Eazy A-GoGo was once again dark last night. I stopped by a couple of nights before and the bar was foundering with a total dancing staff of 4. Hopefully they can get things going soon.

Meanwhile Pattaya at Night reports that Baby Boom on Soi Buakhao has also gone dark. Again maybe they just need a bit of time to regroup.

Just round the corner, Paradise A-GoGo is set to open on Soi LK Metro. No chance of time for soft opening there, straight in with the main party night of the year.

Hot & Cold A-GoGo has moved 2 or 3 doors up Soi 13/2 to a new bar. First impressions are not good, but more on that in a day or two.

And today the 'estimated' count of Pattaya GoGos is 77.

Thanks to Brian:

I had my first visit at Baron Club ago go in Sio Diamond at 10.00 pm.

Ordered a Heineken, only one other customer there, went to pay my bill , Heineken 140 baht,

Very overpriced for what's inside.

But early days yet.

Meanwhile Paradise A-GoGo is set to open on Soi LK Metro today. It is another GoGo from the makers of Kiss A-GoGo, nearly opposite on the same soi. Kiss has always been well reasonable for drinks prices, so Paradise is unlikely to see any of that 140 Baht beer nonsense.

A survey of smokers' habits by Mahidol University has found a high percentage of entertainment venues enforce no-smoking laws on their premises, while less than half of all smokers complied with them, activists reported at a Bangkok media conference yesterday.

The activists said the no-smoking laws would not be effective if smokers were not subject to fines, while venues would be unwilling to be harsh on their smoking customers.

In the survey conducted at three key entertainment strips in Bangkok and one in Pattaya, 68% of venues were active in upholding no-smoking laws, while 60% did so in Pattaya, said Assoc Prof Phimphawal Bunmongkhol.

Eazy A-GoGo has re-opened on Soi 15.

It opened for a few days but closed again. The reason seemed to be a lack of girls. Presumably the bar has now recruited and has therefore re-opened.

So whilst it stays open, there are 78 bars in the Pattaya area with girls dancing in bikinis or less.

It looks like Paradise A-GoGo on Soi LK Metro will soon be open too.

The banners are out for another new GoGo on Walking Street. The new Lighthouse A-GoGo is being built towards the Beach Road end.

I am not sure that Pattaya's Lighthouse Club will be too impressed by a GoGo bearing the same name. Lighthouse Club is a business networking charity organisation. There could be a few crossed wires there.

There is (or was) a church in Pattaya called Lighthouse too. Even more potential for people getting either offended or evangelised.

Unhappier news for Eazy Room A-GoGo which was closed last night after only being open a few days. lack of girls was cited as the reason, so hopefully a temporary glitch.

So as of last night there were 77 bars with dancing girls in bikinis or less.

Meanwhile on Soi 6 a new lady boy has opened. Not an event usually covered on Thai-Anxiety but this one deserves a mention for its name, A Bar. You hardly need ask where the bar is located, its next door to Z Bar of course. Strangely though, A Bar and Z Bar don't surround either B Bar or O Bar.

Pattaya Police have made another of the regular round up those caught on Beach Road late at night.

The latest herded up 58 individuals, consisting of 20 lady boys, 33 women and 5 men who were taken to the Police Station and fined the usual rate.

Update: Again

24th December 2011.  See article from pattayaone.net

A further 58 people were arrested on Pattaya Beach in the early hours of Friday. On this occasion only women and lady boys were arrested and taken to Pattaya Police Station. Once again they were told to pay small fines and were then released with a warning.

As mentioned earlier, Club Relaxxx has re-opened in Covent Garden on Soi 16.

Unfortunately they seemed to have hot upon the value policy of less for more. On one there is no cheap draft, and on the other the bar seems to be coyote only.

Meanwhile the small Eazy Room which has opened on Soi 15 (previously Fun Room) is offering draft beer at 49 Baht. And hopefully a few less clothes than at Relaxxx.

Eazy A-GoGo has opened on Soi 15. It is the small GoGo between ToyZ and Misty's.

