Pulled this off the Mango Hotline today and I thought I would pass it on as is - makes sense to me. A newbie is asking what would all the non-newbies tell a newbie about what to do and where to go. An exercise in building the newbie list by consensus possibly? Who knows but I think it is a valid request and worth a try. I am not sure if places to stay and what to eat are all that relevant but I am sure people have their opinions.
Also being a complete idiot and forgetting about all bbb content I will include this link:
http://www.2thebigmango.com/main/2007/08/22/the-newbies-itinerary/
Of course I am sure there is still stuff to add…
Here is the email:
Hey Guys, I have been reading the blog for around a month now and find it an endless source of awesome information.
After reading the new version of the mango weekly, I was inspired by your contribution request to fire off an email.
While I understand newbies like myself can get just about all the info they can possibly want by reading/searching the blog. The problem I am having now is information overload. (too much of a good thing)
I’ve just become single after almost 6 years, and while having been to Thailand twice before on your normal tourist style holiday. I’m going back for a month starting early October, the main difference this time is that I’m on my own and out for a good time. And I figure its a good way to celebrate being single and help me forget about all the problem back home.
The main purpose of this email is that I would like to know if you would ever consider doing a post similar to this one.
http://www.2thebigmango.com/reader-submissions/2008/01/10/novice-matt-needs-some-help/
Rather than ask which place is best, I was wondering if you could propose the question to your readers to make up some kind of ‘must do’ - single man whirlwind tour of BKK. I’m sure everyone has their fave places and what not, but I’d be very interested to see what people consider a ‘must do’ for the BKK scene especially for a first timer. Consider it a baptism of fire, or one of those life changing eye opening experiences.
It would probably also help a lot of other newbies like myself who have a general idea of what they want to do, but are now spoilt for choices.
It would be great to include accom, places to eat, and other general things as well as the p4p scene.
I wrote this guide for my old site, for precisely that reason.
I’d probably change a few of those choices now, but it’s worth reading through the comments.
And before ssB slaughters me for offering Annie’s as the token soapie, and Nana Disco as the freelancer hangout, those recommendations were down to geography and newbie-friendliness rather than excellence!
View all comments by Bangkok Bad Boy
bbb - I added it to the post cause I am dumb.
I freaking love nana disco but annies - I walk by an every time I see ugly, overly made up girls staring at me like they are in prison or something. Just kills the whole idea of going in especially knowing that a short cab ride or MRT ride virtual paradises exist.
View all comments by sideshowBOB
A high level overview:
Tourist spots: Grand Palace, Wat Pho, Vimanack(sp?) Mansion, JJ market and/or Suan Lum Night Bazaar
Food: try some street food, Duke Burger at the Duke of Wellington, food hall at Central Chidlom or Central World, Chinatown. For high end food, the Peninsula has a nice Chinese restaurant, Four Seasons has good Italian
Accommodation: depends on your budget. I think the Citadines apt/hotels are a great deal. Have a new location on Sukhumvit 8 and are running a deal for 1600 Baht/night till the end of the year. Sukhumvit 11 location will open soon and they have one on Sukhumvit 16 and 23 both close to Soi Cowboy.
Nightlife: if you’re only looking for p4p bars/areas I’ll hold off and let other people comment. Outside that scene you should check out a coyote bar/g-club, its a great experience. Also head up to Ratchada and try one of the large massage joints eg Poseidon, Emmanuelles, Copa Caabana. Outside of that depending on your age you could check out a Thai type club like Santika or something at RCA (young crowd)to get a different flavour for Thai nightlife.
Just some thoughts, I’m sure people will disagree.
Cheers
View all comments by bkk22
a lot of people say they hate it but a night at Khao San Road is always interesting. No better place in the World to drink beers and people (freak) watch. You can eavesdrop on some backpacker conversations where they brag about living for 6 months on $1.50.
View all comments by RonBaltimore
I’m pretty much a newb myself, but that might not be all bad in this case.
Tourist stuff - Wat Traimit, weekend market, take a river boat ride, Muay Thai at least once.
Food - Get off at the Thong Lor BTS station and get in line behind whichever cart has the longest line of Thais.
P4P - I’m mostly a MP guy, so I’d try one of the high end places mentioned here all the time (Poseidon, Emanuelle, etc.), as well as Ogoto or Orchid or a ball massage.
My fave place to start a night out with a cocktail and a snack is Vertigo at the Banyan Tree. Easy access to the Duke and/or Patpong as well.
Enjoy, if you can’t have fun in BKK you need to get checked to see if you have a pulse.
View all comments by tosh
Get yourself down to Nana Plaza late afternoon and position yourself on the rail at Big Dogs bar (first bar on the left at the entrance). Just sit until the sun goes down and watch the girls, and some not so girly going to work. An amazing free show.
View all comments by PRP
Better than that ‘PRP’, is to sit at the Big Dogs at 2am…..
View all comments by Daywalker
If you stay 1 month you’ll have enough time to try almost everything, at least once, but here are a few “must do” experiences in BKK, in my opinion.
