2004

December
November

"Pattaya is a place for outgoing people who like something to do. It's an exciting destination where the fun and action never stop," says Chattan Kunjara Na Ayudhya, Director of the Tourism Authority of Thailand's Central Region Three, adding: "Great restaurants, great shopping, a wide range of accommodation, and great value for money."

The city fathers are pouring money into beautifying the resort, creating an attractive seaside promenade with clean beach and sea, improving infrastructure and even adding a tourist bus service. Investment from the private sector is developing high-end property and hotels, classy restaurants and entertainment, new attractions and sporting activities.

Pattaya already has 28,496 hotel rooms ranging from one to five star, and more are expected. The influx of international chains that currently includes Hard Rock, Marriott, Mercure and Sheraton. InterContinental, Hilton and Sofitel are likely to add to the mix. This will go a long way towards raising the profile and credibility of the resort on the international market.

Mr Chattan believes the opening of the New Bangkok International Airport, Suvarnabhumi, in 2006 will make a lot of difference to the resort. "Commuting time from the airport will be shorter -- just over one hour, making Pattaya a more attractive destination. We expect it will lead to a growth in tourism."

All Action Resort

There's a host of water sports -- sailing, yachting, scuba diving, parasailing, jet skis, deep-sea fishing, windsurfing. Then, depending on stamina, visitors can move on to various adventure activities, such as skydiving, flying microlights, bungy jumping, go-karting, horse and elephant riding, and paintballing.

On the Water

You have to get on the sea around Pattaya because it looks so inviting. A good place to start is Ocean Marina Yacht Club, the only full-fledged marina in the Gulf of Thailand. In addition to offering a host of professional services plus accommodation in its 51-room luxury hotel, Ocean Marina has three boats for private charter to the nearby islands for picnic outings or sunset cruises (4.00 to 6.00 pm) complete with champagne and canapes.

Ocean Marina also has ten Optimist-class boats for teaching novices the art of sailing. "We are working with international schools to give children the opportunity to learn to sail," says General Manager Teeraphan Praisri. "Our courses combine lessons with professional instructors, meals and accommodation."

Phil Harper, founder of Gulf Charters Thailand, believes Pattaya will develop into a major yachting centre because of its good sailing weather and supporting activities. "Pattaya has steady winds of ten to twenty knots all year round plus light waves as the Gulf is sheltered."

Operating out of Ocean Marina, Gulf Charters has a fleet of 19 sailing yachts for charter, both monohull keelboats and catamaran multihulls ranging from 32 to 52 feet. They offer bareboat or crewed charters, plus day cruises to the nearby islands, with itineries adapted to client needs. The main cruise areas are the five islands in Pattaya Bay and Si Chang island off Sri Racha. The company is also pushing south towards Cambodia with one-way charters to new travel destinations in and around Koh Chang.

To raise the profile of sailing in Pattaya, Gulf Charters organizes monthly yacht racing out of Ocean Marina as well as the annual Top of the Gulf Regatta that is attracting both sponsors and yachts from the region. The company is also licensed by International Yachtmaster Training Inc. as a sailing school for teaching both beginners and experienced seamen the art of yachting. It awards internationally recognized certificates.

If chartering is not your thing, most other water sports are available -- windsurfing, jet skiing, parasailing, banana boating or simply hiring a boat for a day trip to nearby Lan island.

Under Water

For underwater adventures, the Yellow Submarine, a purpose-built tourist submarine called "Pirom" from Belgium provides a unique opportunity. The Yellow Submarine seats 48 people, who view the spectacular underwater world of fish and coral through windows along the sides. The reception area for passengers is opposite Bali Hai Pier in South Pattaya.

Currently, the Yellow Submarine makes three dives daily, to be increased according to demand. Passengers go by speedboat to Lan island, where they transfer to the submarine for a 45-minute dive to depths of up to 30 metres.

Pattaya is growing in stature as a dive destination, thanks to favourable weather conditions enabling all-year-round diving unlike other areas of Thailand. The sport is encouraged by more than 12 PADI-affiliated dive centres in the resort offering various levels of diving instruction.

Mermaid's Dive Center is a PADI five star CDC centre, meaning it can offer courses from beginner to instructor level under the supervision of a PADI Course Director with fifteen years of diving experience in Pattaya. In addition, the "Diving Life" programme is a six-month internship to instructor level. The center reports many applicants from around the world.

Located on Jomtien Beach, Mermaid's has a host of equipment with a tank filling service and training classrooms. It also runs three well-equipped dive boats offering dive packages and instructor-supervised training.

The main scuba dive areas are the ‘Far Islands’, an outer ring of islands about 30 kms offshore Pattaya, and Samae San offshore the Sattahip naval base. There are also three outstanding shipwrecks that attract many divers. Two are around Samae San. HTMS Khram was deliberately sunk among the Far Islands in 2003 to create Thailand's first artificial reef.