Meanwhile Club Relaxxx is reported as re-opened. Also perhaps starting slowing with a soft opening followed by a grand opening on Christmas day.

So with a bit of a pre-Christmas rush, the GoGo count has surged to a healthy 78.

ToyZ A-GoGo has now re-opened at its new Soi 15 venue on 16th December 2011. This venue was previously Climax A-GoGo.

The bar looks pretty much like it did as Climax but there is now a 2 girl Jacuzzi feature.

There were 30 dancers in the bar. Of these 9 dancers were on the stage at a time. Some were bottomless (Bar Fine: 800B) and others were topless (Bar Fine : 600B).  Thankfully there were no coyotes.

Draught Beer: 65B (all night)
Soft Drink: 95B
Lady Drink: 115B
Happy Hour is from 8pm till 9:30pm with 65 Baht drinks.

ToyZ started life as Catz in November 2005 in the Covent Garden Complex on Soi 16. Catz renamed to ToyZ in January 2010 but closed in the summer of 2011.

The Pattaya area GoGo count is now at 75 bars that have girls dancing in bikinis or less. With more to open shortly.

The large plot on the corner of Soi 2 and 2nd Road in north Pattaya opposite Big C is now cleared ready for a new hotel development, or whatever.

The loss of the complex that used to have Toy, Classroom beer bar etc has ripped the heart out of the area, and is having a knock on effect to the surrounding bars. The area seems to have lost the momentum required to make for a good bar crawl and so many customers have departed elsewhere.

One notable casualty is the recently renamed Dancehall Club, previously known as Maximum Club. This has closed after after just a couple of months in its new guise.

It has also been reported, but not confirmed, that Lek's Classroom has also given up the battle. The last time I dropped by in October it seemed pretty near to the end, so things don't look hopeful. Update: An incorrect report,  Lek's Classoom is still going fine.

If so, then the GoGo count temporarily drops to 74. However it is due to pick up again this weekend.

Not quite a new bar, but has just recently changed format to a coyote dancing bar organised very much like a GoGo.

It is located just a few paces of Paratamanak Road a few metres from the corner of Soi 4. It is in a square with a large Harley shop. The bar has no welcome staff, nor open sign, but if the neon sign is on and it is between 6pm and 2am then it is open.

It is a small single unit bar with a central stage. Either side of the stage are 3 sofas to seat 3. This probably means that the comfortable maximum is 12 customers. There are a few stools at the bar at the back though.

There were 12 girls on duty of which 3 were dancing at a time. Not a bad ratio for the size of the bar. The girls were a surprising attractive crew for an off beat location. The girls were all dressed in coyote attire of shorts, top and bra. There was a theme which I think was probably meant to be naval.

I am not usually a fan of coyote dancing bars but I found this more like a GoGo bar where the girls were wearing a little too much. These were not agency girls, nor girls likely to be sponsored, or not interested in barfines etc. they were regular girls making a good effort for lady drinks and barfines.

The mamasang was friendly and helpful. In fact I found the bar to be well run and a very pleasant place for a drink and a chat with the friendly girls.

And just as the night was drawing to a close the girls were getting a little merry and a couple dressed down from coyote to GoGo.

Bottled beer was 70 Baht, lady drinks 120 Baht, early barfines 700, and late barfines 500.

Police have raided Carousel A-GoGo on Soi Diamond. They detained 3 under 18 dancers and 2 Cambodian doormen without a work permit.

It seems a yearly occurrence that police step up their raiding activities just at the time when things are picking up for high season.

Bada Bing A-GoGo has opened on Soi BJ, just a few paces off central Walking Street. It is at the location that was previously TQ2. The bar opened on 9th December.

The dancers were divided into 3 teams. Each team having 8-10 dancers.  The 1st team was made up of 8 bikini gogo dancers, and 2 of them were topless. The 2nd and 3rd teams were disappointingly all coyote, presumably agency dancers used until the bar can attract some less shy dancers of its own.

The bar will also feature shows.

