Soi Bangla Upgrade

[Valentine]

Soi Sea Dragon is being refurbished, Baan Sukothai demolished to make way for an upscale retail centre, Ocean also appears to be having an upgrade. There will supposedly be more franchise outlets, less thatch roofs, less sleaze, supposedly, although many come here just for that. An Aussie travel agent laments Patong will go the way of Pattaya when it had a serious problem some years back & that Patong is losing it's Thainess. IMO Patong has been heading down this road for quite a while already.

I certainly agree Bangla could do without the sleazy touts but upgrading, modernizing should be done in a way that it retains characteristics unique to Thailand.

[stuandchris]

You do anything to Bangla it can only improve it !

A small nuke would be the most cost efficient.

[LivinLOS]

New gogo (run by hells angels) bar fine 5000 baht, pay the bar not the girl..

Russian 'dancers'.. etc etc etc..

The personally I think the seadragon facelift is long overdue and will make for a good dry soi.

[thaiwanderer]

It's in Thailand and there are Thai people there of course, but I'm interested in what 'Thainess' in particular will be lost by any such changes and why this might be something to lament?

'Upgrade' is also debatable. New grid on a sewer.

[Lannatyne]

Times when I "enjoyed" the attractions of places like Soi Bangla are well behind me. However, its appeal is unique and no one can dispute that its features are part of the fabric of Patong and Phuket.

People who don't want to go within a mile of a bar girl still come to gawp at the goings-on. I've (very willingly!) escorted friends and family who visit us here on nights out in Patong, and told the females in the group about what they'd see, and to leave any pre-conceived predjudices and opinions in our guest bedroom / their hotel. Without exception, they've understood what's happening, seen the bars, seen the shows, and come away with some awareness of the reality why many of the girls do this 'job'.

Despite its hedonism and sleaze, what I'd hate to see is Soi Bangla just become another street of smart shopping outlets. The "sleazy touts" won't leave Patong, and nor will the girls and customers. The whole business will just move elsewhere, and you'll get a new version of Soi Bangla in another part of town.

By all means tidy the area up and improve the infrastructure, but don't mess with the reason it's there in the first place.

[Valentine]

It's in Thailand and there are Thai people there of course, but I'm interested in what 'Thainess' in particular will be lost by any such changes and why this might be something to lament?

'Upgrade' is also debatable. New grid on a sewer.

I read two articles in a publication we cannot mention here which is why I posted the topic to see what others thought. You should check them yourself particularly the one by the Aussie travel agent who makes some fairly astute observations.

[Rickster]

The best improvement for Bangla Rd and Patong in general is with the use of a Bulldozer !!!!

[petercallen]

Times when I "enjoyed" the attractions of places like Soi Bangla are well behind me. However, its appeal is unique and no one can dispute that its features are part of the fabric of Patong and Phuket.

People who don't want to go within a mile of a bar girl still come to gawp at the goings-on. I've (very willingly!) escorted friends and family who visit us here on nights out in Patong, and told the females in the group about what they'd see, and to leave any pre-conceived predjudices and opinions in our guest bedroom / their hotel. Without exception, they've understood what's happening, seen the bars, seen the shows, and come away with some awareness of the reality why many of the girls do this 'job'.

Despite its hedonism and sleaze, what I'd hate to see is Soi Bangla just become another street of smart shopping outlets. The "sleazy touts" won't leave Patong, and nor will the girls and customers. The whole business will just move elsewhere, and you'll get a new version of Soi Bangla in another part of town.

By all means tidy the area up and improve the infrastructure, but don't mess with the reason it's there in the first place.

Good post, its not only a tourist attraction for Foreigners, Thai people like to see it to

Its a nights entertainment

[coutsa]

I love Bangla the way it is, its a fun night out. If you dont like it, just dont go there. Simple.

[KarenBravo]

Bangla is one of the best places on earth to party (ever been to Bourbon Street?). It's not going to go away, just move.

The real estate in Bangla is just too valuable to rent out bars. Hotels and high end retail is the way it will go.

Just economics. Nightlife will in all probability slowly move to behind Junkceylon.

[woodyleonhard]

Despite its hedonism and sleaze, what I'd hate to see is Soi Bangla just become another street of smart shopping outlets. The "sleazy touts" won't leave Patong, and nor will the girls and customers. The whole business will just move elsewhere, and you'll get a new version of Soi Bangla in another part of town.

By all means tidy the area up and improve the infrastructure, but don't mess with the reason it's there in the first place.

Good post, its not only a tourist attraction for Foreigners, Thai people like to see it to

Its a nights entertainment

Agreed completely. I went out on a recon trip to Bangla last night, and I really like the changes! Soi Sea Dragon is soooo much nicer with a roof and real walkway - no rain, no mud. The bars have changed a bit, but not a lot. Prices are up maybe B 20. The whole vibe is still there. Good drinks, good music, good times. Sanuk!

