Thailand forum

I agree with exacto. Your time would be better spent further south.

However, Pattaya does have some of the best people watching in the world!

Vermont is for lovers. Pattaya is for sex tourists.

Phuket has better beaches than Pattaya or nearby Jomtien. If you are tight on spending money then Pattaya will be a better choice. Hotels, restaurants and transportation are cheaper in Pattaya than Phuket or Bangkok. Beach is only good for walking, sunbathing, shopping, street vendors, restaurants and bars; tourists usually use hotel pools if they want to get wet or use a beach at Jomtien. You have to take a long bus ride or fly to Phuket, then you have to take expensive taxi rides to get to your hotel. For Pattaya you take a cheap bus from Ekamai bus station (under 120 baht) and in 2 hours you are in Pattaya. You can do both Pattaya and Phuket if you want. Depends on what you want to do. Up to you!

Sir Halberd sums it up well. I don't like Pattaya, because there's just oo much temptation there and I want to keep things right with my wife. But if I were single... holy cow, that's the place to be.

Phuket is far pricier across the board, as our good knight points out.

I've never been to Pattaya (save for a 10 minute stop on the way to Ko Samet) but from seeing pictures and hearing stories, it sounds like the worst parts of Bangkok and elsewhere, but amplified?

I'm male, single, young, and I like to party, but it still sounds like somewhere I dont really want to go...girly bars=annoying, hookers=not interested, loads of english 'lads'=aggressive atmosphere

Maybe I'm being unfair and should stop there for a night next time, but its just like, if there are better beaches and good nightlife elsewhere, but with less sleaze, whats the point?

In March my son and I had just flown in from Hanoi and had 2 nights left before flying back to europe.It was getting to the hot season so we decided to spend the last couple of days in Pattaya rather than go to a sweaty Bangkok.Neither of us had been there before even though I have been to Thailand on many occasions.Buses go there directly from the airport and take two hours which isn't much more than it takes to get into Bangkok.I expected the worse but it was OK.The shopping is excellent and I would go so far as to say you have a better choice and prices are cheaper and it's vastly preferable to an overcrowded Thai market.Everybody was really friendly and hotel and bar prices were less than Bangkok.The girls are certainly not in your face unless you want that kind of thing and go to Walking Street.(yes, we went there to take a look)All in all it's a great place to unwind if you've been travelling and you've got a bit of time to wait for your flight.Don't write it off.

I've only been to Pattaya once, and it was a convenience thing as opposed to actually wanting to stay there.

It's got a few things going for it like the others said:
good/cheap shopping
good/cheap food
variety of good value hotels
great for people watching
all the girls/boys/shemales you could want including africans and blacks (of course if u are into that)

But even with me being a young man at the time, the fact that some dirty dirty looking, horribly dressed prostitutes walk around ALL day and night in places like the shopping malls and Macdonalds of all places is a bit of a turn off.

However, SOMTAM, why would you choose to not cover Pattaya, but still cover a place like PATONG?

Why don't we cover Pattaya?

Well could you imagine having to write the bar section?!

We cover Patong because it is an integral part of Phuket, and it would have looked odd if we didn't cover it. Plus it is a very popular family destination (yes I know, families go to Pattaya as well), but as (at the moment) we cover nowhere else near Pattaya it was an easier one to skip.

I think describing it as "Patong on steroids" is pretty much on the money. Some of the most bizarre stories on Thailand I've ever heard have come out of Pattaya.

Besides anyone can just ask here on the pages. I stayed there for a week with my wife... very interesting.

"Vermont is for lovers. Pattaya is for sex tourists."

"Vermont is for lovers? Well, it would not be my choice for finding a lover - that's for sure."


Wow, Vermont getting mention on Travelfish!? (This tiny state happens to be my home).

So MADMAC, what's wrong with looking for love in the Green Mountain State? Have you ever been to Burlington (also known as "Girlington"), which is where I'm writing from right now?

I, for one, would rather be here in Vermont than in Pattaya, which happens to probably be my least favorite place in Thailand I've been before - not big into the seedy thing.

I love Bangkok though, and if you are looking for what you're sure to see in Pattaya, I'm sure Pat Pong would serve just fine.

Vermont IS for lovers (and maple syrup, skiing, seeing cows, being near Canada... well, that's about it!)

"Wow, Vermont getting mention on Travelfish!? (This tiny state happens to be my home).

So MADMAC, what's wrong with looking for love in the Green Mountain State? Have you ever been to Burlington (also known as "Girlington"), which is where I'm writing from right now?"

DLuek
Is Bernie Sanders still the mayor up there?

I went to Norwich University. Needless to say, I spent a lot of time in Vermont. And a beautiful place it is - but damn cold!!!

The problem with looking for love in the "Green Mountain State" is it's short of people. Lots of space, but not a lot of folks.

Burlington is nice - but a little too white for my liking. Nothing personal.

"I've never been to Pattaya (save for a 10 minute stop on the way to Ko Samet) but from seeing pictures and hearing stories, it sounds like the worst parts of Bangkok and elsewhere, but amplified?"

*

I come across this pretty often - "I have never been there so you should not go there!" Or "I read something, that Pattaya is no good, too dirty or something like that - so don't go there!"

"I'm male, single, young, and I like to party, but it still sounds like somewhere I dont really want to go...girly bars=annoying, hookers=not interested......"

Lots of young travelers like to head for the full moon parties at Koh Phangan; stand around navel gazing, getting wasted on dope and drinking excessively, getting hit on by aging hippies and that is supposed to be more socially acceptable than going to Pattaya?

I never had a bar girl or bar owner force me to do anything in Pattaya against my will, maybe I have more will power!

Up to you!

hehe wow amelia you sound like you work for a tour agency. great pitch but i decided on skippin pattaya.