Draught Beer : 55B
Soft Drink : 99B
Lady Drink : 115B
Bar Fine : 600B (Show Girl : 800B)
Happy hour is from 8pm till 10 pm.

So there are now 75 bars around Pattaya featuring girls in bikinis or less. With several more opening very soon.

ToyZ A-GoGo was a well respected GoGo in Covent Garden that declined probably as a result of change in demographics as the area became something of an Arab quarter. ToyZ sold up in summer of this year.6

But now the GoGo will re-appear in Soi 15 in the venue that was previously Climax A-GoGo (and before that, Sakura Club 69). The bar is aiming to re-open on the 15th December.

Hot & Cold Getting Hotter?

Hot & Cold, the even longer running GoGo on Soi Post Office is also on the move. Although not much of a move. It has taken over premises just a couple of units closer to 2nd Road. The workmen are in whilst Hot & Cold stays open in the existing and rapidly disintegrating venue. Saying that, there doesn't appear to much going on there in the afternoons these days.

Surely a brand spanking new venue will change the character of the bar. The current rundown venue is almost part of the charm.

Sexy A-GoGo Not So Sexy

Sexy A-GoGo on Soi 7 near 2nd Road was dark last night. I'm not yet sure whether this is temporary or permanent. The bar seems to be the lowest priority of the group and gives way when necessary to Far East Rock, Kiss, and the soon to open Paradise on Soi LK Metro.

Work has started on a new coyote bar in Soi LK Metro. It is taking over from the Redz bar and the next door unit. So it will become a near neighbour to Submarine A-GoGo.

Reports suggest that it will be an inwardly looking coyote bar something along the lines of Sugar Sugar on the same Soi. (As opposed to an outwardly looking coyote bar such as Club Blu)

The new bar that is taking shape in Soi BJ has now revealed it self as Bada Bing A-GoGo. This is the venue that was previously TQ2.

The bar is now aiming to open on 9th December. The bar will offer an all night draft beer at 55 Baht.

There is also progress on Soi 15. Builders are currently hard at work at Climax A-GoGo, and no doubt they will be aiming to complete in time for the hoped for December upsurge in visitors.

Also Easy A-GoGo next door is preparing to re-open.

The noted Nana Plaza show bar, Spankys, opened its Pattaya branch on 3rd December 2011.

It is located at the centre of Soi Diamond between Diamond A-GoGo and the defunct Gentlemen's Club.

Review to follow.

So now there are 75 bars in the Pattaya area with girls dancing in bikinis or less. For all the economic highs and lows Pattaya's GoGo count has been 76 +/- 10% for years.

The original Silver Star re-opened on Soi 8 on Friday 2nd December.

The layout has changed a little with a re-modelled stage and and a relocated Jacuzzi.

Not really what could be justified by 5 months of closure. So perhaps the bar is set for seasonal opening just for high season.

So now there are 74 bars in the Pattaya area with girls dancing in bikinis or less.

And more on the way.

Monday 5th December is the King's Birthday (and also Fathers Day).

Bars have been closed for the last 2 years, but this is not always the case.

And it now seems set that 2011 will see bars open for birthday celebrations.

Fahrenheit is a Gogo on Walking Street between Soi 14 and Soi 15.

Until November, the dancers were split into 2 teams, and each team danced for 20 minutes. Whilst dancing the girls did not rotate around the stage.

From December, the pattern changed a little. The teams still dance for 20 minutes, but half way through their set, the girls at the front and back switch their position to the opposite end of the stage.

I enjoyed this change because I was able to get a look at more of the dancers.

Another old bar has re-opened just in time for high season.

Club B4 is located on the corner of Soi Diamond and Pratamnak, next door to Baron Club.

In the past it has basically been a disco with coyote dancers. But it has tried a bit of everything, even gogo. It has a sign for cheap lady drinks so presumably there are some sort of dancing girls on offer.

The original Silver Star on soi 8 is due to re-open on Thursday 1 December, with a soft re-opening at the strange time of 23.49.

