Gay scene, once a private scene

Beautiful boys

Years ago there was a discreet gay scene on Phuket. As it is a relatively small island, discretion amongst local gay men and women meant that for a rendez-vous with a young man would usually arranged over the telephone by someone who had that “connection.”

But almost two decades ago, the first gay gathering places opened in Phuket City and Patong Beach, quiet, intimate places where men could meet and talk and perhaps disappear into the night together. It was a very private scene.

But slowly more venues for men wanting to meet men opened at Patong Beach centered around Rat-U-Thit 200 Pee Road. They were groups of open air bars where visitors could enjoy a beer and conversation in the cooling evening trade winds off the Andaman Sea.

My Way Cabaret - Paradise Complex

Kittipong Wongkittigul & performers

My Way Cabaret opened in the Royal Paradise Complex bringing a Bangkok performance cabaret to the island. Suddenly, things started to heat up for the gay community on the island.

“While many of the early gay bars offered a meeting place, My Way brought gay cabaret entertainment to the island. We brought attractive young men and trained them in the popular go go dancing format mixed with transvestite cabaret,” explained Kittipong “Ball” Wongkittigul.

It’s a formula that worked as My Way Cabaret has expanded over the years with a larger venue, more young male entertainers and a larger audience of international and Thai visitors who enjoy and shows and the companionship of the male hosts.

“While the majority of our guests are gay, we do get a lot of single Asian women who come looking for a holiday boyfriend and there are numerous couples who just enjoy watching something different,” he said.

James Dean Bar - Paradise Complex

Phaithoon Phuidaeng & his partner

By the late 1990s almost all of Phuket’s gay entertainment and meeting places moved into the Royal Paradise Complex. Unfortunately, no venues for women seeking the company of women have developed yet on the island outside of female sex workers who are often just as happy to go with women as men.

“We bought our shophouse for the James Dean Bar as the Royal Paradise seemed like a designated gay zone far away from the noise of the go go bars on Soi Bangla,” said Phaithoon Phuidaeng. “My partner and I opened the James Dean Bar in 1992 across the street but moved into the Royal Paradise Complex when all the gay bars lost their leases and our former location was turned into a zone of seafood restaurants. There was a mass move into Royal Paradise as the shophouses were mostly empty.”

Time Bar

James Dean Bar sits just a few metres away from My Way Cabaret. In between is the popular Time bar, operated by Dan and Jessica, a Thai married couple who are very popular with the Western gay tourists as they offer traditional Thai hospitality in a relaxing, informal setting.

Tangmo Club and Newspaper Restaurant

Chanok “Tangmo” Kaewseenuan

Across the road is Tangmo Club. Chanok “Tangmo” Kaewseenuan is probably the single most important business operator for the gay community in Royal Paradise Complex. She operates at least ten businesses in the Complex including the upscale Newspaper Restaurant and Boutique Inn which brought the standard of gay friendly accommodation to an international standard.

“I have around 450 staff catering to the growing clientele of gay visitor to Phuket who want to meet and enjoy the entertainment available here at Royal Paradise Complex,” she commented. “At my cabaret, I have a professional team that trains my dancers to a European standard to provide entertainment value that is the best in Thailand.”

The Boat Bar - Paradise Complex

Dancing in Patong's streets

At the end of this same small road sits the epicentre of late night entertainment, the Boat Bar which attracts the younger sophisticated international visitor, drawn by its fun disco atmosphere and European style cabaret shows that unfold after midnight. Dancing to the latest DJ beats lasts late into the night.

Gay friendly businesses

A colorful street

As the Royal Paradise Complex gathered more of the gay friendly businesses, saunas and massage studios opened as an attractive addition. Gay men could now spend the hot, humid days in the comfort of a gay friendly gym building their bodies or getting massaged by an attractive masseur. The pleasures on offer in the series of small streets and alleys extended to 24 hour enjoyment.

Aquarius Spa offers a swimming pool, sauna and gym with friendly handsome hosts as well as 22 guest rooms that range just over a thousand Baht, a real bargain at Patong Beach. More recently, the Blue Dolphin opened offering restaurant, massage services and a guest house.

On stage during the Gay pride festival

The number of businesses that have opened in the Royal Paradise Complex catering to the international and Thai gay market has increased dramatically in the past few years. Now many bars hope to attract guests from certain countries. The Connect Bar has Scandinavian owners and the popular website, beachpatong.com which is an invaluable resource for those wanting to navigate the pleasures found on Phuket. The Flying Handbag bar also has European owners with a dedicated following.

Phuket Gay Festival

Royal Paradise Complex has several hundred store fronts and an estimated half are dedicated to gay businesses. Many are small open air bars with a selection of young men who sit and talk and share drinks with their guests. There is no obligation to spend more than the price of a drink. The atmosphere in the Complex in the day is sleepy as most of the 1000 young men working in the almost 40 entertainment venues are fast asleep but at night the atmosphere is friendly with the occasional invitation to join a cabaret show, a massage or some private company.

Royal Paradise Complex: “where the action is”

Shopping in Paradise

Tucked away in almost every corner of Royal Paradise Complex is a guest house, restaurant, massage studio, internet café or other service for the gay community. Wiwat Studio, one of Thailand’s most original clothing design outlets with branches in Amsterdam and Germany, attracts the stylish man who wants an Asian inspired shirt or suit.

In front of Royal Paradise Complex is a lively night market which offers some the best crafts, clothing and interior decorator items for the home to be found at Patong Beach. All this is within walking distance of street side coffee shops and the entertainment of the grand Royal Paradise Hotel, one of Phuket’s tallest buildings with wonderful restaurants and services.

While much of the gay entertainment and accommodation is expanding around Phuket, the Royal Paradise Complex is “where the action” is for visitors to the island looking for a good time. The only warning for guests is to remember that the majority of hosts on offer within the Royal Paradise Complex are heterosexual employed as sex workers so while physical involvement is encouraged, emotional attachments may be out of the question.