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Pattaya Go-go bars, beer bars & restaurants (News closures and Updates)


john luke

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It's not just Sihnakouville.

Anyone been to Phnom Penh recently?

30 story skyscrapers but all chinese businesses, Chinese staff, pushing out the local Khmer.

My taxi driver showed me where the Chinese had built a palace for Hun Sen, but for whatever Buddhist/spiritual reasons he said it was unlucky, so he built an almost identical one across the road.

The Chinese are have also bought a massive chunk of the Cambodian coast where they plan to build a port, an airport and other installations.

Cambodia is becoming a de facto Chinese province.

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28 minutes ago, tommy dee said:

Once a sleepy, entrancing seaside resort in southwest Cambodia, Sihanoukville is sleepy again, bereft of Chinese nationals and tourists who have left following the closure of dozens of casinos in the city. This was a result of a government ban on all online and arcade gambling operations in the kingdom, which came into effect in January.

Fears of a coronavirus outbreak virtually completed the exodus, with reports of only 10 to 20 percent of Chinese nationals remaining, and few tourist arrivals from mainland China.

Many Asian places are feeling the pain of being too China-dependent in current times, but Sihanoukville has taken the cake as probably the most wretched. Its problem isn’t overtourism but development that destroys its status as a tourism jewel, critics say. It also isn’t so much about China dependency as it is about China centricity that squeezes out locals and other nationalities.

I am pretty sure every single guest house and farang own business in Sihanoukville closed ...And pretty much all remaining farangs left or were more or less run out of town......Along with the majority of the Cambodians.....

Sihanoukville is now public enemy #1 on all travelers posts with comments like Never Visit this Hellhole...

I would really hate to see this happen to Pattaya....

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  • john luke changed the title to Pattaya Go-go bars, beer bars & restaurants (News closures and Updates)

I bit leftfield , but to those of you who live in Thailand and with all the changes going on, if the Chinese were to ever move in on pattaya,,could there ever be another pattaya like place spring up somewhere else in Thailand. Could a place like udon or hua hin expand its bar scene? 

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8 hours ago, fforest said:

I am pretty sure every single guest house and farang own business in Sihanoukville closed ...And pretty much all remaining farangs left or were more or less run out of town......Along with the majority of the Cambodians.....

Sihanoukville is now public enemy #1 on all travelers posts with comments like Never Visit this Hellhole...

I would really hate to see this happen to Pattaya....

Doesn't sound that much different already... 

A walk through the city once known for its boom from Chinese investments presents a different scenario: abandoned unfinished construction buildings, unoccupied apartments, guesthouses, hotels, supermarkets shuttered restaurants and casinos.

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2 hours ago, Washedup said:

I bit leftfield , but to those of you who live in Thailand and with all the changes going on, if the Chinese were to ever move in on pattaya,,could there ever be another pattaya like place spring up somewhere else in Thailand. Could a place like udon or hua hin expand its bar scene? 

I don't think the Thais would allow it, not so much in your face and at the scale of Pattaya anyway 

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12 minutes ago, Esco said:

I don't think the Thais would allow it, not so much in your face and at the scale of Pattaya anyway 

Plenty of options in TH to find a "date" other than in a Pattaya go-go or beer bar. 

Phuket will still be around. As will Soi Cowboy, Nana & maybe Patpong in Bangkok.
Geez, I got laid at Narathiwat in the far south last time I was there (& it was under martial law).

Besides, for those who cannot find anything other than the Bell Bus at Swampy...they will never tear down the the Coconut Bar.

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10 hours ago, tommy dee said:

 

Many Asian places are feeling the pain of being too China-dependent in current times, but Sihanoukville has taken the cake as probably the most wretched. Its problem isn’t overtourism but development that destroys its status as a tourism jewel, critics say. It also isn’t so much about China dependency as it is about China centricity that squeezes out locals and other nationalities.

