O perfil de Dragonbook

Market Village is a new, compact yet comprehensive shopping mall about 1km south of Hua Hin city centre. The anchor store is Tesco Lotus which is big and always busy. Upstairs, above Tesco is a Home Pro store with upmarket home furnishings.

There are many individual 'brand name’ stores, usually with massive discounts on offer. There are also many excellent restaurants and cafes. There are lots of market stalls in the main area downstairs, but they are all well maintained, neat and tidy. The air-conditioning is very cool. Outside there is often a small fun park for kids. Tuk-tuks wait by the door to transport you back to your hotel. They are pricey. Most want 300 baht to go anywhere. About half that is ok, but usually they refuse. However walk about 50 meters along the main road back towards the centre, and there are usually many tuk-tuks available at a more reasonable 200 baht.

The one star I allocate to this property in no way reflects on its quality. I just think a hotel of this size should offer breakfast. They used to, but they don’t now. Instead there is a tiny terrace where the do equally tiny cocktails in which they seem to forget to put any alcohol.

But the hotel itself is fine. I’ve stayed many times. There is a new wing which is nice, but the rooms are a bit smaller. However the main building has bid rooms with twin or queen size double beds, hot showers, telephone, fridge (empty except for free water), and a nice balcony with table and chairs.

There is a big swimming pool, which is unusual for a city centre hotel, with a paddling pool attached. There is also a large open courtyard area with a sala for relaxing out of sun glare of the sun. and ample parking.

Almost next door is an excellent supermarket with a very good selection of beers, wines and spirits. Also nearby are Burger King and McD (good breakfasts at both), numerous restaurants and bars.

Best of all the beach is just 5 minutes walk. High season is a about 1200 baht a night, low season 950 baht. We found the hotel a bit unhelpful on the price when we tried to book 5 rooms. The price was as in the list, take it or leave it. On that occasion we actually took our business elsewhere, but didn’t enjoy the alternative choice, so this time we went back to HH Villa. Recommended for single travelers (there is a discrete side entrance), couples and families alike.

If you truly want an 'away from it all’ break then this place is for you. But you must understand that it is away from it all with a capital 'A’.

My wife and I went there for a quiet weekend, and to visit the Queen Sirikit Botanical Gardens. But even for us it was too quiet. The silence, apart from the odd bird call, was deafening. Situated well outside Chiang Mai on the Mae Rim Road, there are 66 bends in the road before you approach this mountainside resort. The views are very nice (when there is no low cloud), but there is simply nothing to do. And the hotel offers no facilities, except walk, so break the monotony. The hotel itself is very nice, the gardens are nice too, but if you want to go anywhere - even to a convenience store, it’s a 200 baht taxi ride. And 1,000 baht into Chiang Mai.

The Queen Sirikit Botanical Gardens are very nice, but they are hardly in walking distance as claimed. Getting there is feasible I suppose (down hill), but getting back without wheels is a struggle.

The breakfast and restaurant menu is decidedly limited for foreigners. Strictly Thai cuisine. The hotel was very quiet when we were there, so the buffet breakfast was not operating on the second day. We ate alone in the evening in a huge restaurant. Also because the restaurant has the sides open to the elements, we were joined at our table by a number of unknown flying creatures of the stinging variety.

So, nice hotel, but very very remote.

Subway is a great place for sandwiches prepared in truly hygienic conditions. The staff wear plastic gloves! But the biggest treat of this Subway, on the corner of Sukhumvit and Soi 7/1, is the little outside garden terrace. Once you have selected your food and drink, go and find a seat in the 'garden’ and enjoy the best treat in Bangkok - people watching. The staff will bring you food out when it is ready. When I first arrived in Bangkok 10 years ago there were many outdoor beer gardens and drinking kiosks right the way down Sukhumvit from Soi Nana to Asoke for people watching. Now they have virtually all gone. This little garden area at Subway is a great place to sit and watch people go by. You will spot film stars and people of every colour, and of every persuasion. Best is at midnight to 2am when the girls (and boys) are looking for customers. Just watch their tactics, their outlandish clothes and their demeanour - even their desperation. It’s entertainment in itself. And all for the price of a coffee! The short soi (7/1) itself offers many beer bars and several sub 1,000 baht hotels. Even in the morning, 7am, the place, though quieter is still entertaining, and you sit grateful for what you have and take for granted, as opposed to what these people have to renew each and every day - customers.

