BugJackBaron

When I said "original" I meant as i tried it a year or two ago. That may be after your experience.

What I remember is a display that looked great and at first tasted Ok but after a while felt like you ate the absolute worst bacon, toast and other stuff out there. Others have felt the same but most don't post about it.

I went to the Poseidon late last year and it seemed fine then. Hard to imagine how anyone can criticise the bread and pastries which are uniformly excellent. Unless you prefer sweet factory "bread" as sold by 7-11 and used extensively in most breakfast places in town?

As for others feeling the same but not posting, I dont really see how they can be given any credence if they cant be bothered to say anything about it.

Man I don't where to begin but I am convinced many farng either have no taste or have forgotten how good food was in the west. For good pastries try Cambodia or even Phucket - anywhere but Pattaya. And as for 7-11 I don't buy anything but water and beer there. Good bread is hard to find here but Foodland is not too bad.

Foodland?? What a bizarre post. That fact is, much like anywhere, you have to shop around to get what you want.

Perhaps TOPS in Central for some products. I prefer the French croissant made by the company on 3rd road, but the TOPS 'purple' product was ok.

Part of the problem is that people don't want to pay for a quality product. How many would visit the brunch if it were 500 baht, but used premium products?

So restaurateurs often have to work to a budget, rather than to produce the best product that they can.

500 baht may not fly for the Pattay crowd but check out the more reasonable 300 baht brunch in Beefeaters across from Mike shopping. It can be done. Not to mention the thread talking about the 5 star hotel (Hyatt) buffets. Nothing like those options exists in the Jomtien area.

Does it still have the Thai riff-raff trying to sell you questionable things?(I don't mean sunglasses) That beach always seemed quite seedy to me.

Original was terrible.

The original Poseidon brunch buffet was almost exactly the same as the current Casa Pascal one. I think it was/is rather good for the price, as indeed do the majority of people who have posted about it.

The new Poseidon buffet is quite a bit different to the original. I had a quick look earlier today as I was walking nearby. It's on a much smaller table for a start, with much smaller dishes, and there seemed to be fewer dishes also though I didnt count them. I wasnt very tempted. The decor is very modern and red, and I dont find that very relaxing. If the two were next door to each other I think I would rather go to Casa Pascal.

When I said "original" I meant as i tried it a year or two ago. That may be after your experience.

What I remember is a display that looked great and at first tasted Ok but after a while felt like you ate the absolute worst bacon, toast and other stuff out there. Others have felt the same but most don't post about it.

I can't comment about Casa Pascal as I haven't been there.

I wnt to Poseidon once, the last time before the closed. I strongly disagree with your comments. I think the products are of a decent enough quality. Of course if they were to supply free range organic bacon and a glass of champagne with breakfast, they might feel the need to increase the price of the buffet significantly.

To be blunt, I think perhaps you have an axe to grind.

A freshly cooked to order breakfast, decent bread and a variety of side dishes including desserts and you are complaining about the quality of the food??

I stayed at the APEX a very long time ago. Went down for breakfast and didn't eat a single item. Perhaps the quality has improved since. To try to suggested that Poseidon used the worst of ingredients is just crap.

Instead of free-range organic bacon why not some decent Canadian back-bacon? I have no axe to grind except to post my honest opinion. - I even thought the decor and service was good and really, really wanted this place to be different. I'm not sure why you mention Apex as I stopped going there a long time ago.

But Pattaya has better choice for breakfast than Apex and certainly better than Jomtien.

When I said "original" I meant as i tried it a year or two ago. That may be after your experience.

What I remember is a display that looked great and at first tasted Ok but after a while felt like you ate the absolute worst bacon, toast and other stuff out there. Others have felt the same but most don't post about it.

I went to the Poseidon late last year and it seemed fine then. Hard to imagine how anyone can criticise the bread and pastries which are uniformly excellent. Unless you prefer sweet factory "bread" as sold by 7-11 and used extensively in most breakfast places in town?

