Bye-bye Red-Bar & Tina Bar..

[Gus]

FWIW I agree with johnnyk that the bars at the top end of Binta had couples people watching and not drinking much, very few ladies at Tina bar as well compared to a couple of years ago.

I read an interesting story about HH on Stickman this week, not be Stickman though. There was a piccie of Tina bar and the story implied that some nasty events were linked to that bar in the past.
EDIT Just noticed buksida has posted the tale on Night Crawlers.

Regarding LLs, I hardly had a drink there during my last holiday, I actually like watching him when he's off his trolley but the way he keeps changing the music is just too irritating.

[margaretcarnes]

FWIW I agree with johnnyk that the bars at the top end of Binta had couples people watching and not drinking much, very few ladies at Tina bar as well compared to a couple of years ago.

I read an interesting story about HH on Stickman this week, not be Stickman though. There was a piccie of Tina bar and the story implied that some nasty events were linked to that bar in the past.
EDIT Just noticed buksida has posted the tale on Night Crawlers.

Regarding LLs, I hardly had a drink there during my last holiday, I actually like watching him when he's off his trolley but the way he keeps changing the music is just too irritating.

Reading your post here Gus - and also Richards last post about the Binta/Poolsuk area 'losing it' - yes. I can see now that things are going full circle. Binta has probably peaked. Poolsuk will maybe follow it. For those of us who can go back long enough, which isn't really that long to be honest, I remember in late 99 landing up in HH after getting out of Pattaya, and being deposited at the only bar in HH which seemed to be open around midday. Can't remember the name but it was top end of Binta, opposite Kings and Tobys' bars. The soi was dead then at lunchtimes. It was like one of those old Western movies where you could almost imagine tumbleweed down the soi. Of course it picked up at night then - as Lomu will know!
Poolsuk at that time had 2 or 3 restaurants and just a few tiny bars near to the Binta - including Flamingo and the original LLs, which then was one of the best places IMO. Craig was still on No Name Soi. Taxi Jack was still operating successfully - as was Phil King.
But times change. By about 2005 the Binta block had seen so many changes - along with the surrounding Sois - that it had maybe outgrown it's welcome as far as expats are concerned. Tourists will continue to use the area, but expats have already found that there are other places, like 80, where the competition isn't yet quite so fierce.

[Pagey]

Competition not so fierce in Soi 80 Mags? With nearly every house now a bar and selling beer at 40 Baht a bottle I would say it is cutthroat!! The advantage they have is that many are paying house rent rates of 10,000 - 12,000 per month whereas Bintabaht Block are paying business rent rates of 25,000 - 35,000 per month as historically that was the thriving area so the Thai landlords could charge that much.

I don't think we are seeing a decline in the Binta Block per se but a decline in tourists in HH due to the well documented recent problems in Thailand and financial problems of the European tourist. In the news a couple of days ago it said that Brits were flocking to the travel agents to book hols in Spain etc due to the exchange rate of GBP to Euro being the highest for a few years. Pity we can't say the same about the Baht!

[Pleng]

The mid market rate of the baht reached 50.3 earlier today, which is definitely the highest I've seen it for a while. Since I moved here in Jan I'm getting 2bt more to the pound. Means the average Binta tourist who might spank 2 thousand pounds in a couple of weeks will have 4000 extra baht to play with. That's an extra couple of 'nights out' in Binta. But yes it's probably not yet noticeable enough to make people think about booking a holiday when they didn't already have one planned.

I agree that I doubt we're seeing the decline of Binta. People have been saying it for years. There are threads here from years back with people prophesying its downfall and it's still there. Soi 80 is all well and good. I go there because it's cheap. I can have a beer for not much more than I would pay to get one at 7 eleven. But I still enjoy going out to Binta, and certainly if I'm going drinking with my girlfriend we'd choose Binta over Soi 80 anyday. Despite the issues with 30-second-into-at-volume-11 DJ guy, going further towards the Hilton and around Poonsuk, the area has an atmosphere. There is no real atmosphere around soi 80. Some nice bars, some enjoyable places, but no overall atmosphere to the area.

