Patong is dead.

[phuketlive]

<snip>

Most businesses in that Banzaan / Nanai Road area are really struggling now.

Seems to me that the tourists/long stay visitors who used to stay in the Nanai area have mostly migrated to the new road as it saves a taxi ride to/from the Bangla area.

The same for tourists too, new hotels in the center. Why bother going to a place on nanai with no pool, no lift, no gym etc

Now near ban zan market, you have hotels for 500 bahts with pool, gym, 24H reception, etc.

Some hotels in nanai still dont realize that they want to rent a room for the same price but with nothing else (no pool, gym, etc)

The owner of the hotel where i stay is crying, thai man, but he does even have a reception staff, no lift, no pool etc and hopes to rent his rooms 600 bahts in low season... Now he is almost empty in high season, wake up man!!

Looks like they dont understand anything anyway.

[arunsakda]

Many many Chinese in Chiangmai still now, almost like no low season. However other than a few backpackers there would be no tourists at all it seems.

[simon43]

I was in Bangkok yesterday, missed my flight back to Phuket in the early evening, due to the terrible traffic jams from town out to the airport.

'No problem' thought I. Just book another flight later that evening...

No chance! All flights to Phuket fully booked up with Chinese tourists. The Amari Hotel by Dorn Meung was also full, so I had to stay in a dubious hotel nearby where women (I think they were women) kept offering me 'extra services' - whatever that means

I caught the 05.40am Nok Air back to Phuket this morning. Perhaps 90% of passengers were Chinese.

[NamKangMan]

<snip>

Most businesses in that Banzaan / Nanai Road area are really struggling now.

Seems to me that the tourists/long stay visitors who used to stay in the Nanai area have mostly migrated to the new road as it saves a taxi ride to/from the Bangla area.

The same for tourists too, new hotels in the center. Why bother going to a place on nanai with no pool, no lift, no gym etc

Now near ban zan market, you have hotels for 500 bahts with pool, gym, 24H reception, etc.

Some hotels in nanai still dont realize that they want to rent a room for the same price but with nothing else (no pool, gym, etc)

The owner of the hotel where i stay is crying, thai man, but he does even have a reception staff, no lift, no pool etc and hopes to rent his rooms 600 bahts in low season... Now he is almost empty in high season, wake up man!!

Looks like they dont understand anything anyway.

Some guest houses on Soi Banzaan now offer their rooms as "short time rooms" but without the western tourist, there's still no customers here to even use the rooms for that purpose.

[jamie obda]

So are things slow, as in significantly slower than past low seasons? Are shops on rat u thit closing up, or the side sois? Can I walk down clear sidewalks? Have the Bogans gone? Are beers cheaper? Have the Isaan girls gone back to the farm?

Sent from my SM-T530NU using Tapatalk

[stevenl]

So are things slow, as in significantly slower than past low seasons? Are shops on rat u thit closing up, or the side sois? Can I walk down clear sidewalks? Have the Bogans gone? Are beers cheaper? Have the Isaan girls gone back to the farm?

Sent from my SM-T530NU using Tapatalk

Numbers are probably about the same, but the tourists have changed and at the moment are not spending.

[schlog]

I was in Bangkok yesterday, missed my flight back to Phuket in the early evening, due to the terrible traffic jams from town out to the airport.

'No problem' thought I. Just book another flight later that evening...

No chance! All flights to Phuket fully booked up with Chinese tourists. The Amari Hotel by Dorn Meung was also full, so I had to stay in a dubious hotel nearby where women (I think they were women) kept offering me 'extra services' - whatever that means

I caught the 05.40am Nok Air back to Phuket this morning. Perhaps 90% of passengers were Chinese.

Every month more and more the chinese masses are a bigger annoyance at the airports and on hkt. Fighting chinese women on hkt airport. What a show.

On my last 2 flights i had chinese guys next to me, moving and shaking like they have ADHD while eating the leftovers of their breakfast buffet out of a bag. What a mess.

