23 replies to this topic

[dolypardon]

The wild west boys bar, one of Pattaya's best go go bars,lowered their drinking prices.
They serve drinks for 99 baht till 10.p.m.
Thats cheap if you are interested to see nice boys buns for a reasonable price in a fully aircon and luxurious enviroment.

Unfortunately most of the boys smoke and the best seat in the house is next to the boys smoking table.

[Trongpai]

Yes, but after 10 the price goes up to 300 and the show is at 10:30. The BF and I were last night, show not worth 600. Has the show always been that bad? or did I just catch a bad night. Not erotic, no sex and the dancing was boring. The house was packed?

I felt tricked too. The door tout pointed to the 99 TB price and then we go in and we are told it's one min past 10 and now all drinks are 300. I started to leave, the BF and the waiter got in some long discussion and the price came down but not to 99.

At least in Bangkok, at say, Dream Boys you get an interesting show for your 200 TB drink.

[Khun Jon]

I've known one of the guys who now dances in the show for around three years. At Christmas the show was OK but nothing really special.

A few weeks ago I saw the show out of loyalty to my friend a couple of times. It was slightly different each time but was basically very poor indeed.

I usually avoid the shows anyway as they rarely seem worthwhile to me.

[daa raa]

Wild West Boys opened in it's old location on September 30, 2005.

[Haloi]

Yes, but after 10 the price goes up to 300 and the show is at 10:30.

That's absurd !!! 300 baht for one drink is US $ 9 per drink.

Even at 99 baht before 10PM, that's US $ 3 - for a glass of club soda ??

IN PARIS, maybe......but in PATTAYA ???? For a lousy show to boot !!!!

Forget it .

[Khun Jon]

Wild West Boys opened in it's old location on September 30, 2005, not even 2 years ago.

I've known him since he worked at Gaycua before he moved to Wild West Bar. I didn't say he'd worked at Wild West for three years if you actually read what I wrote before posting your reply.

[DollyLamma]

What does this bar charge for an off ?

[A friend]

Perhaps the 'show bars' should charge a fee to watch a show, allowing them to cover the costs of production. There would be no need or justification for them to charge more for drinks than a host bar. Those customers that drink heavily will not be put off doing so if the drink prices are reasonable. The bar will not lose out if they get a customer making his drink last forever, as he's paid to get in.

Charging to see a show might even have the desirable effect of driving up production standards. Customers are becoming more sophisticated; if bars want to charge a premium, it has to be justified, or customers will vote with their feet.

[Trongpai]

if bars want to charge a premium, it has to be justified, or customers will vote with their feet.

I am not a Pattaya resident and don't know much about the bars but it seems to me that the bars can survive on a never ending supply of hapless tourists and forgo the repeat customer base, aka pattaya expats.

I guess the cheap charly trick here is if you want to see the show (I don't recommend it) is to arrive at 9:59, order the 99TB drink and sip it slowly until the show starts at 10:30.

[A friend]

Tronpai, you make a very fair point with regard to the hapless tourists. However, many of the gay tourists come year after, some for many weeks at a time. I would suggest the 'passing trade' in these bars is minimal. Also, the WWW has made access to information very easy. The world is changing but not, it seems, the Pattaya gay scene.

[Lordy]

The world is changing but not, it seems, the Pattaya gay scene.

NO No No...you are wrong. Its been changin ---for the worse. Dogs, Dogs and more dogs is what you find in most of these bars in Boyztown. The current crop of dancers is about the worst this avid Thaiboy fan has seen in the last 10 years. Where are they getting these men from ? I am beginning to suspect that the good looking boys left in the market are all heading for Bangkok where the money is much better for the rent trade. Pattaya is getting the leftovers and also ranz.

[A friend]

I put the 'deterioration of quality' down to the explosion in the number of bars. Long gone are the days when a go-go bar could be picky over who it employed. Nowadays, if they don't want to be left with just a handful of boys, standards have to be compromised.

[TheYenta]

put the 'deterioration of quality' down to the explosion in the number of bars.

I don't see it that way. I just spent five days touring all of the Bangkok bars and the quality of gogo boys in Bangkok is far better than Pattaya, in my estimate, both good looks and other assets. I have not lived here long enough to know if that's something new or whether it's always been that way. It makes sense that Bangkok's gogo bars should have better looking boys if they can make more money working and tricking there. In fact, I know two guys who used to be regulars in a Pattaya bar who are now both working in Bangkok because they say the traffic and money is much better.

[Snowy]

I put the 'deterioration of quality' down to the explosion in the number of bars.

Would agree with that entirely. There are far too many bars (all looking the same with the same type of decor and seating - although there are thankfully a few notable exceptions). When I first visited Pattaya about 18 years ago there were certainly fewer bars but there were far more customers in them, even in the 'low'season. Whether there is linkage between these two situations is debatable. I get the general impression now during my regular visits that there are less gay tourists about anyway. The two hotels I use were always full and one had to make a reservation months in advance to ensure a room. Now one can reserve a room at the same hotels with minimal notice.