As for others feeling the same but not posting, I dont really see how they can be given any credence if they cant be bothered to say anything about it.

Man I don't where to begin but I am convinced many farng either have no taste or have forgotten how good food was in the west. For good pastries try Cambodia or even Phucket - anywhere but Pattaya. And as for 7-11 I don't buy anything but water and beer there. Good bread is hard to find here but Foodland is not too bad.

Original was terrible.

The original Poseidon brunch buffet was almost exactly the same as the current Casa Pascal one. I think it was/is rather good for the price, as indeed do the majority of people who have posted about it.

The new Poseidon buffet is quite a bit different to the original. I had a quick look earlier today as I was walking nearby. It's on a much smaller table for a start, with much smaller dishes, and there seemed to be fewer dishes also though I didnt count them. I wasnt very tempted. The decor is very modern and red, and I dont find that very relaxing. If the two were next door to each other I think I would rather go to Casa Pascal.

When I said "original" I meant as i tried it a year or two ago. That may be after your experience.

What I remember is a display that looked great and at first tasted Ok but after a while felt like you ate the absolute worst bacon, toast and other stuff out there. Others have felt the same but most don't post about it.

I can't comment about Casa Pascal as I haven't been there.

The fun never stops! Not even in Jomtien!

My buddy played the good sameritan today in soi3 Jomtien after witnessing some Italians being "taken for a ride" . They were shown a "dent" at the bottom and asked to pay more and my buddy intervened. Shouting and threatening ensued and the italians went to the police but it was hard as their English was poor. Makes you wonder where the tourist police are when you need 'em

Original was terrible. There is very little Western food of good value in Jomtien.There may be one or two lone exceptions such as Richman-Poorman.

Have you tried Cafe Ritz? Mignon? Aquarius? Shenanigans? Magg's? Pan Pan? Gian's? News Cafe?

Yes, I have(except for Mignon) and they were mediocre at best or way overpriced. Many started good, like Magg's, but went downhill fast.

Original was terrible. There is very little Western food of good value in Jomtien.There may be one or two lone exceptions such as Richman-Poorman.

It's convienient because it's possibly the only 24 hour rest in the area(Villa Market is no longer 24 hours).

The American breakfast would be ok except for the tasteless toast and jam-like substance.

Cheap but unsatisfying.

But for a better - even if margnally - 24 hour place that is cheap, head to Chok la dee(sp?) in Foodland ...

Too bad the location isn't as convenient

Flame away, guys :jap:

VIVA Yingluck Shinawatra ! ! !

No flaming from me CaptainFantastic. I have been here long time, doing business and I am happy to see a business mind back in the leadership of this beautiful country which I now call HOME!

I trust we are going to see a lot of surprise movements by this Lady with the pretty smile - AND strong personality of her own. Do not make a mistake Kn. Yingluck Shinawatra has tungsten steel in her own bones. She might not have political experience, but she definitely got business sense and that is going to make her a big winner.

Some might be painful;

1) Expect increase in minimum salaries and benefits for workers; but then I will be happy for that too. My workers are anyway paid well above minimum wages.

2) Oh and for corruption that was on the rise again - there is going to be a death blow from Tungsten Lady. She (and her Brother) has always been dead set against that.

3) Immigration will be tighten again; no problem for the welcome legal expats.

4) Taxes on those who have big money - will rise; for those who are common workers will reduce.

Shucks, I already feel sorry for Yingluck Shinawatra

All the changes she is going to implement is again going to be an advantage to the general population - and that is not loved by the Bangkok elite Establishment.

THAT my friends were the only mistake her older brother made. I do not believe he was guilty as charged.

We all know the magic and wonders that can be done in this lovely country. In Thailand reality can be stranger than fiction.

Remember, the EX-Military coup government had to replace at least four high court judges before they could bring charges.

First Female Prime Minister for Thailand.

First democratic elected government in five years.

But there is one more world winner: Now Thailand definitely has the prettiest Prime Minister anywhere in the world!