And all this for what benefit.

Edited July 10, 2015 by schlog

[NamKangMan]

I was in Bangkok yesterday, missed my flight back to Phuket in the early evening, due to the terrible traffic jams from town out to the airport.

'No problem' thought I. Just book another flight later that evening...

No chance! All flights to Phuket fully booked up with Chinese tourists. The Amari Hotel by Dorn Meung was also full, so I had to stay in a dubious hotel nearby where women (I think they were women) kept offering me 'extra services' - whatever that means

I caught the 05.40am Nok Air back to Phuket this morning. Perhaps 90% of passengers were Chinese.

Every month more and more the chinese masses are a bigger annoyance at the airports and on hkt. Fighting chinese women on hkt airport. What a show.

On my last 2 flights i had chinese guys next to me, moving and shaking like they have ADHD while eating the leftovers of their breakfast buffet out of a bag. What a mess.

And all this for what benefit.

"And all this for what benefit." - a small financial benefit to some businesses on the island, but, in general, of no financial benefit, at all, to the province of Phuket.

The tourist numbers may be up, but the money from the tourist coming here now is down, way down.

Edited July 10, 2015 by NamKangMan

[eisfeld]

And the influx of lower class chinese tourists and their tour buses pushes the westeners even more away.

A few years ago, Promthep Cape was a real gem. A nice place to enjoy a sunset. Nowerdays it's so crammed with chinese tour buses that you can't even drive along the road there without getting stuck in the evening hours! They park a dozen buses right on the road. Never seen any traffic police enforcing anything there nor any expansion of parking space. It's ridicolous.

[NamKangMan]

And the influx of lower class chinese tourists and their tour buses pushes the westeners even more away.

A few years ago, Promthep Cape was a real gem. A nice place to enjoy a sunset. Nowerdays it's so crammed with chinese tour buses that you can't even drive along the road there without getting stuck in the evening hours! They park a dozen buses right on the road. Never seen any traffic police enforcing anything there nor any expansion of parking space. It's ridicolous.

"And the influx of lower class chinese tourists and their tour buses pushes the westeners even more away." - I disagree.

The Thai mafia way of administering the tourism industry on Phuket is what has pushed westerners away, not tour buses with Chinese tourists.

Westerners, with some money to spend, simply feel like Phuket is not a value for money holiday anymore, and when you compare Phuket to the rest of Thailand, it's not.

Then, compare Thailand to other destinations in the region, and their competition are now doing it better, for cheaper.

The only reason there has been a massive "influx of lower class chinese tourists" to Phuket is because that's all Phuket can attract now, and they are trying to make up for lost revenue, with massive cheap package holiday tourists, but it's not working.

Sadly, with the way Phuket was managed, it was always going to get to this point, and the time has finally arrived.

[Valentine]

I was in Bangkok yesterday, missed my flight back to Phuket in the early evening, due to the terrible traffic jams from town out to the airport.

'No problem' thought I. Just book another flight later that evening...

No chance! All flights to Phuket fully booked up with Chinese tourists. The Amari Hotel by Dorn Meung was also full, so I had to stay in a dubious hotel nearby where women (I think they were women) kept offering me 'extra services' - whatever that means

I caught the 05.40am Nok Air back to Phuket this morning. Perhaps 90% of passengers were Chinese.

Every month more and more the chinese masses are a bigger annoyance at the airports and on hkt. Fighting chinese women on hkt airport. What a show.

On my last 2 flights i had chinese guys next to me, moving and shaking like they have ADHD while eating the leftovers of their breakfast buffet out of a bag. What a mess.

And all this for what benefit.

"And all this for what benefit." - a small financial benefit to some businesses on the island, but, in general, of no financial benefit, at all, to the province of Phuket.

The tourist numbers may be up, but the money from the tourist coming here now is down, way down.

