Anybody explored the Hat Yai go go bars recently?

I found an old website indicating that most / all of the go go boy bars are located on Thai Arkan Road.

Is that still true?

Any information much appreciated.

Please share, thanks.

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This is what I wrote in my blog after my visit in June 2011. More up-to-date information would be welcome

The bars are still within walking distance one from another in the southern part of the town. The good news is that the overall quality of the boys has much improved and there was much more variety and numbers than before, even on a quiet Sunday evening. So for the record you have to know that Buddys Bar has opened again after a two year closure. G-Men seemed to be less interesting, but City Man (same street as G-Men) had really a good bunch of nice men from all over Thailand. They even provided a show as there were some customers (including a group of more or less true women) - very tame show by Bangkok standards though.

Drink prices were 120 THB in City Man and 150 in the other two ; and in Buddy Boys you off a boy paying 1200 THB for short time and 1700 THB for the whole night including the tip for the boy - an old Hat Yai tradition due to the fact that some customers (did I say from Malaysia ?) used to offer ridiculously low tips to the boys before this rule was introduced. Although I did not ask in the other bars, I guess that the rule and the prices are similar.

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There's a thread I posted here about how to find those - as well as how to find the only gay sauna in Hatyai. I can't recall it but I did post the same information at my blog. Here's the link -

The Rowdy Reprobate: In Hatyai - how to find the gay sauna and bars

I'll be going to Hatyai again soon so if there's any outdated information, I'll be updating it after that.

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Oh please please please please DO!!!

I haven't been to Haatyai, and really want to go and check it out (trying something new other than Bangkok), and it's not a long drive from Kota Bharu via Golok right?

hu hu hu!!

PS: LOVE YOUR BLOG!!!

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Hi LLZ, i would be the last person to dispute the stinginess of Malaysians with you when it comes to bar boys' tips. I've seen and heard the complaints about how expensive sex in Thailand can get - and that from people who think nothing of spending 2000 Baht on drinks at a bar in their own country where all they get to do is ogle the goodlooking men and then go home and tootle their tiddlies. There are Malaysians who are quite happy to ante up for the full front-and-back but I am afraid I suspect we are somewhat in the minority. Incidentally, by the time I offed my first guy in Hatyai in 1992, the pay-first system was already in practice so my first time in Bangkok, I was surprised at how differently things were done.

Is Buddy's back at its old place or has it moved to Thai Akarn Road, too? I didn't really check out the whole road when I made my little foray.

Hi Xil, thanks for the compliment. I am afraid my blog is more often than not more about me moaning my weight and health problems than other things but thanks to some encouragement from Bangkokbois (check out his blog at Dancing With The Devil In The City of Angels) I decided a few more photos about what I hunt and some stories about my less-than-admirable past might make better reading for anyone who might chance by.

I'm thinking of going to Hatyai this weekend as I'll be stuck working for nine months without a break once high season comes round (I live near the beach in Penang and my clients stay at the resorts there so that it's easier for me to work on their books).

I'm going to do a post about my recent experiences in Pattaya and Bangkok soon and then I'll update the pages about Hatyai and write some more about the cock ache and heartbreak of being perenially overweight in my blog soon as I get back.

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talking about Malaysians' STINGYness... i have a couple of friends who came to Bangkok and complained about the boys' rate...

most of them are young 20s pondans (me, late 30s pondan.. huhuhu) saying that why would they pay that amount of money for a guy when they can get it for free back home...

and that led to an argument.. i would blast them back by saying.. if you add all the money you spend on that person back home (top up, foods, top up, pocket money etc etc).. it would be just the same.. and please... in Bangkok you can get guys who are totally gorgeous.. and back home... you would settle for a mat rempit with a "pecah rumah" face.. just because you want it 'free'.. puh leaseeeeeee!!

i like your blog especially stories on your past love experience.. heartache and all.. because i know you wrote it from your heart.. unlike most malaysian gay blogs who are pretentious (oh i will never spend a dime for a guy) and want to show that they are better than others..

hu hu hu!!

