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Families looking for fun-filled, exciting vacations quickly
discover why Pattaya continues to be one of Thailand's top
international seaside playgrounds with over five million
visitors a year. Extensive investment in recent years has given
Pattaya a new face as a dynamic and friendly resort that has
something for everyone.
"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.
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.
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Nara Residence, Si Racha
Siam Bayview Hotel, Pattaya
Elephant Ride and Jungle Trek Half-Day Tour from Pattaya