By
and large, the bars along Patpong offer cheap-price
drinks with free entertainment. However there
are repeated reports of one or two second-floor
bars consistently charging customers for 'entertainment'.
This can amount to several thousand baht!
The
best policy when encountering this is to pay the
bill, get a receipt, then go and complain to the
Tourist Police located at the end of Patpong,
on Silom. They will usually visit the bar with
you and can usually get your money back.
Patpong
has over 100 bars spread along Patpong Soi 1, Soi 2 and the
Boardwalk above Soi 2. The vast majority of the ground floor
bars are simple go-go bars, with bikini-clad (sometimes less)
girls gyrating on raised stages. Most popular are the King's
Group bars, Safari,
Superstar,
Gold Finger's,
etc. Expect the girls to approach you for drinks. Most drinks,
including beers and ladies' drinks, cost in the 80-100 baht
range, and bar fines for taking girls out of the place are
400 or 500 baht (this does not include any extracurricular
activities). Lounge bars in the area, such as Cosmos
and Crown Royal,
have hostesses rather than go-go dancers. They charge around
the same for drinks.
Second
floor bars usually have some kind of show, in addition to
regular dancing (see
related story). Prices in the reputable bars, such as
Queen's Castle
or Firecat,
are slightly higher than the ground floor places, but no cover
charges are added for the entertainment. A few bars have been
known to charge outrageous prices for entertainment, however
(see box story).
The
boardwalk bars, over the top of Patpong 2, are mainly cocktail
lounges and may charge considerably more than other places
in the area. Here are some of the more popular, 'safe' Patpong
hang-outs:
Second
floor bars usually have some kind of show, in addition to
regular dancing (
