Trip Report (January 2026)

[ichigo]

11 hours ago, Enchanted_Elixir said:

It was a pleasure to meet you during your trip. I completely agree that the guy from Hotmale is a gem 🙂 

He really is a gem  Hope to see you next time!

[ichigo]

2 hours ago, hank75 said:

I can’t remember from my only stay years ago, do you get a view of IconSiam or any thing nice? 

Yes you can see IconSiam and lots of river traffic. Even more interesting at night when the party boats go past, and the small boats that belong to the Peninsula are super cute when lit up.

 

 

[jason1975]

14 minutes ago, ichigo said:

He really is a gem  Hope to see you next time!

Who is he? I am curious to know! Haha

[vinapu]

I'm glad our trips overlapped for few days and thank you for soldiering on while unwell and keeping forum members company during few meetups we had and karaoke Jason put together. 

If it's any consolation, in act of solidarity, I also got sick in Vietnam where I'm now. Still able to move around as it's not severe but no boy business other than checking 2 massage places in DaNang for the same reason you mentioned - don't want boys to get sick. And no, I did not picked it up from you, it was my own idiocy of attacking too fast very cold can of beer on very hot day. Hope we don't need to wait another year to meet again. 

[vinapu]

1 hour ago, jason1975 said:

Who is he? I am curious to know! Haha

Guy from Hotmale I guess. 

[mauRICE]

Is Hotmale still owned by the same group which owns Moonlight, the karaoke bar below it and a Thai restaurant nearby? It was when I spoke to one of the co-owners way back in 2019.  He was a young-ish, pleasant looking guy with a nice demeanour and we would sit and chat on the Hotmale terrace till late; I remember a staff member from Moonlight would drop in with the night's cash takings after closing which amounted to hundreds of thousands then. 

[ichigo]

9 hours ago, vinapu said:

I'm glad our trips overlapped for few days and thank you for soldiering on while unwell and keeping forum members company during few meetups we had and karaoke Jason put together. 

If it's any consolation, in act of solidarity, I also got sick in Vietnam where I'm now. Still able to move around as it's not severe but no boy business other than checking 2 massage places in DaNang for the same reason you mentioned - don't want boys to get sick. And no, I did not picked it up from you, it was my own idiocy of attacking too fast very cold can of beer on very hot day. Hope we don't need to wait another year to meet again. 

Glad to have met you again and hope to see you in the near future! 

[jimmie50]

12 hours ago, jason1975 said:

Who is he? I am curious to know! Haha

Did we ever find out who the guy at Hotmale is that is considered a gem?  Like a name or number?  

[jason1975]

On 1/29/2026 at 10:26 AM, ichigo said:

And just like that, my trip came to an end. I was planning on coming back in a year's time, however I may consider coming earlier to make up for the missed time when I was unwell. But then again, just being in Thailand, even whilst sick, is still a pleasure. Thanks for reading!

Please let me know when yoh are going to Bangkok again. I will make a weekend trip.

[ichigo]

Just now, jason1975 said:

Please let me know when yoh are going to Bangkok again. I will make a weekend trip.

Yes I absolutely will! Need to make some money first haha

[macaroni21]

20 hours ago, mauRICE said:

Is Hotmale still owned by the same group which owns Moonlight, the karaoke bar below it and a Thai restaurant nearby? It was when I spoke to one of the co-owners way back in 2019.  He was a young-ish, pleasant looking guy with a nice demeanour and we would sit and chat on the Hotmale terrace till late; I remember a staff member from Moonlight would drop in with the night's cash takings after closing which amounted to hundreds of thousands then. 

2019 is ancient history when it comes to the gay scene in Bangkok. 

Former member reader reported in this comment dated 6 Feb 2025 that the bar had been sold to a former manager and some investors. The only change they made was the jettisoning of the long red pants that the Moonlight owner imposed on the boys.

It's really such a shame. IMHO, Hotmale does have some attractive boys but their marketing sucks. They have zero idea what marketing is. They're not even making an effort. I can't find any working Line account for them and their Facebook page's most recent post, if you can call it recent, dates from January 2025.

[Department_Of_Agriculture]

On 1/20/2026 at 12:43 PM, ichigo said:

I think I will go back to Hua Hin at some stage as there is more to explore that I didn't quite get to. Through my research I know that there are 2 gay bars in the area, but I did not patronise either.

Two gay bars in Hua Hin? There used to be a bunch of them, but I was only aware of one now, which is New Guy. I haven't been to Hua Hin since the pandemic though. What is the other one?

On 1/29/2026 at 10:26 AM, ichigo said:

I then changed to the Shangri-La - there are two wings and I stayed in the Krungthep Wing, which is smaller and a little quieter than the main Shangri-La Wing, however all rooms here have balconies looking out onto the Chao Phraya River. There were also some random fireworks shows which was enjoyable. Whilst the hotel is a little older, it has this 'grandeur' feeling about it and I quite liked it. Wasn't a fan of the European-style bidet, however I quite liked staying here. Extremely close to the BTS, lots of places to eat around the hotel and there is also a bag/body scanner every time you enter, similar to an airport. The minibar is also complimentary and they left so much bottles of water in my room, at one point I counted 10. Would I stay here again? Absolutely. 

Shangri-La has really gone down the drain. The rooms are worn; quite a few of the fabrics, from the bed sheets to the upholstered walls are stained. On top of that, many of the rooms don't even have facilities to wash. Overall, the Krunghthep Wing is in better shape, but it can be quite a constitutional to walk to the restaurants from that area. It may not be tiring but it soon gets tiresome.

Apart from that, service at the hotel has really gone down, and that begins as soon as you arrive, with bellboys and doormen often not doing their jobs and security not helping to lift your suitcase for screening. In fact, it might even begin before you arrive if you communicate with them by email.

The Shangri-Las, in general, are beginning to look worn and dated and seeing standards slip. Bangkok is the worst of the lot though.

The breakfast is still fab, though - apart from the hordes of Indians who now throng the hotel and insist on speaking at the top of their voices so you can hear how important they are even if they are sitting two tables away. They would all like you to know that they are doing business with some very important Indian or other whom 99% of us have never heard of or whose name you probably can't even pronounce. 

The view of the river from the Krungthep wing is still one of the best in Bangkok, though; and it almost makes up for everything else.