This will be followed by a full-on opening night party on Friday 2 December from 8pm, with free food. Many of the girls from Silver Star 3 on Walking Street will be re-deployed for the party.

It will be interesting to see if Silver Star continues beyond high season. With sister bar Silver Star 2 so nearby, it may be a permanent move to keep the Original Silver Star as a high season only venue.

Meanwhile Sapphire Club re-opened as expected last night and successfully packed out the newly expanded bar.

Sapphire Club is set to re-open tonight. It has expanded into 2 next doors units and is to be found at the centre of Soi 15. There has been lots of late night work going on at the bar, so the owners must be pretty keen to stick to their dates.

If all goes to plan then pattaya's GoGo count will increase to 73. Actually this increase is also due to Baby Boom, just off Soi Buakhao, confirmed to have a handful of dancers in GoGo style wear. Review to follow.

Spider Girl Bar was an underwhelming open corner bar about a third of the way down Soi 6 from 2nd Road.

It has now smartened itself up a bit with some renovations and got a few more girls in, at least for a while.

It has sensibly dropped the Spider Girl name and will now be known as Tiger Girl Bar.

The bar has been bought by connections from the nearby Night Wish Bar which is now up for sale.

Climax A-GoGo on Soi 15 was suddenly closed earlier this month.

It now appears that in fact it was sold, and the new management have closed the bar for a short renovation.

Walking Street rumours suggest that the new bar will be re-born bearing the proud Catz/Toyz pedigree.

And thinking about Cliamx reminded me of another news snippet. It was obviously not a path to prosperity for the old Climax a-Go-Go, but I noticed that HALO nightclub on Walking Street is now doing a similar 29-baht draft beer for Happy Hour --- which runs 8 pm to 1 am!

Of course, there's not a lot to look at there at that time a night, but one needs to cheap imbibement, then it might be worth considering.

The most opened and closed GoGo venue in pattaya has provided the day's news yet again.

Climax A-GoGo on Soi 15 has once again gone dark. It was dark from the 17th November.

Perhaps all is not lost, as there are rumours that the bar may just be closed for renovation. But on the other hand, the rapid approach of high season means that now is the time to be re-opening, not closing.

It always seems expensive to refit a bar. It struck me that the main cause of the bar's lack of popularity was that cardinal sin of the girls not being very interactive. Only the top end bars can mesmorise customers into rapt attention with their dancers beauty alone. All the other bars have to supplement the girls visual charms with either great chat or great hands, depending on the style of the bar.

Pattaya's GoGo count is at the low water mark of 71. There are 4 more soon to be added so hopefully the numbers will increase.

Remember the good old days?

It's arguable that the financial malaise affecting a lot, but certainly not all, of the nightlife entertainment businesses of Fun Town, is more and more specifically related to places relying a shrinking demographic.

One of the partners in a long-established beer boozer in south Pattaya was telling me a large number of their regulars are simply not coming back to Thailand, for a variety of reasons. The bar, which has been a fixture for more than two decades, has built up a large and varied following although most of its regulars come from either Britain or the United States. And it's these people who are not returning in either the same numbers, or as often as in previous years.

...Read the full article

Sapphire Lodge has just opened on Pratamnak Soi 4 opposite the Asia Hotel and near the beach end of the soi.

There's nothing like opening with a splash, and Sapphire Lodge have done exactly that. Most bars struggle to get girls for the opening days but Sapphire just happens to have a GoGo worth of resources currently waiting for a sister bar to re-open after renovations.

And really have GoGo quality girls available in a hostess bar setting makes it the best set up I've seen in daytime for a long time. Actually I was there as afternoon turned towards evening, and there were say 30 girls in attendance even in the early evening. I hope that they can maintain the option for an evening visit. Other similar bars tend to die a death after 6pm. A downward spiral sets in where the girls (mostly freelance) depart because there are few customers, and any customers that give it a try do a U turn when there are no girls, never to try again in an evening. I don't see why there shouldn't be a reasonable pool of customers in the evening. It's just that everyone knows (or thinks) that the bars are not properly open in the evening and don't even give it a try.

