I'd like to begin this post by once again thanking all of the board members for their valuable input and advice. I learned so much from this message board before I left for my first trip to Thailand, and I know without a doubt that what I learned saved me from making too many rookie mistakes. Thank you.
As far as accommodations are concerned, I stayed at the Summer Breeze Hotel the entire time. Wow! Bill and his staff are doing a terrific job. The room and food were great, the entire staff was very helpful and super friendly. They took care of booking a fishing trip and a trip to James Bond Island, they took care of setting me up with a tailor, and they handled all of my trips to and from the airport. I feel comfortable recommending this hotel to anyone without any hesitation whatsoever.
As far as the nightlife is concerned, I was totally blown away. It exceeded even my lofty expectations in every way imaginable. The only way I know how to describe it is that it is kind of a cross between Bourbon Street in New Orleans and Sixth Street in Austin, but even that description doesn't do Bangla Road justice. I chose to do what many of you say you don't like to do. I went to Tiger Bar my first night there and met someone that I ended up spending all of my time with. She was terrific, and I would make the same decision again in a heartbeat. Too much "butterflying" is not really my thing. I did end up spending some time at Jagger's Bar one night. I sat there and watched in amusement as some poor sailor lose every cent while playing Connect 4 with the bartender. I saw the hustle coming a mile away, but he apparently did not. He was not a happy camper when he left:
About midway through my 2 week stay in Thailand, I decided to take a side trip to Cambodia for two days. I booked my airline tickets on Air Asia's website and flew out to Phnom Phen. I was able to tour the killing fields as well as the school that Pol Pot converted into a prison/torture chamber. Overall, Cambodia is not nearly as nice as Thailand, but that was not unexpected. The hotels are OK, but not great. The people are very friendly. I spent my evenings at Sharky Bar. Great food, great music, and the FL scene was decent. I would like to go back again to visit Siam Reap. From what I understand, you need at least 2 days just to tour the old temples, and I did not want to devote any more time to Cambodia on this trip. The visa was $25 USD, which I paid on arrival. I was unaware of, and more than a little perturbed by, the "departure tax" that they charge all non-Cambodians before allowing you to proceed to your departure gate. It was also $25 USD.
There is one other thing I would like to mention. Until this year, I have always vacationed in Jamaica since it is much closer to me. Typically, the only other foreigners I see in Jamaica besides Americans are Canadians. In Thailand, I didn't run into very many Americans and I certainly didn't meet anyone from Canada, but I did meet a ton of people from Australia. No offense to anyone from Canada, but you Australians are much more fun to be around than the Canadians are. You don't peer down your noses at other people, and you are certainly much more fun to party with! You guys kick ass!
I had a blast on my first trip to Thailand. In fact I enjoyed myself so much that I am about to go ahead and book my flight for next year. Thanks again for all of the information and advice!!
As far as accommodations are concerned, I stayed at the Summer Breeze Hotel the entire time. Wow! Bill and his staff are doing a terrific job. The room and food were great, the entire staff was very helpful and super friendly. They took care of booking a fishing trip and a trip to James Bond Island, they took care of setting me up with a tailor, and they handled all of my trips to and from the airport. I feel comfortable recommending this hotel to anyone without any hesitation whatsoever.
As far as the nightlife is concerned, I was totally blown away. It exceeded even my lofty expectations in every way imaginable. The only way I know how to describe it is that it is kind of a cross between Bourbon Street in New Orleans and Sixth Street in Austin, but even that description doesn't do Bangla Road justice. I chose to do what many of you say you don't like to do. I went to Tiger Bar my first night there and met someone that I ended up spending all of my time with. She was terrific, and I would make the same decision again in a heartbeat. Too much "butterflying" is not really my thing. I did end up spending some time at Jagger's Bar one night. I sat there and watched in amusement as some poor sailor lose every cent while playing Connect 4 with the bartender. I saw the hustle coming a mile away, but he apparently did not. He was not a happy camper when he left:
About midway through my 2 week stay in Thailand, I decided to take a side trip to Cambodia for two days. I booked my airline tickets on Air Asia's website and flew out to Phnom Phen. I was able to tour the killing fields as well as the school that Pol Pot converted into a prison/torture chamber. Overall, Cambodia is not nearly as nice as Thailand, but that was not unexpected. The hotels are OK, but not great. The people are very friendly. I spent my evenings at Sharky Bar. Great food, great music, and the FL scene was decent. I would like to go back again to visit Siam Reap. From what I understand, you need at least 2 days just to tour the old temples, and I did not want to devote any more time to Cambodia on this trip. The visa was $25 USD, which I paid on arrival. I was unaware of, and more than a little perturbed by, the "departure tax" that they charge all non-Cambodians before allowing you to proceed to your departure gate. It was also $25 USD.
There is one other thing I would like to mention. Until this year, I have always vacationed in Jamaica since it is much closer to me. Typically, the only other foreigners I see in Jamaica besides Americans are Canadians. In Thailand, I didn't run into very many Americans and I certainly didn't meet anyone from Canada, but I did meet a ton of people from Australia. No offense to anyone from Canada, but you Australians are much more fun to be around than the Canadians are. You don't peer down your noses at other people, and you are certainly much more fun to party with! You guys kick ass!
I had a blast on my first trip to Thailand. In fact I enjoyed myself so much that I am about to go ahead and book my flight for next year. Thanks again for all of the information and advice!!