleasant, hardcore sex tourists from going up there.

The Empress probably isn't the best place for a solo stay. It is rather quiet in that area, while the real fun is in the night market area. For a comparable price, you could get a room at the Movenpick hotel, which is rather bland, but situated right on the doorstep of the action with the night market just steps away. If you want to splurge, the Marriott (formerly Le Meridien) is directly opposite.

Since you are only going to be there on your own for a couple of days, you probably don't need a list of too many venues and are better off sticking to the ones that are well known on here. In addition to the massage places mentioned, you may actually enjoy some of the host bars on Soi 6 (aka Soi Gay) in the night market area, if you want night time entertainment. 

If you are taking a taxi or tuk tuk back to your hotel at night and mention to the driver that you are looking for guys, rather than girls, when he inevitably offers to take you to a girlie bar, he may offer to take you to an all night karaoke with host boys instead, because he will get a commission for bringing in a victim. Be careful of that. While those places have some very good-looking boys, the price can really start piling-up very quickly - room, bottle, host fees by the hour. Those places are meant to be enjoyed and paid for by groups, not solo. Note that I am talking about the all-night karaokes, rather than the Thai-style host bars, which are perfectly safe. As you are new the city, don't go to any venue that a taxi or tuk tuk driver recommends. Note also that the all-night karaokes offer both boys and girls.

Another thing that you may enjoy doing while in Chiang Mai, if you like hard male bodies, is going to watch Muay Thai. There are four venues in the night market area where you have Muay Thai nightly, with different venues hosting the fights on different days. These will be advertised by promoters around the market area, so you can't miss them. In addition, the nearby Thapae Stadium has fights every night. Given the number and central location of these venues, it is much more convenient for tourists to go and watch Muay Thai in Chiang Mai than it is in Bangkok or anywhere else. For all these venues, it is 600 baht for entry and you get 2 or 3 hours of good entertainment by hot Thai guys. 

[fedssocr]

I agree that staying in Silom area is a good idea. Transferring to your other hotel is pretty straightforward either by BTS/MRT or taxi/Grab.

I haven't been to CM in quite a while so I don't have much input there. But it appears there are a decent amount of massage places and a couple of host bars. I follow user ShunJou on Twitter/X who reviews massage places mostly in BKK but he also goes to CM fairly frequently

[vinapu]

10 hours ago, Department_Of_Agriculture said:

.... old farts who get more satisfaction from whining about how places they used to visit years ago have now closed, rather than going out and enjoying the many new places that have opened. They mistake their own increasing decrepitude and impending death....

don't lose hope , young people are dying too so you still have a chance

[floridarob]

11 minutes ago, vinapu said:

don't lose hope , young people are dying too so you still have a chance

I don't think he's young, I believe he's mentioned visiting there since the 80's or 90's.....just in denial?

[Moses]

21 hours ago, daydreamer said:

Agoda is a good hotel booking site.  I have used it dozens of times, in several countries.

They are just scammers.

 

The same hotel, the same days, the same room. But on this screenshot Agoda sees my IP is from Netherlands:

 

 

And on this screenshot I use IP from Turkey

 

 

For to get best price from Agoda you should use "anonymous" window in browser and VPN with landing in India or Turkey. Oh, and never use any computer, tablet or phone from Apple for booking - Agoda increases prices for owners of expensive gadgets.

[sudoxi]

2 hours ago, Moses said:

They are just scammers.

 

The same hotel, the same days, the same room. But on this screenshot Agoda sees my IP is from Netherlands:

 

 

And on this screenshot I use IP from Turkey

 

 

For to get best price from Agoda you should use "anonymous" window in browser and VPN with landing in India or Turkey. Oh, and never use any computer, tablet or phone from Apple for booking - Agoda increases prices for owners of expensive gadgets.

Not discrediting you, but you are not comparing correctly. First post it shows prices after taxes and fees. Second screenshot shows price before taxes and fees. You just need to compare the same. 

[vinapu]

I'd not call  it scam, it's just market economy at work recognizing different purchase power in different countries. 

Plus when one looks inside of those offerings   it's possible that some rooms offered for  Dutch   are not available for Turkish and other way around.  