I would say a very few businesses are reaping huge financial rewards of which hardly any flows through to the local economy. Drive along the road that runs from Chao Fa West to Kathu & see hordes of tourist buses parked at the latex shops with more being built. Then there is the huge jewellery shop which must have been built at great expense. Quite often the bus parks at these places are full so they line the side of the roads. There is no room in Patong for these large outlets not that it would make any difference in reviving Patong.

[AJBangkok]

We all seem to be looking at the here and now. What if Phuket catches on with the wealthy Chinese, the independent chinese travelers with real money to spend. Imagine if these people started buying villas and condos. How would that shape the economy of phuket. I'm sure the locals would adapt but it would not be that bright for western orientated businesses.

In the last year or so laws were enacted in HK and Singapore that effectively restrict the ability of Chinese ( who were driving the market) to buy property in those locations. Phuket isn't the obvious next option but it's a small place and it wouldn't take much chinese money to make a significant impact.

[steelepulse]

We all seem to be looking at the here and now. What if Phuket catches on with the wealthy Chinese, the independent chinese travelers with real money to spend. Imagine if these people started buying villas and condos. How would that shape the economy of phuket. I'm sure the locals would adapt but it would not be that bright for western orientated businesses.

In the last year or so laws were enacted in HK and Singapore that effectively restrict the ability of Chinese ( who were driving the market) to buy property in those locations. Phuket isn't the obvious next option but it's a small place and it wouldn't take much chinese money to make a significant impact.

Seriously off topic here, but I know of a friend that sold his house to a wealthy Chinese family. They were looking at one development in the mid 30 million range, then came across his house and land for mid 20's and they snapped it up.

It's not only Phuket that is getting the Chinese tourists, I was in Kl the other day and half of the airport there was nothing but PRC ( not Malaysian Chinese) Chinese people, so it seems they all want to get out of China for their holiday.

[madmitch]

I was in Hua Hin a couple of nights ago and it is certainly not dead. Many of the restaurants were filled with Chinese but what surprised me was the number of Scandinavians. It's always been popular with the Scandinavians but so has Phuket, Kata and Karon in particular. What was also evident is that Hua Hin prices are probably 25% cheaper than Phuket, and I'm talking bars, restaurants (both tourist and local), goods at the market etc, the one exception being accommodation where the low-season price cutting does not happen to anything like the extent it does in Phuket.

I know they are very different places but I found the comparison interesting.

[xylophone]

Those little shop are down on soi nanai 6 yes, the rent is like 25000 baths/month for just one unit, how can you make money with that... Crazy prices.

The restaurant you talk about, which was upstairs, rent was 50 000 baths/month... I think he had 3 staff minimum so 30 000 + electricity lets say 10 000, it's almost 100 000 just to pay for expenses and no customers in that area...

Crazy.

Agree.........the little "rollerblind" shops at the bottom of Soi Nanai 6 still has only one still operating and that upstairs restaurant seems to have closed now.

Nanai seems to be suffering big time and I noticed a roller blind was down on one half of "The Green Mango" guest house??

A small laundry round the corner from me has "gone" as has a little restaurant, and a small guesthouse opposite the "Suite Dreams" guest house is now empty and up for sale, a little lilac painted bar next to Kelly's Hotel has been for sale for a while and as previously mentioned, the "Dirty Nellies" bar is for sale.

Just coming into Nanai from Soi Banzaan I noticed a small guesthouse called "Coconut Moon" also had the shutters down??It is just across the road from where the small bar called the "Sick Buffalo", then "Waries" (spelling?) used to be, however that is now a beauty shop, as if more were needed.

A Thai lady friend of mine who owns a beauty shop (and has done for a few years now) at the end of Soi Nanai says it is a struggle to keep going because the working girls, who are her most frequent visitors, don't have much money these days because of lack of customers.

Yet despite all of this new buildings are going up in places one never thought possible..............

[phuketlive]

I saw more hotels for rent or sale on Sai Kor Road coming from Soi Tan to Jungceilon.

Even one that is pretty big with swimming pool, big sign outside "for rent". surprised as the location is not bad, its not too far from jungceilon but rent is probably very expensive for a hotel like this...

