Pattaya Nightlife News and Reviews

The average price of beer costs more in Bangkok than in Edinburgh, Amsterdam, Brussels and Berlin, a new study has revealed.

According to the World Beer Index 2021 , the average price of a 330ml bottle of beer in Bangkok is US$4.82, or approximately 149 THB. Thailand was ranked in 37th place overall with beer prices ranging from 29 Baht in supermarkets to 269 Baht in hotel bars.

The World Beer Index calculated the average price of a bottle of beer in 58 countries bought from either a supermarket or a hotel bar. Out of the other ASEAN countries to feature in the study, only Singapore was found to be more expensive than Thailand.

Pattaya is in a bit of lull at the moment with fewer bars opening after the second lockdown than the first.

However there are a few planned openings on the way.

Another gentlemen's club, Club Fate, will be coming to the up 'n' coming bar street, Soi Boomerang. Presumably the bar is targeting Japanese customers.

On Soi LK Metro Pulse A-GoGo has re-opened and Touch A-GoGo across the street seems set to follow. There's also building work at the old Ninja A-GoGo but it is not yet clear what will be happening there.

Pattaya bar owners are hoping that if Chonburi is determined to be a green zone in terms of Covid-19 risk rankings given by the Center for Covid-19 Situation Administration (CCSA) that the current strict midnight closure rule will go away.

A meeting with the CCSA Prime Minister Prayut Chan O'Cha will determine new rankings for each province. Chonburi has had no cases of Covid-19 in two weeks and so is hoping for a change in ranking from yellow to green.

Green would mean the province is low surveillance but would not guarantee the current despised midnight closure for bars and nightclubs would go away, that is another hurdle to cross.

Technically even a green zone means midnight closing, but such technicalities have rarely held sway in Pattaya.

There has been a Far East A-GoGo operating on Soi Post Office for as long as I can remember (albeit with a little break between Far East 1 being replaced by Far East 2).

Well it seems that Far East Rock 2 didn't survive the second lockdown and the venue has now been totally gutted and cleared out.

October 1 has been proposed as the possible start date for when foreign tourists will be able to return to Thailand without first needing to spend their 14 days of quarantine confined to a hotel room.

Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) governor Yuthasak Supasorn has spoken of plans to define the whole of Phuket as a quarantine hotel where tourists can freely roam. Only after 14 days and presumably a negative test will the visitors be allowed to cross the bridge and travel into the rest of Thailand.

The Phuket idea is that all local residents could be vaccinated against coronavirus by 1st October and hence be safe from imported disease. TAT is now pushing for tourism workers to be included in the second round of inoculations. However it is not yet clear whether the national government supports the timetable.

Phuket had planned to purchase and distribute government approved vaccines to the locals but the national government said that local administrations and private organisations are not permitted to purchase the vaccine independently.

Officials in Pattaya also said they had also considered similar plans.

Pattaya has re-opened for trade after the latest coronavirus lockdown. However time has taken its toll and there are now less open businesses than just before the lockdown. However it seems a little bit of an exaggeration for local news reports to suggest that Pattaya's nightlife looks dead and buried.

Although bars can now re-open they are severely restricted by very early closing time so perhaps it is not so surprising that some have decided that it is not yet worth re-opening. There are plenty of options though, and there are plenty of places that will sell you a beer and offer a little female company.

 

Pattaya's longest running GoGo bar on Beech Road seems to have been saved from closure by a crowd funding campaign. The bar previously announced an imminent closure due to covid related finance issues.

However the bar seems to have been saved by the raising of 16,000 dollars via the crowd funding website gofundme.com.

A 20th January update on the crowd funding campaign reads:

Wow, I am blown away by how much traction this campaign has gotten! Thank you so much for your invaluable support.

Looks like we are going to make it through this month. Woody and Bob are overjoyed - this situation has been a huge source of stress for all of us.

The bar has now been slated for re-opening on the 12th of February.

Update: The TQ crowd invited to support the campaign

4th February 2021. Thanks to Ishi of www.pattayagogos.net (Japanese language)

The crowd funding campaign info was posted on the front of TQ. This was spotted on 3rd February.

Pattaya's bars have been allowed to re-open from 1st of February under an incredibly restrictive 11pm closing time.

Contributors on Pattaya Addicts have been asking the question about how many bars will be re-opening. The forum offers very sad pictures of Walking Street's Simon beer bar complex clearly not going to be re-opened any time soon.

There is also a question mark over the Made in Thailand complex on 2nd Rd nearly opposite the Central Festival mall. Up until now there have been some keen bar owners there working hard to promote interest in Pattaya's post covid nightlife, but there are now fears of a short notice shutdown by those in control of the lease or land.

Chonburi including Pattaya has been defined as a Medium Control province and lockdown rules have been changed to the following:

• Pubs, bars, karaoke and entertainment venues can operate provided customer numbers are limited. Alcohol can be served until 11pm and live music allowed provided nobody dances

• Restaurants can open under social-distancing practices until 11pm

• Seminars, banquets and catered events can be held with no more than 300 participants

• No alcohol or dancing is allowed at these events.- School, education institute, or tutorial school can open but classes must be kept small

• Department stores, malls and supermarkets can open as normal, provided no promotions bringing together people are held

• Conventions or exhibitions allowed provided all preventive measures are in place

• Gyms, fitness centres and boxing training camps can hold competitions with a limited audience

In a move claimed to be a method of funding medical treatment for uninsured visitors, Thailand has decided on a 300 baht entry fee

Travellers will need to pay it on each and every entry according to reports. Payment will likely be in the form of a stealth tax applied when someone purchases a flight to Thailand.

Media has reported that the fee will be used for the management of tourism destinations but will also be used as an insurance benefit for international travellers who fall sick or are injured on their trips to the kingdom are unable to pay for medical treatment.

Tahitian Queen 1 is an iconically long running GoGo bar on Beach Road by Mikes Mall. It celebrated its 40th Anniversary in 2018 so presumably it has been running for about 42 years.

Well the long run seems to have permanently come to an end with reports of enviable rent being demanded at a time when most customers have been banned by coronavirus restrictions.

The bar was very popular as a daytime meeting place for friends, particularly with those from the US.

A new set of measures has been announced is response to a surge in Coronavirus cases now up to about 750 news cases in the last day. The new restrictions cover 28 provinces including chonburi, and therefore cover Pattaya too.

The measures include restrictions on cross provincial travel, the closure of schools and educational institutions and a ban on serving alcohol in restaurants. Buildings or premises that are deemed high risk of spreading the virus, such as fitness centres or spas, will also have to close.

People who live in the 28 provinces now deemed 'red zones' are advised to not travel to other provinces unless absolutely necessary. Anyone travelling across provinces must show proof of why they are travelling.

Bars and pubs are ordered to close, restaurants can remain open but are not allowed to serve alcohol.

Businesses must tell staff to work from home, where possible, alternatively they can ask staff to work staggered hours or alternative days.

The new measures also give provincial governors the power to impose their own restrictions and can close any premises or businesses that they deem necessary to help prevent the spread of the virus.

Shopping malls, markets, supermarkets and community malls can remain open but strict screening and disease control measures must be in place.