Increased prices in Patong?

[Highlands Emma de Milo]

Gosh you guys are a bit harsh.

I try to save some dosh once in a while.

Next week I'm going to Dafur.arty:

A couple of years ago I went to New Orleans after Katrina. Sure it was a bit wet but I got some great deals.:mdr:

 

[Jerome]

What I like about Patong prices is that they do go up. Last year we averaged 10,000 - 12,000bht a night at the bars. That was a substantial increase on last year. I'm sure the drink prices must have gone up. It has nothing to do with how much we consumed on a nightly basis and how many bottles of SamSung we bought the BG's.
On the other hand every time we go back to Patong Villa they discount it more each year. We are paying 300bht a night less than we did in 2005 which was a bad summer all round for LOS.

 

[Hermes]

Most things in life work both ways. From your point of view, anyone trying to stay between 1000 and 2000 baht a day must seem very strange, but to someone who's in that position, your spending 12000 baht a night seems equally incomprehensible.

I don't know what was said in any missing posts, so maybe that's the reason people got upset at the person who started this discussion, but what remains up above is very reasonable.

Some people buy a Ford, and other people buy a Ferrari. Both will get you from one place to another. My point is that how much enjoyment you're getting usually depends more on yourself, than how much money you're spending. If you're limited to only a small amount, you can still have a wonderful time in Thailand.

 

[furball123]

Heres my opinion on going on holiday and going out in general......

Personally i always take more money than i need for a good night in the Uk or if its a holiday in Thailand, i would much rather save for an extra couple of months so i`ve got plenty of funds or if its a night out in the Uk i will not go out every weekend with limited funds, i would rather stay in that week and have a bender the week after!!! (no not that bender)

If you have to watch what your spending all night i don`t think you will enjoy the whole Thailand experience.... Needless to say i`m not stupid with my money once there, but i`ll eat where i want to eat, drink what i want to drink and stay in middle of the range accomodation.

Also having a tgf helps i suppose!!!

So....... If your on a tight budget, save a little more money!!!!!

Thats my opinion anyway....

 

[gws35]

Is it possible you guys can post the "UNEDITED" version of this post somewhere (maybe with a disclaimer on it?) I gotta admit I'm curious ...

 

[Alix C.]

Hmm, "If you have to watch what your spending all night i don`t think you will enjoy the whole Thailand experience....". That's combined with not being stupid with your money, and staying in "middle of the range accommodation".

Without realizing it, you're agreeing with what I was trying to say. Some people spend a lot, some people spend a middle amount, and some try to spend very little. It all depends on one's financial situation. Enjoying the trip may or may not be dependent on how much money you can spend. As to enjoying the "whole Thailand experience", that depends on what you're after.

I ought to shut up. I thought the person who entered this discussion asked some reasonable questions, and said several things I agree with. On the other hand, there seem to be some missing parts of this topic, so maybe he also said some things that were not very nice. Maybe. Then some people dumped on him, saying that if you go to Thailand with a budget, you're going to have a miserable time. That's what led me to create an account and post here.... that, and having read the books I mentioned earlier, especially "Money Number One". Like it or not, it's all a business. It's like buying anything else - you buy what you can afford. Or, save up a bit, and then you can spend a little more.

Thailand is a wonderful place, and the Thai people are great to be with. There's lots of things to do. Food is great, nightlife is fun, and even with the dollar being worth so little, it's still possible to have a good time on a reasonable amount of money. I guess I like the "real" Thailand more than the miniature Western fun-place set up for tourists. Maybe on my next trip I'll go to a place where the signs are in Thai, which is where the locals probably hang out.

 

[hmm.]

It totally depends on if your talking a holiday or talking a lifestyle..

I would come down on the side that its not so enjoyable to have a holiday experience and have to penny pinch or miss out on the holiday mode partying..

Yet I also agree that if your trying for a lifestyle and are low on funds, you may still be able to have a nice simple life, and that be a better overall standard of living.. Than back in a cold climate where many of the cheap alternatives are not on offer.

 

[PACmon]

just fecking go there and go hard
cheap charlies .
if ya run outta money you can always sell ya butt
:slap:
i do buy the girls a few drinks,
but dont go giving them the world

 

[Cassandra G]

Too tempting!:mdr:

 

[Cute Latin Girl]

5555555555555555
good 1
:

 

[laracroft79]

Gee, a good reason to have a budget and be aware of it. If you don't, and just spend until you have no more, when (not if) you run out of money your fun comes to a crashing stop. But if you do have a budget, and just take what you need for that one night when you go out, maybe you're aware of this, which might reduce your fun, but being aware of it you're unlikely to run out, so overall maybe you have more fun than if you didn't plan things. Yeah.

 

[Matty boi]

There's always the credut card and the cash advance option. It might hurt the pay packet once you are home but it at least provides an opportunity to continue to have fun while on tour.

