Pattaya Beach
Sand, sun and fun make Pattaya one of the most
popular destinations for visitors to Thailand.
Pattaya, on the eastern coast of the Gulf of
Thailand, was a small fishing village until the
early 1960's when it was 'invaded' by American
soldiers and sailors seeking rest and recreation
while on leave from serving in Vietnam. It has
since blossomed into a cosmopolitan city
dedicated to the pursuit of excitement, pleasure
and adventure. |
 Easy
to get to from Bangkok by air conditioned bus, Pattaya
offers every imaginable form of water sports, plentiful
and affordable golf courses, including some designed by
the most famous names in the game, and stimulating
nightlife.
In the last few years Pattaya has, in an effort to
broaden its appeal to family vacationers, toned down
some of the rowdy behavior that had given it a dubious
reputation. But you will still find a profusion of clubs
and cabarets which cater to every taste and persuasion,
and Pattaya's famously charming hostesses will still
delight all your senses. Pattaya is the ideal
destination for those seeking non-stop entertainment. It
has boisterous go-go bars, clamorous discos and
tumultuous nightclubs.
 With
it's many well equipped and reasonably priced dive shops,
Pattaya is a favorite destination of
scuba
enthusiasts from all over the world. While there are
other superior dive sites in Thailand, Pattaya is the
most convenient to Bangkok and is the jumping off point
for trips to Ko Laan, and the nearby islands of Ko Sak
and Ko Krok. More advanced divers seeking a more
challenging experience may want to head out to the more
remote Ko Man Wichai or Ko Rin, where visibility is
better, or to the shipwrecks near Sattahip.
Naklua
beach, immediately north of Pattaya, is quiet and
unpolluted. It doesn't have as many restaurants or
expensive resort hotels as it's neighbour to the south,
nor the rowdy nightlife, but all these are available for
the 10 Baht cost of a 20 minute songthaew ride to
Pattaya beach. Similarly, Jomtien beach, around the
headland to the south of Pattaya, is quieter and less
congested but has good quality accommodations and
restaurants.
 Pattaya
beach is world renowned for the variety and unrestrained
hedonism of it's nightlife, though city leaders have in
recent years made an effort to confine the commercial
sex industry to an area of south Pattaya beach. The
frenzied merrymaking diminishes as you move up the beach
road to central and north Pattaya, and to neighbouring
Naklua beach. |
