Advantages: The fast pace, shopping, abundance of activities available, ability to book day-trips
Disadvantages: Sex trade, smell, polluted waters, dirty beach, not safe to go into town alone

...Pattaya is situated on the eastern gulf of Thailand and is roughly a 2 hour drive from the airports in Bangkok. When my boyfriend and I booked to spend a two week holiday in Pattaya we were expecting the palm swept beaches and turcqoise waters of Alex Garland's novel 'The Beach' but were dissapointed to find something quite different. Please read on if you are thinking of travelling to this town. I honestly wish that we'd read a bit more before we went. Pattaya is a busy, thriving city. It is expanding rapidly from the little unspoit fishing port that it was until quite recently. In the last few years it has become was has become known as 'the playground of the orient' and certianly lives up to this. If you are after a non-stop, action-packed holiday, Pattaya will certainly satisfy. There are great spots for go-carting, watersports... Read review

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Advantages: Everything is so cheap, people are great, superb weather all year round!
Disadvantages: Annoying prostitutes

...Well, what a place. I've been there three times now for at least 3 weeks each time and I'm planning to go back again. I'm not the sort of tourist you might associate with Pattaya - in other words, I'm not a 70 year old man wearing socks and sandals, travelling to Thailand for nothing but sex. Its a great value holiday destination and fun for all the family. Why fork out such ridiculous sums of money on Spanish package holidays and then be ripped off even more when you get there with food and drink when Thailand (and Pattaya in particular) is cheap to get to and very cheap to live in. Driving time, Pattaya is approximately 2 hours from Bangkok and the cost of a taxi varies, though you'll have no problem picking one up for 800THB (about £12.00). The sex-capital of Thailand isn't all about sex and prostitutes though... Read review

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Advantages: exotic country, warm sea
Disadvantages: so far

...The trip in Thailand was mine by last travel before marriage. Reputing, that after wedding I can not so often commit trips abroad, has decided to select exotic tour. The choice mine has stayed on Thailand. After several days in Bangkok, then in Cha-Am, I at last have arrived in Pattaya. This resort is rather popular among ours (that is Russian) tourists. Certainly, not, as Turkey or Egypt, but native speech here it is possible to hear, especially in shopping centers and restaurants. Than is known Pattaya? Inexpensive textiles, sea and, certainly, night life. Speak, that this city has realized life, when here stand the American seamen. They and now often can be met, in the company two - three girls. But besides, in vicinities of city is present much that interesting. Entertainment in Pattaya. The entertainments, in main... Read review

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Advantages: Weather, nightlife, hustle and bustle, shopping, people
Disadvantages: sex-industry

...My Grandad is an expat to Thailand and he is settled in Pattaya with a Thai wife (no, it's not THAT sort of relationship, it's the real thing. And she's 40, not 20) :P So I've been out to visit him twice, spending about 6 weeks in total there, with a further two and a half weeks coming this summer. And I love Pattaya. It really is the Las Vegas of Thailand, it's buzzing, but it's still so cultural, so different to England, that you could just sit in an open bar-beer for a whole day and watch the world go by and not be bored for a minute. Pattaya is a city about 2 hours by minibus south of Bangkok. It is a vibrant coastal city with a thriving nightlife and is a typical tourist area. It is divided into certain sections - Naklua, where a lot of the residences are (inc my grandad's) and you'll find less shops, and more restaurants (Thais... Read review

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Advantages: Has it all.
Disadvantages: Be aware of scams.

...compared to everything else is quite expensive. One bottle of beer can cost between 60-160Baht (1-2.66UKP)when a meal may only cost 50baht (83p). For the first few days everything seems out of place and disorganised. It’s easy to get lost and if you don’t speak any Thai things can be difficult. A classic example was on the first day I ever went to Thailand. I hired a small motorbike one afternoon and went for a cruise around Pattaya. I didn’t pay much attention to where I was going and just went where my instinct would lead me. Not before long it was getting dark and it suddenly hit me “er …. which way is my hotel”. I didn’t have any idea where I was and had to ride around for about an hour trying to remember which road I was staying. The feeling was of great despair and comparable to when I... Read review

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Advantages: Near Bangkok
Disadvantages: Could clean up the city a little more. Too many dogs, litter etc in parts. The main city beach is well - a city beach. The nearby Jomtien Beach is an improvment, but not in the same league as Phi Phi, Phuket, Chang, Samui etc.

