Pattaya
Pattaya is very convenient to get to from Bangkok. If you want to escape for the weekend or while away a few days without the hassle of booking flights, jump on a bus or take the train to Pattaya.
It does have a reasonably nice beach, good places to eat and plenty of bars. It's just that its beaches aren't as nice as, say, Phuket's and there's not that much to do other than go to the bars. [A reader has written in to say I'm talking rubbish – see Travel Tips below.] It depends on what you want.
Most people go by bus – it's supposed to take about two hours but it varies. Go to the Eastern bus station on the corner of Sukhumvit Road and Soi 40. The bus costs very little (Bt 113 – about £1.60 each way). Sometimes the crew of a bus that's just pulling out will try to harass you into getting on theirs. Don't do it – invariably it's a bus to Rayong, which stops at several places along the way and takes about four hours to get to Pattaya.
The train is cheaper still (about 50p!!!). It's unusual to go by train as it takes much longer – about four hours. But if time isn't a constraint you might find that this journey is one of the rare times when getting from A to B is a pleasant experience. Go to the Hualamphong Station at the city end of Rama IV Road. Don't worry if you forget to take something to eat and drink en route. Predictably, vendors board the train to flog you stuff. When you're sitting there parched, a nice Thai lady with a basket full of ice cold Singha or Coke is a welcome sight. It's OK to arrive in Pattaya by train as there are songthaews (converted pickups that serve as taxis/minibuses) to meet you there.
Travel tips
The beaches down at Jomtien are ten times better than Pattaya's. It is only about 10km away from Pattaya and certainly worth spending a day at.
Another thing to be said about Pattaya is that it is only a short trip round the coast to Koh Samet – a rather secluded but beautiful island. It is protected by some sort of Thai government environment instruction so big hotels and all that stuff are a no-no. A place to chill out if ever there was one.
Not much to do in Pattaya except visit the bars? How about golf, golf, golf, sailing, wind surfing, fishing, diving, para-sailing, tennis, squash, go-karting, horse riding, elephant trekking, gymnasiums, zoos, museums, discos, cabaret, karaoke, etc., etc., etc? [Oops – sorry! But we just went to bars...The Ed]
Accommodation
Recommended
Hard Rock Hotel – on Pattaya Beach Road, not far north of Pattaya Central Road. Small but very well appointed rooms and a host of facilities. The foyer's worth visiting if just to check out the host of pop and rock memorabilia there! You can read more here:
Pattaya – Hard Rock Hotel
Sandy Spring Hotel – on Soi 13, Pattaya Beach Road, just near the Sportsman. Very light and airy feel to the rooms, which are clean and have some great sea views. The suites are great value at Bt 2,500 – separate shower and bath, massive beds, a full-size telly in reception room and bedroom, and a decent balcony with proper furniture. They've even got a kitchen sink!
Areca Lodge Hotel – on Soi Diana Inn, about 150m away from Pattaya 2nd Road. A bit far from the action for some, perhaps, but the rooms are comfortable and well furnished, and the staff are very friendly.
If you're not too bothered about noise from the bars in the small hours and just want somewhere to crash, the Ritz (Soi Yamato, next to the Nervous Wreck – see Bars below) is well worth thinking about. Clean beds, separate room with TV and (huge) fridge, and a proper shower, all for Bt 600.
Worth considering
The Welcome Plaza – down the back (landward side) of Pattaya 2nd Road, between Soi Pattayaland 1 and the Royal Garden Plaza. Good comfortable rooms, a/c, fridge and telly, though it's getting a bit on the shabby side. The Royal Palace Hotel next door isn't bad either. (There's a third hotel in this group – the Royal Twins Palace – but we haven't been to that one.)
Food
Recommended
Vientiane Restaurant – the biz! It's moved to South Pattaya Road (a loong way out) from its old site on Pattaya 2nd Road, though they also now appear to have a branch on Walking Street. Great food in an open air atmosphere, or you can sit inside in the a/c room. Wonderful food and well worth a visit. Best spicy squid salad in Pattaya!