Small hotels are expensive already, stupid...

A thai friend who rents a hotel told me, owners just dont care, they will look for someone else if you want to bargain the rent...

[eisfeld]

And the influx of lower class chinese tourists and their tour buses pushes the westeners even more away.

A few years ago, Promthep Cape was a real gem. A nice place to enjoy a sunset. Nowerdays it's so crammed with chinese tour buses that you can't even drive along the road there without getting stuck in the evening hours! They park a dozen buses right on the road. Never seen any traffic police enforcing anything there nor any expansion of parking space. It's ridicolous.

"And the influx of lower class chinese tourists and their tour buses pushes the westeners even more away." - I disagree.

The Thai mafia way of administering the tourism industry on Phuket is what has pushed westerners away, not tour buses with Chinese tourists.

Westerners, with some money to spend, simply feel like Phuket is not a value for money holiday anymore, and when you compare Phuket to the rest of Thailand, it's not.

Then, compare Thailand to other destinations in the region, and their competition are now doing it better, for cheaper.

The only reason there has been a massive "influx of lower class chinese tourists" to Phuket is because that's all Phuket can attract now, and they are trying to make up for lost revenue, with massive cheap package holiday tourists, but it's not working.

Sadly, with the way Phuket was managed, it was always going to get to this point, and the time has finally arrived.

I know, agree and never said anything else. My point was that the chinese masses don't exactly help either, that's all. It's a minor point but I think still valid.

[phuketlive]

For phuket, the problem already starts at the airport, taxi rip off... What a shame to see this!

But it will not change unless you replace all those people which will never happen...

One type of business doing ok with chinese are massages, they like massage and they stop by these shops.

A friend who has a massage shop is still doing ok thanks to chinese customers.

but for other businesses who aim at westerners, bars, restaurants, hotels, they are in deep s...!

[DrDave]

Agree.........the little "rollerblind" shops at the bottom of Soi Nanai 6 still has only one still operating and that upstairs restaurant seems to have closed now.

Nanai seems to be suffering big time and I noticed a roller blind was down on one half of "The Green Mango" guest house??

A small laundry round the corner from me has "gone" as has a little restaurant, and a small guesthouse opposite the "Suite Dreams" guest house is now empty and up for sale, a little lilac painted bar next to Kelly's Hotel has been for sale for a while and as previously mentioned, the "Dirty Nellies" bar is for sale.

Just coming into Nanai from Soi Banzaan I noticed a small guesthouse called "Coconut Moon" also had the shutters down??It is just across the road from where the small bar called the "Sick Buffalo", then "Waries" (spelling?) used to be, however that is now a beauty shop, as if more were needed.

A Thai lady friend of mine who owns a beauty shop (and has done for a few years now) at the end of Soi Nanai says it is a struggle to keep going because the working girls, who are her most frequent visitors, don't have much money these days because of lack of customers.

Yet despite all of this new buildings are going up in places one never thought possible..............

Yes, the malaise that started on Nanai seems to be spreading to Sai Kor and even Thaweewong (Beach) roads.

I noticed the roller door being down at Green Mango a couple of nights ago while eating at the pizza restaurant across the road. Saw lights on in 2 rooms, and someone going into the lobby (although the lobby lights seemed to be out or very dim), so it may be open (just barely). The restaurant out front is definitely closed.

That lilac-colored bar on Nanai seems to have never really opened, as far as I could tell. Never saw anyone there, including staff, and it seemed that just a month or so after it was fitted out, there was a for sale sign out front.

As mentioned, beauty shops seem to be struggling, but it seems like there's always someone lined up buy one. I noticed that the one across from Don's on Nanai turned over recently. Will be interesting to see how long that one lasts.

I've also seen the "for rent" sign at the big guesthouse/hotel on Sai Kor (the one with a pool and spa), plus there are others on the same road and side sois for sale/rent as well. The Paradise on Sai Kor was advertising rooms for 399 on their LED sign, but have recently upped their price to 450 . And still more guesthouses are being built in the Sai Kor area.

