Entertainment Establishments of Note:
Like I said, I was overwhelmed with the quantity of P4P establishments. There is no way to mention them all, but here I will mention the ones I liked best and why. More than anything else though, to someone who has not been to the LOS I would suggest going out and bar-hopping to find out on one's own what are the favored locations. These are simply my observations and opinions based on my own personal tastes.

New Living Dolls One, Soi Happy, Pattaya: For ambiance, quality of girls, service staff and management, this was my favorite go-go in the LOS. There was no pressure to buy drinks or invite the girls, and on each night it seemed like they had the perfect ratio of girls to customers. I also really liked one girl there, who had some really nice Chinese-looking features and a great body. She was a bit of a clinger and a drama queen after a night or two, but I was able to sort through that and have a good time in there on several different occasions.

Super Baby a Go-Go, Soi Diamond, Pattaya: The ambiance and management were a step below NLD1, in my opinion, but the girls were hot and the lighting was better. I pulled three girls from here, all of them to my taste and all of them very friendly and happy to go with me. Two of the three wanted to stay all night, although I'd only negotiated short time.

Angel Witch, Nana Plaza, Bangkok: I think they were in the upper echelon of quality girls, the shows were entertaining, and Dave the Rave was a really friendly and hospitable guy. Regarding the shows, I'm not saying that they were of Broadway quality or anything like that, but I could certainly appreciate the amount of effort that the girls and the staff must put in to pulling them off. They weren't at all the type of shooting ping-pong balls or blowing out birthday candle shows that I've always heard about in the LOS. Many of them were choreographed dances that I found an entertaining contrast to the other go-go's.

Rainbow 4, Nana Plaza, Bangkok: In my opinion, this place had the hottest girls per capita out of any entertainment establishment that I visited in LOS. The music was a little too loud, the lighting a little too dark, and it was very crowded, but man those girls were something. That's the bar where I found the J-Lo booty, as well as the girl who wanted to be tied up (see anecdotal section of report). I took one girl out, who wanted me to take her to some lady boy bar on the third level so that we could ride on a mechanical bull. That was actually very amusing in a surreal way, and she turned out to be a real GFE.

Tulip, Sukhumvit & Soi 38 (Thong Lo Skytrain Station), Bangkok: A basic shower, massage and sex, but the lineup was good and the girl was very friendly. I liked this place because it was right at the Thong Lo Station, only three stops away from Nana station.

CP 2, Phaya Thai Skytrain Station, Bangkok: I have a particular affection for this place, because this is where I did my first soapie. I was intrigued by the idea of it, and I did really enjoy the experience. The girl I took was average looking, but she had a really warm smile and provided great service. I also liked that they had an expansive food & drink menu, and they let you sit there, enjoy your drink and take time in making a selection. This was the best of all the fishbowl/soapie places that I visited.

Beer Bars, Pattaya: I would be remiss not to mention these, although they do seem to all blend together. Beer bars are fun to walk by, and worthy of a stop and a drink should something catch your eye. The girls are less expensive, and some gems can be found.

Honorable Mentions: Shark Bar in Soi Cowboy, PlaySkool in Nana Plaza, and Baccara in Soi Cowboy, Rainbow 1 in Nana Plaza, and Happy a Go-Go on Soi Happy in Pattaya. Each one had a decent selection and pretty good ambiance, and in my opinion are worthy of the time spent.

Pricing Guide:
I don't think of myself as a Cheap Charlie, but I like to know what the market is paying and I am usually happy to pay that. Between listening to quotes, friendly negotiations and chatting it up with other mongers who were there at the time, these to me seemed like the market rates and describes what I paid.

Bangkok Go-Go's: 600 bar fine, 2K for short time and 3K for long time
Bangkok Freelancers (Nana Disco, Beer Garten, etc): 1.5K for short time, 2K for long time
Pattaya Go-Go's: 600 bar fine, 1.5K for short time and 2.5K for long time
Pattaya Beer Bars: 300 bar fine, 700 - 1K for short time, 1K - 1.5K for long time.
Sopaies: 1.6K - 1.9K, all inclusive

On the other hand, I found it difficult to think in Baht as opposed to Euros or Dollars, and I also found it hard to think of pricing not in terms of the market, but rather in terms of what things cost in my real life. I earn and spend in Euros now, so I had a tendency to think of spending 2,000 baht on a lay as 40 euros, or the cost of a meal at a decent restaurant in Munich. With that approach everything felt like a real bargain, but it also opens the door to ignoring market prices and overpaying.

Hotels:
My trip consisted of three segments, and I stayed in a different hotel for each.

