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PATTAYA TRAVEL GUIDE

First-time visitors to Pattaya either hate the resort or love it . Pattaya is Thailand's premier playground , unashamedly brash, but also within a short distance of two quite islands .

Fifty years ago' Pattaya was a quiet fishing village , embraced by long expanses of deserted beaches. Thailand's early boom years attached the country's newly rich, who build holiday homes on its pristine coast. Then came the Vietnam War and the first aircraft carrying American serviceman for "rest and recreation" . Now there is much more recreation than rest , with entire streets of bars, restaurants and karaoke joints . Despite its raunchy reputation, Pattaya has become a popular family holiday destination , with water sports and beachfront diversions . And although much of the town and its surrounding are decidedly down-market , there is a ritzy side to Pattaya, which boasts luxury hotels , exclusive golf courses and even a pony polo club .

Pattaya beaches. Some 4 kilometers long, this beach faces Pattaya Bay, the major venue from where boats visit Pattaya's offshore islands. The beach curves from north to south and is largely paralleled by a tree-lined promenade and beach road which is lined, in the northern and central parts, by hotels and restaurants.

The northern section of the beach is largely tranquil, while the central and southern parts become increasingly lively with shops, department stores, boutiques, beauty salons, supermarkets, bars, discotheques, restaurants, etc.

The central area of the beach is a major shopping area, while the southern end is one of Pattaya's major nightlife areas.

Jomtien beach . Only 4 km south of Pattaya Beach is a nice and calmer beach of Jomtien where the sand is white with blue crystalline sea water. This 6 km long,

It is recommended to visitors who seek a quieter holiday resorts for relaxation.

The former paddy fields, have turned into a thriving beach. Only 3 km down Pattaya Beach , Jomtien is highly recommended to those who seek a quieter resort, where the golden sand, bright sun and blue clear sea are always pleased to welcome all vacationers. It is a good place for relaxation with modern comforts and accommodation.

Its long straight coastline of 6 kilometers with a fringe of coconut and palm trees offers vacationers pleasant atmosphere for relaxing and viewing the sun setting in the sea. Its calm sea is also suitable for swimming and playing all kinds of water sports for the whole year.

More than 30 offshore islands stretch around Pattaya beach within a radius of some 48km, from around Si Racha in the north, to Sattahip in the south. A few islands are off-limits as they are under the control of the Royal Thai Navy. Most others have fascinating dive sites. The waters are rich in various coral species and tropical fish.

Koh Lan beach. The Coral Island, locally called Koh Lan, is the largest offshore island near Pattaya. It is over 7 km away from the coast of Pattaya and it takes about 45 minutes ride by ordinary ferries and 15 minutes by speedboat.

The beaches on the island are lined with restaurants, food shops and souvenir stalls selling handicrafts. Numerous water sports such as windsurfing, water skiing, snorkeling and scuba-diving are popular here.

Viewing coral reefs thrugh glass-bottomed boats and parasailing are interesting.

Sporting activities in Pattaya. Numerous sporting activities can be found at this resort of Thailand. Full range of water sports is available including fishing, sailing, water skiing, water-scooter rider, windsurfing, scuba diving, parasailing, and etc. In addition, there is a wide variety of land sports ranging from golfing, shooting, motorcar racing, horse riding, bowling, badminton, tennis, go-cart, paintball, bungee jumping, etc. Gyms and health clubs are also available at some major hotels.

Pattaya tourist attractions. Pattaya is more than a beach resort. There are many tourist attractions that are worth visiting for individuals, couples or family with kids. Interesting sites in the vicinity within easy reach are Phra Tamnak Hill, a vantage point to view Pattaya bay; Wat Yannasangwararam, a Royal Buddhist Temple built in Chinese-style atmosphere, Bottle Museum, over 300 miniatures of world-wide monuments in the bottles; Ripley's Believe It or Not! Museum, weird and unique things can be found in this museum.

Pattaya shopping. Pattaya is also a shopping paradise, where you can buy for various items and materials from various shops and fashionable boutiques such as garments, silk, handicrafts, gemstones, jewelry, paintings, sportswear, souvenirs, and etc.

For gourmets, various International cuisines and fresh seafood are offered in many restaurants and food shops such as Thai, French, Italian, German, Scandinavian, Russian, American, Mexican, Chinese, Japanese, Korean, Indian and etc.