As for the 'standard' of boys, BKK has always tended IMHO to have better looking but more importantly a greater variety of boys, particularly from Chiang Mai/Chiang Rai and other non-Issan areas of the country. Pattaya on the other hand seems to attract mainly Issan boys - not complaing there, although 'same same' all the time can become boring.

[A friend]

I get the general impression now during my regular visits that there are less gay tourists about anyway.

It is very difficult to tell with the trade so spread out. However, if I had to put money on it, I would say there are far more gay customers, they are just spread very thinly. If you took all the trade from Sunee and Jomtien Complex and added it to the trade in the Pattayaland Sois, I doubt there'd be room to seat everyone in the few bars that were open ten years ago. There would certainly be no room for the heterosexual trade that currently frequent the 'gay' bars.

Personally, I think it's a fantastic situation. I love the choice and variety of bars that are on offer. I'm not sure I'd be so happy if I owned a bar.

[Haloi]

I love the choice and variety of bars that are on offer.

I don't see choice or variety. There's about as much difference between the tangerines on sale at Lotus, Big C, Carrefours or Frienship. What I do see is a lot of bars that are over 10 years old and badly in need of cleaning and renovations, starting with BBB, which must have the same tattered couches they installed when they opened how many years ago. Drink prices are way up, "offs" are double what they were five years ago, without adjusting for the value of the baht, but no noticeable upgrades are visible. The Pattaya gogo scene is getting as tired, old and flabby as most of the customers. Enough of the sequins, ancient drag shows and contests that bore most people to tears. Let's get back to handsome hunks and georgeous katoeys who know how to boogie.

[wowpow]

This evening I checked with the Manager at Wild West Bar and He confirms that their prices ar 99 baht per drink before 10 p.m. and 150 BAHT after 10 p.m.. The have never charged 300 baht a drink at any time. These prices refer both to Wild West Bar and Crystal Bar

[A friend]

The price of 300 baht was printed on a menu and presented to customers. It appears the manager was 'blowing smoke up your arse' Wowpow. You've gone to great lengths to protect his reputation and loss of business, and in return he's treated you like an old fool and jeopardised your credibility on the forums. I hope you get an apology.

[Steve1903]

300B for a drink is outrageous. Any bar charging me that would not see me for dust.

[wowpow]

I was concerned when I read that some observed customers brought in by touts being charged 300 baht a drink. Last night after posting I sent an e-mail to Wild West - their address is on their website.

"Hello,

It has been reported on several gay Thai forums that your bars Wild West and Crystal are now charging 99 baht a drink up to 10 p.m. and 300 baht after that.

Your manager told me this evening that you are charging 150 baht after 10 p.m. NOT 300 baht. Others have reported that you are charging 300 baht a drink when a tout brings customers into the bar.

I would appreciate confirmation of you real charges,

Thanks,


I got this reply by return:


Thank your for your email.

Yes we are charging 99B on our regular drink during our happy hour and that is from 8 until 10pm in the evening and it is clearly posted inside Crystal and WWB. And then after 10pm, regular drinks are at regular price which is 150B and not 300B.

BUT, there are lots of tout around town and if they bring in customer they were the one dealing with them with regards to the drink price. Some customers agreed to pay 200 or 250 or 300 on their FIRST DRINK. If they order 2nd, 3rd, 4th drink, amount is regular. So on their next visit they know that regular drink is on 150.

Thank you again.

Best Regards,

Maike

I never heard of this 'tout sets the price' happening elsewhere. In Bangkok the touts get 100 baht a customer but then all the drink prices are 200 baht+ and groups like BBB refuse to pay the touts. It seems, to me, an unattractive practice which is open to abuse.

[Dick]

BUT, there are lots of tout around town and if they bring in customer they were the one dealing with them with regards to the drink price. Some customers agreed to pay 200 or 250 or 300 on their FIRST DRINK. If they order 2nd, 3rd, 4th drink, amount is regular. So on their next visit they know that regular drink is on 150.

That's the biggest pile of BS I've seen in a long while. Shame on this bar and its management !

[LaSalle69]

BUT, there are lots of tout around town and if they bring in customer they were the one dealing with them with regards to the drink price. Some customers agreed to pay 200 or 250 or 300 on their FIRST DRINK. If they order 2nd, 3rd, 4th drink, amount is regular. So on their next visit they know that regular drink is on 150.


Couldn't agree more this is a BS answer and I wonder if wowpow is happy with this answer.

[A friend]

It seems quite clear from the first hand experiences reported on Sawatdee that, tout or no tout, if they can get away with overcharging they will. They obviously get away with it enough times to make it worth their while. I have a strong suspicion that we will not hear of another customer being robbed. These forums are too widely read for the management to ignore this issue.

[Snowy]

I have a strong suspicion that we will not hear of another customer being robbed. These forums are too widely read for the management to ignore this issue.

Bullshit . The bar owners take absolutely no notice whatsoever of what appears on these forums and what their clientelle think. If you believe otherwise you are deluding yourself.