[vinapu]

11 minutes ago, sudoxi said:

Not discrediting you, but you are not comparing correctly. First post it shows prices after taxes and fees. Second screenshot shows price before taxes and fees. You just need to compare the same. 

sharp eye !!!

[PeterRS]

3 hours ago, sudoxi said:

you are not comparing correctly. First post it shows prices after taxes and fees. Second screenshot shows price before taxes and fees. You just need to compare the same. 

Agreed. And also to read the small print. I have always found agoda adds service charges and taxes after you have decided on a room. In the two cases listed by @Moses above, the prices on the two sites are identical. Please see my new post on Booking.com's illegal activities in the Beer Bar forum.

[vinapu]

1 hour ago, PeterRS said:

I have always found agoda adds service charges and taxes after you have decided on a room. 

in daydreamer post above on this page it's explained how easily you can  get total price  shown on agoda's

[PeterRS]

21 minutes ago, vinapu said:

in daydreamer post above on this page it's explained how easily you can  get total price  shown on agoda's

Thanks, but I don't have a VPN. In any case I have used agoda at least 200 times to know how to find the full price.

[floridarob]

I've found that if I am not signed in and use a different browser, Edge (not that kind) or Brave or Chrome incognito... I sometimes get a lower price by a few bucks a night or free b'fast,  than the search of my logged in account. Then I sign in from there and the lower price stays.... I can't figure the rhyme or reason when it'll happen...

maybe it's like on Ubereats, restaurants have an option for them to offer specials to new customers vs returning ones 🤷‍♂️

[10tazione]

9 hours ago, sudoxi said:

Not discrediting you, but you are not comparing correctly. First post it shows prices after taxes and fees. Second screenshot shows price before taxes and fees. You just need to compare the same. 

I think it is a rule in the EU that companies must state prices including taxes, which is really a good thing. As soon as you change the IP address to outside EU, companies show prices excluding taxes because it looks cheaper.

[daydreamer]

6 hours ago, floridarob said:

I've found that if I am not signed in and use a different browser, Edge (not that kind) or Brave or Chrome incognito... I sometimes get a lower price by a few bucks a night or free b'fast,  than the search of my logged in account. Then I sign in from there and the lower price stays.... I can't figure the rhyme or reason when it'll happen...

maybe it's like on Ubereats, restaurants have an option for them to offer specials to new customers vs returning ones 🤷‍♂️

Another trick I use to often find a lower price for a room on Agoda or Booking.com is to search on the hotel aggregator sites such as Trivago or Skyscanner, and others.  Often, an offer on the hotel aggregator sites leads to a lower linked price on Agoda or Booking.com, or a free breakfast included in the room price, where if you go directly to Agoda or Booking.com, you may find a different offer for the same class of room. 

Those aggregator sites can only stay in business if they can sharpen the pencil on competitive pricing.  They will compare prices for a number of hotel booking sites on one page.  Sometimes the difference in price is fairly substantial.  Just be sure you are comparing the same class of room, and that both websites include taxes and fees.

Of course, both the aggregator site and the hotel booking site make a commission from the hotel, but I'm OK with that.  Business is business.

[vinapu]

8 hours ago, PeterRS said:

Thanks, but I don't have a VPN. In any case I have used agoda at least 200 times to know how to find the full price.

you don't need VPN , you just click on currency symbol , new window opens and then you click applicable  box. Works everywhere

[vinapu]

7 hours ago, floridarob said:

I've found that if I am not signed in and use a different browser, Edge (not that kind) or Brave or Chrome incognito... I sometimes get a lower price by a few bucks a night or free b'fast,  than the search of my logged in account. Then I sign in from there and the lower price stays.... I can't figure the rhyme or reason when it'll happen...

 

I noticed that too. And it's strange as logged in member should get lower price one would think

[ichigo]

1 hour ago, daydreamer said:

Another trick I use to often find a lower price for a room on Agoda or Booking.com is to search on the hotel aggregator sites such as Trivago or Skyscanner, and others.  Often, an offer on the hotel aggregator sites leads to a lower linked price on Agoda or Booking.com, or a free breakfast included in the room price, where if you go directly to Agoda or Booking.com, you may find a different offer for the same class of room. 

This also works sometimes when searching for hotels on google maps.