This won't be a long post

Chaos Bar & Massage: Small, intimate host bar a few blocks from the main drag, but outside the 'regular' tourist girlie bar sois. We pass it all the time (on the way to Faqthong) but as yet have not stopped. Why? No idea except that we prefer Faqthong so far as well as knowing a few friendlyguys there now. But it's intimate and cozy, has seating both inside and outside. Slightly claustrophobic, but one gets used to it in Hua Hin.
We'll pop in one of these nights I'm sure. (300 baht off fee ... rest up to you)

Faqthong Bar & Massage: Our favourite 'cocktail-time' bar, 2 doors down from Chaos. The description of Chaos above fits Faqthong as well almost to a "t". Guys here are very friendly but not over-bearing (as none of the host bars in Hua Hin are). Once you've gotten over the smallness of the place, it's easy to sit back and relax.
We had one farang friend who had a very leisurely 2-hour massage here and pronounced it "wonderful" (he offed the guy as well, but I didn't ask details ... smiles on faces though). (300 baht off fee I believe is common to all the host bars in Hua Hin)

Red Indian Bar Boys: Just off the city soi leading down to the beach in the midst of quite a number of other beer bars (straight). Everytime I've gone past this place in earlier years it had always been empty. Now I believe I had just been cruising by too early. More spacious than the other host bars in town.
Went there the other night and it had quite a few farang sitting with quite a few guys. A lot of more feminine types as far as I could make out, but also others of a more masculine style. One of our friends (same guy as above) got hooked up with a handsome dude within minutes of arrival and after a few more minutes waved us off to go cruising by ourselves, as he was apparently happy for the night. (Found out the next day how happy ).
We'll go back and have few drinks some other night, but later this time.

Guys Bar & Massage: Another small bar better later at night. Quite a lot of farang dropping in. The guys here are not pushy, but do descend on one a bit more than I'd like . . . but you may enjoy that.
It's usually Suphot and I together when we go out on the town and the Vulture Factor doesn't apply so much. On the other hand, the guys in Guys are very sweet and can be great neck masseurs when needed. I do believe the same farang friend as above offed a guy from here as well, but got no details on this one. 'Guys' is on the same little soi which houses the entrance to the Sofitel Hotel ... just keep walking past it and you can't miss it.

Candlelight Bar: Located in Entertainment Centrale, Candlight is the only gay establishment I've never, ever, seen anyone in during quite a number of pass-bys at many different times. I'm sure we will someday, but the sight of a few desperate boys sitting lonely-like outside and inside, mouthing decidely unenthusiastic "... welcomes ... " in the most tired fashion does little for a potential customer's desire to enter. Mark Candlelight down as another place I'll go to when I can get up the energy (so lacking in energy is it!), or at the very least, to leave a proper review on this Board.
Can't and won't say anything more in the negative column until I have done so. Host bar with same same off rules (I presume) as above.

Doi Boys & Blue Angel Show Bars: We have not been to either of these two joints in almost two years. Both are little bars with tiny stages at the back . . . and both (2 years ago) had over-priced drinks and possibly the worst shows I've ever seen in Thailand (and I've seen some dogs). Typical bad lady-boy shows with appalling costuming and sets down up with accoutrements not changed in 10 years. No service to speak of and fewer customers, I cannot believe these 2 places are still paying the rent.
There is a chance they have changed ownership and are better now, 2 years on. Maybe I will take another look soon ... and will post again if a marked difference is noted. But if nothing has changed it will be my last time for sure ... never having been much of a 'show' lover at the best of times anyway.
You're on your own with these places. 'Offs' are available as above I suppose, and the drinks (including Coke) were 200 baht 2 years ago. Not worth it whatsoever.

Gay umbrellas at Hua Hin Beach: For a few bright shining moments in time I passed by a beach chair/umbrella consession on Hua Hin Beach ... proudly flying a large rainbow flagged, and hosted two handsome young guys who a had what would normally be considered a "gay" demeanour (fill in your def here).
As I was just passing by on my way to another favourite spot, to meet up with favourite dude, I didn't stop but made a mental note to come crash on a beach chair there for a few hours in a few days time.
Alas, it was not to be. Flag had gone 3 days later. Lavender-colored umbrellas still shaded the beach whales, but gayness had disappeared, taken over by a fat cook, and a mean-looking chair-renter.
I'll keep looking, but I'm not optimistic.

Bottom line . . . stick to the host bars in Hua Hin. There is no GoGo in HH ... gay or straight.

Cheers ...

Thanks Smiles.

There are more gay bars in HH than I had expected...and it sounds really layed-back and cozy.

Do you ever spot any gay boys around the beach area during your morning runs?

And more importantly, would love to hear a review of how life is now that you and Suphot are finally together 24/7...on a separate post of course.

Not many farangs have accomplished what you and Suphot have, at least through my experiences, and it would be very insightful to hear how your lives have changed through this experience. I don't mean to throw this post off track - just wondering.

mai pen rai

Thanks for that write up Smiles. Sounds like a nice alternative place for a quiet weekend break.
Can you post something about gay friendly hotels and restaurants in the area ... I know I could look up on dreadedned or such like but that information is usually woefully outdated.
Thanks.