Golf Paradise

Pattaya is one of Thailand's great golf destinations with 19 outstanding courses within a 40 kms radius. "The quality is top international standard, but the prices are not," explains Carl-Fabian Arp, Managing Director of Thai-Ger Line Golf. Some of the courses were designed by golf's top names, including Jack Nicklaus, Gary Player, Nick Faldo and Pete Dye. Nicklaus's Laem Chabang is rated as the premier course in the region. Popular courses include the "old lady" Siam Country Club, Bang Phra International, Phoenix and St. Andrews 2000 with its infamous par six.

Thai-Ger Line Golf organizes daily (and weekly) golf packages for tourists that include transfers from the hotel, booking tee-off times, green fees, caddie and golf club rental if needed. "It's fun to play in Pattaya," says Mr Arp. "You get a caddie for your bag, a golf cart, drink kiosks for refreshments, luxurious clubhouse facilities and very friendly welcomes everywhere."

For those who like a bit of competition, the Pattaya Mail newspaper lists the weekly golf outings of all golf groups in Pattaya with transport departure times and locations. Or contact Pattaya Sports Club, which organizes competitions for men and women.

Plenty to Shop

Topping the list is Royal Garden Plaza, an attractive mall with three floors of boutique shops selling clothes, shoes, antiques and sporting goods plus kiosks that offer many locally made items. There are also lots of global brand coffee and fast food outlets affording refreshing shopping breaks.

Wherever they are in the world, factory outlets never fail to attract attention. Fly Now next to Cholchan Resort has export-quality clothing, household items, bedding and baskets that are not available in department stores, many at discount prices. Alternatively Outlet Mall on the corner of Thepprasit Road is packed with brand-name boutiques selling clothes, sports goods, shoes and kitchenware. If that sounds a little pricey, walk down the road to the Thepprasit Night Market, where you can pick up inexpensive items every weekend.

The opening of giant superstores such as Tesco Lotus, Carrefour and Big C has heralded Pattaya's entry into big league shopping, replacing street hawkers with brand name goods and air-conditioned malls.

Cosmopolitan Dining

Quality restaurants have mushroomed in Pattaya over the past decade, offering an enormous range of cuisines. On every street signs with flags proclaim French, British, Scandinavian, Italian, Belgian, Dutch, Indian and other notable cuisines. There's food for every taste, including the remarkable A La Turca, Thailand's first Turkish restaurant serving up not only good ethnic fare but also belly dancing every Friday night.

In the Pattaya chapter of Thailand Tatler's popular annual publication Thailand's Best Restaurants 2005, Dr Iain Corness notes the extraordinary increase of fine dining restaurants in recent years, beginning to rival those found in Bangkok. He then details his Pattaya Top Ten. This includes the celebrated Bruno's, fine dineries Casa Pascal, Mata Hari and Indian By Nature, Paradise specializing in exotic meats like crocodile, kangaroo, and ostrich, as well as the Royal Cliff Beach Resort's Grill Room, winner of the prestigious Wine Spectator award for its food and wine cellar.

Freshly caught seafood from nearby fishing villages is a must. Recommended places for live seafood are Si Nuan and Preecha in Ban Amphur, Bang Saray Seafood on the fishing pier at Bang Saray, Loong Sawai and Nai Glae at the end of Jomtien Beach, and Shell Tangkay Seafood on Naklua Soi 12 next to the Sanctuary of Truth. A little extra driving is needed for Grand Seaside, a lovely old house at the end of a long pier in Sri Racha bay.

Simpler dining options abound, like the trendy Food Wave on top of Royal Garden Plaza, a food court operation with everything from noodles to spicy northeastern dishes that can be enjoyed with superb panoramic views of Pattaya Bay. Big name fast food outlets abound serving up pizza, fried chicken, sandwiches and burgers. For a challenge, try the gigantic wagon-wheel burgers at Bob's Burger - eat two, pay for one.

Fun Night Out

When the sun goes down, it's time to relax with a good meal and little bit of fun. Vying for attention are the Irish pubs Jamesons, Shenanigans and Kilkenny, all offering a mix of pub grub, easy listening music, sports TV and friendly people to talk to. Henry J. Beans is the American equivalent with a Cajun food touch, while Moon River Pub is still the top spot for hot live bands. Elvis is in the house every Thursday and Friday at Jomtien Boathouse, while a popular trio thrills aficionados at the Jazz Pit nightly.

If you like your music hot and loud, Hard Rock Cafe vibrates with a lively house band and high decibel atmosphere. Saturday nights are party time at Hard Rock Hotel's notorious foam pool. The milder version for families is 5.00-6.30pm, while the Beach Foam X party for adults from 9.00pm has everyone dancing in foam up to their necks!

For the younger set, North Pattaya is where the new hip nightspots are located, like the popular Differ Pub on the Beach, or Bar KuBa, The Cottage and H2O on Pattaya Three Road. All offer a mix of food, cool drinks and hot DJs.

Prefer to avoid alcohol? Ripley's World of Entertainment (see attractions) stays open until 11.00 pm every night offering hair-raising excitement and thrills. With seating for up to 2,000 persons, Alangkarn Theatre puts on a nightly extravaganza show (8.45 pm) of Thai culture in music, modern dance, lasers, and martial arts involving beautifully costumed performers and elephants. Elsewhere in the complex are an international buffet restaurant, games zone, cultural rostrum for handicraft demonstrations and souvenir shops.