I for one am VERY happy, excited and look forward to a new era in Thailand (and in my own business again). I do not think anything better could have happened this year.

(1) As salaries rise so will inflation or people will simply hire more illegals from Burma

(2) You mean no more "tea money" for the boys in grey? Yea, right

(3) Tighter how? Any tighter and tourism might as well stop...This is still a tourist country and that would be an epic fail. With Chiang Mai hotels at less than 40% occupancy rate it is pretty cleat they need to loosen tourism regulations, not tighten them.

(4) Tax who? Thai companies? You will simply see more underground economics. Foreign companies? They will move to China if you do that.

As a classic band put it "meet the new boss, same ad the old boss'

And we all know who really calls the tune...

What we all miss from the west....The fortune cookie!

I believe that the one qualified carpenter in Thailand works for the royals...

Typical know it all foreigner.....rather than look for yourself or take the girls word, you prefer to argue......personally, I think its a great shop, everyone smiles, are all helpful and whoever makes those bears claws definatly gets a thumbs up from me, thay are the best thing I have tasted in years

Did you get on the wrong side of the bed this morning Which part of the story you need explanation? It's about service and attitude. In case you don't know, a supermarket is a service-oriented industry. So please don't tell me you accept these kind of lazy and I-don't-care attitude!! It's got nothing to do with with a know it all foreigner..... capish???

Sure some of them don't smile. After working for minimum wage and dealing with boorish, snotty, think-everyone-should-speak-english-fluently farang, who can blame them? And then there's the Russians

BTW, can you tell me one supermarket where they always smile and say "thank you" ? In America they often say "have a nice day" in the supermarkets - they have to - and it's as phony as a 3 Baht bill.

But as for Foodmart, it has a nice beer selection and one or two of the girls always serve me politely so that is enough for me even though I sometimes feel like i am just a walking wallet there too.

I like baht buses and appreciate the system when they act as BUSES. But I will criticize them when they deserve it and I don't like to see them rip off tourists by making them pay 100 baht for a 10 baht bus ride, and yes, this does happen.

Man you've had some bad luck. I've had the occasional 10 baht ride cost me 20 baht - Jomtien at Jomtien complex to the new central on beach rd, yesterday for example. They sometimes do this when there are only two passengers (farang!) to make up for poor business. But they know it is 20 baht only when you reach l soi 6 and second or so..

The result of unclear policies..and unclear information given to the public.

Boston Bruins win the 2011 Stanley Cup game 7 at Vancouver

And Vancouver riots. What a game!

Well, obviously when you see a blackberry "storm" at 2000 baht, it's a fake.

But the best way if you're not sure is to simply ask "original or copy?".

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I've had Sophon fiber-cable in View-Talay since January and it's adequate for the price -- 4 Mbps is 690 Baht per month with a free cable-modem if you pay for one year up-front. Installation was 750 Baht and their service personnel are very responsive for the few times they were needed. It's also best to add a Cable-Router, which you can get at TukCom for around 1200, or from Sophon for 2500..

I haven't heard anything about 3BB in View Talay, but have read less than favorable accounts of their service in general on various Internet forums.

If you want the contact information for the Sophon sales/technician, PM me.

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Thanks for the reply. On another thread someone suggested 3BB + cable = no bittorrent. This would be a showstopper for me. Is Sophon cableis OK for this though?

I remember as a one night guest in talay 1 a couple of years ago getting some (rather poor) download speeds via their wifi package so if it works for wifi it probably works for cable too.

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I've had Sophon fiber-cable in View-Talay since January and it's adequate for the price -- 4 Mbps is 690 Baht per month with a free cable-modem if you pay for one year up-front. Installation was 750 Baht and their service personnel are very responsive for the few times they were needed. It's also best to add a Cable-Router, which you can get at TukCom for around 1200, or from Sophon for 2500..

I haven't heard anything about 3BB in View Talay, but have read less than favorable accounts of their service in general on various Internet forums.