- Gogo Bar with pretty girls (no, this is not that ovbious!): Shark, Doll House (sometimes), Rainbow 1 or Rainbow 4.
Or Santika or Escudo in Thong Lo.
- Gogo Bar with glass ceiling and sexy girls above: Baccara.
- Gogo Bar with sexy shows: Angel Witch.
- Gogo Bar with L Shows: Suzie Wong.
- Gogo Bar with Ladyboys: haven’t done that yet actually but I’m sure that must be fun. Go with friends, though. I guess any one of them in NanaPlaza will do it.
- 3some: Eden club.
- Teen massage: Teen 1,2,3, Orchid, Angel 26 or Aviva.
- Soapy: Emmanuelle, Poseidon, or another big one on Ratchada.
- BJ bar: Lolita.
- Freelancer: Gulliver or NewWave or in the steet between Suk soi 3 and soi 5.
- AfterHours: NanaDisco is a “must see”. It is “so Sukhumvit” ;). Then Spice, Spicy, Boss or Tunnel: chose one.
- NightClub: Bed is a must, at least for the look. Twisted Republic, Titanium and Glow are fun too.
- Thai NightClub: Road66 on RCA. To remind you that all Thai girls are not bar girls
I let others recommend the tourist and food stuffs.
Regarding accommodations: If you are looking for something cheap and close to the action, check the small hotels on Suk soi 4 (everything between Nana Plaza and the end of the soi). You can find places there as cheap as 600 or 700 baht a night, clean, with hot shower and air con. And girl friendly
View all comments by Suk Psycho
I see Daywalker has been reading my replies to BBB’s epochal blog piece, in his usual lazy-assed way. He is right, though. Big Dogs at throwing-out time is THE great Bangkok spectacle. Followed by a stroll along Bannkok’s leafy Suk Street, taking in the sights of a sophisticated city by night!
- RELAX with a drink at the rustic street bar near the Majestic Suites where the girls are healthy, broad-shouldered lasses with sexy husky voices. Ask for a “vodka” and throw it back down your throat! Wake up hours later in a squalid short-time hotel with your arse in tatters and your bank cards gone.
- CHAT with the many charming local girls strolling with their friends - or idly watching the world go by - on the North side of the avenue, between the charming Nana BTS Station and Robinson’s Department Store. You’ll find they understand English, and are lively conversationalists, keen to welcome the foreign visitor. If your guide suggests a visit to your hotel to relax a while away from the bustle of the Capital, it is considered bad form to refuse. Evenings spent with a cultural companion in the comfort of your hotel suite are an unforgettable introduction to Buddhist Culture! Expect to pay around 20 baht.
- DONATE a few thousand baht notes to the “amputee” crawling on his belly - all money goes to helping amputee orphan homeless AIDS victims!
- JOKE with the “Boys in Brown” - the friendly local policemen who enjoy nothing better than someone pretending to “steal” their gun and “shoot” them with it! Thailand really is the land of smiles!
Hope this helps! Oh - don’t forget to THROW YOUR SHOES at Buddhist shrines and temples to show you’re really “one of the natives”!
View all comments by Pants Elk
Book into Nana Hotel (do this through internet Google Search will do it). Hang out at the Nana Golden Bar from around 3 pm and people watch. Talk to the girls. After 4.30 pm take a stroll up Soi 4 to the Big Mango Bar (left as per map) or head up further to Soi 6 and go left and have a few drinks in Alex Bar. Come back to Nana Golden Bar after or between change of shifts at 7 pm. Eat anywhere, but Charlies’s Kitchen (opposite Golden Bar), Bus Stop etc are all good. Decide if tonight is for a Nana Plaza experience and if so just walk over the road. Check out the Bigmango guide for recent reviews. If you escape without bar fining when things close head to Nana Car park and just watch… beware of approaches .get a beer from the beer lady… you are in control.. head into Angels Disco. easy pick ups if you can dance. Enjoy!
They take the ID cards of the girls at the lifts at Nana Hotel and ring when they leave (must have had a problem lately).
Next day after you say goodbye to your new TGF in the afternoon take a walk up Sukumvit to Soi 7/1 and call into Ring Bar (look for Wan or Nana). Have a drink anyway and say you might be back for massage with happy ending.
Go back to Nana Golden, Big Mango (for a feed), or Alex Bar and get set for a taxi to Soi Cowboy. Cross Sukhumvit at the walking crossing and hail down a taxi as soon as you hit the other side. They will stop after around 20-50 metres and ask them to take you to Soi Cowboy. Again check out the latest in the Big Mango Guide, but we suggest an introducty beer at Castus (John will be there), then Shark, Tilac, and surprisingly for us after our last visit, Our Place! Maybe we were too mal by then but we all barfined and they scrubbed up excellent the next day.
Enough, now I am getting too nostalgic and know I won’t be back until December for the 4th time this year. Tony will be back again in October!
Cheers
View all comments by 3amigos
I had one of those seaweed gel body massages at Copa Cobana a couple of months ago and it was one of the most memorable experiences in 11 years of banging in Thailand - I would definitely list it as a “must-do”.
