Been back for a couple of weeks now so finally getting some time to put together my experience and share.
A bit of an intro - I solo'd this trip, and I think a lot of people do simply because of the nature of these trips. I was only there for 72 hours, and plan was to experience the scene, but as a big sports fan, I took some time to watch sports at a sports bar vs spending all my time mongering. I will share some stuff I learned, and will share some personal experience instead of repeating the typical stuff you can read on Reddit and the many other Pattaya sites out there.
Currency Exchange - I had no THB upon arrival, and had to exchange at BKK airport. In hindsight, instead of doing majority of my exchange at the airport, I would've exchanged just enough to pay for the car ride in and a bit on top, as the FX shops that are all over Beach Road and 2nd Road gave much better rates. The "yellow" FX shop (not sure the name) was basically available every block or two, and rates it offered were significantly better than what I got at BKK. If I were to do this trip again, I would do maybe 3K~ in Baht (1200~ for car ride in, and hotel I stayed at took 1K as deposit, but this may not be the case at other hotels), and then just go exchange what I need once I arrive in Pattaya. On departure, I did find the FX place (the green one) at the airport gave pretty good rates to buy back THB, but since I basically used most of what I had brought with me, I didn't use the service.
Airport Transfer - I used Nam's Taxi - for 1200~ THB ($50 CAD~), I opted for the easy/comfortable/more expensive route. I know those that may prefer cheaper route via a coach bus, but given I wasn't there for long, and in grand scheme of things 1200~ is like 50 CAD for a 2 hour ride so I chose that option.
Pick up was easy to arrange via email, directions were clear with relation to to meet driver at the airport. Upon arrival, it was easy to find the driver with a sign with your name, and 90 minutes~ ride in was comfortable and easy. Departure was the same, driver arrived 15-20 mins prior to the arranged departure time, notified the front desk and front desk called up.
Hotel - I stayed at Acqua Hotel, initially was booked at Siam @ Siam but had to change arrival date, but Siam was like 150 CAD for the 1 earlier night so I just cancelled it altogether. Acqua cost was around $50~ per night...I was probably in their most basic room which had a desk, a king sized bed, a TV and a washroom. It was sufficient, size wise I would compare it to similar to like a boutique in New York where space is limited. You can pay more for a nicer room, and would be something I consider if I were planning to use invite FL over or something. But I had no plans to given my limited time, so I was just looking for a place with a good location for my stuff and to rest my head. Acqua was at a great location because it was close to Soi L K Metro, and I frequented I-Rovers for sports viewing. I also enjoyed it was really close to Tree Town Night Market (where I ate alot), and a short walk to Central Pattaya Shopping Mall.
E-Sim - I used Airalo for this entire trip (not just Thailand/Pattaya, but thru Malaysia, Singapore, Hong Kong, TW) with no issues from a data perspective. The only down side, and it happened more than once, was the 2FA and needing SMS, so I had to enable my reg SIM (but turn roaming off) just to receive the SMS.
Grab - download this app, use it. I used it on a couple of occasions when I ventured away from the main Pattaya area as I wanted to try a BJ bar. Place was about 5~ mins away via a Grab Bike - literally someone driving a motorcycle and you just hold on for the ride. Cost ended up being like $1 CAD (22-25 THB) each way.
Baht bus - loved it. I only did the 2nd Road/Beach Road loop, but I rode it on many occasions, even twice just to check out the entire loop. Very easy to go between places like walking street, hotel, Soi 6, etc at a minimal cost and not be sweating buckets when you arrive at your destination. Was there early Nov so it was comfortable temperature wise, but def would work up a sweat if you're walking 20-30 mins from my hotel to Soi 6 for example. To complete that 2nd Road/Beach Road Loop, both times I needed to get off once and get back on another one...not the end of the world obviously, but looks like drivers don't necessarily just keep looping.
Food - most of my meals were either at Tree Town, Central Pattaya Mall, or Runway Market. Very easy to just get McDonalds or KFC that you can get here, but I focused on getting more local food whenever I travel. Most meals were 200~ THB, with a couple of meals at Central food court costing a bit more. Zero complaints about the local fare and would recommend an open mind.
Massage - Ended up getting like 2 Thai massages daily because it was so cheap. I ended up just visiting Risa (?) Massage (the pink one) and they seem to have multiple locations all along 2nd Road. Essentially you can tell it's a "legit" massage place when the ladies are wearing non-revealing clothing, where as the ones with extras are ones with revealing clothes. I'm not even sure if I want extras from the ladies that I got a massage from, but the massages were damn good.