Pattaya Nightlife. Pattaya's nightlife is most definitely "NOT" for the faint of heart.

Pattaya is internationally famous for its nightlife, and has a reputation as Thailand’s naughtiest city. Many flock to Pattaya for the party atmosphere where the nightlife characterizes the city and self gratification is on the menu wherever you go.

Whatever you are looking for, Pattaya nightlife has it all, from pub restaurants with sedate music to go-go bars and from trendy packed discos to world famous transsexual cabaret shows. Pattaya is also a great place for a pub crawl with very little distance between them, and many different bar types located closely.

After dark, Pattaya caters almost exclusively to men. Walking Street is generally recognized as the heart of Pattaya and Pattaya nightlife but isn't the only area of the town which has a vibrant nightlife. Jomtien, Naklua, Beach Road and the two roads that run parellel to Beach Road – 2nd Road and 3rd Road, also host a variety of clubs, restaurants, and bars. The most popular discos in the town are the Marine Disco on Walking Street, Xzyte on Pattaya 3rd Road, Star Dice in Naklua, and Hollywood in South Pattaya.

Walking Street. Many people say that Pattaya has everything. At night Pattaya has its own charm and so many activities. Let's go for good seafood at a restaurant by the sea for superb fresh seafood at reasonable price. For those who'd like to see cabaret show advanced booking is recommended. After the show, there are many things to enjoy. Walking along the Walking Street at south Pattaya, sitting in the beer bar, talking to many girls, watching people walking by, or go to the A-Go-Go bar.
For shoppers, there are a lot of shops selling handicrafts, souvenirs, etc. After that some people come back to sit in the cosy bar or lobby bar to enjoy favorite drink with live music.

Central Pattaya around sois 7 and 8 down to the beach is not as raucous as South Pattaya, but there are still a mass of beer bars, restaurants and other bars to contribute to the nightlife in Pattaya. This is an area frequented by many of the foreign residents of the city, and is more suited to a combination of drinking and chatting. As with all bars in the town, girls will happily sit with men if provided with a drink.

Nightlife in North Pattaya is quieter still, but even here there are probably a hundred bars. There are also restaurants and pub-restaurants with a variety of music from Thai folk to covers of modern western rock and pop performed by local bands and singers. North Pattaya is also home to the famous Alcazar Cabaret and the even larger Tiffany Cabaret, both of which feature beautiful transexuals who mime to both old and modern music while dressed in glitzy costumes. These remain extremely popular with tourists.

For the gay nightlife scene Pattaya has Boyz Town centered round Soi Pattayaland 1 and 3. This noisy and popular area has many gay go-go bars and beer bars. The adjacent Sunee Plaza is similar but both quieter and more private. Gay bars can also be found in other parts of Pattaya that cater for a more mixed crowd in usually quieter settings. Jomtien Beach is another gay meeting area.

Apart from the raucous side, Pattaya also has a number of other night time venues. Thai kick boxing known as Muay Thai can be seen at a number of bars scattered around Pattaya. These do not host events every night, so it’s best to ask at your hotel for information on where to go on a particular night. Pattaya also has two cinemas featuring English soundtrack movies. These can be found at Big C in North Pattaya and Royal Garden Plaza in Central Pattaya. The three bowling alleys can be found at Jomtien, on Second Road and in South Pattaya. Ripley’s Believe It or Not also opens fairly late with a number of entertaining attractions in addition to its bizare exhibitions.

Prostitution in Pattaya and in Thailand . Prostitution in Pattaya is available in a number of forms, mainly brothels, massage parlors, saunas, hostess bars and karaoke places, all of which cater mainly to local customers and other Asians. For the wealthy, private member clubs abound.

There are also various go-go bars and "beer bars" which usually cater to Western expatriates and tourists. Finally, there are large numbers of "freelancers", who can be found in hotel lobbies, discos, bars and even shopping malls or on the street.

While some are sex trade workers by any definition, others are less clearly so and may merely ask for or expect financial support from the men they sleep with.

Prostitution in Pattaya and in Thailand comes specialized by ethnic background. Many places catering to Thais/Asians will not allow others to enter if not invited by a regular guests or without paying a prohibitive entrance fee. The same holds true for some places catering to Westerners, Japanese, Arabs or other ethnicities; most will refuse clientele with a different background at the door.