I will be travelling alone to Bangkok, Chaing Mai and Singapore. I am a single male. I want to stay in an area that has some entertainment in the evening. Although I am very adventurous, in the evening, I like to go for a walk, have a very nice dinner and make the "club" scene. Is there a area/district recommendation? Also, is there a major difference between a 3 star & 4 star hotel? Are 3 stars clean & safe? What am I missing here?

There are no official star rating in Thailand, you go more by price. As a single guy wanting on first trip a decent but well priced place to stay, pay B 1,400 and you will get a good 3 star place, unless you want real luxury no point going higher, BKK has around 150(guess) hotels so the choice is wide open, perhaps the Tower Inn at about $35(B 1,400) is a good place to book for a couple of nights to get the feel for the place. In Chiang Mai again B 1,200 ($30) will get you a good place. For Singapore $60-80 for a 3-star. SIN is a lot livelier these days and they have some good clubs, you will see all the listings in local press, weekends (fri+Sat) are the best times to go out in SIN as weekdays tend to be quiet. I'll dig out some BKK by night sites for you and some links to help you get into the 'mood'. You are SO lucky making your 1st trip, you are going to enjoy yourself. The one thing I miss living in Thailand is the 'thrill' of flying into BKK knowing what a great time I was to have in Thauiland, can't complain ( yes I can, it's 2 a.m and I'm at work!...ah!)

JamesA...thank you for the info. I have been doing searches in Bangkok, ChaingMai and Singapore. However, everything is about location, location, location. I am not into staying in the most touristy part and enjoy the quiet. And, I am not opposed to walking. Convience, clean, safe and VALUE are requirement. In my travels, I have found some outstanding budget hotels in great locations, that gave me some of the greatest moments in my travel history. Does this make sense? Any suggestions, recommendations?

U can consider Swiss Lodge at Convent Rd in Bkk near Silom. E-mail [email protected]. Understand u can negotiate them down to about US50-$60 a night. 6th-8th floor rooms have a great view and it is near the sky train should u choose to take it. In Chiang Mai I cannot rave enough about Tamarind Village. For US440 a night fantastic value. Ask for a 2nd floor room facing the garden. They may not be close to entertainment in the eve but CM is small and u can easily get a tuk tuk whereever u want to go.

Bangkok: Vientai is about $35
Chiang Mai: Empress is about $ 40
Singapore: Royal Peacock Boutique hotel in Chinatown about $60 or New Park for about same price but large hotel.

Those are what I would call adequote 3-stars, safe, comfortable.