You of course were chaperoned

What did Pot think ?

coatimundi wrote: ... I know I could look up on dreadedned or such like but that information is usually woefully outdated.
Thanks.

Dreaded Ned doesn't provide any information about Hua Hin. This is another reason why Smile's update is really appreciated.
For Guesthouses and hotels in HH, you could try this great resource : www.huahinafterdark.com/

coatimundi wrote:Thanks for that write up Smiles. Sounds like a nice alternative place for a quiet weekend break.
Can you post something about gay friendly hotels and restaurants in the area ... I know I could look up on dreadedned or such like but that information is usually woefully outdated.
Thanks.

I'll start another thread on that soon, as I've been thinking along the same lines.
Hua Hin has a wonderful variety of low-priced eating holes, excellent medium priced grub, and fancy, overpriced, nouveau-riche, LMTU-style kinds of tack-o-rama wastelands. Some of the beach chair/umbrella cook houses are also on par with any of the better restaurants (not all for sure). Same same for hotel variety and price.

Never quite sure what "gay friendly" means to folks, but the best I can surmise is that Hua Hin is not much different than almost all places in Thailand when it comes to hotels & guesthouses . . . . i.e. hardly any being "gay unfriendly". Frankly, most don't give a tinkers damn who you bring to your room.
But I'll add a list of hotels I know about from either first hand, or second hand experience.

Cheers ...

Smiles wrote:Hua Hin has a wonderful variety of low-priced eating holes, excellent medium priced grub, and fancy, overpriced, nouveau-riche, LMTU-style kinds of tack-o-rama wastelands

Does HMTK pop in for feed every so often?

coatimundi wrote:...Can you post something about gay friendly hotels and restaurants in the area ... ...

Hey! I thought we were all gonna stay with Smiles!

Thanks Smiles. Either Hua Hin has grown in the last 3 or 4 years or I just missed all the fun places when I went.

dboy

Regarding the Blue Diamond, I was there about a year ago at the height of high season and they had the audacity to raise the drink prices to 500B weekends at showtime and calling it a show was is a misuse of the word.

Dodger, lots of farangs have been with the same BF, living together. I have been living with the same BF for almost 3 years. We have know each other for 5. I have two close farang freind that have lived together with BF's for 12 and 10 years. A few I know in Chiang Mai even longer. I don't know any in Pattaya, but there must be some.

TrongpaiExpat wrote:" ... Regarding the Blue Diamond, I was there about a year ago at the height of high season and they had the audacity to raise the drink prices to 500B weekends at showtime and calling it a show was is a misuse of the word.

Dodger, lots of farangs have been with the same BF, living together. I have been living with the same BF for almost 3 years. We have know each other for 5. I have two close farang freind that have lived together with BF's for 12 and 10 years. A few I know in Chiang Mai even longer. I don't know any in Pattaya, but there must be some ... "

Hi Trongpai, was it Blue Diamond when you were there? I think it's probably the same place, now called Blue Angel. Agree though, 500 baht is laughable.
I vaguely recall a price per drink (including Cokes) of 200 or 250 baht (enough for me to take notice), and I think that was 2 years ago. Not been since, and as mentioned above, the 'show' is the absolute pits.
Not really fair to recommend total avoidance as the show may have completely changed and improved. But if it is the same, then the place is a complete rip off.

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Regarding living together with a Thai guy ... Suphot and I have been one&onlys since 2000, but that was in holiday mode, about 6-8 weeks a year. A difficult enough task in itself to carry off.

Now we are in longterm/shacking-up mode the Big Experiment will morph it's way through life and we'll see how it looks and feels over time. Heaven forbid if I did not recognize my own petty neuroticisms, quirks, and off & on moodiness and make great pains to lower the potential stress level inevitably caused by such personality traits. And heaven forbid if he doesn't do the same ... for he is far from 'perfect', as am I.
Suphot speaks very good english, and we talk these things out reasonably often ... with pretty good success.

Nonetheless, it's quite the adventure

Cheers ...

A short update to the very useful review posted above ...
Chaos One has closed some weeks ago
Faq Thong is alive and well although they could do with more customers ... you will find them at the end of Soi 80 and not in their former location Sasong street ... they moved one year ago or so (this was clear from Smiles'review but I had read over it too quickly). A trio of young good-looking lads has just arrived there from their village in Nong Khai.
As for Candlelight Bar, I walked up and down the soi Sarakham without finding it so either I had bad information, or it has closed ...

In short Hua Hin is a nice place to stay and brings a nice change of atmosphere compared to Pattaya or other places.

Here's a map of Hua Hin with gay places:




Cheers ...

You did not mention the Bar "Our House" on the map. what is it like ?

jinks wrote:You did not mention the Bar "Our House" on the map. what is it like ?

I heard they pay the 'off-fee' to the customer