The bar itself is a large rather square shape but it has been nice broken up by having a balcony floor as a walkway for upstairs rooms.

A few days ago I commented on the similarly sized indoor bar at nearby Exotica which I found a bit open plan. Sapphire Lodge is a definite improvement. It has bays that split up the seating running along the long sides of the bar. Having the option to sit against the wall and having the occasional barrier just adds that little gesture towards privacy that a girly bar really should have.

In general the bar looks the biz.

There is a swimming pool and outside bar but I did not take a look.

Bottled beer was 85 Baht and lady drinks were 120 Baht. There are various food options with specials on several days of the week.

I predict that this bar's natural pairing with a GoGo is going to provide very tough competition for the 3 nearby gentlemen's clubs. Just like in Walking Street, the most popular bars are easily the one's with the best girls. And this bar is winning hands down so far.

The original Silver Star A-GoGo on Soi 8 has been closed since July with news at the time that it was closed for a 3 month renovation.

Anyway the workmen are now in and the bar has been gutted. No clues yet as to what will fill the void.

The new bar that is taking shape in Soi BJ has now revealed it self as Bada Bing A-GoGo. This is the venue that was previously TQ2.

The Bada Bing name has previously made an appearance in Soi 8. The venue really wanted to be a coyote bar cum disco. But when the idea didn't pan out too well, it tried something different and became a GoGo. This didn't seem to work out either and it soon gave up trying.

Another bar that has revealed a new identity is the old Goodfellas above Soi Lucky Star. It is next to be named as Play. And from the adverts for the opening night on 25th November, then it looks like it will be a night club/disco.

Baby Boom re-opened as promised with the clear description, Baby Boom A-GoGo, proudly displayed by a welcome girl on Soi Buakhao. However on a 10:30pm visit on Saturday night there were no dancing girls whatsoever, so for the moment the GoGo count remains unchanged whilst they employ a few girls.

It looks like Sapphire Club in Soi 15 won't be adding to the GoGo count for another week or two. Maybe they can blame the delay on the floods.

Having already upped prices to gouge high-season tourists, Walking Street go-go bars are now using Thailand's flooding crisis as another excuse to lay on more disproportional drink-price increases.

Iron Club - already one of the city's most-expensive bars - has added another 7% (10 baht) to prices of house spirits (read Thairot-gut vodka, whiskey and rum) and 7.5% to the cost of a tiny shot of tequila lady-drinks, making them a whopping 145 baht.

The mixed-drink pricing mirrors reported changes to draft beer prices which are going up as much as 10 baht in some bars.

Queried on the price increases, two different Iron Club managers said the prices were raised due to wholesale price increases and/or shortages from the Bangkok floods. But when asked if the prices would drop again after the floodwaters recede, staffers acted non-committal.

While some exceptions - such as X-Zone's recent price rollback - can be noted, generally once prices go up, they rarely come back down, especially with the Christmas-Holiday gouging season nearing.

The increases are especially irking in the light of 5-10 baht price hikes for the high-season from the Peppermint/Happy group of bars, the Shark/Tiger duopoly and others. With the likes of What's Up charging a stupid 160 baht for rotgut shorts and up to 250 baht for lady drinks, some Pattaya venues now match or exceed Bangkok pricing.

Perhaps the Russians and U.S. Navy guys actually have it right: Buy your drinks at 7-Eleven and take the party back to your hotel.

Baby Boom A-GoGo is set to be the first in an upward turn in Pattaya's GoGo count. If all goes well it will re-open on Friday 11th November at 8pm. Bottled beer will be 95 Baht and house spirits will start from 95 baht for a double.

There's no draft beer for the moment but it is planned for, at least when supplies get back to normal.

Baby Boom is located a few metres off Soi Buakhao, nearly opposite Soi Honey.

Sapphire Club is also set to re-open on Soi 15. It is scheduled to open on 12th November but the staff outside reckon on the 13th November.