On to the mongering part
My sleep schedule was essentially back in North America time because I would be watching sports in the wee hours in the morning, so the days I was there, I would be starting NFL at like 1/2am (or even EPL, Champions League), sometimes stretching into World Series at like 7/8am start times. Would take a few hours late morning and would be starting my day at like 3/4pm each day.
Everything you hear/see about Soi 6, is likely true. Really was quite an ego boost walking down and being grabbed every 10 steps. It's mind blowing to me there were tourist groups and families that are bringing children down that street, but if you ever want to ever get an ego boost, that's the place to go. Given the nature of that street, you don't really have a good chance to take in everything in before being pulled in one way shape or form, as anytime you stop to look, someone is aggressively approaching you and trying to pull you in. Unfortunately from my experience, the more aggressive ones aren't the ones that is my cup of tea.
I did end up having 2 sessions on Soi 6. The first one I was pulled in by a girl, but it was another girl that caught my eye but she was just sitting on a stool inside the bar. I bought them both a drink, but explained to one that I wanted to spend some time with the other, and she walked away to leave me with the other. Maybe she was happy she got a drink to go against her quota, but it went way smoother than I expected.
The usual Connect 4 time happened, I asked her pretty quickly for ST (didn't want to waste time/money if she wasn't going to put out), total bill with the 5 drinks (2 for me, 2 for the one I chose, and 1 I didn't) along with BF, ST fee, was around 3500~ I want to say? BF was 500, ST was 2000 as I think it was earlier in the night as the second encounter the ST fee was "only" 1500.
Room upstairs is pretty...beat/run down? There was an in room shower, the room did the job, but don't expect anything nice. I had a GREAT time with the lady on my first session, hindsight I would've gone back to see her again because my second session wasn't as great.
I had a decent time trying to make conversation with the girl (with lots of help from Google Translate), playing Connect 4, and really just roam my hands all over her prior to going upstairs. I saw also another gentlemen "dancing" away with another girl for the entire time, started before I went upstairs and was still going after I came back down. Imagine 2 teenagers grinding at a club....
BJ Bar - as I mentioned above with the Grab app, I took a Grab Bike just to check out BJ Bars in the afternoon. I did not venture outside Beach Road/2nd Road any other time. Both times I went, it was late afternoon and arrived via a Grab BIke. Both time there were 4-5 girls at the front upon my entry, first time I think there was 1 gentleman already behind the curtains, and second time there were 2 guys having a drink at the bar but all the curtains were opened. You can make it as transactional as you want, meaning you can walk in, pick the girl you like, she will take you to "the back" where there are curtains and couches, close the curtain, bring wipes, wipe you down, do the deed, and you're on your way. I've read that you can have extras there beyond BJ, but I didn't inquire. These girls are def pros at what they do...
Soapies - Staying at Acqua, I was literally right beside Honey 1. Siam @ Siam would've been beside Honey 2, and this was by design. Unfortunately my experience didn't quite live up to what I had hoped. I visited Honey 1 on 3 occasions just due to how close my stay was to the venue, and each time I left without partaking in a session. I think it was a combination of, the lower priced tier were simply ones I was not interested in, and the higher priced ones (especially the 1 or 2 that caught my eye) just seems disinterested to be there (just staring/typing on their phone). I did partake in a session at Honey 2, but but hindsight I would've spent less with a lady on Soi 6 and enjoyed it more. I would say similar to the theme for this trip, it was something to experience walking into a venue with girls "lined up" on a couch for you to just "pick from".
Walking Street - Mixed feelings about Walking Street because it's VERY busy. Lots of tourist and tourist groups, you can't walk for a few steps without seeing someone with a camera recording a video and you may accidentally find yourself on someone's IG stream, YT video, what have you. I ended up inside Insomnia one of the nights as I just wanted to go in, check it out, see the place, and go. As I walked up the stairs and into the club, eyes connected with a girl, and I ended up joining her and a couple of friends at her table for a bit and bought them a round of drinks. I didn't end up doing anything, but def was a scenario where she was an Indy/FL and would've been available. It felt like those 3 girls were just friends hanging out, and each potentially looking to land with someone for the night but weren't "full time" FLers.
Beach Road - Walked down a couple of times, mainly between Soi 6 and Central Pattaya Mall. Also got a good look riding the Baht bus down Beach Road multiple times. I simply have 0 interest in the talent that I saw on Beach Road.
Go Go - Definitely more expensive, definitely have higher concentration of better looking/younger girls. I went in one night for about an hour, enjoyed the entertainment, but given I was not interested in bringing someone back to my tiny room, I did not spend much time/money at Go Gos
Feel free to ask any questions, I will answer based on my experience but given how little time I spent there, I probably won't be able to answer much more beyond what I've shared.
