Sunee Plaza: The Bad, The Ugly, The Good!

[allofmesuneeplaza]

Many of you often know more than I do about Sunee Plaza, but I thought I would try to give you a little update on the area.
Here is some of what is going on:

Two more permanent closings:
Song Kwae, the little Thai cafe tucked between Eden Bar and Sunny Boys closed permanently a couple weeks ago.
Duc's Coffee Shop closed permanently about two nights ago.

Several bars are closed for summer vacations:
Euro Boys Bar - usually reopens in September.
Double Shot (Corner Bar) - closed for one month while the owner is in Belgium; should reopen next week.
Rainbow Bar - closed for their annual one-month summer vacation.

Other activity:

The building on the corner of Soi VC and Sunee Plaza (with the bright green exterior walls) which has been extensively reconstructed during the past several years is now called JAZZ Residence and Irish Bar. Apparently, the rooms upstairs are available for rent, but the bar will not open for a couple more months.

What is going to be a new Arab disco has been built behind Jasmin (Apadana) and the old Banana Bar which will serve as the entrance and motorbike parking.

Some work is being done in Colonial (I think by the same owners as Jasmin). I have heard that it has major plumbing problems that will repair extensive repair; don't know that for a fact, though.

La Marina French Restaurant and Bar is closed and for rent or sale. Gigi, the French owner, is still renting rooms upstairs.

El Dorado - now New Pars Guesthouse and Cafe - sold to the former owners of the old Apadana (now Jasmin, I think) space. They are a very gay-friendly Persian family. Food and service is good and reasonably priced.

Just before he left for Belgium, Erwin (Irwin?) of Double Shot told me he had negotiated a new lease for Elephant Plaza Hotel (formerly Don Plaza) and would begin to rebuild the business on his return.

Right now, Sunee Plaza is as dark as I have seen it, and that sounds pretty discouraging, I know. We really need for the plaza management to get the empty spaces leased and occupied. As far as I am concerned, they don't all have to be gay businesses, they just need to be occupied and lighted. But there is still plenty that is open, and (I think) worth your visit:

For those who like go-go bars: Eros, Power Boys, Nice Boys
There is still one J-O bar in Pattaya: Good Boys in Sunee

Beer Bars (from VC to Yensabai) Forest House, Oud's (with great sandwiches), Ting Tong (very friendly manager, cute and friendly staff and good German food), Elephant Plaza Hotel (indoor and outdoor bars), Mama's Green Chairs and on the other side of the street, All Of Me (cute and friendly staff, lots of activities); Diamond Bar, Eden Bar and New Queens all have friendly staffs. On the small soi - Blue Chili, Come In, The One, Double Shot, Sky Bar (a really beautiful bar and if you want a really good, special occasion meal, ask Alain to cook it for you), and All Of Me Too Bar and Massage (one of gay Pattaya's best kept secrets!). Ole Restaurant is at the VC end of the soi.

I know there are a lot of people who remember and lament the loss Sunee Plaza's heyday when there were 60 bars and non-stop sex on demand. That is gone. Things do change. But there is still a lot to like about Sunee Plaza with it's intimate and seductive environment. Don't give up on us yet!

[windwalker]

I walked by Pars/Eldorado and it looked closed and there was a For Sale sign on it. Can anyone confirm?

[Gaybutton]

Excellent, concise, unbiased report. Thank you.

I truly believe if the other bar owners would start offering activities similar to the activities and events you are presenting, Sunee Plaza would make a major comeback, and quickly.

[thaifarang]

Do Thailand municipal governments have policies which designate certain areas for certain activities? I mean this area of the town is for offices, this is deignated to be a residential area, this area is for shops, this for gay night live, etc? In Europe it is pretty normal that a municipal government designates certain parts of a town for certain activities. You can't for example open a supermarket anywhere you like. Or open a bar anywhere you like.

I ask because is it legally possible to just start a non gay bar in Sunee? Because if the local government designated this area for gay night live, I think it can not be done.