And being busy people, the management have just opened Sapphire Lounge on Pratamnak Soi 4, opposite the Asia hotel and near the beach. It is another in the mould of luxurious daytimes bars that are not actually as expensive as they look. By all accounts the opening day was a big hit.

There's plenty of builders and bar fitters being hard at work on Walking Street.

There is something new taking shape at the old TQ2 bar, although only whispers about what.

Spanky's on Soi Diamond will be with us in about a month and Sapphire Club will reopen in its new doubled sized format within days.

I'm not sure what the progress is at Goodfellows though, hard to tell being upstairs out of sight. It is set to become a GoGo.

There are also 2 GoGo units in the refurbished Soho Square that are said to be ready to go should their be any takers. But with recently failed venues available nearby at Hooties, Boesche, Dream and Relaxxx, one can't help but think that these will be a difficult sell. It's as if there's an international border fence at the Walking Street tree.

The Dollhouse has been predictably one of the first to raise its prices, in the wake of flood justified shortages. The all night price of draft has gone up 20 Baht to 79 Baht.

Meanwhile other bars have quietly made less noticable squeezes.

Champion has ended  an 'all night happy hour on Mondays' promotion.

Actually one missed from a little while ago. For sometime this year Beach Club and Cavern were running their Happy Hour until 10pm. This has now reverted to the previous 9:30pm.

And beware of lady drinks at Baron, these could set you back 180 Baht for an 'ordinary' lady drink. There is actually a 130 Baht option, but this denied when asked by a Thai-Anxiety roving reporter.'

Unfortunately there will be more to follow.

Bar owners have reported a significant increase in the wholesale price of beer to the tune of 10 Baht a small bottle.

And of course there is the added incentive with the line, that's if you can get it all!

The floods have got a lot to answer for.

Lao khao anybody?

Club Relaxxx is located on the bottom floor of the Covent Garden Complex on Soi 16 just off Walking Street.

Relaxxxx is on its last legs. The Turkish owner has been MIA for weeks. Some girls have remained, but are getting paid nightly by the cashier. They're staying in hopes the boss returns and pays them what he owes.

But ever since the owner refit the bar (again, for like the 4th time), business has gone down the tubes. Where once Relaxxx was very dark and there was quite a bit of fun to be had in the corners, the new design is all-white and very bright. Not only has all the hanky-panky stopped --- backed by a policy that if a girl is caught doing something naughty she is fined 2,000 baht --- the lights show every stretch mark and every wrinkle. Dim lights and neon are often the best friend for many of Pattaya's working girls. Without those, the customers have stayed away in droves.

Update: Closed

6th November 2011.

No sooner mentioned, than it came to pass. Club Relaxxx has completed the complete downstairs closure of the Covent Garden Complex.

That leaves only X-Zone in operation upstairs. They will have to really pull up their rubber gloves and get to work on providing a venue that will pull the punters in. Still, they have a few unique ideas that have done them well so far.

Meanwhile there are now just 72 bars in the Pattaya area with girls dancing in bikinis or less.

Baby Boom A-GoGo is located just of Soi Buakhao in a soi nearly opposite Soi Honey.

It seems that the bar is now readying for a return on 10th November.

And whilst on the subject of new bars Cafe Ole on Soi 6 next door to Lucky Love has opened as a short time bar with girls. It has no aircon though and an open front.

Dream A-GoGo on the ground floor at the Covent Garden Complex on Soi 16 has closed with a for rent sign on the door.

The bar had recently had only open for a few months since it was bought in the summer.

Perhaps this highlights the remarkable work by the previous owner Robert, who kept it open for several years. He managed to keep it going by having a bit of a social flair, and a good circle of friends who would drop by for a few beers.

Catz, as it was known then had its hey day for a couple of years after it opened. It had plenty of girls, a good show, and even managed to be the first on Walking Street to dream up the air hostess theme.

There are now 73 bars in the Pattaya area that have girls dancing in bikinis or less. A pretty low tally, but there are 3 more on the way. On the other hand there are 4 or 5 that look to be on the way out.

