The updated and expanded Utopia Guide to Thailand offers a comprehensive glimpse at the gay and lesbian scene in 23 cities including Bangkok, Chiang Mai, Phuket, Samui, and Pattaya. Listings include organizations, bars, discos, accommodations, spas, restaurants, and more. A special section highlights venues that are especially welcoming for women. Enjoy savvy comments and recommendations from hundreds of local Utopians and gay travelers. Click here to order the collector's First Edition

Hat Yai -- area code (66-74)

Hat Yai is a busy economic hub of Southern Thailand. It serves as a R&R holiday spot for many Malaysians who head north for the city’s less-conservative nightlife and shopping opportunities. Transgender performers are visible at straight places, but the little bit of local gay life is fairly hidden from view.

It’s short drive from here to the beaches of neighboring Songklaa province.

The population of Hat Yai is about 200,000 (that's about 8,000 Utopians).

• Men in Hat Yai message forum

• Buddy Menclub
  7/2 Sriphuvanut Rd. Run down and seedy, but the staff are very friendly.

• Paladium (mixed)
  9 Chaiyakul Uthit Rd, 081-541-3719.

• GL Sauna
  37/73 Sinbenjaponcenter Bld, Soi P. Nattapon 2, Sripoovanart Rd, 074-236-120, 084-058-7299. Many willing local guys hang around. Nice ambience and clean environment.

  Comments from Utopians:

  "Go to GL Sauna. It's nice." -- jason_scott, Apr 21, 2008

• G-Time
  2/F Lee Gardens shopping Center. Fashions and gay style, with good advice on the local scene from the staff.

Krabi -- area code (66-75)

Once the favorite get-away for in-the-know Thai vacationers, Krabi’s new airport has signaled international awareness of this picture postcard paradise of fairytale islands, spectacular sea caves, isolated inlets, monkey-filled jungles, eco-protected mangrove deltas burgeoning with wildlife, floating Sea Gypsy villages, and an influx of well-designed 5-star boutique hotels that (mostly) blend into the scenery.

Quiet Ao Nang Beach has the only stretch of shops and restaurants, but it’s decades behind the over-development of resort areas like Phuket or Pattaya. Most tourists want to stay out on the peninsula in the chock-a-block bungalows between Railei Beach and Ao Nang Beach (now accessible only by sea or the small public pathway that skirts the “private” Rayavadee hotel. Note the small fisherman’s shrine tucked into a limestone cliff on Ao Nang Beach – it's stuffed with an exotic variety of balad kik phallic offerings.

The population of Krabi is about 25,000 (that's about 1,000 Utopians).

• Men in Krabi message forum

Click here for Krabi hotels and accommodations.

• Bar 69
  081-205-5630, 087-076-5119. Located at the far right corner of CenterPoint Entertainment (behind Burger King) on Ao Nang Beach Rd. Krabi's only gay bar is under new ownership. Thai style open-air beer bar. One wall of pictures of customers from all over the world. Wide range of soft drinks, beer and cocktails. Customers of all ages.

  Comments from Utopians:

  "Open 8pm-1am. Staff are very friendly." -- ISHKANDER, Mar 4, 2008

• Banana Leaf Restaurant and Cocktail Bar
  Ban Ao Nang, Ao Nang Beach, 087-563-7931, email. Located opposite to Sunset hotel and 25 meters down from Krabi Resort. The restaurant is gay-owned and gay-friendly. Extensive menu with Thai food, seafood and steaks. Also serves well presented cocktails in a warm and relaxed atmosphere, with a discreet ambience and outstanding service. Soft background music with mood lighting. Open daily from 3pm-1am. Utopia Member Discount
• Coffee Arthit Ao Nang
  23/28 Moo2, Ao Nang Beach, 075-637-847, 081-895-1538, email. Gay-owned Internet café. The owner, Boonchai, is very nice and friendly. Fresh coffee and tea, all day breakfast, soft drinks, cocktails and ice cream.
• Lemongrass (Thai and European cuisine)
  1 Thanon Maharaj (attached to Traveller's Guest House, on the premises of Central Inn), 075-630-443, email. Gay-friendly open-air restaurant, centrally located, with attached Internet cafe (high speed access). Superb cooking by Parin. Movies and sports shown. Thai and western music.

Phi Phi Island

This picture perfect tropical island in the middle of the Andaman Sea, just an hour by speedboat from Phuket or Krabi, was so overdeveloped by runaway tourism that local leaders were talking about closing the island for a year to let it recover. Mother nature intervened when the tsunami of 2005 swept away everything in its path. It's not certain yet whether Phi Phi's caretakers will be more conservative in the wake of the disaster, or jump right back to the go-go pace of change that threatened to ruin this once-pretty and pristine natural paradise.

• Sun Trip
  Email. Gay bar on Phi Phi Island overlooking one of the beautiful bays. They have a swimming pool and special drink prices for special friends! Try their "cock-tease-tail". Utopia Member Discount

• Sun Trip
  Email. Massage available. Utopia Member Discount

Trang

The population of Trang is about 70,000 (that's about 3,000 Utopians).

• Funky Dance Zone
  Disco behind the Wattana Park Hotel. Mixed crowd.