When you first came to Thailand - do you remember where you stayed?

[sprq]

Malaysia Hotel, 1982. I don't think Khao San had any guest houses then. Not that I would go there. Recall at Malaysia writing in journal "I wonder if I can walk across to Blue Fox Coffee House without being propositioned?". Oh to be young again.... on second thought.....

Exactly right. The Malaysia area was the backpacker/budget area then, for no explicable reason, whilst nobody - very strangely - had yet thought of opening guest houses in the old city.

[sprq]

Intercontinental - the old one across from Siam Square.

Was a beautiful place - like a big park, set back from the road with a big Thai-style pavilion, green grass lawns and peacocks wandering around between the buildings.

It's now Siam Paragon.

Yes, we lost the finest piece of green space in downtown Bangkok when that Paragon monstrosity got built. It was pushed by Thaksin, PM at the time, who promised that there would still be a lot of green space at the back. There isn't.

[sprq]

1982. Miami hotel Sukhumvit Rd., Soi 13. Near the Thermae Coffee shop. The Miami had a great pool, and a decent coffee shop, but even back then the hotel and rooms were pretty run down. Actually that was the second hotel I stayed in. When I arrived at Don Muang there was a hotel counter where you could order a room. I flipped through the list and picked The Park Hotel, Sukhumvit, Soi 7. Only stayed a couple of nights as it was way above my budget. I just wanted to spend a couple of nights in what at the time I considered a first class hotel. One of the girls from the coffee shop took me over to the Miami, which was closer to my price range.

A classic which is still there, with pretty much the same lobby! I only used it once, sometime in the mid-1980s, and the towels were grey and rough as sandpaper.

[sprq]

1966 Nakorn Petch Hotel on Petchburi Road and a few weeks later Morakot Hotel much further out on Petchburi Road and so new that the elevators (lifts) were not yet installed. There were still a few open fields left in the area.

You may be surprised to know that the Morakot still existed until this year, though vacant and with an empty pool right beside Thonglor, surrounded by open air noodle joints. Even more amazing, instead of knocking it down, they appear to be remodelling the building.

[sprq]

I was lucky, it was 1980 and in transit for one night between Colombo and Jakarta, I slept at Mandarin Oriental htl, but company was paying and I shared room with my collegue, but I remember we went to PatPong which was a dark empty road with 3 bars and few girls, and DonMueng a.p. was the first little one with no airconditioning......

But still a bful remember.....

You didn't go to Patpong then, because it was buzzing with bars, neon, girls at that time.

[chondan]

Petchburi hotel down the soi behind first hotel. Farmers were plowing fields next to the street with buffalo. quite Nice. Back then had breakfast at the Chao Praya hotel for American breakfast. i did not know how to order fried eggs over medium .. The lady Thai cook taught me how to order farang food in Thai..1970. Soi Cowboy had one bar. Cowboy 1, great place.

[davidstipek]

Yes!

Unofficially I was in USAF Barracks (Quarters) ....

But again we were not here... Right? (Actually I was also in Chiang Mai also!)

Tour consisted of:

1 day Vietnam

363 days Thailand (5 different duty sites)

back to Vietnam 1 day

Equated to 1 year TDY SE Asia...

Edited December 23, 2014 by davidstipek

[buzz]

I was lucky, it was 1980 and in transit for one night between Colombo and Jakarta, I slept at Mandarin Oriental htl, but company was paying and I shared room with my collegue, but I remember we went to PatPong which was a dark empty road with 3 bars and few girls, and DonMueng a.p. was the first little one with no airconditioning......

But still a bful remember.....

You didn't go to Patpong then, because it was buzzing with bars, neon, girls at that time.

Exactly correct, Patpong was definitely 'happening' back then ...

[Daniel Boon]

The Right Residence (Pattaya)... no one to greet us, got a key but no remote controls for air (or TV), stinking hot, had to leave the door to 'balcony' open, mosquitoes had a field day

[CajunCruiser]

March 1982, historic Nana Hotel. No plaza across the soi in those days, just touristy shops such as Tolaram's tailors and a nice little restaurant called Chez Nana. Soi 4 is now a gross caricature of itself. Around the corner, Tommy 's Gems, Siam Bootery, andd dim sum at the Golden Dragon.

[CajunCruiser]

1962 leave to Bangkok from Udorn base.

