Hua Hin bars of old

[Guess]

I cannot believe that nobody is able to answer this one so I will have to repeat it. I have added the on nsingle reply from Richard.
I am trying to build up a list of all the current bars/guesthouses/restaurants in central HH to use as a reference. I will start with what is on the HHAD night life map in Binthabat north side coming from the Hilton direction with the north side on your right. If people can fill in the gaps the best way is too update the list is to "quote" and then make an addition and "submit".

King Bar
Nat Bar
Tina's
Red Bar
New Hotel
Cheers 2
Cheers 1
Nice 'n' Easy
Happy Bar?????
Orchid
224
Romantic
Mama Mia
Lucky Lukes

Have I missed any, got the order wrong or have any names changed?

[margaretcarnes]

Well it's now a list of 14 bars Guess, which seems pretty complete? And I just heard that only two of them are the originals - Nice'n Easy and Romantic. Although what year 'original' goes back to I don't know.
I think Bintabahn really still needs a walking survey, and I'll do that soon for you unless anyone else completes it first without falling down!
BTW - you want the current situation for comparison? So are you doing a comparison between 2000 and now? There has been a lot of info on bars in existence around 2000, which I thought was the aim. Understandably there are grey areas still for 2000, as it was a time of rapid growth all over town. For example - there was the row of 'prefab' buildings behind the HH Mall, which lasted only a few months before being demolished to make way for the new hotel. Theres little if any hope I think of finding anyone who can list the businesses in that row, although I think there was a travel agent in there.

[margaretcarnes]

IHF - good point about rich landlords! As Guess says there are probably more very long term expat run bars than you imagine. The main ones which spring to mind are Bernies, Billys, Coconuts and All Nations. Although most have changed location at some point, and All Nations has had several owners. Bill has also been around a long time with Buffalo Bills, and now YOBT, and Kurtz moved the Jailhouse to new premises on Chomsin. There are also some very long standing restaurants like Willies and Heidis.
It is true that many farang leave the trade for reasons other than rent increases, but that is still a big factor IMO. If you look at the movement of the ongoing places such as Bernies, Billys and Jailhouse for example, they all moved slightly away from the Bintabahn area, probably due to rent increases or other lease problems.
Around the late 90's and 2000 we saw IMO the start of real development in the town centre, and landlords saw the opportunity for higher rents. Leasehold agreements are usually for about 3 years with an option to renew. At the time in question there would be little need for farangs to insist on limits to rent increases within the lease agreements, give or take maybe a 10 to 15 percent ceiling, which was the accepted 'norm'. But property owners saw the chance to cash in on the boom, and were able to use the lack of specific lease contract agreements in order to demand much higher rent hikes.
Those who do continue to keep going have been able to secure good lease terms in the right place at the right time, and I applaud them

[News]

IHF - good point about rich landlords! As Guess says there are probably more very long term expat run bars than you imagine. The main ones which spring to mind are Bernies, Billys, Coconuts and All Nations. Although most have changed location at some point, and All Nations has had several owners. Bill has also been around a long time with Buffalo Bills, and now YOBT, and Kurtz moved the Jailhouse to new premises on Chomsin. There are also some very long standing restaurants like Willies and Heidis.
It is true that many farang leave the trade for reasons other than rent increases, but that is still a big factor IMO. If you look at the movement of the ongoing places such as Bernies, Billys and Jailhouse for example, they all moved slightly away from the Bintabahn area, probably due to rent increases or other lease problems.
Around the late 90's and 2000 we saw IMO the start of real development in the town centre, and landlords saw the opportunity for higher rents. Leasehold agreements are usually for about 3 years with an option to renew. At the time in question there would be little need for farangs to insist on limits to rent increases within the lease agreements, give or take maybe a 10 to 15 percent ceiling, which was the accepted 'norm'. But property owners saw the chance to cash in on the boom, and were able to use the lack of specific lease contract agreements in order to demand much higher rent hikes.
Those who do continue to keep going have been able to secure good lease terms in the right place at the right time, and I applaud them

Unless I missed it there has been no mention of my ladies two bars on Poolsuk Road, Bai Poo 2 ( Later the Love Shack ) and Paradise.
She took over Bai Poo, between the Flamingo Bar and what was then the Mosquito Bar, in Aug 2002 , The name changed to the Love Shack in 2004 and she finally sold it in 2006 to an Englishman who renovated it and renamed it Geronimos. Not sure when it originally opened but I remember it in 2000 on my first visit here.
We were told that there were two previous owners. one visited us in the bar after we took it over and said that he had returned from a trip back home to find that his lady had sold his house, car and the bar!
Bai Poo 1 was a souvenir shop in town so one would assume that this
property was also a shop before it was turned into a bar.
The other bar Paradise between the hairdressers Family Bar and the London Lounge was formally a tailors. Opened in November 2004 and still in business.

[margaretcarnes]

Thanks for the new info News - any way to find out what Bai Poo 1 was called in 2000? I'm racking the brain cells but really can't remember a souvenir shop on Poolsuk, although I do remember the tailors shop.

[Abbynormal]

Guess - You're missing Fortune Bar somewhere near Cheers.

Abby

[Guess]

Thanks for Fortune bar.