Pharmacies opening and closing comes as no real surprise. They've become more prevalent than 7-Elevens, so I don't know how any of them can possibly make any money. Back in our area of the US, it was the same with Nail Salons (all owned by Vietnamese). They kept proliferating, you couldn't throw a stone without hitting one, and none of them could figure out why they weren't making any money.

Just today, I noticed some sale/rent signs up on the Beach road - something I don't recall ever seeing before. It seems that in the past, for properties on the Beach road, deals were done quietly, as there was always plenty of buyers. The fact that there are sale/rent signs on the Beach road, in my opinion, doesn't bode well for the coming high season and beyond.

At the beach (Patong), I've noticed a marked increase in the number of Westerners in the last week. It seemed like the beach was just about devoid of all Westerners the last week of June and first week of July, but seems to have bounced back somewhat. The parasail guys seem to be doing ok having almost exclusively Chinese customers, although I've noticed that they're open to haggling on price and they've been offering 2 short rides for the price of 1.

On Bangla, I noticed a couple of nights ago that NY Live was packed with Chinese again. A few more Westerners from the last time I was there (a few weeks ago), but definitely a very strong Chinese presence, which I'm sure is helping them survive this low season.

Edited July 12, 2015 by DrDave

[Lashay]

Sure they were chinese at NY? Lately Japanese and Koreans have been returning (after nearly 2 year absence) and many people are assuming they are chinese

Saw my first for rent on Bangla Road last night, pharmacy and tour agents next to Heros

[DrDave]

Sure they were chinese at NY? Lately Japanese and Koreans have been returning (after nearly 2 year absence) and many people are assuming they are chinese

Saw my first for rent on Bangla Road last night, pharmacy and tour agents next to Heros

Pretty sure they were Chinese. A number of them ran up to the stage to contribute to the band's tip box after they played a Chinese song.

[DanceAllNight]

Phuket is a good deal during the low season. Other than that, I wouldn't bother. I'd rather go to the Philippines or Hua Hin or Koh Chang.

Patong is just too expensive during high season. Eating, drinking, hotels, not a cheap getaway anymore. Americans would rather go to Hawaii, Caribbean, Mexico.

The taxis are a rip-off, as are tuk-tuks - another problem. But at least motorbikes can be rented at a reasonable rate. And they do have shared minivans from the airport.

[NamKangMan]

And the influx of lower class chinese tourists and their tour buses pushes the westeners even more away.

A few years ago, Promthep Cape was a real gem. A nice place to enjoy a sunset. Nowerdays it's so crammed with chinese tour buses that you can't even drive along the road there without getting stuck in the evening hours! They park a dozen buses right on the road. Never seen any traffic police enforcing anything there nor any expansion of parking space. It's ridicolous.

"And the influx of lower class chinese tourists and their tour buses pushes the westeners even more away." - I disagree.

The Thai mafia way of administering the tourism industry on Phuket is what has pushed westerners away, not tour buses with Chinese tourists.

Westerners, with some money to spend, simply feel like Phuket is not a value for money holiday anymore, and when you compare Phuket to the rest of Thailand, it's not.

Then, compare Thailand to other destinations in the region, and their competition are now doing it better, for cheaper.

The only reason there has been a massive "influx of lower class chinese tourists" to Phuket is because that's all Phuket can attract now, and they are trying to make up for lost revenue, with massive cheap package holiday tourists, but it's not working.

Sadly, with the way Phuket was managed, it was always going to get to this point, and the time has finally arrived.

I know, agree and never said anything else. My point was that the chinese masses don't exactly help either, that's all. It's a minor point but I think still valid.

Point taken, and yes, on a minor point, I agree.

However, the western tourist market was in decline well before the TAT started to heavily market to the Chinese.