A bit of an intro - I solo'd this trip, and I think a lot of people do simply because of the nature of these trips. I was only there for 72 hours, and plan was to experience the scene, but as a big sports fan, I took some time to watch sports at a sports bar vs spending all my time mongering. I will share some stuff I learned, and will share some personal experience instead of repeating the typical stuff you can read on Reddit and the many other Pattaya sites out there.
Currency Exchange - I had no THB upon arrival, and had to exchange at BKK airport. In hindsight, instead of doing majority of my exchange at the airport, I would've exchanged just enough to pay for the car ride in and a bit on top, as the FX shops that are all over Beach Road and 2nd Road gave much better rates. The "yellow" FX shop (not sure the name) was basically available every block or two, and rates it offered were significantly better than what I got at BKK. If I were to do this trip again, I would do maybe 3K~ in Baht (1200~ for car ride in, and hotel I stayed at took 1K as deposit, but this may not be the case at other hotels), and then just go exchange what I need once I arrive in Pattaya. On departure, I did find the FX place (the green one) at the airport gave pretty good rates to buy back THB, but since I basically used most of what I had brought with me, I didn't use the service.
Airport Transfer - I used Nam's Taxi - for 1200~ THB ($50 CAD~), I opted for the easy/comfortable/more expensive route. I know those that may prefer cheaper route via a coach bus, but given I wasn't there for long, and in grand scheme of things 1200~ is like 50 CAD for a 2 hour ride so I chose that option.
Pick up was easy to arrange via email, directions were clear with relation to to meet driver at the airport. Upon arrival, it was easy to find the driver with a sign with your name, and 90 minutes~ ride in was comfortable and easy. Departure was the same, driver arrived 15-20 mins prior to the arranged departure time, notified the front desk and front desk called up.
Hotel - I stayed at Acqua Hotel, initially was booked at Siam @ Siam but had to change arrival date, but Siam was like 150 CAD for the 1 earlier night so I just cancelled it altogether. Acqua cost was around $50~ per night...I was probably in their most basic room which had a desk, a king sized bed, a TV and a washroom. It was sufficient, size wise I would compare it to similar to like a boutique in New York where space is limited. You can pay more for a nicer room, and would be something I consider if I were planning to use invite FL over or something. But I had no plans to given my limited time, so I was just looking for a place with a good location for my stuff and to rest my head. Acqua was at a great location because it was close to Soi L K Metro, and I frequented I-Rovers for sports viewing. I also enjoyed it was really close to Tree Town Night Market (where I ate alot), and a short walk to Central Pattaya Shopping Mall.
E-Sim - I used Airalo for this entire trip (not just Thailand/Pattaya, but thru Malaysia, Singapore, Hong Kong, TW) with no issues from a data perspective. The only down side, and it happened more than once, was the 2FA and needing SMS, so I had to enable my reg SIM (but turn roaming off) just to receive the SMS.
Grab - download this app, use it. I used it on a couple of occasions when I ventured away from the main Pattaya area as I wanted to try a BJ bar. Place was about 5~ mins away via a Grab Bike - literally someone driving a motorcycle and you just hold on for the ride. Cost ended up being like $1 CAD (22-25 THB) each way.
Baht bus - loved it. I only did the 2nd Road/Beach Road loop, but I rode it on many occasions, even twice just to check out the entire loop. Very easy to go between places like walking street, hotel, Soi 6, etc at a minimal cost and not be sweating buckets when you arrive at your destination. Was there early Nov so it was comfortable temperature wise, but def would work up a sweat if you're walking 20-30 mins from my hotel to Soi 6 for example. To complete that 2nd Road/Beach Road Loop, both times I needed to get off once and get back on another one...not the end of the world obviously, but looks like drivers don't necessarily just keep looping.
Food - most of my meals were either at Tree Town, Central Pattaya Mall, or Runway Market. Very easy to just get McDonalds or KFC that you can get here, but I focused on getting more local food whenever I travel. Most meals were 200~ THB, with a couple of meals at Central food court costing a bit more. Zero complaints about the local fare and would recommend an open mind.
Massage - Ended up getting like 2 Thai massages daily because it was so cheap. I ended up just visiting Risa (?) Massage (the pink one) and they seem to have multiple locations all along 2nd Road. Essentially you can tell it's a "legit" massage place when the ladies are wearing non-revealing clothing, where as the ones with extras are ones with revealing clothes. I'm not even sure if I want extras from the ladies that I got a massage from, but the massages were damn good.