We have had a mention of Mosquito bar (which I was told became Sawan) and the bar on the corner of Poolsuk and Selakam but those in between have only sketchy historical information. People who were around in 1997 - 2000 don't remember any bars in between. I am sure that at least one or two must have been there.

The purpose for listing the current occupiers is as a reference only, at the moment, but of course it will be saved for future use.

Addresses are just not good enough to pin down the exact location but in most cases the building or at least the site is fairly much the same as it was 20 years ago. There are a few cases of two bars being knocked into one and vice versa and old buildings being demolished and a new on built on the site but its still easier than using addresses.

[News]

Thanks for Fortune bar.

We have had a mention of Mosquito bar (which I was told became Sawan) and the bar on the corner of Poolsuk and Selakam but those in between have only sketchy historical information. People who were around in 1997 - 2000 don't remember any bars in between. I am sure that at least one or two must have been there.

The purpose for listing the current occupiers is as a reference only, at the moment, but of course it will be saved for future use.

Addresses are just not good enough to pin down the exact location but in most cases the building or at least the site is fairly much the same as it was 20 years ago. There are a few cases of two bars being knocked into one and vice versa and old buildings being demolished and a new on built on the site but its still easier than using addresses.

In 2000 when I first came here there was The Ship and Susys on the corners by Selakarm Road then nothing till Mosquito, Bai Poo, Flamingo,
Hogs Breath2 and Lucky Luke2 (No1's being in Bangkok). Richard will probably back me up on that.
On Selakarm there was the 99 Bar and Coconuts then continuing over the road The Friendly Bar, Caddyshack and ( Suzies ) then onto Jungle Juice.
Can't remember Limelight then but there was Valhalla. ? , and Sabai.
on the other offshoot of the bar.
Not too sure about the road back up to Bintabaht as I rarely went down that road then, Certainly the U-Turn.and probably the Tiger Bar and another small bar then Mats Vegas. I think the Nung Bar and the Jail Hose follwed shortly after, but there are probably some comments on previous postings which would prove me wrong.

[lomuamart]

I'm not going to go back through all the posts, so if it's been mentioned before forgive me.
Don't forget Silvio's Place that was opposite Sabai. After he and family went back to Switzerland, a Thai family took it over. They probably changed the name (can't remember what to) and I'm not sure what it is now.
Not much help that, is it?

[keestha]

Two places that aren't mentioned yet are the Clipper Club at Dechanuchit Road, and a place named Glenn's at the corner of Damnoenkasem and the road leading alongside the Sofitel. Glenn was a somewhat overweight guy from the UK.
Now that I am typing this, I remember Ruji's bar , at the same road. Ruji was a colourful Thai lady who always talked very loudly. Close to that location for a while there also was a place called Penny Lane Bar.
Nobody mentioned a character named Bear. For a while (1996-1997 or thereabouts) he ran a magazine that was completely focused on the Hua Hin nightlife. Though the magazine consisted of just a few xeroxed papers stapled together, a lot of the bars were advertising in there. Bear imitated Bernard Trink's style ( the night owl page in the Bangkok Post, which was ditched a few years ago).
Oh well, it's goodbye to memory lane for now, and back to the present. If there's anything more I remember that nobody else mentioned, I will post.

[Norseman]

Another bar not mentioned is Mao Mao that is today's Nat Bar but it's maybe not ancient enough for you Guess?

[keestha]

Two other places that come to mind are the Australian sports bar (Digger's rest) at the Damnoenkasem road, and the Nightmarket cafe at Chomsin road, where the Kiwi corner used to be.
Nice mind game, trying to get back into time.

[margaretcarnes]

Sorry Keestha - Bear has been mentioned coupla times and is apparently happy up in the sticks! Long subject now I know and easy to miss stuff.
I think News is right about the old Poolsuk Guess. There really wasn't much at all in that 'space' between Ship and Mosquito. Roadhole wasn't open in 2000 and I'm sure Mosquito was later as well. And as pointed out by Lomu and others, Selakem was surprisingly bereft of bars really then, although Silvio was definitely there in 2000.
I've fetched some photos but unfortunately don't have any of the Hare and Hounds actual buildings, just a few reprobate inhabitants! Theres one of the Ship in Dec 2000 looking North down Poolsuk and it looks surprisingly just like a country lane!

[News]

Sorry Keestha - Bear has been mentioned coupla times and is apparently happy up in the sticks! Long subject now I know and easy to miss stuff.
I think News is right about the old Poolsuk Guess. There really wasn't much at all in that 'space' between Ship and Mosquito. Roadhole wasn't open in 2000 and I'm sure Mosquito was later as well. And as pointed out by Lomu and others, Selakem was surprisingly bereft of bars really then, although Silvio was definitely there in 2000.
I've fetched some photos but unfortunately don't have any of the Hare and Hounds actual buildings, just a few reprobate inhabitants! Theres one of the Ship in Dec 2000 looking North down Poolsuk and it looks surprisingly just like a country lane!

Henning and his Mosquito Bar were definitely ther in March 2000 as I was here on holiday for a week and had spent a few nights in there.
A bit out on my other posting as i didn't move here until November that year. I was away agian over the New Year so all my recollections would actually be in respect of the period after March 2001.

[margaretcarnes]

Thanks for that News. Brain cells going then - I really thought Henning was a bit later! Mai Pen Rai.
Hope Guess isn't getting too confused!