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Hi again Xil,
Ya, I agree that our Malaysian friends never seem to add up the total cost of chasing ONE guy - and not always successfully - when they compare prices in Thailand. They forget that buying yourself a drink, and then buying him a drink, dinner and everything else - sometimes for two or three weeks - before they score adds to the grand total.

On top of that, if they're talking about 'getting it free' at one of the gay bars in our country, then I agree with you that they're more likely to end up with a pimply mat rempit who's not going to do much more than lie there like a dead fish - rub their asses raw so that he can prove to himself that he's still a 'real man' forced to make some rich pondan happy.

And they don't seem to realise that the mat rempit is going to tell all his rempity friends about the slutty pondans he %*#$ so that the next time our Malaysian friends walk into a local gay bar, they'll be famous in all the wrong ways. They'll be the darling of the mat rempits, however, so that counts for something in their world I guess.

I know all the argments about never paying for sex, too, and all I can say is most of my friends who said the same things go to Hatyai or Phuket or Bangkok regularly and then come back and rave about how gorgeous the Thai bayboys are BUT still complain about how expensive offing a barboy is - and then after that, still insist they won't pay for sex. Go figure.

Thanks. I'm glad you like my blog. It hasn't been easy talking about my younger days and the stupidity of some of my sins then but writing about it has been a liberating and most cathartic experience so far. I just added a new post though it isn't as much about Bangkok and Pattaya as I'd like. I'll save that for the next post, I guess.

I guess I couldn't care less about wanting to look better than other people in the cyberblog world - or anywhere else for that matter. I've found that a love-me-as-I-am or leave-me-and let-me-get-on-with-my-own life attitude is the best way to live without additional stress. Took me forty years to figure that out...and I'm supposed to be intelligent, too.

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Every now and again one of the profiles in GayRomeo makes me smile.
This for example from two guys from Israel I am not sure if they understand irony.


two men from israel in long and happy Relationship.we enjoys the good life. good wine and good restaurant good cigars. Luxury hotels
all Things of quality of life. .
Great believers in every day that passes is one less not day more so Enjoy life .

please we dont look for mens over 20
sorry we like only youngs !!!


thai boys Please understand the global economic crisis dont ask over 500 baht form your farang Customers. me and my boyfriend meet only boys not over age of 19 with long hair and smooth skin

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Hi taoboxer

As far as I can remember, Buddy's Boys was in the same location with the same layout (a big stage where the boys were sitting).
You probably know that this place is almost next door to Akarn Road.
Have a nice trip to Hat Yai ...

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Hi Pit, I would be most surprised if they actually told the barboys THAT!

Hi Llz, that would be at the ground floor of the old 'Regent Hotel" right? I'll go have a look anyway.

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I do not know whether there was a hotel above, sorry. Look at this map for details (except that Buddys was on the southern side on the little soi which parallels Phoosawat Road).

Gay Map of Hat Yai · gayScout 2012

This map also shows a karaoke bar in another part of town (Paladium , 9 Chaiyakul Uthit Rd) but I never went there .. could you be our special correspondent and launch an enquiry ?

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I can't be sure from the map so I'll have to go to Buddy and see if it is still where it was. The last time I went there (quite a few years ago) it was on the mezzanine (sorry, not ground) floor of SC Regency Hotel which is not the same as the current Regency Hotel. I had to dig up my old diaries to get the name right but I remember it was located in a small, quiet, soi about ten minutes walk from the main stretches of shopping in Hatyai. The SC Regency was actually a pretty nice place with balconied rooms and it was actually cheaper than the other hotels of the same grade.

The Palladium seems to be quite close to the Diamond Plaza hotel where I usually stay so I'll see if I can check it out, too, though karaoke isn't one of my favourite activities. Even in Hatyai, my previous experiences with such singalong bars have been decidedly less than memorable, I can tell you.

I can't promise to check everything out as I'll only be there for a day and a night, but I'll do what I can.

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Actually I would never be surprised at what people tell barboys.

I'm aware of a guy from Utah, used to visit several times every year, Bkk and Pattaya, off boys, have his fun then tell the boy that he's on a small budget and they will therefore have to accept a small tip.