Same all over the world. This thread has been great last 24 hours. Yes China's Golden Road / Belt and Braces and whatever else it gets called has been really shown up by this pandemic. I loathed Trump from day 1 but he was right to warn about Chinese Imperialism. It is colonialism by another name. From deep sea ports in Myanmar to skyscrapers in Phnom Penh to airports in the Congo China is buying up the world. 

I think personally Pattaya will become the Las Vegas / Blackpool / Macau / Bundoran of Thailand. Hideous casinos, karaokes and cheap Chinese buffets ......... bars as we know them will be a distant memory. (See I brought it back around to bar closures).

How is Khun Egg getting on ??? ...Baggies won today against their deadliest rivals so ......

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1 hour ago, nampla69 said:

Same all over the world. This thread has been great last 24 hours. Yes China's Golden Road / Belt and Braces and whatever else it gets called has been really shown up by this pandemic. I loathed Trump from day 1 but he was right to warn about Chinese Imperialism. It is colonialism by another name. From deep sea ports in Myanmar to skyscrapers in Phnom Penh to airports in the Congo China is buying up the world. 

I think personally Pattaya will become the Las Vegas / Blackpool / Macau / Bundoran of Thailand. Hideous casinos, karaokes and cheap Chinese buffets ......... bars as we know them will be a distant memory. (See I brought it back around to bar closures).

How is Khun Egg getting on ??? ...Baggies won today against their deadliest rivals so ......

I too think that this is a distinct possibility - seems to me that gambling/casinos aren't allowed in Thailand because the old king didn't like them but I think the new king may have different opinions and with the money to be made from large-scale casino development, who knows? Apparently, quiet preparations have been/are being made to accommodate this - for example, over the last two or three trips I spent some time staying at the March Hotel, situated on Pattaya Klang 16 - I liked it for its newness, good pricing and quiet location although on the last visit there was a marked increase in bus tours arriving there. Anyway, I mentioned to an expat friend in the neighbourhood one day how big the lobby in this hotel is - it basically covers the entire first floor of the hotel and there is nothing else on that floor but the reception area - and he told me that the hotel had been built by the Chinese and had been totally wired on that ground floor for casino machines! Maybe it was just a rumour that he had heard elsewhere but you have to admit that it is certainly feasible - why wouldn't they plan for a future that is entirely possible?

 

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Unless the Chinese take over the dark side as well I expect those local bars will remain.  My mates told me at Christmas that the pandemic hadn't really caused too much issue on that side of the Sukhumvit, the bars were still there, the same girls (same quality) were there and if you needed a drink not much had changed.

Ok maybe closed now (not sure, need update) but where there are expats there will be local bars. 

Nongkhai has got Soi Boxing which no doubt will still be there after the pandemic recedes. Soi 80 in Hua Hin and other expat (local) hang outs will still be around as they don't really rely on tourism but will just feed the local foreign market.

Maybe the Pattaya go gos will close or change hands to Korean or Chinese but they will still offer entertainment, just maybe not what we all want.

In Angeles bars are closing but bars have come and gone when the Americans left, when Pinatubu covered the town in lahar and when the Koreans moved down from perimeter.  Europeans, Americans and Aussies are hardy characters, they don't run to the hills like Asians at the first sign of trouble. They will return and bars will cater to their needs.

Many of those Korean go gos in P.I actually cater to foreigners as well, go in them at 8pm and you will be outnumbered by the Koreans but by 10 pm most Koreans are in their bunks with their conquests and those same clubs are full of Caucasians with enough girls left to go around.

Maybe Pattaya will change but I believe as long as Americans, Europeans and Aussies still wish to visit Thailand for the beaches etc should they have a need to be entertained by lovely ladies there will be entertainment for them...

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https://amp.scmp.com/lifestyle/travel-leisure/article/3116784/chinese-construction-cambodias-next-tourism-hotspot-kampot

It seems the Chinese are turning their attention towards Kampot. This is one reason Cambodia has never really appealed to me as an alternative to Thailand. I really enjoy Phnom Penh and the bar scene there is better value for money than Pattaya for me, and probably more fun as well. However, Cambodia just doesn't have the same infrastructure, comforts and attractions as Thailand. Phnom Penh is great for 5 days to a week, but I couldn't stay there for any longer. 

