i am visiting thailand for the first time.?
is there anything that i have to do before i leave? is the floating market in bangkok worth my time. i need to bring back a gift for my girl friend what would be a good idea?
Visiting Pattaya Sex District on a Budget
If you're ever in Bangkok's sex district on a budget and consider things there as expensive then head on over to Pattaya. When it comes to sleeping, eating and meeting ladies of the night, Pattaya is definitely a more affordable place for tourists on a shoe string budget.
Cheapest Way to Get to Pattaya
Pattaya is easy to get to. In Bangkok, head over to Eastern Terminal bus station in Ekkamai. A fare cost 113 baht and buses depart every 30 - 40 minutes starting at 5am to 11pm. The bus from Bangkok will drop you off at the Pattaya bus terminal and from there on you'll find plenty of taxis to take you to where ever you're staying at. This is the cheapest way. A taxi will cost you around B2,000.
Cheap places to find ladies of the night
Men come from all over the world to meet ladies in Pattaya. You can meet them in go go bars. But you have to buy overpriced drinks for yourself and the bar girl. Then you have to pay a bar fine before you can take her back to your hotel. Total those all together and you're already paying 800 baht. But that's not all, you still have to pay the lady for her time to roll in bed with you. For short time (1 hour) it's 1,500 baht. Long time (overnight) it's around 2,500 baht to 5,000 baht depending on the time of night or how good looking she is. So what's your best option?
Take a stroll through Walking Street which leads into Beach road. These streets are easy to find. They run along Pattaya beach. You'll find Thai freelancers all along these places, standing around either in groups or alone. You'll also find ladyboys scattered around there too. Best thing of all it's free to watch these girls and you won't have to buy a beer like in a go go bar. And even if you want one, just head over to a 7 Eleven store and pick yourself up a 2 liter Heineken beer for 45 baht.
And when you find one you like you won't even have to pay a bar fine which can cost 500 baht.
Most Thai freelancers charge around 1,000 baht for short time and around 3,000 baht to 4,000 baht for long time. But if you're not too picky on looks you can convince a freelancer to go with you for 400 baht for short time.
Cheap Hotels to Stay in Pattaya
There are many cheap budget hotels in Pattaya that are right in the sex district. You'll find many for around 500 baht per night for a basic room. But it's really important that you stay in a hotel that has a guest friendly policy. This just means the hotel doesn't have a policy of charging their guests a fee for taking a lady back to their rooms. A non-guest friendly hotel would typically charge you 300 baht to 500 baht.
Staying in a guest friendly hotel is key to saving money and makes total sense. It's a better alternative to taking a bar girl or freelancer to a short time hotel. A room there will cost you 300 baht for the hour. So why pay extra when your own hotel room is perfectly fine for what you've come to Pattaya to do.
Cheap eats in Pattaya
Who doesn't like a breakfast buffet? The Lek Hotel on Pattaya 2nd Road between soi 12 and soi 13 offers a breakfast buffet for 95 baht. You don't have to be a hotel guest. It starts at 7am and ends at 1pm (yes 1pm, it's not a mistake). Dinner is 160 baht and starts at 6pm to 10:30pm. Eating at the Lek Hotel is very popular and the food is decent with plenty of Thai and international cuisine.
And of course there are plenty of street side restaurants with plates of chicken and rice for only 30 baht or barbecue chicken or pork skewers for 10 baht to keep your belly full.
Pattaya is certainly a dream come true for budget travelers and if you know where to stay, eat and have fun, the money in your bank account can really go a long way.
To find more guest friendly hotels under 1,000 baht visit Pattaya Budget Girl Friendly Hotels. You can also visit Pattaya Nightlife Guide for more information on where to go and stay in Pattaya's red light district.
Jim Hunt is an expat in Thailand. Through the dozen years he's been living there he has become the unofficial welcome mat to visiting friends from all over the world. He is also a contributor to http://www.bangkokguestfriendlyhotels.com
Visiting Bangkok’s Sex District on a Budget
Having fun in Bangkok's sex districts can be get quite costly. Things are still affordable in Bangkok. But wouldn't it be great to live in a good hotel, eat well, play hard and still have enough money in your pocket when you are back home?
Cheapest way to get to Bangkok from the airport
The cheapest way to get to Bangkok from the airport is the airport express bus. To find it, head to the 2nd floor and look for entrance #8. There are two ticket offices, one inside by entrance #8 and one outside where the airport express stops and departs. There are only 4 routes and each makes stops to or near most hotels in central Bangkok. A ticket is only 150 baht. There is also a public bus option but if you're a first timer it is not recommend. Getting lost with luggage through an often hot and humid street in Bangkok is a surefire way for a bad experience.
Budget places to stay in Bangkok's sex districts
There are 3 red light districts: Patpong, Nana and Soi Cowboy. It's best to pick a hotel near Nana red light district. There are more affordable budget hotels in that area. Plus you can walk to Soi Cowboy from Nana in 20 minutes.
It's also ideal to stay in a hotel that doesn't charge you a fee for taking a lady, gay or ladyboy back to your room. These hotels are called guest friendly, such as the ones listed below:
Swiss Park Woraburi Sukhumvit Boss Suites Majestic Suites Nana Hotel
Those hotels are in the 1,000 baht to 1,500 baht range and are very popular hotels right within Nana red light district. Are there any cheaper hotels? Yes, but not by much and in any case, not worth staying in. Spend a few hundred baht more and you'll be in a comfortable quality hotel.
By staying in a guest friendly hotel, you can take a lady to your room, instead of resorting to renting a room in a short time hotel that cost 300 baht for the hour.
Where to meet ladies and save money
There are plenty of places where Thai freelancers stand around in Nana red light district. They charge around 1,500 baht for short time and 3,000 to 5,000 baht for long time (depending on how early it is in the night). Freelancers are the best ways to save money.
If you were in a go go bar you'd be paying for expensive drinks for you and the bar girl. And to get her out of the bar you have to pay a bar fine to the establishment. On top of that you have to pay for the bar girls time. You'll be paying at least a minimum of 2,800 baht total for fun in a go go bar.
Cheap eats in Bangkok
To really save money on food do what the locals do, eat at street side restaurants. Overall foods of all types such as fast foods, food courts and food in supermarkets run by Thais are good choices to sample a wide variety of food for cheap.
A bowl of noodle with bits of pork and green vegetables by a street stand is about 30 baht in central Bangkok. A small bottle water is 5 baht. If you want a can of Coca Cola soda it's 14 baht in a 7 Eleven. The rule of thumb is if you can avoid the McDonald's and Burger Kings you'll save a significant amount of money.
Beer is also cheap. You can pick up a large can of local beer for 35 baht. And since drinking beer on the street is legal (except Buddha holidays) you can sit by and watch freelancers.
Bangkok has always been an affordable place to stay for a long stay vacation. Though prices have slowly been creeping up for almost everything, especially for tourists. But through a bit of discipline and self control you can still have the best time in Bangkok's red light districts and still save money.
Jim Hunt is an expat living and working in Thailand, where he writes and reports in Bangkok red light district travel guide and Pattaya Nightlife Guide.
For a list of even more hotels that don't charge joiner fees visit http://www.bangkokguestfriendlyhotels.com the largest online resource on hotels that don't charge joiner fees.