If you want the contact information for the Sophon sales/technician, PM me.

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Thanks for the reply. On another thread someone suggested 3BB + cable = no bittorrent. This would be a showstopper for me. Is Sophon cableis OK for this though?

I remember as a one night guest in talay 1 a coupe of years ago getting some (rather poor) download speeds via their wifi package so if it works for wifi it probably works for cable too.

cash converters in the Carrefour building usually have 2-3 on offer

all have 30 day guarantee

As other posters have implied, you might as well buy a cheap new one.

as people simply ask too much for used laptops these days.

Go with AMD over Intel and you can see cheap new ones for as little as 10000 baht at dut com.

Just had a quick look at View Talay 2 (B,A) in Jomtien They have now put cable-internet in most apartments. I am interested in how well it works from the perspective of any View Talay resident. Have you noticed an increase in speed over the old wifi system ?

Do they really have enough servers there to give everyone close to the 6MB connection speed promised by 3BB? Of course the real estate agent I talked to said it was good but I would rather trust a resident....

Even Fantasy Bar in Jomtien Complex has recently increased its beer prices by 25%, from 40 Baht to 50 Baht/bottle.

A lot of these price increases are opportunistic and are exploiting the belief people have that prices are rising.

There is no way the cost of supplying beer or meats etc have risen to anywhere near the extent of these price rises.

Seek out better value, try to avoid visiting the places that are opportunistically hiking prices like this.

Fantasy Bar was odd in that it offered liquor at prices just a few baht more than the store price.One theory was that the owner was rich and didn't care. Another was that this was a well-known ploy to get people coming and then jack the prices. But in fairness I remember Chiang being 25 baht at the 7 a few months ago. Now it is 29.

So maybe costs have risen quite a bit.

Yes the whole world is falling apart.

The special cheap charlie price has gone from 60baht to 80 baht.

It is the thin edge of the wedge.

It is symptomatic of a wider conspiracy of rising prices and anti farang sentiment sweeping Thailand.

What will be next?

The price of beer at Tops rising 5 baht a bottle!

It could be beer, it could be food, it could be transport, it could be hotels, it could be apartment rents, it could be medical expenses. You name it, that could be it. In general, its known as inflation. And of the things I know you worry about, health problems, loneliness, whatever, inflation should be high up on the list. You see, for someone such as yourself on a small pension or a low income, inflation will slowly eat away at your quality of life. In the beginning you will belittle it, you will laugh at people who comment on a few baht here or a few baht there. But in time you will begin to understand the bigger picture and feel the pain. You are like a frog in water that is slowly being heated. At first you feel fine, you don't understand what is happening, then you start to feel a little warm but you still feel all is fine. Then it gets hotter and hotter and before long you will be squawking with pain...then dead. Thats inflation my friend. A lot of the falangs who were here 10 years ago are long gone now. I bet they laughed at a few baht here and a few baht there, but where are they now? I will tell you, they are gone, priced out. In time, you will probably be gone too, wondering how your dream became a nightmare.

Please dont put me in the same basket as others that have retired in Thailand.

I have seen the calibre of many of them and I am not surprised at all that they are broke now or desperate or gone to live in Bangladesh where it is cheaper.

Put it this way I wouldn't consider retiring on anything less than 150k baht a month indexed and that is the absolute bare minimum.

And before you start sprouting how much money this is it represents less than the average wage in Australia today so we are not talking huge money.

If you dont have enough money to retire in your home country then you really shouldn't be thinking of retiring in Thailand.

Obviously it depends on your lifestyle. 150k? wow! so you want to party every night as a retiree? Well no doubt a few do but I know quite a few content ones on their UK pensions of no more than 50000 baht who live here in a style they would be hard pressed to find at home. Despite all the wailing and moaning this place is way cheaper for many things - housing being the main one - than my home country of Canada.

This is a really interesting and revealing thread.