 

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1 hour ago, Horizondave said:

Unless the Chinese take over the dark side as well I expect those local bars will remain.  My mates told me at Christmas that the pandemic hadn't really caused too much issue on that side of the Sukhumvit, the bars were still there, the same girls (same quality) were there and if you needed a drink not much had changed.

Ok maybe closed now (not sure, need update) but where there are expats there will be local bars. 

Nongkhai has got Soi Boxing which no doubt will still be there after the pandemic recedes. Soi 80 in Hua Hin and other expat (local) hang outs will still be around as they don't really rely on tourism but will just feed the local foreign market.

Maybe the Pattaya go gos will close or change hands to Korean or Chinese but they will still offer entertainment, just maybe not what we all want.

In Angeles bars are closing but bars have come and gone when the Americans left, when Pinatubu covered the town in lahar and when the Koreans moved down from perimeter.  Europeans, Americans and Aussies are hardy characters, they don't run to the hills like Asians at the first sign of trouble. They will return and bars will cater to their needs.

Many of those Korean go gos in P.I actually cater to foreigners as well, go in them at 8pm and you will be outnumbered by the Koreans but by 10 pm most Koreans are in their bunks with their conquests and those same clubs are full of Caucasians with enough girls left to go around.

Maybe Pattaya will change but I believe as long as Americans, Europeans and Aussies still wish to visit Thailand for the beaches etc should they have a need to be entertained by lovely ladies there will be entertainment for them...

Apparently Hua Hin has been one of the worst hit resorts in Thailand. According to some of the YouTube vlogs I have watched as much as 50% of bars there have closed as a result of covid19. I was there December 2019, I loved Hua Hin, but I couldn't believe how quiet Soi Bintabaht and the surrounding sois were. 

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6 hours ago, maipenrai said:

I too think that this is a distinct possibility - seems to me that gambling/casinos aren't allowed in Thailand because the old king didn't like them but I think the new king may have different opinions and with the money to be made from large-scale casino development, who knows? Apparently, quiet preparations have been/are being made to accommodate this - for example, over the last two or three trips I spent some time staying at the March Hotel, situated on Pattaya Klang 16 - I liked it for its newness, good pricing and quiet location although on the last visit there was a marked increase in bus tours arriving there. Anyway, I mentioned to an expat friend in the neighbourhood one day how big the lobby in this hotel is - it basically covers the entire first floor of the hotel and there is nothing else on that floor but the reception area - and he told me that the hotel had been built by the Chinese and had been totally wired on that ground floor for casino machines! Maybe it was just a rumour that he had heard elsewhere but you have to admit that it is certainly feasible - why wouldn't they plan for a future that is entirely possible?

 

re the hotel "design"  i can only say that there are at least 6 others built over the past few decades with similar wiring and space. 

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8 hours ago, Horizondave said:

Maybe Pattaya will change but I believe as long as Americans, Europeans and Aussies still wish to visit Thailand for the beaches etc should they have a need to be entertained by lovely ladies there will be entertainment for them...

Yes, I am sure you are correct but maybe a somewhat different type of entertainment more like the scene in PP largely devoid of GoGo's.

That of course assumes Thailand will allow the great unwashed ferang from the west entry without restrictions. I keep saying it but that will not happen unless the Thai Government and its population accept the fact that Covid is never going to be totally eradicated and mass tourism means there will continue to be some positive cases. There has to be an end to quarantine periods or as much as general tourists might like to visit Thailand that simply will not happen.

Who comes to Pattaya for the beach?

It must be 10 years or more since I sat on Pattaya's beach. 🤣

Edinburgh had a better beach at Leith although one may well have died from hypothermia.

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14 hours ago, lazarus said:

Plenty of options in TH to find a "date" other than in a Pattaya go-go or beer bar. 

