Rock Hard gogo gets a going over, the Russians arrive to gogo
GENERAL
The Phuket official start to high season was celebrated with two major events from 1st to 3rd November. A three day Carnival was held on Patong Beach and an International Beach Volley Ball Tournament was held in Karon Beach. The first day went well and there was a spectacular fireworks display in the evening. The following two days were marred by heavy tropical downpours lasting for hours.
As the month progressed the break in the weather finally arrived and Patong Beach is now packed with sun worshippers. This week sees in Thanksgiving Celebrations and several American owned restaurants are offering the full festive dinner.
NEW LOOK ROCK HARD
The new look Rock Hard A Go Go opened a few weeks ago and I must say that the improvements make it a much more user friendly place. There are now two dancing platforms set out in the middle. They have built good comfortable bench seating along the walls. The place seems more at ease and the music continues to be good. There is seating for more than one hundred people.
The service staff are quick and monitoring their area to ensure that nobody is sitting with an empty glass. It is also very heart warming to see the bikini clad pool players as you ascend the stairway from the street. My only gripe is that on the last few occasions the beers have been tepid and not ice cold.
Newsflash: As of this week The Hard Rock now opens at 2 in the afternoon as a drinking bar. They are doing Happy Hour Beer prices of 60 Baht per beer until 8 pm and full free Wi Fi for those laptop tourists. At present it is not an afternoon A Go Go but as things progress that might change.
CAFE RIO
Downstairs in Cafe Rio the new owners have been quick to make their mark. The furniture has been replaced with large comfortable armchairs and settees with coffee tables in between. The pool table area has been changed slightly but the basic layout is the same. When I visited I found that service was non existent and all attention was on a pool game. I went outside and took a seat on the terrace and was happy to find that the staff were on the ball (I mean off the ball) and quick to come to the table. Cafe Rio still has a large menu and their Hot wings snack is a meal in itself. Prices are not bad but I still wish they would supply coffee in a mug rather than in a thimble sized cup. Food, allegedly, is still available inside but all the staff seem to congregate outside at the bar area.
VIP ASIA CLUB
Anton has left and new management have taken over. During the last few weeks I have noticed that the greeters at the doorway have got more pushy and are almost dragging people in off the street. They also have some touts out in Bangla giving out some very poorly photocopied fliers. I ventured in late one night to see what changes have been made. On arrival I was grabbed by a hostess who frog-marched me over to a table right next to a massive speaker blasting out the music. When I insisted on moving to a quieter corner the lady was none too happy. She slapped down the drinks list and glared at me. When Anton was the boss a beer was a modest 100 Baht per bottle. The new price for my beer was 140 Baht!! The escort from hell then demanded that I buy her a lady drink as well. I politely declined and gave her the exact money for my over priced beer. The music was that nasty Euro stuff being played by two Thai DJs at an ear splitting volume. There were two small stages where some of the girls were attempting to swing off the chrome poles but it was very lame. All things considered I will never set foot in that place again.
I did manage to have a conversation with a lady who seemed to be running the bar and she confirmed that Anton has gone and it is under new ownership. I may have hit it on a bad night or got the only girl with attitude but I was the only customer. I may not be alone in my assessment of the place.
SPICY CLUB
This is the new name of the Erotica Club (formerly known as The Winchester Club) which is now back open on Soi Sea Dragon. The layout has not been altered since Erotica days. At least it is now open again. They, like many other places, are doing Happy Hour promotions to entice customers inside but seem to be struggling as they did not have any special attraction to make a punter choose their place over any other club in Sea Dragon.
DREAM BAR
I was happy to discover that the Dream Bar has reopened in the same site as before in the new forecourt of the Bangla Ocean Shopping Centre. It has always been a very friendly bar where you can relax while the Mrs does the shopping inside the store.
ARFUR O'TOOLS
The O'Tools Bar has expanded its business and opened a second O'Tools on Ket Kwan Road in Kata Beach. They open at two pm and offer the same range of food and drink as the original Angus O'Tools in Karon.
RUSSIAN WAVE
The failed Wave Club in the back end of Soi Easy is set to become Patong's first A Go Go Bar with Russian dancers. They have erected a massive roadside billboard advertising this new venue but are still not open. I am more than a little dubious about the legality of these so called Russian dancers. How do they qualify for work permits etc. I ask? I am also not sure that I would want to be in the arms of Olga the Eastern Block shot putt champion.
THE MARKET BAR
Earlier this month the Market Bar on Nanai Road had a fire in the bar after closing and considerable damage was done. Patsy, the owner, was away on holiday in Ireland but his girlfriend was trapped upstairs and had to jump for her life from a first floor window. She sustained broken leg and bruising and is now recovering. Several of Patsy's friends have rallied round and are getting the repairs carried out.
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