Bangkok - Soi 11 Musings
by greengrasser@yahoo.com

My first experience with Soi 11 (Sukhumvit) was in late 1981 or early 1982. I stayed at the Federal Hotel for a week or two. My memory is hazy because it was so long ago.

Federal Hotel was a moderate cheaper hotel that provided basic accommodations. I moved to the slightly more expensive and bigger room at the Nana Hotel because the location of the latter was better for me. Also, the walk from Sukhumvit Road along Soi 11 to the Federal Hotel seemed lengthy. This was partly due to the narrow, broken sidewalk and partly due to the quiet soi, especially at night when there was hardly any light to see where I was walking. In those days, the soi was lined on both sides, except for the corners near Sukhumvit Road, with two- or three-story buildings. Many had unfurnished rooms for rent.

Soi 11 in October 2007 is now very different with a government office building, massage parlors/spas, pubs, and other businesses. The Federal Hotel, www.federalbangkok.com , is still there, but is also very )different. For example, in its lobby towards the rear of the building, you can see through a plate glass window a swimming -pool separating a restaurant that fronts the building on the soi side. The lobby has been remodeled and the rooms have been refurbished. They do not look anything like the spartan walls and unadorned wooden furniture that I vaguely remember.

Soi 11 now also has hotels that it did not have in the early 1980s, namely, such hotels as Grand Business Inn, Grand President, and other accommodations for visitors. The Ambassador Hotel was there in those early years, but now its entrance is on Soi 11. Before, its lobby was in a building, now gone, on the Sukhumvit side, set back from the road by about 50 feet. That building was in an area where a new condominium is under construction. By the way, I saw a sign in the - men's room of a club that advertised aikido classes (phone 081-697-4877) at the Ambassador Hotel on Mon and Wed, 6 pm - 8 pm, and Sat, 3 pm - 5 pm.

Soi 11 now has some traffic in the evening. No doubt, some of the traffic is due to its nightlife, such as several classy restaurants, pubs, and nightclubs. That reminds me. Is there a chain of Hillary Bars? Besides its pub on Soi 11, there is another one on Soi 4. Who is Hillary? Is this a Bill Clinton enterprise?

Nightclubs, I counted now, were:

1. Spice Club. Located on the basement or garage level of the Ambassador Hotel Opens about midnight.

2. Twisted Republic. Under construction. See www.twistedrepublic.com

3. The Bed. Housed in an oval cylindrical structure, about two-storeys high. It is like an outdoor sculpture.

4. Genesis. Located where Soi 11 going north turns left. Its entrance fee of 100 baht includes one drink. Compared it to the drink menu price of 120 baht for a beer. Narrow room, two-storey ceiling, loft in the rear. Two dancing girls on the bar at the rear of the small room and on a pedestal in front of the bar. Great sound system, but sounds best if you are positioned in the middle of the room.

5. Q Bar. After Soi 11 going north turns left and then right, the club is located at the corner of the right turn. Sign on the door said opens 8 pm - late, 7 days. Another sign listed the dj's for each day of the week. See www.qbarbangkok.com

6. The Ritz Bangkok. Located next to Q Bar. It seems to be an entertainment membership club, according to its web site, www.ritzbangkok.com

7. Eden Club used to be on Soi 11 in the middle of the U-shaped alley near the Zanzibar restaurant. It is now on Soi 7/1.

In October 2007, there were two major construction efforts in their initial phase. One construction, across from the Federal Hotel, had a sign stating:
apart hotel for 2008, www.citadines.com
Other constuction, next to the Federal Hotel, had a sign stating: The Prime 11, starting 4.4 MB (million baht?), www.fragrantgroup.com

There are probably more locations of note on Soi 11. Of course, all areas close to the skytrain, including the Sukhumvit Road corridor, will eventually have rows of high-rise buildings bordering the skyline tracks. Soi 11, in a sense, reflects such development.

Keep on mowing.
GreenG

Its nice to know a little history, i didn`t know that the eden club was in soi 11 before it was in soi 7/1, and also i must try that bed club one day.

Yup, interesting to hear about places to stay as well, like Federal Hotel. I had never heard of it. If I'm ever doing a stopover in Bangkok, as I'm sure that's all I will do in the foreseeable future, I may try it out.