Here's a new bar soon to open that I hadn't come across before. But then again I have never been down Pratamnak Soi 1/11. Turn off Pratamnak at the Ratchawarun Road the main junction towards the highest point of Pratamnak. Then head towards Cozy Beach and look for Soi 11, the last soi as you head towards the sea.

Anyway Ed of Pattaya Rag reckons it looks good and it will be open this Friday, 4th November. The opening hours are 1pm until 10pm.

Club Mirage on Soi Diamond had a short lived opening a couple of weeks ago and went dark a few days later.

It now seems set to be returning with a new name. The bar is now bearing a new look and a new name, Baron Club A-GoGo.

Baron Club opened for business on 28th October 2011. It has started without draft beer but is selling cheap end bottled beer at 79 baht.

There are now 74 bars in the Pattaya area with girls dancing in bikinis or less.

Update: Prices

31st October 2011. Thanks to Ishi

Baron Club opens at 9pm and has a happy hour running until 11pm.

There is no draft beer but bottled Chang is a cheap option at 59 Baht during happy hour and 790 Baht afterwards.

Lady drinks are 130 Baht and barfines are 700 Baht.

Mamasang Miki is on a lightening tour of Walking Street, taking in X-Zone, Relaxxx, Dollhouse, Windmill and now she is playing at Baron Club. She seems to have dropped her team of groupies along the way though at Windmill.

Unless there was a last minute hitch, Exotica Gentlemen's Club should have opened today on Pratamnak Hill.

It is located on Pratamnak Road itself between Soi 4 (Soi Asia) and Soi 5.

The term gentlemen's club usually indicates a daytime bar with a touch of luxury in terms of furnishing and amenities. And that doesn't mean expensive.

The Walking Street GoGo group comprising of Fahrenheit, Shark and Tiger has raised its drinks prices in time for high season.

After the 9:30pm happy hour, draft beer has increased from 60 Baht to 70 Baht.

For those that prefer the stuff bottled, then it will set you back 130 Baht for the usual small bottle.

No doubt other prices have increased similarly.

I was on Walking Street on Saturday night when I saw a group of seven Thai paramilitaries in new uniforms, walking down the street.

By then I'd also seen the Tourist Police Volunteers, Foreign Tourist Police Volunteers, and some dodgy-looking city officials trying their best to look like police, sitting at a table in the middle of Walking Street. I often wonder what the last lot are supposed to be.

...Read the full article

Multiple police departments initiated a mass raid of Lucifer Discotheque on Walking Street in South Pattaya in the early hours of Friday morning. Over 150 Officers took part and descended on the 500 revelers inside the club.

Everyone was searched, including foreign patrons, Thai girls were tested for drugs along with a few farangs which resulted in the arrest of 14 women and 2 male employees of the club.

Drug taking paraphernalia was found in the Men's Toilet and a large quantity of pain relief tablets were seized. Also some anti-histamine Chlorphenamine Tablets. No illegal narcotics were found and all licenses were found to be in order.

Lucifer's is expected to be open as usual over the weekend.

In a rather grand headline Pattayaone has announced that Pattaya has its first authentic Dancehall.

The Dancehall features international and Thai DJ's along with live bands, seven nights a week and includes a variety of musical styles, including Reggae, Ragga, Soca, Rocksteady, Dub, R&B, Funksoul, Neosoul, Hiphop, Salsa and Ska.

The club also has the almost inevitable coyote dancers and drinks are said to be reasonably priced.

In fact Dancehall is replacing maximum Club on the corner of Soi 3 and 2nd Road. Maximum also had DJ's, live bands and coyote dancers.

So perhaps just a change of neon.

As mentioned yesterday, Spanky's is coming to Pattaya on Soi Diamond.

The builders are currently working on the old Limmatquai 80 lady boy bar between Gentlemen's Club and Diamond A-GoGo.

Spanky's is a GoGo in Bangkok's Nana Plaza specialising in shows, so presumably they have something similar in mind for Pattaya.

The bar is set to open on or before 25th November 2011.