In my opinion, that decline accelerated considerably over recent times, and not due to mass Chinese package holiday tourism, but due to the many "issues" on Phuket that are a barrier to independent travelers having a comfortable, safe, and value for money holiday here.

[NamKangMan]

Those little shop are down on soi nanai 6 yes, the rent is like 25000 baths/month for just one unit, how can you make money with that... Crazy prices.

The restaurant you talk about, which was upstairs, rent was 50 000 baths/month... I think he had 3 staff minimum so 30 000 + electricity lets say 10 000, it's almost 100 000 just to pay for expenses and no customers in that area...

Crazy.

Agree.........the little "rollerblind" shops at the bottom of Soi Nanai 6 still has only one still operating and that upstairs restaurant seems to have closed now.

Nanai seems to be suffering big time and I noticed a roller blind was down on one half of "The Green Mango" guest house??

A small laundry round the corner from me has "gone" as has a little restaurant, and a small guesthouse opposite the "Suite Dreams" guest house is now empty and up for sale, a little lilac painted bar next to Kelly's Hotel has been for sale for a while and as previously mentioned, the "Dirty Nellies" bar is for sale.

Just coming into Nanai from Soi Banzaan I noticed a small guesthouse called "Coconut Moon" also had the shutters down??It is just across the road from where the small bar called the "Sick Buffalo", then "Waries" (spelling?) used to be, however that is now a beauty shop, as if more were needed.

A Thai lady friend of mine who owns a beauty shop (and has done for a few years now) at the end of Soi Nanai says it is a struggle to keep going because the working girls, who are her most frequent visitors, don't have much money these days because of lack of customers.

Yet despite all of this new buildings are going up in places one never thought possible..............

"Just coming into Nanai from Soi Banzaan I noticed a small guesthouse called "Coconut Moon" also had the shutters down?" - Coconut Moon actually is quite a big guest house.

I met the owner. I forget how many rooms it has, but I was surprised. It has a lot of rooms. It was not a small operation.

He had a lot of repeat Scandi customers. I doubt they were all disappointed with the service there and all decided to find another hotel / guest house, but rather, just do not come to Phuket anymore.

Just like many I know, and the list is growing.

[DanceAllNight]

Are the muay thai fights still making money?

[DanceAllNight]

If it is as dead as claimed, does that mean bars have great drink promos now?

[simon43]

If it is as dead as claimed, does that mean bars have great drink promos now?

They are running an offer 'One drink used to be 150 baht, but you can now buy two for just 400 baht'

Edited July 13, 2015 by simon43

[NamKangMan]

Are the muay thai fights still making money?

They are changing from Muay Thai to KungFu - to get the Chinese spectators in.

Edited July 13, 2015 by NamKangMan

[xylophone]

Agree.........the little "rollerblind" shops at the bottom of Soi Nanai 6 still has only one still operating and that upstairs restaurant seems to have closed now.

Nanai seems to be suffering big time and I noticed a roller blind was down on one half of "The Green Mango" guest house??

A small laundry round the corner from me has "gone" as has a little restaurant, and a small guesthouse opposite the "Suite Dreams" guest house is now empty and up for sale, a little lilac painted bar next to Kelly's Hotel has been for sale for a while and as previously mentioned, the "Dirty Nellies" bar is for sale.

Just coming into Nanai from Soi Banzaan I noticed a small guesthouse called "Coconut Moon" also had the shutters down??It is just across the road from where the small bar called the "Sick Buffalo", then "Waries" (spelling?) used to be, however that is now a beauty shop, as if more were needed.

A Thai lady friend of mine who owns a beauty shop (and has done for a few years now) at the end of Soi Nanai says it is a struggle to keep going because the working girls, who are her most frequent visitors, don't have much money these days because of lack of customers.

Yet despite all of this new buildings are going up in places one never thought possible..............

Yes, the malaise that started on Nanai seems to be spreading to Sai Kor and even Thaweewong (Beach) roads.

