PATTAYA, Thailand – A growing number of Pattaya bar customers say the rules of nightlife spending are being quietly rewritten, as short-term tourists spend less, bar prices rise, and expectations on both sides increasingly clash.
According to Pattaya Mail readers, visitors are tightening their wallets amid unfavorable exchange rates, while many bars — particularly go-go venues — have responded by raising the price of lady drinks. What once cost under 200 baht now commonly reaches 220–240 baht, leaving some customers questioning the value of the experience.
“Visitors to the bars are definitely spending less money,” one reader commented. “Probably because of exchange rates. The bars try to make up for it by increasing lady drink prices.”
But price alone isn’t the core issue. Many readers say frustration sets in when the social interaction doesn’t match the cost.
“Why pay for a lady drink when after three minutes she’s on her phone?” one longtime visitor asked. “Change tactics — buy her one drink, ask for her Line or WhatsApp, and move on. Spend your money on the girl, not the bar owner.”
Several commenters stressed that a lady drink is not a contract — and never should be.
“You can’t expect you own the lady because you bought a drink,” another reader wrote. “If she’s not interested, she’ll show it. You don’t need to buy another drink.”
Some bar-goers say they now walk out immediately if they feel ignored or treated as a transaction rather than a guest. Others deliberately move to nearby venues — visibly — to make their point.
“I just leave,” one reader said bluntly. “Tell the owners or staff why. Find another bar and have fun elsewhere.”
The discussion also revealed a sense of decline — not just in spending, but in atmosphere. Readers described a “50/50 ratio” of bored customers and disengaged staff, with some long-term visitors saying the magic that once drew them back for month-long stays has faded.
“I stopped going to Thailand for that reason,” one commenter admitted. “I’m not a cheap Charlie. Respect goes both ways.”
Not all memories were negative. One reader recalled quieter nights in Hua Hin, buying drinks for bar staff simply to help them earn something when business was slow — with no expectations attached.
And another shared a reminder that genuine connections don’t start at the bar counter at all.
“I almost got married to a girl before I even came close to a bar,” he wrote. “She was just friendly.”
As Pattaya’s nightlife adapts to changing tourist demographics, weaker foreign currencies, and shorter stays, readers suggest the industry may need to rethink not just pricing — but attitude.
Because in the end, as one commenter summed it up, buying a drink was never meant to buy a person — only a conversation.