 

100% for sure ...............  especially if you speak a little Thai and are not afraid of walking up to a gal and telling her she looks an smells good ... asking her if she has a boy friend or a husband ... you will not believe the mileage you can get ......

For sure ~!

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10 hours ago, dcfc2007 said:

Apparently Hua Hin has been one of the worst hit resorts in Thailand. According to some of the YouTube vlogs I have watched as much as 50% of bars there have closed as a result of covid19. I was there December 2019, I loved Hua Hin, but I couldn't believe how quiet Soi Bintabaht and the surrounding sois were. 

I am not so sure about that ... I was just recently in Cha Am and Hua Hin ..... 2 or 3 weeks ago .... the bar scene there is always pretty low key ... just about everything was open .... we went and ate a dinner at

https://www.tripadvisor.com/Restaurant_Review-g297919-d4467411-Reviews-DiDiNE_Restaurant_Cha_Am-Cha_am_Phetchaburi_Province.html

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18 hours ago, dcfc2007 said:

Apparently Hua Hin has been one of the worst hit resorts in Thailand. According to some of the YouTube vlogs I have watched as much as 50% of bars there have closed as a result of covid19. I was there December 2019, I loved Hua Hin, but I couldn't believe how quiet Soi Bintabaht and the surrounding sois were. 

Not what I have heard although I am happy to be wrong.

I have a friend who lives in the 'Terminal' on Soi 88 who tells me most of the local style bars north of the railway are open when they are allowed to.  The rules change and some bars pretend to be restaurants. Some areas such as Soi 94 were closed early while others were open.

From what my friend tells me (and remember I am really talking about local bars serving those living in Hua Hin i.e not Bintibaht area) there were many bars still offering a beer and a girl even during the quiet times.

If all else fails get down to Baan Khun Por, the food area near the Soi 88 junction with the railway, that (again when allowed) is a great place to meet freelancers and local girls.

I also keep in touch with the HUAHIN Forum which gives local updates. 

The rules about closures etc are changing regularly and I think they were updated yesterday due to decreases in infection rates but need to check with my friend what that means for bars.

Which copper you know and money paid sometimes circumvents local rules.

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14 minutes ago, Horizondave said:

Not what I have heard although I am happy to be wrong.

I have a friend who lives in the 'Terminal' on Soi 88 who tells me most of the local style bars north of the railway are open when they are allowed to.  The rules change and some bars pretend to be restaurants. Some areas such as Soi 94 were closed early while others were open.

From what my friend tells me (and remember I am really talking about local bars serving those living in Hua Hin i.e not Bintibaht area) there were many bars still offering a beer and a girl even during the quiet times.

If all else fails get down to Baan Khun Por, the food area near the Soi 88 junction with the railway, that (again when allowed) is a great place to meet freelancers and local girls.

I also keep in touch with the HUAHIN Forum which gives local updates. 

The rules about closures etc are changing regularly and I think they were updated yesterday due to decreases in infection rates but need to check with my friend what that means for bars.

Which copper you know and money paid sometimes circumvents local rules.

Baan khun por, you say..that's going in the memory bank 👍

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11 hours ago, Jambo said:

Yes, I am sure you are correct but maybe a somewhat different type of entertainment more like the scene in PP largely devoid of GoGo's.

That of course assumes Thailand will allow the great unwashed ferang from the west entry without restrictions. I keep saying it but that will not happen unless the Thai Government and its population accept the fact that Covid is never going to be totally eradicated and mass tourism means there will continue to be some positive cases. There has to be an end to quarantine periods or as much as general tourists might like to visit Thailand that simply will not happen.

Who comes to Pattaya for the beach?

It must be 10 years or more since I sat on Pattaya's beach. 🤣

Edinburgh had a better beach at Leith although one may well have died from hypothermia.