Gullivers is an up market drinking establishment and up market pick-up bar with classy ladies. It is a big white building in soi 5. They do Guinness, which is the main attraction for me, and decent hot meals at reasonable price. It can be quiet daytime, but nighttime it’s usually buzzing. There are many pool tables and a quiet dining area. Inside the air conditioning can be fierce, but there are seats outside in the sunshine too. A small area outside is for smokers. Girls touting for business arrive about 2pm and are very elegant. But as time goes by, they drift around to the less salubrious Beer Garden in soi 7, where they go considerably down market! Gullivers is a nice place to take a business colleague as the pick-up aspect is almost unnoticeable. No-one approaches you, you must do the approaching. And every day they have English newspapers so it’s nice to catch up on what’s going on in The Sun or The Times, whichever end of the spectrum is your preference. Nice place. Also a branch in Khaosan Road, but not as nice. Also one in Pattaya, but I’ve never been. Cheers!

This is a pick-up joint. Beer is cheapish and the coffee is great! There are many girls from 10am to 1am. The seating configuration is man, lady, man, lady etc. And if there is a seat next to you when you sit down it will surely be filled by a 'feely’ lady in a few seconds. If it’s not what you want, they will generally go away if you politely refuse their attention. But the later the night wears on, the more desperate/insistent they can tend to get. A lot of men just go there to flirt. Others go for the excellent German beer and a chance to chat to other regular expats. But first and foremost it’s a pick-up place. Girls range from young and pretty, even stunning, to older and, let’s say more mature. It’s easy to sit there, gaze around and hate Thailand for refusing to admit that it has created this problem and by ignoring its existence they are perpetuating it. Most girls want a 'short time’. Several of those in a day and they make good money. But the later it gets, 'all night’ deals are sought. At chucking out time, the streets are seething with girls, so better find a client now rather than risk not getting one later. Uniquely there is no bar fine here, so you take your pick, strike a deal and away you go.

The Pelikan is cheap. It’s really a guest house. It’s set off soi 22 in a small courtyard between the Tina Hotel and the Honey House Hotel. The latter two are, judging by the strategicaly placed mirrors in the rooms, short time hotels. But the Pelikan is okay. There is a nice bar, and a distinct 'farang’ spirit. They have a darts league and at night the place is full of expats. The food is good (but expensive). They do a great breakfast, but early breakfasts are out. We had to wait for the chef to arrive at 8am. The BBQ in the evening was a disappointment too. But food off the menu is okay. The rooms are clean, the bathrooms quite modern and the beds are big. (We slept 2 adults and twin 6 year olds). There are only about 6 rooms. There appear to be no non-smoking rooms, so if you get a room used the previous night by a smoker, it smells. There are lots of bars and kiosk bars nearby. The local night club 'Titanium’ has deafening music which you can sometimes hear. It finishes about 1am. My family and I have stayed here a few times, and will continue to do so. The price is 900 baht. Honey House starts at 700 baht for a full night. I don’t know what the short time rate is.

The Dynasty Inn is a very pleasant place to stay at reasonable cost - 1,480 baht a night. The rooms are nice, the beds are big and it’s very clean. The rooms in the new wing are the best. The check-in staff are friendly and helpful. The draw back (or depending on your point of view, the benefit), is that it is right in the heart of the red light district. So whilst adults can avoid the 'delights’ on offer’, it is not a place for children. Having said that, once you are inside the hotel you are insulated from the outside world. There is a nice bar and breakfast room with English newspapers. Also a barbers shop and massage. There is also room for parking about half a dozen cars. The rooms have big TV’s and mini bars are fully stocked. There is also a small terrace for drinking and watching life go by. If you are on the front, it can be a bit noisy at night, but pretty well everything closes at 1am. Nearby are hundreds of bars, hundreds of girls and hundreds of Kateoys. But if you are not here for them, they are very easy to ignore. When propositioned, just ignore and walk on. It’s not aggressive by any means. I’ve stayed here many times. It’s easy for the sky train. Just watch the 'willing’ taxis that wait outside in the morning. They will not use the meter and try to charge silly money. Best ignore them and walk 100 metres to the main Sukhumvit Road and find a taxi there. Or the hotel has a luxury taxi service to the airport. It’s a 15 year old Volvo, but well maintained and it costs 700 baht including tolls. A taxi would be about 350 baht including tolls.

The President Hotel was, in it’s heyday a premier hotel in Taipei. It is reputed to be in a lively entertainment area with bars and ladies offering personal services. The hotel is still good. I was upgraded into a Junior Suite which was very nice. I got 2 LCD TV’s, 2 mini bars and a nice lounge. I had room service, which was ok too. My stay was marred by the weather. It was atrocious! I was there from midday until 8am and it never stopped raining. At one point I dodged the rain drops and tried to find one of the bars previously mentioned, but they were either closed or gone away. So whilst the hotel is nice and good value, the area around it is disappointing. There is no reason to stay there unless you have work in the vicinity. Downtown Taipei is much better.