He seemed to think this is all OK and that he's entitled to take this posture because his funds are quite limited, so he said, compared to other tourists. In fact he had a strong chip on his shoulder about this.

Last I heard (maybe 18 months ago) he was paying 450Baht for all night. He had many severe arguments with working boys and has been beaten up a couple of times.

He passed away about 1 year back, in Bkk, from severe diabetees plus lots of side complications which he'd been living with for a couple of decades, all of which cost a fortune in medications etc. But that's no excuse to expect bar boys to accept way way below the going rate.

I'm also aware that he used to share all of these details with other farang on the gay beach in Pattaya thinking he would impress people, but attracted severe abuse by other deck chair occupiers.

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It's sad what some people delude themselves into believing to be justification for all kinds of things. I just hope he's at peace now.

I leave for hatyai tomorrow morning and I'll be back by Sunday evening so I hope to be able to post updates about the situation there by Monday night at the latest.

See you guys in a few days time.

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I'm in Hat Yai now.

Staying at Meridien hotel, 750Baht includes (very basic) breakfast if you negotiate. Old hotel , has air con, hot water etc, about 3 star, clean and pleasant. Fast free internet.

No more than 4 minutes walk to Buddy Boys. Went there at about 9.30pm, dizzy manager was outside and said no go-go boy show and no show at all at the moment. Sign says show at 10.30, so I double checked - no show at all.

Then walked around to the soi indicated in most write ups to have several boy bars (3 minutes walk from Buddy).

Found one place only, 'Top Man'. Has about 10 boys in street clothes. Show starts at 10:30pm. First few dancers in jeans with no shirts then dancers in bikiinis only, then candle show, then soap show. Overall the show is about 1hr 15 min and not too bad. Drinks 150Baht.

Three customers until just before show time when it filed quickly, about 25 customers, a handful of 'male' customers and a lot of gatoey. No other farang.

The working boys are a very mixed bunch. No full on lady boys, one slightly fem boy, then the rest more macho boys, several overweight.

For me nothing interesting enough for a rendezvous except one young man who really took my eye. He sat down, spoke perfect English, 22 yrs old, and I quickly learned he's from Myanmar. Works at Top Man on Friday only but only every third week when he comes to export clothing from his family factory in Myanmar.

Also learned he has a regular Hat Yai customer whenever he comes to town. Regular customer arrived a little later, an old Thai man, very effeminate, very drunk and loud, with an entourage of loud gatoey.

Then headed back to my hotel, walked past Buddy again and learned that go-go boy show had just finished, also noted about 25 motorcycles outside. Some of course would be customers but I'm guessing quite a few would be driven by the working boys.

I'll go back to buddy at 10:30 tomorrow evening to get a clearer picture.

UPDATE - Sunday evening 22 Sept.

Just went to Buddy. Total waste of time. The venue is a mess, about 10 boys, all about mid - late 20's, all sit on a stage away from the customer seating, for me nothing even remotely interesting, certainly nothing cute, but each to his own of course. Drinks 150Baht.

Waiter confirmed definitely no go-go dancing and no show.

Waiter confirmed Hat Yai currently has 2 venues: Buddy and Top Man. He wasn't sure about sauna.

Easy directions to the two bars: As suggested by Taoboxer, use Diana dept. store as a start point..

- Walk out of Diana to main road and turn left (don't cross the road)
- Keep walking about 150 - 200 metres, walk past a tyre depot on your left side then another 20-30 metres walk past a Honda motorcycle showroom on your left side.
- By this stage the shop frontages have started to move in about 10 metres from the footpath of the main road.
- After Honda keep walking another 4 or 5 shophouses and Buddy is right there on your left.
- For Top Man, just keep walking (don't go out to the main road, after Buddy an internal Soi now appears).
- Walk past Buddy and within 10 metres a soi directly to the left appears, don't turn in, just keep walking straight ahead.
- Another 20 metres and a bigger Soi appears to the left side. Turn left into this Soi. Walk down this soi about 70 metres and on the opposit side of this Soi you'll see a can't miss sign for Top Man.

Enjoy.

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