I was being a little sarcastic when I mentioned the beaches, I nearly mentioned the temples in the same sentence lol

I am pretty sure that the unwashed will return, plenty of them living in Thailand on UK benefits before and no doubt will again.... I am of the opinion that this pandemic will continue hurting the tourist industry for a while yet at some point foreigners will find themselves in Thailand again and will want to be entertained.

A lot of tourists were no longer interested in the go gos as they once were as their budget just didn't allow it, they congregate around the cheaper happy hour bars.  Some bar owners have bemoaned their old customers walking by their bars and drinking in other businesses which they say are less salubrious locations; having an ice cold beer isn't necessarily going to get them back. They will go where their buck goes further.

Those bars with lower rents, overheads etc might see some action in their old bar locations with existing or new tenants. Maybe the go gos will turn to more Asian concepts to lure those from China, Korea to spend their buck, must admit I certainly do not visit the go gos like I used to but always happy to drink in a beer bar.

The powers that be have been trying to get quality tourists for years and they will try again but I can't see the immigration rules being so restrictive that they will stop those with a desire to travel to Thailand for a beer and a girl. I think a lot of those drinking around Soi Bukhao, Diana etc will still get their beer fix but it will be interesting to see what happens to Walking Street and the LK Metro go gos.

Angeles city lost it's main market segment overnight in '91 yet the bars survived and moved forward with new segments coming in to support the locals that called it home. As long as people could still visit then new bars, new concepts cropped up.

I think it quite important to see what those living in Pattaya do as that may have an effect on those local bars surrounding their estates, many of them need entertainment but not necessarily in the tourist areas.

Can't comment on the go gos really as they have never been my main entertainment before and certainly not today.

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54 minutes ago, Washedup said:

Baan khun por, you say..that's going in the memory bank 👍

It's a great place to eat, I used to regularly get there at 6 pm as the sun went down, I parked myself in a good location near the beer bar and just enjoyed the great food. A plate of Pla Nin for 150 cooked to perfection, a couple of large cold Changs for 55 baht served by the promotional girls. 

I miss that place.

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On 1/16/2021 at 7:10 PM, Washedup said:

I bit leftfield , but to those of you who live in Thailand and with all the changes going on, if the Chinese were to ever move in on pattaya,,could there ever be another pattaya like place spring up somewhere else in Thailand. Could a place like udon or hua hin expand its bar scene? 

Udon too far away from beach. HH the Kings "summer residence" kind of a low key place, and I think will remain that way (regarding minimal naughty stuff). 

 

I'm back and forth on my thoughts regarding Pattaya, in respect to what may happen in the future.

I commented on my previous post how I don't really see it becoming a huge "family destination". Nothing has changed regarding those thoughts since.

But.... I do have to say when covid first hit (and I witnessed the entire lockdown first hand) my initial gut reaction and thoughts were - Now they (the anti-naughty groups) who have been outspoken against "nightlife zones" will have the political pull and public support they need to get their agenda through. That being a broad rejection of the beer bars, go-go's, etc.

Now.... as time went on and I branched out more throughout the town and viewed the carnage, the vast empty rooms, the empty baht buses, the lines of people waiting for food. My initial thoughts began to shift.

I began to weigh the chance that many of the folks who previously would have been strong advocates of bouncing the naughty scene out might be reconsidering. The reason why is perhaps they would see how economically devastating the loss of the market was having a huge negative impact on not only businesses, but on individuals who really had/have no other means of support (not to mention huge loss of tax revenue). The longer the shut down dragged on the more I began to see things in this respect.

So..... what am I trying to say here ? I don't think my initial thoughts of covid will be the final dagger in the heart of the monger scene will actually happen. Yet, I certainly don't see the investments pouring in to realistically transform the place into some family destination (that's for damn sure).

What I think now we will see at some point .... Slow return to what we were seeing before covid. Slow gradual shifting, continuation of the monger scene along with Indian small business investments. But we will see many vacant bars and shops for a long time. Those that are able to weather the storm and keep their places in good shape may survive and actually prosper.

It will be a long time coming for big changes.