Club Mirage on Soi Diamond. was dark last night. It was pretty dead when I passed a week ago too so maybe the prognosis is not good.

So there are now 74 GoGo bars in the Pattaya area.

The count looks set to rise shortly though.

Goodfella's, the upstairs bar over Soi Lucky Star is closed with s sign promising something else very shortly. And the word on the street is that a GoGo is expected.

A sign for Spanky's has appeared on the old Lady boy bar between Gentlemen's Club and Diamond A-GoGo. Spanky's is a GoGo in Bangkok's Nana Plaza specialising in shows, so presumably they have something similar in mind for Pattaya.

ByBlos on the corner of Soi Diamond and Pratamnak has edged its draft beer price up from 45 Baht to 49 Baht. Still cheaper than most.

Yet another GoGo has been lined up for Soi LK Metro. This is beyond the Kiss 2 (not the actual name) GoGo announced last month.

The latest project is set for the bra that is currently Redz and a next door neighbour unit.

So the projected dance bar count for Soi LK Metro will be 7 GoGos and 2 coyote bars.

Banglamung Police have conducted raids on 55 bars and other late night venues in East Pattaya over the weekend.

The states aim was to detect illegal drug activity and to ensure venues were operating within the restrictions of the law.

31 bar employees and patrons were arrested after failing urine tests, and 1 bar owner was arrested for selling alcohol without a license.

More police raids are expected.

Update: Pattaya-wide

5th October 2011.

The mass bar raids are not constrained to east Pattaya but have been going on throughout town.

TQ 2, or more formally Tahitian Queen 2, has closed on Soi BJ, a few paces of central Walking Street.

The owners have sold up and there are reports that the new owners will convert it to a coyote bar.

The long running TQ2 was an American targeting hangout bar that had a gogo dancers as a bit of sideline. It has been languishing somewhat in recent times, but it used to feature a very popular calendar of parties and special events.

There are now 75 Pattaya bars with girls dancing in bikinis or less.

Byblos is located at the corner of Soi Diamond and Soi Pratamnak (2nd Road)

The upstairs bar has now changed format and ditched the bells and whistles show. It is now a standard format GoGo complete with a Jacuzzi.

The mamasang learnt her trade at Windmill, so there is a good chance that the bar could follow a similar style. I do hope so.

The downstairs bar remains as a coyote bar, but the cheap 45 Baht draft beer is available all night in both bars.

Sapphire Club on Soi 15 seems to have done well since converting to a gogo in 2010. And now it has big plans.

From the 1st of October the bar will be closed for renovations. It will be expanding and and will open with a new look. The work is expected to be complete for a re-opening on 12th November 2011.

Update: On Schedule

1st October 2011.

Sapphire has taken over the two beer bars next door, so the resulting venue will be impressively big.

The girls are dispersing for the duration of the building works. What's Up and Climax have been mentioned as temporary workplaces.

There are now 76 bars with girls dancing in bikinis or less.

Perhaps taking inspiration from the popularity of Kinnaree Place, two more gentlemen's clubs look to opening up in the Pratamnak area.

The first is to be called Exotica. It will be very large and will open around the end of September.

The second will have a swimming pool and is targeted at a mid-November opening.

Update: More Details

10th September 2011.

Exotica is located at the old Mountain View Hotel on Pratamnak itself, between Soi 4 and Soi 5.

The venue is set to open on the 1st of October and it will feature a large swimming pool and plenty of girls looking for fun.

Update: Sapphire Lodge

13th September 2011.

The second gentlemen's club mentioned above has now been revealed as Sapphire Lodge. It is located on Pratamnak SOi 4 (Soi Asia) nearly opposite the Asia Hotel. It is the location that was previously Freedrop.

The bar is associated with the Sapphire Club GoGo in Pattaya Soi 15 and the 15% discount card will be accepted in both venues.

Sapphire Lodge is scheduled to open in Mid October

Update: Delayed

1st October 2011.

Exotica didn't make the 1st of October opening due to the inevitable slow building work. The reschuled opening date is now 15th October 2011.