The King Seafood restaurant in South Pattaya (Walking Street) is strongly recommended – choose your own grub fresh from the tank (their slogan is "They are still swimming"), then sit and eat it in the open on their platform built over the seafront. Tends to be better (and busier) in the evening than at lunchtimes.
Read our review
Amor in the connecting road between Sois Pattayaland 2 and 3 (Boyz Town) does excellent European cuisine at very reasonable prices. Great starters – the baked mussels are to kill for! – and excellent main courses, plus a good range of decent wines. And you can round off the meal with a decent cigar too. (They also do Thai food – but we're still working our way through the European menu!)
If you're into raw fish, there's a branch of the Fuji chain at the Big C complex (Pattaya 2nd Road, opposite Soi 3). Great value and quick service (though you may have to queue to get in for a few minutes when it's really busy). They've also got a branch at Carrefour in Pattaya Central Road, which is a bit less busy.
The Sportsman's Inn on Soi 6 is good for those hearty British meals that are always sought out by British folks on holiday.
Not to be confused with the Sportsman's Inn, but also very good, is the Sportsman on Soi 13. Great specials at very reasonable prices.
Greg's Kitchen is recommended for absolutely the best English breakfast in Pattaya, and for good British food at any time. On Second Road, just south of Alcazar. Update: January 2001 – Greg's is still good but Shenanigans on Pattaya Second Road is just as good and considerably cheaper. They make the tea very weak though, but if you ask for another teabag they'll cheerfully bring one.
Bars
Recommended
The Nervous Wreck in Soi Yamato, run by Nervous Dave the Sheffield Wednesday fan, is our local when we're in Pattaya. A great spot for a drink, with a very friendly crowd of regulars and frequent visitors. And you can get wonderful bacon sarnies and chip butties from the Ritz next door too. Click on the thumbnail if you'd like to see more pics.
Malibu on the corner of Soi Post Office and Pattaya 2nd Road also deserves a mention on the strength of the cabaret show. Not up to the spectacular standards of Tiffany or Alcazar, but it's a good laugh (Thailand's Tina Turner always gets a cheer!) and it's free (though the beers are a tad more expensive than usual), and something to do if you're at a loose end until 2am.
Not recommended
We were pretty disappointed with the Green Bottle (part of the Diana Inn complex on Pattaya Second Road, opposite Soi 11). Having popped in there for a drink, we asked to make a phone call and were directed to a desk round the side. What they didn't tell us was that they were going to charge us about 200 baht for a three-minute call. We finished our drinks and left – we won't be going back.
Shopping
There are several shopping malls and many street stalls in Pattaya, but so far no one has recommended anything. Tesco Lotus in North Pattaya Road is pretty good if you miss the hypermarket experience – does everything from peanuts to televisions. Even better, perhaps, is the branch of Carrefour that's opened on Pattayaklang Road, together with HomePro – a kind of cross between IKEA and B&Q.
Fun
If you're keen on fishing, enjoy boats or just fancy a lazy day out bobbing up and down on the waves, why not try a deep-sea fishing trip? We went on a day trip recently – click on the thumbnail to find out more...
Visiting one of the transvestite cabaret shows is a must-do. If you are in the front seats there's a good chance you will be dragged onto the stage at some point. Great fun and a superb performance! Really, really – don't miss this!
There are a few good cinemas in the Big 'C' shopping centre, in north Pattaya, where most of the movies are in English with Thai subtitles. Across the road from that is a bowling alley and snooker hall for the leisurely afternoon hours.
Ripley's "Believe It Or Not!" has one of its exhibitions of weird stuff on the top floor of the Royal Garden Plaza. You can get a combined ticket which lets you into the Motion Master 3D cinema too. Good fun, although the latest films have been geared a bit more to a child audience than to adults.
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