I noticed the roller door being down at Green Mango a couple of nights ago while eating at the pizza restaurant across the road. Saw lights on in 2 rooms, and someone going into the lobby (although the lobby lights seemed to be out or very dim), so it may be open (just barely). The restaurant out front is definitely closed.

That lilac-colored bar on Nanai seems to have never really opened, as far as I could tell. Never saw anyone there, including staff, and it seemed that just a month or so after it was fitted out, there was a for sale sign out front.

As mentioned, beauty shops seem to be struggling, but it seems like there's always someone lined up buy one. I noticed that the one across from Don's on Nanai turned over recently. Will be interesting to see how long that one lasts.

I've also seen the "for rent" sign at the big guesthouse/hotel on Sai Kor (the one with a pool and spa), plus there are others on the same road and side sois for sale/rent as well. The Paradise on Sai Kor was advertising rooms for 399 on their LED sign, but have recently upped their price to 450 . And still more guesthouses are being built in the Sai Kor area.

Pharmacies opening and closing comes as no real surprise. They've become more prevalent than 7-Elevens, so I don't know how any of them can possibly make any money. Back in our area of the US, it was the same with Nail Salons (all owned by Vietnamese). They kept proliferating, you couldn't throw a stone without hitting one, and none of them could figure out why they weren't making any money.

Just today, I noticed some sale/rent signs up on the Beach road - something I don't recall ever seeing before. It seems that in the past, for properties on the Beach road, deals were done quietly, as there was always plenty of buyers. The fact that there are sale/rent signs on the Beach road, in my opinion, doesn't bode well for the coming high season and beyond.

At the beach (Patong), I've noticed a marked increase in the number of Westerners in the last week. It seemed like the beach was just about devoid of all Westerners the last week of June and first week of July, but seems to have bounced back somewhat. The parasail guys seem to be doing ok having almost exclusively Chinese customers, although I've noticed that they're open to haggling on price and they've been offering 2 short rides for the price of 1.

On Bangla, I noticed a couple of nights ago that NY Live was packed with Chinese again. A few more Westerners from the last time I was there (a few weeks ago), but definitely a very strong Chinese presence, which I'm sure is helping them survive this low season.

"I've also seen the "for rent" sign at the big guesthouse/hotel on Sai Kor (the one with a pool and spa), plus there are others on the same road and side sois for sale/rent as well. The Paradise on Sai Kor was advertising rooms for 399 on their LED sign, but have recently upped their price to 450 . And still more guesthouses are being built in the Sai Kor area"

As you say, still more guesthouses seem to be being built along Sai Kor, yet there still languishes an unfinished building which is a particular eyesore, just past the turning into Soi Nanai 8!

I also see that two small bars at the intersection of Nanai Road and Nanai 8 have their shutters down, and the Italian restaurant just up the road a little, on the corner of Kaseamsarp 2 estate, has closed. And as you quite rightly say the malaise seems to be spreading along Nanai Road because I noticed a couple of small shops not far from the Soi Banzaan junction which have closed their doors.

The interesting thing about the lilac coloured bar was that it actually did open at one time and was advertised as a "fruit smoothie bar" or somesuch like, and as far as I could make out, it sold no alcohol...........just what Patong needed!

I think the difference this time round is that whereas in the past there always seemed to be takers for any establishment which failed/closed/whatever, now they are few and far between, however no doubt there are still a few out there........

[stevenl]

Agree.........the little "rollerblind" shops at the bottom of Soi Nanai 6 still has only one still operating and that upstairs restaurant seems to have closed now.

Nanai seems to be suffering big time and I noticed a roller blind was down on one half of "The Green Mango" guest house??

A small laundry round the corner from me has "gone" as has a little restaurant, and a small guesthouse opposite the "Suite Dreams" guest house is now empty and up for sale, a little lilac painted bar next to Kelly's Hotel has been for sale for a while and as previously mentioned, the "Dirty Nellies" bar is for sale.

Just coming into Nanai from Soi Banzaan I noticed a small guesthouse called "Coconut Moon" also had the shutters down??It is just across the road from where the small bar called the "Sick Buffalo", then "Waries" (spelling?) used to be, however that is now a beauty shop, as if more were needed.