[HHTel]

Just to kill all the rumours. I was talking with Chris (Red Bar Owner) today, who I've known for many years, and he is bemused by all the rumours.

The truth is that the Red Bar is being rebuilt and will open again on completion. No change. Just a newly built bar.

[GLCQuantum]

Just to kill all the rumours. I was talking with Chris (Red Bar Owner) today, who I've known for many years, and he is bemused by all the rumours.

The truth is that the Red Bar is being rebuilt and will open again on completion. No change. Just a newly built bar.

Aint nothing like the truth... but where's the fun in that?

[richard]

AND the new RED BAR up 80 is run by who????

[GLCQuantum]

^Bruce Willis

[margaretcarnes]

Competition not so fierce in Soi 80 Mags? With nearly every house now a bar and selling beer at 40 Baht a bottle I would say it is cutthroat!! The advantage they have is that many are paying house rent rates of 10,000 - 12,000 per month whereas Bintabaht Block are paying business rent rates of 25,000 - 35,000 per month as historically that was the thriving area so the Thai landlords could charge that much.

I don't think we are seeing a decline in the Binta Block per se but a decline in tourists in HH due to the well documented recent problems in Thailand and financial problems of the European tourist. In the news a couple of days ago it said that Brits were flocking to the travel agents to book hols in Spain etc due to the exchange rate of GBP to Euro being the highest for a few years. Pity we can't say the same about the Baht!

The thing with 80 is that - apart from the few top end of Soi bars - the rest are just as you say. Small businesses basically run from home. Most owners probably still living there so no extra overheads and no need to rock up the volume or parade the girls. Hopefully no aspirations to extend into adjoining houses either. So low rents, a bit of extra income, they are maybe happy to carry on for as long as it lasts, and won't go broke if the bubble bursts.
Seems to me though that Soi 78 is the one to watch. Different situation altogether with tin huts easily pulled down for redevelopment into some big bars.
Tourism trends are interesting point. Yes Brits are drawn to Spain but is that anything new? More are also taking cruises. The Euro exchange is a bit better - the Baht has been pretty stable against the pound for ages now (recent slight improvement excepted - and welcome of course.) But for Brits I think the ever increasing cost of long haul flights is a big disincentive to holidays in Thailand. As well as the recession. Greece is seen as dodgy now as well. Those who can afford long haul are maybe considering other SE Asian countries like Malaysia, Vietnam, Cambodia, and most recently Burma. To be honest if people can afford the travel, I don't think a couple of baht either way over a fortnight is enough to put them off. More likely the seasoned travellers are looking for a change from the LOS, and want to see places like Burma before they too become commercialised.

[johnnyk]

Bang on Margaret. For some Thailand is "old hat" though I think many tourists will continue to come to Siam because it offers so much: good food, sun, good beaches, affordable, easygoing etc.
Malaysia, in my experience, is ok but dour, no smiles, no sanuk.
Cambodia is still basically three destinations: PP, Siem Reap-Angkor and Snookyville.
Burma has wonderful, unspoiled things but no infrastructure due to being closed for 50 years. My wife and I are going there this winter before it becomes totally commericialized, its already a bit of "flavour of the month" here in Canada now.

[mrco]

Just to kill all the rumours. I was talking with Chris (Red Bar Owner) today, who I've known for many years, and he is bemused by all the rumours.

The truth is that the Red Bar is being rebuilt and will open again on completion. No change. Just a newly built bar.

Just curious, have they started to build the new Red Bar yet?

// mrco

[Pagey]

The new Red Bar is open and the new one next to it.

The upper floors of the building are not finished yet though.

[H2ODunc]

What was the name of the red bar before it was that ? When I first came to HH I used to drink in there and my friend bought a girl out of the bar there. The owner used to be into golfing if I remember rightly.

[uncle tom]

The new bar on the corner is being run by one of our Usual Suspect's old staffers..

..one of the nicest and most intelligent lasses on the block

- Good to see her have a bar of her own to run

[richard]

Apple?