Don’t pretend you never heard of Pattaya! Indeed, it was Thailand’s first international beach resort, which started to develop as early as during the Vietnam War at the end of the 1960s, as a retreat for the American soldiers. Although the beach is still very much there, it certainly does not belong to the category of particularly nice and clean beaches any longer. Anyway, adjacent to the beach is the hyper-busy Beach Road. And between the Beach Road and the Bali-Hi Pier runs the notorious Walking Street.
Unparalleled Nightlife and International Atmosphere
There is no denying that Pattaya is most famous for its unparalleled nightlife, largely centered around the Walking Street as well as the small sois running in between it and the Second Street. Pattaya’s nightlife is wide-ranging, to say the least — ranging from restaurants and pubs to discotheques, nightclubs and bars — many of which provide shows of various kinds as well as a go-go. As is the case with Patong on Phuket, there are numerous kathoyes around in Pattaya, not least performing the world-famous cabaret shows.
Pattaya of today, within in less than two hours reach from Bangkok, is truly international, not unlikely to be the place in Southeast Asia with the highest concentration of Westerners per capita. Indeed, it has a special kind of charm, in particular attracting the English, the Germans and the Russians. As a consequence of that, there is less of the genuine Thai friendliness and relaxed atmosphere, but instead certainly no lack of good shopping centers or accommodation choices. Speaking of which, there is a highly developed property market in Pattaya with real estate projects in the hundreds ranging from smaller condominium units through real mansions.
Jomtien, Distant View and Tropical Counterweight
Jomtien, some three kilometers south of Pattaya, is where all the beach-lovers should be headed. Here, the beach is quite good in fact. Jomtien is also a dedicated residential area with numerous tall condominium buildings, again with an uncommonly high proportion of non-Thai residents, without too much of the nightlife à la Walking Street. Pattaya Park Beach Resort, at the north side of Jomtien, is very recommendable with its amusement park and 240-meter tower with rotating restaurants. Also close to Jomtien is the beautifully clean and relaxed island of Koh Lan (‘Coral Island’) with good surrounding waters both for swimming, diving and snorkeling.
In many aspects, the best view of Pattaya is attained from a distance — even better, elevated. Khao Pattaya, or the so-called Radio Hill, very much fits this purpose, located a few kilometers northeast of downtown Pattaya. From this small mountain, a rather stunning view over Pattaya city and bay area is on offer.
Lastly, Nong Nooch Tropical Botanical Garden is more than worth a visit. This true oasis of tropical beauty offers the perfect counterweight to the very busy, crowded (also during the low season) and fairly dirty city of Pattaya.