Some will end up doing well, but they have to be able to wait it out, not just in the short term, but long term.

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3 hours ago, Horizondave said:

Not what I have heard although I am happy to be wrong.

I have a friend who lives in the 'Terminal' on Soi 88 who tells me most of the local style bars north of the railway are open when they are allowed to.  The rules change and some bars pretend to be restaurants. Some areas such as Soi 94 were closed early while others were open.

From what my friend tells me (and remember I am really talking about local bars serving those living in Hua Hin i.e not Bintibaht area) there were many bars still offering a beer and a girl even during the quiet times.

If all else fails get down to Baan Khun Por, the food area near the Soi 88 junction with the railway, that (again when allowed) is a great place to meet freelancers and local girls.

I also keep in touch with the HUAHIN Forum which gives local updates. 

The rules about closures etc are changing regularly and I think they were updated yesterday due to decreases in infection rates but need to check with my friend what that means for bars.

Which copper you know and money paid sometimes circumvents local rules.

 

 

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44 minutes ago, dcfc2007 said:

 

 

My post was specific that it wasn't about the Bintibaht area, all the bars in the video are within that tourist area and they will be definitely affected by a lack of footfall from tourism. Thais do not drink there either.

My comments are taken from a friend who lives there and visits the local bars of Soi 80/88/94/102 etc, these bars are frequented by foreigners who live there who, like those who live on the dark side in Pattaya, utilise the bars that spring up to service a small local clientele. These guys don't necessarily cross the Phetkasem road (Hua Hin) that often and are happy to locate themselves in the small bars near to their homes.

I think bars have been closed or restricted due to the ever changing rules in the Prachuap Khirikhan province but are probably run on a shoestring anyway and may still be around after the pandemic ceases and will continue to service those patrons who live nearby.

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1 hour ago, Horizondave said:

My post was specific that it wasn't about the Bintibaht area, all the bars in the video are within that tourist area and they will be definitely affected by a lack of footfall from tourism. Thais do not drink there either.

My comments are taken from a friend who lives there and visits the local bars of Soi 80/88/94/102 etc, these bars are frequented by foreigners who live there who, like those who live on the dark side in Pattaya, utilise the bars that spring up to service a small local clientele. These guys don't necessarily cross the Phetkasem road (Hua Hin) that often and are happy to locate themselves in the small bars near to their homes.

I think bars have been closed or restricted due to the ever changing rules in the Prachuap Khirikhan province but are probably run on a shoestring anyway and may still be around after the pandemic ceases and will continue to service those patrons who live nearby.

Ah right, I get you, I was talking about the Soi Bintabaht area. Its a nice wee soi for a night or two, but not exactly party central and it starts winding down quite early. I did venture into Hua Hins answer to ibar, quite busy but it was only two shophouses. When I was there the town was rammed with Thais.

They had an isaan music event in a large square, couldn't get a seat as there were hundreds and hundreds of Thais eating and drinking. I really, really like Hua Hin. It has everything you could possibly need without some of the hassles of Pattaya.

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20 minutes ago, dcfc2007 said:

Ah right, I get you, I was talking about the Soi Bintabaht area. Its a nice wee soi for a night or two, but not exactly party central and it starts winding down quite early. I did venture into Hua Hins answer to ibar, quite busy but it was only two shophouses. When I was there the town was rammed with Thais.

They had an isaan music event in a large square, couldn't get a seat as there were hundreds and hundreds of Thais eating and drinking. I really, really like Hua Hin. It has everything you could possibly need without some of the hassles of Pattaya.

Thought that was the club at the Hilton Hotel ? 

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29 minutes ago, Stillearly said:

Thought that was the club at the Hilton Hotel ? 

Possibly, there is another gaff I think it's called tropical, stays open till the wee hours with a dancefloor etc. It's actually a very decent spot though the music isn't exactly my scene. The best bar in Hua Hin for me is Father Ted's. Much preferred the Holiday Inn sky bar to the Hilton sky bar.

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