And, heaven help me, I like to have choices like Starbucks and McDonalds and the packaged Irish pubs. They may not be traditional Thai, but they're certainly modern Thai, and I think that's great.

I'll continue to take my visiting friends to Bangla - expat and Thai - and we'll have a great time. It reminds me of the French Quarter 30 years ago.

And when my friends want to see old-time Thailand, or the natural wonders of the south, they're only a couple hours' drive away. The real thing.

Edited October 15, 2010 by woodyleonhard

[Idler]

Without Bangla being like it is, or any modern version of it, where else would people go to just hang out and watch the world go by and/or party? It is the entertainment hub of the island and has a great fun vibe about it. Think of Phuket without Soi Bangla - where would revellers head for at night? Modernise it too much and that 'fun vibe' could be diluted if not killed altogether. Move it to behind Jungceylon and it simply would not be the same. It might be sleazy but on the 'sleazy' scale it's still acceptable sleazy. Places will always evolve but many times the people doing the evolving forget what makes a place special in the first place. I hope that does not happen with Bangla.

[grumpyoldman]

The whole business will just move elsewhere, and you'll get a new version of Soi Bangla in another part of town.

This is right, from what I have been told/understand they want to turn Bangla into a high end shopping experience, move current elsewhere, I think we are seeing the beginning of that plan.

[petercallen]

The whole business will just move elsewhere, and you'll get a new version of Soi Bangla in another part of town.

This is right, from what I have been told/understand they want to turn Bangla into a high end shopping experience, move current elsewhere, I think we are seeing the beginning of that plan.

Sounds like another good idea like installing traffic lights at Chalong circle

[Valentine]

The whole business will just move elsewhere, and you'll get a new version of Soi Bangla in another part of town.

This is right, from what I have been told/understand they want to turn Bangla into a high end shopping experience, move current elsewhere, I think we are seeing the beginning of that plan.

The talk about moving all the bars from Bangla to another location has been going on for years but as suggested this looks like the start of the process.

[petercallen]

Why would they want to change Bangla Road into another high end shopping complex.

Its taken 2 years to fill the shops in jungceylon, we go in the day and it never seems really busy.

We went to Central festival last week and there are plenty of empty shops there now because of the new competition

Asia used to be a great place to shop for cameras, watches etc because of the amount of

money you could save this is not true anymore.

Bangla rd is a tourist attraction has been for years and is known all around the world for that reason,

turn it into a high end shopping complex and it will be just another street

[LivinLOS]

Why would they want to change Bangla Road into another high end shopping complex.

Its taken 2 years to fill the shops in jungceylon, we go in the day and it never seems really busy.

Why does the land owner care ?? You know how much a few 100sqm in JC costs ?? A restaurant space not on the ground floor !! Millions, into USD mil when you factor fitout and kitchens.. A mate in the higher end hospitality trade did the numbers when it was opening and said it could never pay.. Sound dropped 60 million into that place and were folded in what 6 months ?? 1 year ??

The landowners dont care what Banglas reputation is.. They dont care what people think.. They want the maximum possible payout they can get.. If thats a mercure hotel, so be it, if thats a sleeze filled brothel, so be it.. Its irrelevant to them.

Right now Bangla bars are reaching breaking point.. Upstairs tiny places off bangla for a couple mil key money and rents.. I am hearing prices like 6 mil plus and high rent for 'near bangla' beer bars (managed by a consortium of 'senior police'). Theres no way these places survive with 150 baht mixer drinks (already reports in new seadragon beer bars upped to 180 baht a gin and tonic, not a gogo, just a regular beer bar) Tigers rents already mean those prices are common, along with 200 - 250 baht lady drinks. Quite simply these bars will price themselves out of the market, the monger punters will head to pattaya and the tourist couples who wander round and gawk wont keep those places in business. And while the bars fail to make the biz work big chain stores and shopping centers with deep pockets are waiting in the wings to try. Lots of long term 10 year bar owners, who have money to renew, have thrown the towel in this last year on raised key money, they are not fresh off the plane, they know what they need to take to make money not simply pay the rent and lose the key money, if guys with so many years experience and history say no thanks, and only fresh off the plane dreamers are buying them, that says a lot.

The bars under Tiger 2 are failing badly, I heard owners are already walking away from 2 - 2.5 mil key money rather then even operate the bars, as just being open is costing them money, and this is pre high season, I suspect ones not sold to n00b arrivals this high season will fold in the spring and a massive revaluation of those units must take place, putting them under Thai management who live on lower overheads (like the cabana bars around town). But ultimately with Tiger 2, Chang pool club, the Sansabai bars and the new area south of jungceylon with the hells angels run gogo, theres an obvious trend to move to cheaper ground rents and shift nightlife back from the prime beach zone real estate. Will this happen in the next year or two ?? No I cant imagine so, but will Patong more resemble pattaya with a '2nd road' system back from walking street.. That seems ultimately how its going.