South East Asian Trips

Pattaya, 147 Km southeast of Bangkok and faces the hai Gulf is Asia's premier beach resort, and caters with equal appeal to families, couples and single visitors. Pattaya has been transformed from a sleepy fishing community into an international resort often referred to as the 'Thai Riviera' and is literally a place where East meets West, both in colour and character, and is probably the most cosmopolitan place in Thailand after Bangkok.

Pattaya City is a somewhat tacky resort town-the Hollywood Boulevard of Thailand-full of foreign tourists and sailors from the nearby naval base, many of whom are looking for (and finding) short-term lovers.

The area's seafood is excellent, but fairly expensive. If you miss food such as Tex-Mex or pizza, or want to see Thai boxing as you sit at a bar, you'll find it in Pattaya.

Despite its lack of traditional culture, there's a beautiful beach near Pattaya City, and teaching here might appeal to teachers who want to live in a smaller town reasonably close to Bangkok. To avoid the sex scene, Jomtien Beach-area guest houses are recommended.

Pattaya's relaxing tropical ambiance is synonymous with every ingredient for memorable holidays. Sporting opportunities abound both on land and water, and include some of the finest golfing, gamefishing and scuba-diving anywhere in Asia. Theme and amusement parks, offbeat museums and lush botanical gardens offer numerous forms of leisure activities and cultural entertainment for all family members. And, after dark, Pattaya offers all the allure and magic of a truly vibrant nightlife with a spectacular variety of restaurants, nightclubs, bars, discotheques, cocktail lounges and cabarets. Pattaya can be brash, bold, beautiful and bucolic, and offers everything an authentic international beach resort can.

Population

55,000

Location

Pattaya is a city on the coast of the Gulf of Thailand, in Chonburi Province. It is a three-hour bus or train trip from Bangkok.

Weather

Pattaya's weather is similar to Bangkok's, with the highest temperatures in April, and the most rain falling from May to October.

Transportation

It is possible to get to Pattaya by bus or train, but not by air. For local trips along the beach, songtaews cost US$.20, but foreigners are sometimes pressured to pay more.

Key Attractions of Pattaya

Pattaya Serene beaches

Pattaya Beach

The major venue from where boats visit Pattaya's offshore islands. The northern section of the beach is largely tranquil, while the central and southern parts become increasingly lively,thanks to a juxtaposition of shops, department stores, boutiques, beauty salons, supermarkets, bars, discotheques, restaurants 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

This 6-kilometre long beach, south of Pattaya, is the most notable of several beaches south of the resort. The beach is popular with windsurfers and watersports enthusiasts, largely because the area enjoys brisk and fresh breezes sweeping inland from the Thai Gulf, and because the seas are less congested with boats than is Pattaya Bay.

Million Years Stone Park & Pattaya Crocodile Farm

An over-100 -rai Park and farm from central Pattaya, this bucolic enclave features a landscape of native Thai flora, a fascinating collection of Bonsai trees, and massive ancient rocks imported from Kanchanaburi province. Artfully landscaped with flowers and trees, the park contains a crocodile farm, a select collection of wild animals native to Thailand and nearing extinction, a pool containing giant catfish native to the Mekong River, and a restaurant.

Ripley's Believe It Or Not Museum

Located next to the Royal Garden Resort Hotel inside Royal Plaza Garden, this museum, only the second of its kind in Asia, features a high technology theatre adapted from a pilot-training simulator, permanent and special displays of oddities such as animal freaks and unusual human feats, based on the popular cartoon feature of the same name which is featured in newspapers throughout the world.

The other attractions of Pattaya include Pattaya Park with colourful water slides,whirlpools and shallow pools popular with families, Pattaya Park Tower that contains a revolving restaurant and offers an exhilarating view of city. Pattaya Elephant Village features trained elephants demonstrating time-honoured forestry skills, enjoying themselves playing football, re-enacting wild elephant a small course at the Asia Hotel.

Bottle Art

The world's sole Bottle Art Museum at 145.3 Km on Sukhumvit Highway, has more than 300 displays of miniature bottles.

Pattaya's Annual Festival

Pattaya's Annual Festival, Beauty Contest Each year, usually during April, the week-long Pattaya Festival is celebrated with a wide range of entertainment spectacles, including parades, beauty contests, concerts, food festivals, fireworks and an exciting calendar of sporting events, in-cluding Grand Prix and go-kart motor-racing, sailing regattas, windsurfing competitions, power boat racing and fishing contests. Special exhibitions and shopping opportunities abound as Pattaya celebrates in a style befitting its stature as Asia's premier beach resort.

Shopping

South Pattaya is the major shopping area for beachwear, souvenirs, films, tapes, pharmaceuticals and liquor. The resort's major gems, jewellery, silk, cotton and handicraft shops, tailors and boutiques are located in the vicinity of, or adjacent to, major beachside hotels. The Pattaya 2 Road is also a favourite haunt for hoppers with several handicraft and Thai silk shops. Department stores and allied bazaars in Central Pattaya offer other shopping experiences.

Pattaya - Gourmet Delight

Some of Thailand's choicest seafood is found in hotel buffets and several specialty restaurants. Steakhouses, coffee shops and fast food outlets provide attractive alternatives. Gourmets and gourmands alike find satisfaction in numerous restaurants featuring regional Thai cuisine and French, Swiss, German, Italian, English, Scandinavian, Indian, Arabic, Indonesian, Japanese, Chinese and Korean food.