View all comments by Nok Opayop
well when i’m in BKK, I always plan my time (sort of).
arriving: drink and watch people go by. most of the times you’ll find some amusing characters. maybe pick up a conversation or two or even pick up a wing man.or sometimes i go to a proper Thai massage to loosen up the body after a long flight, then drink some more and oogle at office ladies getting of work. i’ve personally met 1 girl who was coming home from work all jacket, blouse and shit and met her later that night in a MP!
late afternoon: off to the MP. my favorites are copa cabana & emmanuelle (ratchada). tried poseidon, ceasars, victoria, nataree, annie’s etc. well last time (4 days ago) went to copacabana around 7pm and went upstairs to their supposedly “model” line up. great lineup! got a girl named Pan and lets just say we were still doin the dirty thang when the phone rings reminding of our time has finished. superb!!ask for her.
night:if u wanna save a little and wanting to see some real hotties, then go up early to the bars. catch the happy hours and watch the girls as they come to work. soi cowboy, made lots friends there over the years. depending on your mood and what you’re looking for. nana, patpong, beer bars, pool bars, G-clubs, BJ, disco, live music.. theres something for everyone! try it at least once! or see some reviwes: http://guide.2thebigmango.com/ but i personally like to visit em all first time.
late nights/mornings: now this depends on what ur doing earlier. if you BFed then u know what goes on. if not then u might want to head for some FL at Nana or along Sukhumvit or other bars mentioned here (personally i’m a little afraid of the girls in the streets hahahaa). Once I was with the mamasan and 3 of her girls and they brought me to a small Thai only bar. I thought I was gonna be dead fo shure!! with those nasty lookin locals hanging out at the door but lucikly i looked a bit Thai (my chinese heritage) so it was bloody good time until 6am!! oh yeah and all 3 girls crash at my place
if you’re a frequent visitor then u can try to make friends with the girls. first few times i didn’t even BF any of the girls (my little man hated me for that LOL). I’d go to MP before heading out to the bars. so at least I’m not too horny hahaa. You’ll be suprised after a while the girls might took a liking to you cos u don’t seem like a horny old hounddog just looking to screw every girls he met and the fact that you’re a walking ATM machine. so i’ve got most of their numbers and sometimes hang out with them after work (theirs not mine). one time some of them even took my wallet and hid it in their bra so I can’t leave cos they wanna take me out after work. i’d save on BFs but of course these girls can drink, so i’m short on cash but it’ll cost me more to BF 1 girl than a bottle of JD that comes with 3 girls!!
ermm..just my experience. i go there almost every month or two.
View all comments by smokiee
balls massage…do it!
View all comments by smokiee
A simple plate of Chicken fried rice at the Mango? Even better than my local back home.
View all comments by AUK
Just follow werewolf around…..
View all comments by doctorbond
Hi Guys ( from miserable London ) can anyone comment on the Manhattan Hotel in Soi 15 - and good? and importantly, guest friendly ?
Looking forward to my return and seeing the ‘new’ Mango
View all comments by Cowboy Old Hand
NEWBIE QUESTION - DISCREET PLACE FOR FUN OUTSIDE SUKHUMVIT
Hi,newbie question from someone new to the town and wanting to spend discreet hours or evenings, which ever more convenient with a “gig”, ie. your Thai girl who does not ever want to be seen on Sukhumvit outside a short time hotel there. Ie. office girl a friend of mine who wants to occasionally to have fun me but we don’t know suitable places. As I cant take her to my place and she cant take me to her place. I have understood that there are short time places for Thais in similar situations…Where to find any places and how much they cost compared to shorties along sukhumvit (300 baht - 500 baht).
muchos gracias
View all comments by Kevin
kevin - why just use a nice hotel or say something like the peep inn near ratchada?
http://guide.2thebigmango.com/thailand/bangkok/hotels/short_time/other/peep-inn-2/
View all comments by sideshowBOB
Wow, thanks for quick reply! That Peep Inn sounds fun! Found the review, on Sukhumvit soi 33 here on this site, hmm 600 baht for six hours. But it is still on Sukhumvit so I better be safe before suggesting this to her to find other options to choose from.
As we dont see it reasonable to throw money into the hotel room every now and then just to express our carnal pleasures and both being on bit of low salaries so log in to some “real hotel” is kinda waste (I can instead take her out for bit nicer food instead to arouse our apetites). As long as it is clean in shower and bedroom we are good to go…clean floors are nice addition for some cold tile floor gymnastics too…
View all comments by Kevin
this is not suk - it is Thiamrummit - near ratchada
http://guide.2thebigmango.com/thailand/bangkok/hotels/short_time/other/peep-inn-2/
View all comments by sideshowBOB
click the map…
View all comments by sideshowBOB
Ohhhh ok, because the search here gives out review of Peep Inn with the same little pic of the hotel logo, or so it seemed, talking about the theme rooms and so on. Ok, there really IS two Peep Inns then.
Thank you for clearing this out for me. 
View all comments by Kevin