Woody Woodpecker

Undercover police operation on Soi 11 early this morning. Disguised as construction workers, officers observed and arrested 8 Nigerians selling cocaine to foreigners. This the second sting operation I'm aware of on Soi 11 in the past year. Hope they keep it up, although the Africans don't really bother me. Occasionally an African will ask if I "need anything". We'll no, I don't.

Hillary 11 has freelancers, I don't know much about Hillary 3 other than they have live music.

Try an IHG luxury resort, see about the Dinso Resort and Villas in my Koh Chang report.

Grand Business Inn is halfway between Soi Cowboy and Nana Plaza.

Beef burger at Sportsman Pub, I lived upstairs for 7 years.

I've lived in Thailand more than 20 years, and l haven't ridden my motorcycle since 2012.

I've logged over 42,000 km on my motorcycle in Thailand, that's about the circumference of the world, and I've only been in a couple accidents, but there were a lot of close calls so my bike stays in storage, and I would never ride in Bangkok.

Sportsman's Pub on Soi 13 have Stowfords Press and Westons on tap for 199 baht/pint. Craft Beer on Soi 23 have Brother's ciders in bottles.

I've been a customer of Bourbon Street Restaurant and Oyster Bar for over 20 years, since it was located Washington Square. Now at Ekkamai, lamb chops were great.

Be very careful crossing the street, look both ways three times. Thais usually drive on the left but not always. I was crossing Soi 11 a few months ago while they were loading a tourist into an ambulance. Otherwise, streets are quite safe as long as you don't flash cash, use discretion. Also, avoid motorcycle taxis.

Le Normandie https://www.mandarinoriental.com/en/bangkok/chao-phraya-river/dine/le-normandie

THE RETREAT The Retreat is a new 5-star resort that opened in Kai Bae in 2023, at the end of a 200-meter lane. The resort operates a free shuttle service, but I can walk 200 meters. The resort is run by the same group that owns The Chill, so the manager gave me a free room upgrade, with pool access, for being a past customer at The Chill (see The Chill on page 1 of this thread). Rooms are very comfortable at The Retreat. The first-floor rooms have direct pool access. I called room service to order up some high season weather. The Retreat is a boutique resort, only 38 rooms, and only 3 were occupied during my visit, so I spent the afternoon drinking beer and smoking doobies since I didn't have neighbors to disturb. Even fired up the bong... Breakfast isn't buffet but ala carte, and you order all you want. I opted for smoked salmon eggs benedict with some cheddar, hot coffee, and mango-banana juice. ...followed with a cappuccino, while I enjoyed the beauty of nature. Later, I took a walk into the village. There's a new bar in town. Being off-season, some of my favorite restaurants were closed, but not Little Italy. A bucket of mussels at Fin And Bananas has the lowest price fried pork knuckle in Thailand, 349 baht. I took a walk just after 11 PM and only the 7-11 was open. A few hours earlier Happy restaurant is usually packed. My verdict? The Retreat is pretty cool. Cheers! https://www.theretreatkohchang.com/

Just returned from my first Koh Chang visit for 2025. I split my time between two new 5-star resorts: Dinso Resort & Villas and The Retreat Resort. Spent more than usual but I really wanted to check these places out. Dinso Resort & Villas I spent a lot of time at this property when it was known as The Emerald Cove Resort. In April 2023 it closed for 19 months for restoration and opened as The Dinso Resort and Villas by IHG. It was originally branded the Amari Emerald Cove Resort and sold to the IHG group a few years later. They maintained The Emerald Cove Resort for 15 years before reopening last December under their own branding. I've been eagerly awaiting this next iteration. The resort has an eerie look, almost Gothic. https://www.ihg.com/vignettecollection/hotels/us/en/koh-chang/bkkdr/hoteldetail Rooms are much like before. Although they've redesigned the bathrooms. A free box of chocolates is always welcome. The Emerald Cove always upgraded me to a sea view room when the resort had low occupancy, so I booked the cheapest room (5850 baht, without breakfast), but had to settle for a view of the tool shed. No free upgrade this time. The lobby is same location and much improved. The 50-meter pool is still intact, but they've eliminated the children's pools. Nicely decorated walkways They've added many pool villas, and rooms with direct pool access, which they charge a small fortune for. What were formerly massage rooms of the Emerald Spa are now pool villas. Along the shoreline. The breakfast room has been converted int an artist studio where you can draw. They've greatly expanded the Pool Bar into D Castaways Beach Bar, where you can dine on Phuket Lobster. RIP: The Emerald Cove Resort (2004-2023). I last stayed there in April 2023, a month before it closed, for 1650 baht per night. Walkways weren't as nice The lobby was pretty boring 50-meter lap pool, really enjoyed swimming in it, Rooms were similar The Emerald Spa has been converted to Pool Villas and are generating a lot more revenue. I visited the site in May 2024, 6 months before reopening, to check on the progress. NEXT: THE RETREAT Resort in Kae Bai

Rembrandt Suites on Sukhumvit Soi 20 Some rooms come with microwave and washer/dryer Guest friendly

There tend to be a disproportional number of ladyboys in lower Sukhumvit at 5:30 AM. I stay in and watch baseball. 😆