More Jomtien Beach Restrictions

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Trongpai
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More Jomtien Beach Restrictions

Post by Trongpai »

I just got back from a short trip to Pattaya and yesterday discovered some new restrictions put upon the vendors. The army was out again with tape measures and wooden stakes cutting down the area where the vendors can place chairs and umbrellas. It's quite small now with the area so restricted that they can't put more than 4 rows of chairs and not more than 8 chairs across and that's a bit crowded. Some just went with 3 rows and 6 across and that's a little more comfortable.

One of the vendors said there's a real temptation due to the limited space to eliminate all of the side tables and line up the chairs side to side.

There's not much of a problem now in low season but come high season getting a vacant chair at the beach will be a problem.

One can only wait with bated breath on what's the next lamebrained decision coming down the road.
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Re: More Jomtien Beach Restrictions

Post by Captain Swing »

I'm dismayed to read of all these changes. I haven't been to Jomtien (or Thailand) in 4 years, but plan to return in November. On my last visit I was a little bit miffed to see how many chairs were "reserved," by people putting towels on them, or the concessionaires doing it on their behalf. I think there's going to be a lot of unhappiness (or far worse) if visitors are unable to find seats while chairs sit unoccupied, but "reserved." Even under the old rules I saw a couple of disputes, with, forgive me, bitchy old queens throwing fits because "their" chairs weren't instantly available.
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Re: More Jomtien Beach Restrictions

Post by Gaybutton »

Captain Swing wrote:bitchy old queens throwing fits because "their" chairs weren't instantly available.
Their chairs? If I arrived first and was occupying one of their chairs and was politely asked to move, and given a good reason why, if other chairs are available I would probably be happy to comply.

But if some bitchy queen comes along and virtually demands that I move because it's his chair, it's not going to happen. My response would be, "The only thing here that's yours is you. Next time, if you want the chair I'm sitting in, get here earlier. I'm paying for this chair."

I'm sure the concessions have their reasons for reserving chairs for regular customers, but in my opinion it ought to be first come, first served. If I wanted to sit down in an unoccupied chair and found some sort of sign telling me it's reserved, and nowhere else I would care to sit is available, then that concession would lose one customer.

I can understand if a towel is on a chair, assuming the towel belongs to the customer and is not the concession's way of announcing the chair is reserved. After all, people do get up to take a walk, go to the restroom, chat up one of the few boys that still go to the beach, or whatever. I don't think people should have to worry that when they return, now somebody else is occupying that chair.
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Undaunted
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Re: More Jomtien Beach Restrictions

Post by Undaunted »

Gaybutton wrote:But if some bitchy queen comes along and virtually demands that I move because it's his chair, it's not going to happen. My response would be, "The only thing here that's yours is you. Next time, if you want the chair I'm sitting in, get here earlier. I'm paying for this chair."
I remember oh so many years ago when it was a truly gay beach with hoards of boys and punters now a group of old queens sitting in the same spot day after day does not a gay beach make.
"In the land of the blind the one eyed man is king"
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Re: More Jomtien Beach Restrictions

Post by Gaybutton »

Undaunted wrote:a group of old queens sitting in the same spot day after day does not a gay beach make.
Unfortunately, quite right.
Up2u

Re: More Jomtien Beach Restrictions

Post by Up2u »

Throwing a towel on chairs by staff to reserve them is something that has been done since I can remember. Last century, I recall showing up at Rit's section in high season and say I have friends coming, and staff would throw towels on chairs. There is no need for anyone to get pissed, it's like dining at a restaurant and you see "reserved" on some tables.
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Re: More Jomtien Beach Restrictions

Post by fountainhall »

I have seen this so often in various parts of the world but particularly in Europe. Any hotel or resort that has continental Europeans will inevitably have a good proportion of pool or beach chairs bagged with a towel or a book. When I had a vacation in Khao Lak some years ago I made the mistake of starting it just after Easter. The hotel was still packed with mostly Spanish and Germans. Finding any available chair was far from easy.

If one person is there holding other seats for friends, that's no problem for me. It is the families who are nowhere to be seen that really piss me off. Generally it is a practice I loathe, as usually someone comes down early in the morning to bag the chairs and then no one turns up for another 3 or 4 hours. After an hour or so in the sun, the chairs are then bagged again over a long lunch. It should be banned by all resorts and on all beaches.
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Re: More Jomtien Beach Restrictions

Post by Gaybutton »

I would have no problem with reserved chairs as long as there are plenty more chairs available in good locations. However, my opinion is there should be no such thing as reserved chairs. I think it should be only first come, first served.

Fountainhall makes a good point about people who leave their chairs for hours at a time or are holding chairs for friends. I can't complain about that if those people paid in advance for those chairs, but even then shouldn't there be some sort of reasonable limits? If I had my way, the policy would be if you vacate the chair for, say, 2 hours or more, then if another customer comes along and wants the chair, you lose it.

Of course, having chairs available at all is still better than every beach I've ever been to in the USA. At those beaches if you want a chair and/or beach umbrella, you have to bring your own.
Up2u

Re: More Jomtien Beach Restrictions

Post by Up2u »

Gaybutton wrote:I would have no problem with reserved chairs as long as there are plenty more chairs available in good locations. However, my opinion is there should be no such thing as reserved chairs. I think it should be only first come, first served....... .
Sure glad you are not a beach concessionaire or restaurant owner (not a Burger King) ... taking care of one's regular customers means having a successful business.
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Re: More Jomtien Beach Restrictions

Post by Gaybutton »

Up2u wrote:taking care of one's regular customers means having a successful business.
And you think that's the way to take care of them, treating others as second class customers? Sorry, include me out.
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