The action in Hat Yai is not concentrated in one "red light district". It is spread all around the central part of town. The good news is a tuk-tuk ride before midnight will only cost 10B per person, if you get too far from your hotel and don't want to walk back. There are reportedly over 100 hotels and 300 karaokes in downtown.

There are essentially seven types of establishments where one can find working girls in Hat Yai. They are:

1. Fishbowl karaoke - primarily short time, with rooms on premises. Soapy massage available in some. Price 500B - 2000B+. LT price unknown.
2. Non-fishbowl karaoke - primarily long time. No rooms on premises in most, if not all. Price 1000B - 2500B with no more than a 500B discount for ST, if any.
3. Restaurants - There are some restaurants which are only open for dinner and which feature photos of women by the front door. I was told by a regular that these feature mostly Chinese women in their late twenties, and the price is 2000B - 3000B, presumably for LT. Supposedly the ladies are very talented. I have no first hand info.
4. Discos - as of January 2002, Manhattan Disco was the only one I heard mentioned. Mostly freelancers, or girls from the restaurants who were not picked earlier in the night. Action reportedly gets good around midnight. Price 1000B - 1500B ST or LT.
5. Health Clubs - similar to non-fishbowl karaokes. No other info.
6. Beauty salons - not sure if all girls are available, but some definitely are. Price unknown, but my guess would be 1000B for LT.
7. Sex shows - the girls are available after the show, but apparently have to be discreet about it. I suspect that the price varies greatly, but 1000B - 1500B is probably a good guess for LT. ST maybe 500B - 1000B.

In Hat Yai, as in the rest of Thailand, any place advertising "Ancient Massage" or "Traditional Massage" does not have girls available for sex. These are legitimate massage places.

Exchange rate as of January 2002: USA$1 = 43B

3% surcharge for credit cards appeared to be standard everywhere we inquired

Recommended hotels and travel agents:

Chan Travel: 26/2-7 Sanaehanusorn Road, telephone 074-223729. Excellent English, good hotel selection, good prices

707 Travel: 132/2,4 Niphat Uthit 3 Road, telephone074-243138. Slightly better prices and still adequate English, lesser selection of hotels.

Sakura Grand View Hotel: 186 Niphat-Uthit 3 Road, telephone 074-355700
3.5 - 4 stars. 830B from Chan Travel, 820B from 707. It was a very nice room, although I found the omission of a hair dryer and Kleenex perplexing for a hotel of this caliber. Service and cleanliness were excellent. King size bed, tub and shower, excellent view from our 7th floor rooms. The prices on the well-stocked refrigerator were in line with what one would expect; about 2 - 3 times the price in a store, but dirt cheap by U.S. or even Singapore standards. Prices for cokes, beer, and alcohol ranged from 25 - 80B. Laundry service for 3 days worth of clothing was 176B, and it was ready in a few hours. Great breakfast buffet for 90B. Fishbowl karaoke in the hotel for the ultimate in room service, but rather expensive at 2500B - 3000B.

BP Grand Suite Hotel: Sanaehanusorn Road, exact address and phone number unknown
4 Stars. Larger room than Sakura GV with somewhat nicer furniture, but less cheerful or well-lit. 1140B from 707 with free breakfast, reportedly 900B for room only.

Great stuff. Thank you for the information. Hat Yai is in the South I presume? If so, is there a large muslim population and are most of the girls locals or from Northeast?

Far south - the first major city north of Malaysia. There is more introductory info back in Part 3 of my report. It is the place to go for sex for guys who live in Northern Malaysia. Not much Muslim population, although there was in central and south Malaysia. The girls are mostly from the north, primarily from the areas around Udon Thani, Chang Mai, and Bangkok. Considering the amount of sex work available in the latter two cities, I am assuming the girls just don't want to run into people they know.