I am sure some kind of policy like this must exist, else how did it come into being that Boyztown is gay, Sunee is gay, Jomtien is gay? Seems to me the local government only allows go go bars in these areas (and maybe the fact Jomtien doesn't have them is because local government didn't assign this area for go go). Or say if I wanted to start a gay go go bar in Pattaya, I could theoritically do it everywhere? Of course maybe not a wise decision to be too far off from the other areas, but in principle I can open a gay go go bar anywhere in Pattaya? Or is there a local government policy which restricts it to the 2 areas we know about?

[RichLB]

I don't think (but also don't know for sure) there are any such zoning restrictions in Pattaya. Several years ago there was a gay go go bar off 2nd Road by Big C. It lasted about a year. There have also been scattered other gay places which have had very short life spans. I thiink the reason one sees gay bars lumped togeher in Boyztown, Sunee, and Jomtien is because custormers like to pop from one to another and they avoid singletons.

[Gaybutton]

I ask because is it legally possible to just start a non gay bar in Sunee?

There are no government regulations as to whether Sunee Plaza can open non gay bars. The government has nothing to do with it. Sunee Plaza is privately owned by Madam Sunee. That's why it's called Sunee (and not Sunny) Plaza. What kinds of bars can or cannot open is up to her.

[thaifarang]

I ask because is it legally possible to just start a non gay bar in Sunee?

There are no government regulations as to whether Sunee Plaza can open non gay bars. The government has nothing to do with it. Sunee Plaza is privately owned by Madam Sunee. That's why it's called Sunee (and not Sunny) Plaza. What kinds of bars can or cannot open is up to her.

Yes I knew that. But this is not really an argument. I own my house in the Netherlands. So private property of me. It doesn't mean I can turn it into a bar or a supermarket. I need permission for that and you won't get that permission if this area is not designated for activities like that.

So maybe Madam Sunee cannot open hetero bars there because it is designated as gay night live area? I admit that is a bit unlikely, it is more likely it is designated as general (in stead of only gay) night live area I think.

But maybe indeed Pattaya doesn't have regulations like that at all and then the fact Jomtien doesn't have a single go go bar is just coincidence.

(Someone has ever seen Madam Sunee? I read about her for years now. Maybe she has died in the mean time and her offspring is now the owner? I think the bar owners deal only with her (or their) employees and rarely - if ever - encounter them personally.)

[Gaybutton]

But this is not really an argument.

Who is arguing? There is no issue to argue about. I'll repeat - whether it's gay or heterosexual bars in Sunee Plaza, it's entirely Madam Sunee's decision. That is simple fact. I fail to see any logical comparison to your house in the Netherlands. This isn't the Netherlands. Things don't work here the way they do in the Netherlands and we're not talking about what you can do with a house.

There is nothing - repeat nothing, to prevent Madam Sunee from allowing heterosexual bars in Sunee Plaza if that's what she wants to do. It's probably a moot issue anyway unless all the gay bars end up failing. What kind of idiot would even want to invest in opening a heterosexual bar in the middle of a venue area where the clientele is almost exclusively gay? Even a ladyboy bar, right around the corner from Sunee Plaza, failed after a few years.

Madam Sunee is alive, although in semi retirement. Her daughter handles most of the business now, but for anything major it still requires Madam Sunee's approval.

[allofmesuneeplaza]

Two responses to comments and questions:
New Pars is closed for a couple days. I am assured they will re-open. It is true, it is For Sale. I don't know why the new owner bought it and immediately put it up for re-sale.

Pattaya does not have the zoning (residential, commercial, industrial, agricultural, etc.) restrictions found in many other countries and cities. Personally, I like the way it is done here; it makes for very vibrant and interesting areas. Madame Sunee can lease her buildings (she also owns the streets) to anyone she wants. I just hope she gets them leased! Sunee still has quite an impressive list of gay bars and businesses and I think more variety would be good for the neighborhood.

[RichLB]

So maybe Madam Sunee cannot open hetero bars there because it is designated as gay night live area? I admit that is a bit unlikely, it is more likely it is designated as general (in stead of only gay) night live area I think.

Just to jog your memory, remember there was an Arab Hookah bar up the street from All of Me that was clearly not gay. Thankfully, it didn't last long.