Welcome to Pattaya, The "Jewel of the East Coast".

Pattaya is the first resort area which have been developped in Thailand. It was originally a quiet fishermen village, which exploded in 1965, during the Vietnam War, as it was used as a recreation place for G.Is coming from the front. Since then, Pattaya never ceased its development to become a huge city with high buildings and towers looking alike the beaches of the "costa del sol" in Spain.
Located only 147 km south of Bangkok, easilly reachable by express way or the brand new Highway, Pattaya benefits now of an international reputation. Nature and facilities are combined to offer the visitors a pure stay of dream : sun, hot sea, a white sand beach of more than 6 km, delicious seafood, high grade hotels and vacation apartments, uncountable shops and super stores and hundreds of sport activities (sailing, wind surfing, diving, deep fishing, water skying, parascending, tennis.... and, above all, Golf, with about fifteen 18 to 36 holes courses !!) which made Pattaya get the desserved nick name of "Jewel of the East Coast".
And about nightlife in Pattaya, no need to be dishonest and deny the facts, it is the main motive of most of the tourists coming to Pattaya. You will find here more "Go go bars" and beautiful girls for rent for the night (and more, if financial affinities) than everywhere else in Thailand (or even in the rest of the world) and this is the reason of the "fiendish" reputation of Pattaya !! Without even entering "bars", a simple walk on the "Beach Road" late in the evening will be far enough to convince you...
But it would be wrong to restrict Pattaya to this, as it has much more trumps and this is why you will meet families on Jomtien beach or when going on excursion to the neighbour islands, as, more than a den of vice, Pattaya offers all the western modern comfort, high grade hotels, and at Bangkok prices, not overtaxed tourist places prices, with a stunning beach and activities for all ages.

Pattaya, busy beaches and quiet coves.

Located on the mainland, Pattaya offers only few beaches, contrary to the islands in the Gulf of Siam and in the Andaman Sea, where all the coasts are made of splendid beaches.
Pattaya Beach is right in the city part of Pattaya, close to all and everything. This a long white sand beach offering all kind of water sports and acivities, as well as hundreds of restaurants and bars, and, of course the "hot" nightlife of Pattaya.
Jomtien Beach is the longest beach of Pattaya, located 2 km south. With its 6,5 kilometers of splendid stretch of white sand beach and a more quiet and more family-friendly setting than the fiery Pattaya beach, this is the favorite beach for expats living in Bangkok and, mostly, for thai people who invade it every week-end and holidays. Many agree to say that this is the best beach of Pattaya. There is actually little transition between Pattaya South and Jomtien, few hotels and a overhang of rocks are marking the virtual limit and, behind Jomtien beach, you can still see tower hotels and buildings, which gave this beach the nickname of "Miami Beach of South-East Asia"...
Naklua Beach is top north of Pattaya, and is a stunning cove, much quieter and relaxing, just at the limit to high grade hotels area.
Wong Prachan Beach north of Pattaya Bay, is the most quiet and serene beach of Pattaya, nice beach of 1 km long, no shops, no bars, just High grade hotels and condominiums.
You will also have the opportunity to enjoy the beaches and underwaters of the neighbour islands, like Koh Lan or Koh Rin and the "Far islands", or, closer to Pattaya, Koh Sak and Koh Krok, the "Near islands".

Pattaya nightlife, the hottest nights in the world.

Pattaya nightlife is surely what gave fame to the place in the whole world, far beyond the beauty of its beaches and underwaters. But this hot and fiery activity is still concentrated and you can easilly choose a quieter beach and avoid these excesses !
Pattaya Beach is, of course THE place for the nightlife in Pattaya, with internationl restaurants, and many, really many bars, "go go bars" and other "lady bars" or "gay bars"... You can then start the night eating an excellent mexican, italian, french or svandinavian meal or simply thai dishes and delicacies (at one of the many night markets...) then enter the arena and face all the temptations of the night, give a try in getting lost between Soi 13 and 16 of Pattaya, you will see the hottest ones !
There are also many beer bars playing "live" music where you can listen to Thai and Philippine bands singing international standards or playing their own tunes, few cabarets, like the famous "Alcazar", with diner-show, enough to fullfill your drunken nights...
Jomtien Beach is a bit more quiet, but you will find some "go go bars" and many "Lady bars" on the road linking Pattaya south to Jomtien and, of course, the Jomtien complex, which is an impressive complex of bars, bars and more bars...
Naklua Beach seems calm, even sleepy, compared to other districts full of the charnel crazyness of Pattaya. Here, you will only find few bars to spend the night, but it is surely exactly because you are expecting calm and tranquility, that you have precisely choosen to stay on this beach.

The wonders of Pattaya

If Pattaya is a paradise for night owls, it is also a priviliged place for Golf players, with about fifteen 18 holes, 27 holes and 36 holes international class golf courses, among the most beautiful in the world, all designed by renowned golf course architects, a fantastic experience for golf players of all levels. Enough to keep you busy for weeks !
Wat Phra Yai or temple of "Big Buddha", located on a hill, is an unavoidable attraction of Pattaya.
Mini Siam is aa entertainment parc with miniature replicas of monuments of Thailand and the rest of the world.
Underwater World Pattaya is a brand new attraction in Pattaya, a tunnel aquarium of 100 meters long, the most modern in South-East Asia, allowing you to observe more than 200 marine species.
Pattaya Park is an aquatic park with many water slides and huge swimming pools to refresh from the hot and sunny beach days.
Pattaya Elephant Village offers shows of elephants in action, working in the forest or playing football, you can also enjoy elephant riding and trecking in the area.
Million Years Stone Park & Crocodile Farm is actually 9 kilometers away from Pattaya, and is hosting more than 1,000 crocodiles, and also a zoo and a stunning bonsai garden surrounded by rocks.
Nong Nooch village is 15 kilometers south of Pattaya, this is a splendid park and botanical garden displaying thai traditional shows and elephant shows.
Ko Lan is an island offshore of Pattaya, 45 minutes in boat and 15 minutes with speedboat. The island is superb, you will have the opportunity to enjoy its beach and underwaters, but also eat delicious seafood in the restaurants along the beach.