Lets look at perhaps the more familiar sort of pub or bar first.
There are a number of western style pubs in Patong, each following
a particular country theme yet offering a cosmopolitan approach
to their customers. Some offer a range of imported beers to suit
every taste, live music and entertainment. Amongst many, here are
just a few of the pubs that prove popular with visitors.
Molly
Malone's Irish Bar - a unique Irish Pub atmosphere with a
warm welcome. Imported draught beers such as Guinness and Kilkenny,
Carlsberg and Heineken are always available to wash down some
of the best "pub grub" to be found. Live music nightly from their
resident Irish Band completes the entertainment. Open 11:00am
until 02:00am. Credit Cards accepted.
When it comes to the "beer bars" the visitor may not find much
at home to compare it with. There are hundreds of beer bars in
Patong, many little more than a bar top with a few stools clustered
around it in the open air, with perhaps a few umbrellas or a makeshift
roof. In many of the Soi's it's hard to know where one bar stops
and the next one starts. A good clue will be the music - each
tends to have it's own, and very loud, sound system!
But
whether it's in the open down the side Soi, or in a shopfront,
or even in a bar building, these bars have a unique style and
appeal about them. The order of the day (or night) is entertainment.
Be it the very pretty working girls who seem to congregate in
their favourite bar, your fellow tourists, or even us "locals"
you won't be short of someone to talk and drink with. By the way,
the girls here are not directly connected with or employed by
the bars, and are free to spend their time with you if they wish.
If you meet someone you want to take to dinner, to a show, or
perhaps just get to know much more intimately, then they will
probably be more than happy to do so. However, most bars will
expect you to pay a small "bar fine" (around ?? Baht) if you and
your new friend choose to spend some quality time together. After
all, if you both leave then the bar loses part of it's entertainment!
Financial arrangements with your new girlfriend remain subject
to negotiation depending on whether you just want a short relationship,
or whether you want her to accompany around you during your stay
in addition.
Here are just two of the many bar strips you will find waiting
for you:
Soi Eric: situated half way down Bangla Road is fairly
unique in that all the bars play the same music - this makes for
a much more relaxed less frantic atmosphere. Food, and good coffee
can also be ordered from the end of the Soi and delivered to whichever
of the few dozen bars you choose to sit in.
Soi Bangla Beer Bars: Definitely the place to enjoy a
cold beer and people watch. From 'hole in the wall' beer bars
to country and western theme bars, Bangla Road has a couple of
dozen bars all of which face the busy street - a perfect place
to watch the crowds go by. Best located is U2 Bar, opposite the
entrance of Soi Gonzo, where you can sit and watch the burlesque
transvestite show from the safety of the other side of the street.
And it's worth remembering that Patong rightly caters for every
taste, there is a large number of bars where gay men and women
will find a very warm and entertaining welcome too. Most of the
gay action is centred on the Paradise Complex near the
Royal Paradise Hotel. You will find a number of hotels catering
for gays, and many bars and go-go establishments. As with the
straight visitor, the rules in such venues are the same. Bar fines
are levied should you leave with your new friend, and any arrangements
you make with him or her for further entertainment is subject
to negotiation.