Stayed at the Nana Hotel. Up till about 15 years ago some of the original staff were still there, reminisced about the old days.

Surrounded by rice fields, bad roads and basically Sukhumvit ended/began there at the rail road tracks.

In July 6th floor Singh was still there, same bad comb-over. Edited December 23, 2014 by CajunCruiser

[brakar]

In 1998 I took a flight around the world with Star Alliance. Last stop on the trip was 5 days in Bangkok. I had not booked the hotel but had a list of 4-5 hotels around Nana area with Nana Hotel as the first choice. On the list were also Amari Boulevard Hotel. I found the hotel counter at the airport and gave the list to the lady behind the counter. She looked at the list and said. only Arabs, only Arabs ... until she came to Amari Boulevard which she thought was the hotel for me. I ordered room there for 3 nights. I got a surprise when it turned out that most guests were Arabs/Muslims. I stayed 3 nights and then got a room at Nana Hotel and since then I have always stayed at Nana Hotel when I am in Bangkok, 2 to 3 times every year.

A picture I took in 1998 from beer bar outside Nana Hotel. Not many bars along soi 4 at the time.

[BKKBobby]

The first time I was in Thailand was in Phuket. Thats when I was 17 years old in the summer of 2000. I havnt been to Phuket since then. I was staying at Karon Royal Wing. I dont think the hotel exist anymore. It was basically nothing on Karon beach at that time as far as I remember. Every night was spent in Patong. That trip made me decide to move to Thailand.

[Friendly Stranger]

In 1998 I took a flight around the world with Star Alliance. Last stop on the trip was 5 days in Bangkok. I had not booked the hotel but had a list of 4-5 hotels around Nana area with Nana Hotel as the first choice. On the list were also Amari Boulevard Hotel. I found the hotel counter at the airport and gave the list to the lady behind the counter. She looked at the list and said. only Arabs, only Arabs ... until she came to Amari Boulevard which she thought was the hotel for me. I ordered room there for 3 nights. I got a surprise when it turned out that most guests were Arabs/Muslims. I stayed 3 nights and then got a room at Nana Hotel and since then I have always stayed at Nana Hotel when I am in Bangkok, 2 to 3 times every year.

A picture I took in 1998 from beer bar outside Nana Hotel. Not many bars along soi 4 at the time.

Bangk125.JPG

Pretty clean and the sidewalks are not broken up.

[singhabeer]

Hi,

My First Visit To Thailand was in 1982;stayed at the Miami Hotel Sukhumvit soi 13,

Wonderful place back then,

[Blindside]

Sawasdee Inn on Khao San road.

Seems like a life time ago. Have not been to Khao San in about 10 years.

[Assurancetourix]

and DonMueng a.p. was the first little one with no airconditioning......

Arriving at Tan Son Nhat International Airport ( Ho_Chi_Minh town , Vietnam ) in january 1991,

no airco and an indescrisbable mob at the Immigration desks ...

.

My first arrival in Thailand was at the same date - about 15 of january 1991 - a few hours before because my plane landed in Bangkok and after in Vietnam.

I did like that many times ;

and the first day I went outside the airport was in april or may 2005 ;

I took the train to go to Hua_Lamphong Station ;

I had a meeting with a friend at the Sri_Krung_Kacem Hotel which is at about 300 hundred meters from the station;

600 baht without breakfast ; it's at the border of China Town; good for a footing visit ...

One photo shot in 2005;the second later , so u can see the hotel close to the station; on the other side of the canal.

[perdido]

only obvious to someone who knows <deleted> the content of the picture represents.....

Does this count?

sorry does what count ??

Military barracks 1969 Utapao. Literally the first place I stayed when I first came to Thailand. Thought it would be obvious.

[nithisa78]

Suvarnabhumi

[nithisa78]

only obvious to someone who knows <deleted> the content of the picture represents.....

Does this count?

sorry does what count ??

Military barracks 1969 Utapao. Literally the first place I stayed when I first came to Thailand. Thought it would be obvious.

only for the people we helped. Happy New Year.

[Shasta55]

First place was the Indra Regent. 1980. Bit expensive back then but pretty good too. Still a good place to stay and relatively cheap nowdays.

Should have seen Patong back then. Amazing. Went there 3 days on the way home from CM last year, much against the Commander In Chief's wishes just to see how it has changed. She was right.