A Thai lady friend of mine who owns a beauty shop (and has done for a few years now) at the end of Soi Nanai says it is a struggle to keep going because the working girls, who are her most frequent visitors, don't have much money these days because of lack of customers.

Yet despite all of this new buildings are going up in places one never thought possible..............

Yes, the malaise that started on Nanai seems to be spreading to Sai Kor and even Thaweewong (Beach) roads.

I noticed the roller door being down at Green Mango a couple of nights ago while eating at the pizza restaurant across the road. Saw lights on in 2 rooms, and someone going into the lobby (although the lobby lights seemed to be out or very dim), so it may be open (just barely). The restaurant out front is definitely closed.

That lilac-colored bar on Nanai seems to have never really opened, as far as I could tell. Never saw anyone there, including staff, and it seemed that just a month or so after it was fitted out, there was a for sale sign out front.

As mentioned, beauty shops seem to be struggling, but it seems like there's always someone lined up buy one. I noticed that the one across from Don's on Nanai turned over recently. Will be interesting to see how long that one lasts.

I've also seen the "for rent" sign at the big guesthouse/hotel on Sai Kor (the one with a pool and spa), plus there are others on the same road and side sois for sale/rent as well. The Paradise on Sai Kor was advertising rooms for 399 on their LED sign, but have recently upped their price to 450 . And still more guesthouses are being built in the Sai Kor area.

Pharmacies opening and closing comes as no real surprise. They've become more prevalent than 7-Elevens, so I don't know how any of them can possibly make any money. Back in our area of the US, it was the same with Nail Salons (all owned by Vietnamese). They kept proliferating, you couldn't throw a stone without hitting one, and none of them could figure out why they weren't making any money.

Just today, I noticed some sale/rent signs up on the Beach road - something I don't recall ever seeing before. It seems that in the past, for properties on the Beach road, deals were done quietly, as there was always plenty of buyers. The fact that there are sale/rent signs on the Beach road, in my opinion, doesn't bode well for the coming high season and beyond.

At the beach (Patong), I've noticed a marked increase in the number of Westerners in the last week. It seemed like the beach was just about devoid of all Westerners the last week of June and first week of July, but seems to have bounced back somewhat. The parasail guys seem to be doing ok having almost exclusively Chinese customers, although I've noticed that they're open to haggling on price and they've been offering 2 short rides for the price of 1.

On Bangla, I noticed a couple of nights ago that NY Live was packed with Chinese again. A few more Westerners from the last time I was there (a few weeks ago), but definitely a very strong Chinese presence, which I'm sure is helping them survive this low season.

"I've also seen the "for rent" sign at the big guesthouse/hotel on Sai Kor (the one with a pool and spa), plus there are others on the same road and side sois for sale/rent as well. The Paradise on Sai Kor was advertising rooms for 399 on their LED sign, but have recently upped their price to 450 . And still more guesthouses are being built in the Sai Kor area"

As you say, still more guesthouses seem to be being built along Sai Kor, yet there still languishes an unfinished building which is a particular eyesore, just past the turning into Soi Nanai 8!

I also see that two small bars at the intersection of Nanai Road and Nanai 8 have their shutters down, and the Italian restaurant just up the road a little, on the corner of Kaseamsarp 2 estate, has closed. And as you quite rightly say the malaise seems to be spreading along Nanai Road because I noticed a couple of small shops not far from the Soi Banzaan junction which have closed their doors.

The interesting thing about the lilac coloured bar was that it actually did open at one time and was advertised as a "fruit smoothie bar" or somesuch like, and as far as I could make out, it sold no alcohol...........just what Patong needed!

I think the difference this time round is that whereas in the past there always seemed to be takers for any establishment which failed/closed/whatever, now they are few and far between, however no doubt there are still a few out there........

Please post regular colour, what you have just posted can not be read on the TV app.