Pattaya is the closest resort to Thailand’s major international gateway, Bangkok, and is easy to get to with modern and efficient highways and motorways. The transfer time between Suvarnabhumi Airport and Pattaya takes a little over 60 minutes!

Thailand’s first premier beach resort has been rejuvenated and repositioned as an exciting, value-for-money destination. There’s something for everyone. A quiet revolution has taken place that has transformed Pattaya into a fun resort with a touch of fantasy, reinvigorated, clean and very user-friendly. This is Asia’s most sophisticated resort where people party at night and unravel from stress on quiet island beaches during the day.

Families can have fun in Pattaya, enjoying sports and leisure activities that are remarkably inexpensive.
 

Bowling

There are three international standard bowling alleys with digital scoring, top gear and even coffee shops for snacks and ice-cold beer.

Go-karts

Children love the resort’s two go-kart circuits that cater for beginners all the way to race-bred amateurs. There’s even an off-road track for those who like to eat dust. Karts are powered by 5 hp to 15hp engines, but there is an advanced category for race-proven drivers.
 

Water-skis

If water-skiing in Pattaya bay is too much of a challenge, there’s the cable-ski on an inland lake where children can safely handle the fun of skiing and parents can breath easily..

Elephants

Learn about elephants from the experts at the Pattaya Elephant Village. While there is an afternoon show designed for children, there is also the opportunity to meet the Village’s elephant handlers who explain the lifestyle and care of elephants even to demonstrating the use of Thai herbal medicines.

Trail rides

Elephant or pony treks through meadows and forested hills just a few kilometres inland from Pattaya are popular half-day activities. These rides pass through villages, farms and plantations and even ford streams.

Paintball

A mock-up of a typical Thai village in a coconut plantation is the venue for paintball competitions. It has a Rambo air to it, making the mock battles appear even more authentic.

Horse riding

A school with 40 horses and an indoor stadium where trainers show both riders and horses the steps to master both sport and classical riding skills. Trail rides are organised on the club’s 2,500 acre property. A group ride for four to six people costs approximately €30.
 

Thai boxing

Pattaya has its own boxing stadiums and a professional training camp that is open to visitors. It even enrols foreigners for short courses in the basic skills and traditions that govern this exciting sport.
 

Theme parks and shows

Scaled-down models of famous buildings throughout Thailand and Southeast Asia plus a few of the popular European ones for good measure make for an interesting family outing. There is also an open zoo that has the second largest walk-through aviary in Asia. Children love to view tigers and crocodiles that are kept in an environment that is close to their natural habitat. A half day can easily be spent watching a cultural and folk dance show followed by demonstrations by working elephants as well as handcraft presentations. One enterprising local has even created a floating market with all the trappings such as the typical fruit and noodles vendors who hail from nearby villages. There are also handicraft demonstrations and an introduction to rice cultivation.

Sports were always a key attraction in Pattaya from the early days when hotels introduced tennis courts and clinics.
 

Tennis

There is now a calendar of tennis tournaments that attract Asia’s top players, including the highly successful Volvo Open Women’s Tournament. Most of the four- and five-star resort hotels have professional standard tennis courts and resident coaches.
 

Scuba

Learning to scuba dive is a bargain. It’s also more comfortable in Pattaya’s warm seas. There are as many as 20 professionally managed scuba diving companies at the resort that employ PADI and NAUI certified instructors. Resort courses provide the basics with orientation in a hotel pool followed by a dive off one of the islands. This introduction costs about €55. Dive shops provide full certification courses for all levels of proficiency, from beginner all the way up to instructor level. Costs range from €250 to €325 including equipment all the way to instructors. They also sell specialised wrecks, photography and advanced reef dive packages that cost €14 to €25. Beginner dives are sited at the islands of Larn, Sak and Kok while advanced dives are venued at Man Wichai and Rin islands.

Windsurfing

Jomtien Beach is a windsurfer’s haven where you can watch Thailand’s windsurf team practice for the tournament season or sign up for lessons with a former champion.

Yachts and marinas

The Royal Varuna Yacht Club is located only a stone’s throw from Tara Court. This sailing club hosts the world championship sailing competition next April and is also host to many other world class sailing events. Jomtien offers some of the best dinghy and Catamaran sailing conditions in the world. This secluded situation offers superb facilities both on and off the water.

The Club welcomes experienced and enthusiastic beginners to attend. On site Laser Dinghy’s and Hobie Cats are available for hire to competent sailors. Temporary membership packages are available, both short and long term. Please see www. varuna.org

Refers. to Gareth Owen
British, European and World Champion Yachtsman and current Thai Sailing Team Coach.
 

Walkabout

There’s a nightly walking street off limits to cars where you can stroll past bars and entertainment spots in South Pattaya’s famous bar district. Enjoy a cold beer and joke with the locals or move on to the theme pubs with their own house bands. The choice is endless. There are small discreet cocktail lounges where you can enjoy pre-dinner drinks or popular boisterous clubs that serve meals and then transform into night-clubs once the in-house band arrives at 21:00 hrs. Then if energy levels are peaking, go for Asia’s largest and most sophisticated disco.

Pattaya has something for everyone. You can order room service and watch a movie or dine out on hot spicy Thai dishes in one of the resort’s semi-open-air eateries. High-quality service and standards found in hotels have successfully crossed over to the resort’s several hundred restaurants. Fine dining focuses on quality Chinese, Thai, Italian, Indian and French cuisine. Visitors will find they are spoilt for choice. Whatever the choice — roadside noodle shops or sophisticated restaurants in five-star hotels — value for money and famous Thai hospitality are the common threads.
 

Seafood

Seafood restaurants command bay-side locations in South Pattaya and on Jomtien where diners choose from a live catch stored in tanks. The variety of seafood is truly amazing. Just as impressive are the bargain prices and the talent of Thai chefs to deliver an array of tasty dishes to the table.

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