On to the mongering part
My sleep schedule was essentially back in North America time because I would be watching sports in the wee hours in the morning, so the days I was there, I would be starting NFL at like 1/2am (or even EPL, Champions League), sometimes stretching into World Series at like 7/8am start times. Would take a few hours late morning and would be starting my day at like 3/4pm each day.
Everything you hear/see about Soi 6, is likely true. Really was quite an ego boost walking down and being grabbed every 10 steps. It's mind blowing to me there were tourist groups and families that are bringing children down that street, but if you ever want to ever get an ego boost, that's the place to go. Given the nature of that street, you don't really have a good chance to take in everything in before being pulled in one way shape or form, as anytime you stop to look, someone is aggressively approaching you and trying to pull you in. Unfortunately from my experience, the more aggressive ones aren't the ones that is my cup of tea.
I did end up having 2 sessions on Soi 6. The first one I was pulled in by a girl, but it was another girl that caught my eye but she was just sitting on a stool inside the bar. I bought them both a drink, but explained to one that I wanted to spend some time with the other, and she walked away to leave me with the other. Maybe she was happy she got a drink to go against her quota, but it went way smoother than I expected.
The usual Connect 4 time happened, I asked her pretty quickly for ST (didn't want to waste time/money if she wasn't going to put out), total bill with the 5 drinks (2 for me, 2 for the one I chose, and 1 I didn't) along with BF, ST fee, was around 3500~ I want to say? BF was 500, ST was 2000 as I think it was earlier in the night as the second encounter the ST fee was "only" 1500.
Room upstairs is pretty...beat/run down? There was an in room shower, the room did the job, but don't expect anything nice. I had a GREAT time with the lady on my first session, hindsight I would've gone back to see her again because my second session wasn't as great.
I had a decent time trying to make conversation with the girl (with lots of help from Google Translate), playing Connect 4, and really just roam my hands all over her prior to going upstairs. I saw also another gentlemen "dancing" away with another girl for the entire time, started before I went upstairs and was still going after I came back down. Imagine 2 teenagers grinding at a club....
BJ Bar - as I mentioned above with the Grab app, I took a Grab Bike just to check out BJ Bars in the afternoon. I did not venture outside Beach Road/2nd Road any other time. Both times I went, it was late afternoon and arrived via a Grab BIke. Both time there were 4-5 girls at the front upon my entry, first time I think there was 1 gentleman already behind the curtains, and second time there were 2 guys having a drink at the bar but all the curtains were opened. You can make it as transactional as you want, meaning you can walk in, pick the girl you like, she will take you to "the back" where there are curtains and couches, close the curtain, bring wipes, wipe you down, do the deed, and you're on your way. I've read that you can have extras there beyond BJ, but I didn't inquire. These girls are def pros at what they do...
Soapies - Staying at Acqua, I was literally right beside Honey 1. Siam @ Siam would've been beside Honey 2, and this was by design. Unfortunately my experience didn't quite live up to what I had hoped. I visited Honey 1 on 3 occasions just due to how close my stay was to the venue, and each time I left without partaking in a session. I think it was a combination of, the lower priced tier were simply ones I was not interested in, and the higher priced ones (especially the 1 or 2 that caught my eye) just seems disinterested to be there (just staring/typing on their phone). I did partake in a session at Honey 2, but but hindsight I would've spent less with a lady on Soi 6 and enjoyed it more. I would say similar to the theme for this trip, it was something to experience walking into a venue with girls "lined up" on a couch for you to just "pick from".
Walking Street - Mixed feelings about Walking Street because it's VERY busy. Lots of tourist and tourist groups, you can't walk for a few steps without seeing someone with a camera recording a video and you may accidentally find yourself on someone's IG stream, YT video, what have you. I ended up inside Insomnia one of the nights as I just wanted to go in, check it out, see the place, and go. As I walked up the stairs and into the club, eyes connected with a girl, and I ended up joining her and a couple of friends at her table for a bit and bought them a round of drinks. I didn't end up doing anything, but def was a scenario where she was an Indy/FL and would've been available. It felt like those 3 girls were just friends hanging out, and each potentially looking to land with someone for the night but weren't "full time" FLers.
Beach Road - Walked down a couple of times, mainly between Soi 6 and Central Pattaya Mall. Also got a good look riding the Baht bus down Beach Road multiple times. I simply have 0 interest in the talent that I saw on Beach Road.
Go Go - Definitely more expensive, definitely have higher concentration of better looking/younger girls. I went in one night for about an hour, enjoyed the entertainment, but given I was not interested in bringing someone back to my tiny room, I did not spend much time/money at Go Gos
Feel free to ask any questions, I will answer based on my experience but given how little time I spent there, I probably won't be able to answer much more beyond what I've shared.