It started by a poster concerned about yet another price jump in Pattaya. Namely, cinema tickets rising from 60 to 80 baht. But as usual the poster was quickly attacked, people said he must be very poor/tight/stupid if he didn't have a measly extra 20 baht or didn't understand that even at 80 baht it is still excellent value because some posters said that it is more expensive in some other city in some other country. I guess those posters just want to show off about being "rich" as they have the extra 20 baht. Well done, I am sure everybody is impressed at how rich you are (LOL).

Don't any of these people get the bigger picture, or do they think the post is just about 20 baht? If someone said the price had jumped by 33% would that get their attention? If someone said put it into context where many other prices are leaping by similar percentages would they still not get the bigger picture?

Do any of you understand how fast inflation of say, 5-10% a year will render most of you, even the ones who show off about having no problem paying an extra 20 baht, impoverished in a decade or so?

I find it amazing that so few recognise the broader significance of runaway inflation, especially for people on a fixed income or otherwise living off of savings. An analogy might be if you were sitting in a cinema and you smelled smoke would you laugh and say "its just a little smoke, don't panic" or would you think "there is no smoke without fire and being in a crowded cinema where there might be a fire might be a bad idea"?

So, anyway, finally, the post descended into one about the kind of snacks being sold at the cinema.

What is the average educational level of Pattaya expats? I mean if its very low I can understand the ignorance, but I would have thought just a lifetime of experience should tell people that rising inflation, even if illustrated by seemingly small examples, is a serious threat to your existences. The OP is right to be alarmed about these price increases, they are a really bad omen. Pity post of you seem too small minded to see that.

At a guess I would say higher than yours. Do you really need to insult people who have a better grasp on reality than you do?

This has absolutely nothing to do with inflation. Ticket prices have in general remained the same or reduced since the cinema opened. The only tickets that have gone up is the price of a special once-a-week promotion on Wednesday.

If you really want to push this 33% inflation nonsense, you need to be aware that this cheap Wednesday promotion has only been going for about a year or so, therefore you could just as easily conclude that Wednesday tickets have gone done by 33% (120 to 80) on Wednesdays because they used to be 120 when the cinema complex first opened in October 2007 and stayed at that level for a few years. The ticket prices have also gone down from 120 to 100 on Mon, Tues and Thurs compared to when they first opened.

80 baht was the price of the now defunct movie cinemplex at Royal Garden(and they sold beer there too) . Maybe the cinema owners saw a massive rejection by the moviegoer of the new prices and decided on the discount day as a compromise?

Personally I rarely see any movies in the cinema as I find most of them them to be so formulaic and shallow - certainly not worth 120 Baht And of course there are alternatives to seeing em at the theatre....

My biggest complaint is the popcorn - often stale! Does anyone do decent popcorn anymore?

I thought the Apex was okay at 180 baht for dinner if I wanted a heavy meal with desert and didn't want to wander around Pattaya looking for something better.

But then I noticed it seemed to be getting more and more crowded with large groups of Russians in particular. The crowds really put me off and I stopped going. At 250 I will be trying even harder to avoid it.

The reason they felt able to raise the price so much was precisely because of the crowds and that pretty much sums up Pattaya these days. I don't like the way things have changed, I don't like it getting ever more crowded, ruder, more expensive.

The trouble is I feel stuck between a rock and hard place now. Pattaya isn't what it was but at the same time I don't know of any other location either in Thailand or elsewhere that will provide what I want. Maybe its time to start doing some legwork again, look at some other countries. I have been put off Cambodia because of its dangerous reputation and association with the unseemly extreme of the male sex tourist market, but maybe its changed for the better now?

re: price increase: I think it may also be that there were not enough people. Apex had many vacant signs last high season - something that never happened in the past.

If you are a dedicated Apex goer , check to see if you can get a discount for a pack of ten tickets. -10 for 180 each as before. I saw something like that for breakfst at the Lek.

re: cambodia: * crickets* Dude, if you want western food with good value for money just go. It's only slightly more dangerous than Thailand(mostly because of the mines) and the biggest annoyance is the touts..