 

[Los Ojos]

That is precisely my point. If you remain aware of these things while enjoying yourself, you will have fun while not hurting the pay packet when you go home. If you ignore it and use the ATM you'll pay for it later. It's a choice. If you can spend more, and not disrupt your finances too badly, why not just budget that much more to begin with?

To answer the real question, how much or how little do you need to spend in order to have fun? There is no single answer that fits everyone. For a newcomer, the better way to answer this discussion might be to just post the range of prices things cost, and let each visitor decide on his own how much he can afford. For those without limited finances, go ahead and splurge. If you can afford to, why not?

 

[Alyce S]

An interesting thread....

Last year was the first time in 5 trips to LOS that I actually ran short on cash. I don't use credit cards and had to have a friend send some cash over via Western Union. I was also travelling alone, so I couldn't even borrow cash from friends. Scary.

It's no fun running low on funds on your last week, believe me! And I brought a LOT of cash with me. I certainly should have had more than enough for a three week holiday. And after 4 trips I should have known the cost of living etc..

In my case, I simply didn't budget. I was the typical "2 week millionaire" for the first two weeks, buying lots of drinks for the girls/staff etc... then I panicked when I realised funds were so low and I still had another week to go! Basically, I acted like a real newbie to LOS! I should have known better.

Even with the relatively low cost of everything (compared to Europe) in Thailand, it's still very easy to blow a wad of cash!

Having been there, I know that all plans can easily be forgotten once you step off the plane!
However, I would urge all newbies to budget carefully, especially if the trip is a long one!
You can still have plenty of fun and not be a cheapskate...!

Joe

 

[Will]

thats good advice , in 2006 i met some aussie's who were spending $100 a day on booze , and lending their keycard to some girls , sounds like the rich and famous but as you say you got to live within your budget . i arrive in phuket today for my 3 trip there and it allways costs me around $100 a day , phuket is not cheap but its a great island .

 

[colleen]

It might help newcomers who read up here if they had a guide to current costs. I can easily make up my own list, but I'm sure it will be laughed at by those who can spend more.

ONCE
Airfare to/from... $1300 or so.
Airport to Patong: $5 minibus or $20 for taxi (150 baht or 650 baht)

PER DAY
Hotel: $ 20 and up for something reasonable
Breakfast: $ 4
lunch: $ 6
Dinner: $ 15
Bar fine: $ 7 (200 baht)
Friend: $ 32 (1000 baht)
Drinks: $ 5 to 100 and up
Tips: $ ?
Taxi or Tuk-Tuk: $ ?


Seems to me like the bottom end of the scale is $50/day, if you're limited by money but want to have a good time every day you're up to $100/day, and if you get real involved in drinking, ringing the bell, buying lots of people drinks, and so on, there's no limit. There's also the costs of things on the beach, Jet-Skis, and so on, beach chairs, and snacks. Also gifts.

If you don't mind sharing, maybe post your own list of what you think the costs are.

 

[B-Easy]

Well I certainly wouldn't laugh at anyone trying to get by on a low budget.

As I found out, it can happen to ANYONE during their trip if they overspend! I know I'm not the only visitor to LOS to have blown too much cash in the first week or two!

Consequently, it's good to know that you can get by by spending less.

One other thing I could add is to make sure you pay for EVERYTHING as you go.

I got caught out with this by (foolishly) making an overseas call from hotel reception. It was late at night and I'd had a few drinks..... Normally I would always use the cheap overseas call places.

Anyway, at the end of my stay I had to pay about 3000 baht for that stupid call!!

Joe

 

[My Puppet Hands]

I've spent more than I planned on both of my trips & cash advanced the credit card & that happened twice on each trip, so I was up for an extra advance fee as well as their interest immediately I got the cash. My attitude was I'll get the money now & afford it later as I don't want to hang around like a useless sad sack as I have no cash to do anything. Also on each trip I didn't know at that time that I would be going to LOS again, so another reason I drew out more cash was I didn't want to be stuck back at home having regrets about things not done because I'd been a cheap charlie.

 

[Pompal 09.]

I messed up somehow. I tried to post something saying it would be nice if people here posted something about how they budgeted their money, and I tried to put down what I thought was reasonable. I'll try again - not sure what I did wrong last time.

One Time Expenses:
Air fare to/from Phuket: $1300 or so
airport to/from Patong: $5 or $20 (limo or taxi)

Daily Expenses:
hotel: $ 20 and up
breakfast $ 3
lunch $ 5
dinner $ 15
bar fine $ 7 (200 baht)
st/lt $ 15 or 25 (500 or 1000 baht)
taxi, tuk-tuk: ?
drinking $ 10, $100, or more?
laundry
tips
gifts
jet ski


Depending on how much you indulge, it could be between $50 and $100 per day, plus transportation. Of course, if you drink a lot, that's way low, unless you go to 7/11.

Maybe some other people can put down what they think a more reasonable set of costs should be. What I posted is for the person who started this thread, trying to do things on a budget.