Segment 1, Bangkok, Dec 15 - 19, Dynasty Inn - Paid 1,280 Baht per night for a clean although basic room. It has a bed, a TV, A/C that worked moderately well, a safe, mini-bar and hot water. There is also a 24 hour restaurant with free wireless internet service for guests. I don't have anything too negative to say about this place, and the location is perfect. It's a good place for a first-timer, but I will likely not stay there again unless everything else in town is booked. I found the staff there indifferent, and they gave me a difficult time trying to reserve a seat on the bus down to Pattaya (where I was also staying at the Dynasty).

Sorry to bore you with the story, but when I made the initial reservations they said I could take the bus in between their two locations, no problem. The day before I went to the desk to confirm, and they said I was not on the list. Then they said I had to pay a higher rate for the first two nights down in Pattaya in order to take advantage of the shuttle service. It was a price difference of 200B, but was enough of a slap in the face such that I would prefer not to stay there again.

Segment 2, Pattaya, Dec 20 - 29, Dynasty Inn - This was a nicer hotel than the Dynasty Inn in Bangkok, but the staff there, in my opinion, were downright unfriendly. I'll tell two stories to illustrate this.

Being a creature of habit, I went to the restaurant and ordered the same breakfast every morning. After the third day, the waitress actually remembered my order and asked me if I wanted the same. I said yes, and she got it right, which was cool. So the next day, the same waitress again asked me if I wanted the same, and again I said yes. This time she brought me orange juice instead of pineapple. I politely asked her if I could change to pineapple (which is what I'd ordered each morning previous), and she basically told me no, that I had ordered the same and that's what I got.

Another thing, during checkout I asked if they could help me get a ride back to Bangkok. The guy at the front desk, who was downright surly, quoted me 1700 Baht for the hotel taxi. Now, I take pride in being courteous with all human beings, and in that spirit I questioned the price, noting that a public taxi should cost me no more than 1000 Baht. He turned his head up to me with a look that said "well than fuck you, go get one of those taxis." He simply repeated the 1700 B quote, at which I declined. I walked across the street to the taxi stand, asked how much to take me to Nana Plaza in Bangkok, and was quoted 1200 Baht. I negotiated down to 1,000 Baht, and the very pleasant individual wrote me a receipt and had me on my way in a matter of minutes.

So in summary, the Dynasty Inn Pattaya is a decent facility in a great central location, but with complete jack-asses for a staff. I would not stay there again.

Segment 3, Bangkok, Dec 29 - Jan 2, Majestic Grande - I had booked and paid for this hotel in advance on asiarooms.com ($108 USD per evening), and was very pleased. It is primarily a non-mongering hotel, but its size combined with a touch of discretion on my part masked my activities and avoided any conflicts or dirty looks. In addition, the hotel was top quality. It was on par with a typical Marriott or Sheraton that I use when traveling for business. The girls enjoyed the view from my 23rd floor room, and I enjoyed the high quality facilities, comfortable bed and fancy bar downstairs. If it's within one's budget, this is a great choice of a hotel. If and when I go back, I would be happy to stay there once again, and might even try the Majestic Suites, it's more economical partner property which is actually in an even better location.

Transportation:
I went on my major transportation rant in the section on the Dynasty in Pattaya, so I'll keep this short. I flew direct between Munich and Bangkok on Thai airways, which was great. I used me status with Lufthansa to set priority seat selection, and was able to sleep both to and from.

I used the skytrain to get around Bangkok, and found that quite easy. For 440 Baht I purchased a card which gave me 20 rides, and that was just about what I used. The skytrain is very straightforward, and I recommend it over the Tuk Tuks and motorcycle taxis.

In Pattaya, Baht Buses are the way to go. For those who've not been, a baht "bus" is not actually a bus, but rather a blue pickup truck with benches and a roof over the bed. You can flag one down at any intersection, and since most of the roads are one way and distances generally short, you can pretty much trust it to go where you want. When you want to get off, just ring the bell (which is fixed to the roof and looks like a doorbell) and the driver will pull over. The price is 10 Baht, and I suggest having plenty of 10 Baht coins with you. When you get off, just hand over a 10 baht coin and be on your way without further discussion.

A lot of guys rent motorbikes in Pattaya, and while admittedly I've never driven one, my next trip I might make the effort to learn. It's pretty nice to have the bike at one's disposal, and I think it'd be fun to just drive around the town and explore.

So if you stay at Marriotts when you travel why dont you use Marriott points to stay at the JW Marriott opposite Nana Plaza?

Good question. I use points when I am spending free time in more high-cost locations. For example, if I travel to London or Chicago for business, I might stay for a weekend, in which case I'll use points b/c in those places there are no decent lower-cost options. In Bangkok, I wouldn't waste points because I can spend 40 or 50 euro a night and be in a 4 star hotel.

LM