Edited December 24, 2014 by Shasta55

[henry15]

It was 1976 and I stayed at Liberty hotel in Pradhpat Rd, and I ordered at 11 pm an peppersteak, wich the delivered to my room 25 minutes later.

[Aladdin]

I RE_POST this as it seems like all the pictures are gone from the original post

 

I was going to India and after 2 weeks in Amsterdam I went to the airline to buy a ticket. They told me that they didn’t fly to India and I bought a one way ticket to Singapore. (We made a stop in Bombay and I was not happy as I was not allowed to leave the flight)

I took the train to Bangkok and I meet a guy in Kuala Lumpur and he recommended Miami Hotel on Sukhumvit Soi 13 as the very best hotel in Bangkok.

I stayed for one night and I left, hot water, only if I sat down in the bath tub as there was not enough pressure on the water for me to stand up taking the shower. I left for Malaysia Hotel at Ngam Duplee as this had been recommended to me on my first evening. First beer at Landmark Hotel. I ordered a beer and the Waitress asked what kind of beer I wanted. I asked what kind of beers they had in Thailand.

- Singha and Kloster

- Which beer is the most popular?

- Singha

- OK, I take a Singha

I started to cry, it was the worst beer I have ever had. But Kloster was very good and it was 2 or 3 Baht more than the Singha. If I remember it right Singha was 20 Baht. Back then there were only 2 beers available in pubs and restaurants and Chang was something the bums bought a the MOM & POP shops drinking from brown bags on the streets.

Miami Hotel Sukhumvit Soi 13

 

Light traffic on Sukhumvit

 

We recognise Landmark Hotel

 

A bit of wildlife on Ngam Duplee, not far away from the classic BLUE FOX back in the days

 

I'm pretty sure this is Satorn close to Malaysia Hotel

 

 

 

[ivan96822]

Royal Ivory Hotel. Sukhumvit / Soi 4.

 

I can still smell the continental breakfast, be accosted by taxi drivers offering some scams, and drinking beer in the lobby at 7 a.m.

 

The pool don't look like it does on the website.

 

Mai pen rai

[Inn Between]

I fIrst came for a visit in the late 80's. A friend was working in China and came to LOS regularly as he had GFs in BKK and Phuket. He made the bookings for the Honey Hotel on Soi 19. I arrived late at night a day before him, and on his advice, I headed over to the Hare and Hound on Soi Cowboy, It was owned by an old Aussie, who I think was named Graham. I got there and found out the city was under curfew, so at around midnight the shutters were closed and we continued drinking until 3 am -- until Graham suddenly got snarly and kicked us all out. I ended up going to an afterhours bar with an American guy I met and eventually made my way back to the Honey at about 5 am with my own new girlfriend. She turned out to be a doll. It was a great trip, But that was long ago and, haven't bothered with the bar scene anywhere in many years now. 

[tifino]

got me dejavu'n back to '81 'agin

 

The Phuket Cabanas on Patong Beach, for the 1st night of a week or so there

 

Took lots of pix there, however all on Slide, and that photo collection has already gone to god...  

 

All there at the time were the few thatched huts just off the foreshore, with a coconut tree for each hut.

AirCon was unheard of, as were kongdoms; and Mekhong was king drink...

 

 

4 of us military types, and one little extra entry - later suspected to be katoey - to somehow quietly keep feeding the meter for, myself .

The boys next morning were not happy, not for it being there, but for missing out

 

Phuket Cabanas, was soon after this - to be overtaken by Patong Beach Bungalows

 

[DM07]

I stayed at the Siam Beverly Hotel and thought I was really "downtown" because there was one of these sinful massage- parlours nearby (Emmanuelle).

I was totally fascinated, standing at the roof- top pool and seeing nothing but houses in every direction, until the horizon!

I have been to LA, Toronto, Paris before...but this was breathtaking!

[Wilsonandson]

A five star hotel in Sukumvit near nana for the first night. Moved out the second day and booked into a 500 baht a night hotel after being charged 1,000 baht to take a girl back to my room.

Edited August 17, 2016 by Wilsonandson

[Naam]

Erawan Hotel, Bangkok in november 1973.

[Johnniey]

I think I paid 30 baht for a room with no view just off Khao San Road.