...You will either love it or hate it. Here's how to handle both situations. Don't go there until you have read this! Two hours drive from Bangkok; Pattaya is situated on the Eastern Seaboard facing the Gulf Of Thailand. WHAT TO DO THERE It’s the only place I know that has entertainment and facilities to suit all tastes. You can really do what ever you want. This freedom can not be found anywhere else that I know. Unfortunately though, some people use this freedom for all the wrong reasons. There are a host of outdoor activities including some of the best golf courses in SE. Asia. Pattaya also has a strong reputation for having some of the best Formula One Go-carting circuits in the world, which are available to anyone brave enough to experience racing at a professional level. You can also hire a Honda Fireblade 400, Honda... Read review

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Advantages: Good weather all year round
Disadvantages: Travel Brochures do not give a good representation of Pattaya

...I arrived in Pattaya in August 04 to start a diving internship to become a PADI instructor. As part of the package my accomodation was included so I was staying in Jomtiem which is just outside the main centre of Pattaya. As a 26 year old female I was at first a bit daunted by Pattaya. I had read reviews and already new about it's reputation for being the sex capital of Thailand but many reviews had stated that it was only in specific areas. Once I had had a little look around I quickly relised that this was a major understatement. On every street and side street in Pattaya you are shouted at by the bar girls to try and get you to come and drink in their bar. In the majority of bars, the girls are working thereare literally for sale. Having said that I did not feel threatened or unsafe, it just took a little bit of getting... Read review

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Advantages: friendly people, warm, cheap
Disadvantages: 13 hour flight

...My husband like a bit of adventure. We decided to go to Thailand during the Christmas holidays and were glad we did. Flights: We flew out of Heathrow with Emirates and flew economy class. However, economy was like flying 1st class! We got real wet warm flannels upon take off, generous and comfortable seats, as well as personal tv screens. It was a long journey, but flying with Emirates made it a comfortable as it could possibly be. Airport- Arrivals: Going through immigration was a long slow process. They are not rushed. So, you must just be patient. Taxi to Pataya: We had a taxi booked to go to our hotel. It was there waiting for us. It was airconditioned and got us as quickly as it could to our hotel. A 2 hour trip from Bangkok to Pattaya costs between £10-20. Not a bad deal at all! Hotel: We stayed... Read review

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Advantages: see op
Disadvantages: see op

...Chiang Mai is one of the biggest cities in the North of Thailand and I’m lucky enough to have recently returned from there. I visited Thailand for a fortnight as a break from a trip to Singapore visiting relatives, and although I’ve been to Thailand before, this was my first trip to the North and to Chiang Mai. I had spent 2 days in Pattaya before we set off on the journey up to Chiang Mai, that took a 2 hour trip to Bangkok and then a 16 hour coach ride to take us to Chiang Mai itself. To be perfectly honest, I was dreading this and would have then preferred to spend some more time in Pattaya but it proved worthwhile! Part of me was also quite looking forward to this leg of the trip too as I’d been told that Chiang Mai was a nice quiet retreat after spending time in the bustling atmosphere of Bangkok and Pattaya. My first... Read review

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Advantages: Good courses,Cheap, Friendly people,Great food
Disadvantages: Traffic problems,

...in Thailand. It was the first golf club which could offer accommodations for overnight or longer stays in its 30 rooms. Other courses near Pattaya include the Plutaluang Golf Club and the Green Valley Rayang. Bangkok, they say, is a four showers a day city : a hot, humid, sprawling city with a frenetic life style and eternal traffic jams. It is certainly hot and humid, but there is no doubt it is the golfing capital of Thailand and currently there are around 25 courses in the city and its suburbs. The Japanese on golfing holidays arrive by their thousands by charter flights. Golf is rapidly becoming one of the most popular sports... Read review

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