Pattaya is a popular city on the
North Gulf Coast of Eastern Thailand, 150 km south-east of Bangkok.
Most famous for its go-go and beer bars, it's also one of Thailand's
best locations for all manner of sports and activities. Some of the
beaches are lacklustre (by Thailand's high standards) and rampant
over-development has long since destroyed any natural charms it once
had, but its plethora of hotels and guest houses and convenient
location with quick and easy access from the capital make it a
popular weekend getaway. Catering for over 5 million tourists
yearly, Pattaya is also able to offer an excellent range of eating
choices and a wide variety of things to do and see.
Pattaya's name was originally "Thap Phraya", meaning Army of the
Phraya - commemorating the surrender of Nai Klom's army to that of
Phraya Tak (later King Taksin the Great), without a fight. Thap
Phraya became Phatthaya (the name of the north-easterly wind at the
beginning of the rainy season), and then Phatthaya (the true
phonetic spelling).
Since 1978, Pattaya has been administered under a special autonomous
system with a status comparable to that of a municipality by the
mayor of Pattaya City, who has overall responsibility for policies,
public services, and supervision of all City Hall employees.
Pattaya is popular not only as a beach resort and for its
entertainment, nightlife and shopping, but also for the broad
selection of pastimes it caters for, from golf and horseback riding
to bungee jumping, karting and shooting - not to mention a wide
variety of watersports such as scuba diving, jet-skiing, sailing,
water skiing, windsurfing and kitesurfing, and a whole lot more.
Pattaya is also very popular as a conference, convention and seminar
venue, and the grapevine hosts rumours of future developments of
varying degrees of plausibility, such as a horse racing track,
casinos, and a tram system.
Pattaya's coastal side is divided longitudinally into five
contiguous sub-districts (or six, if also including Jomtien). Each
one is named after the section of beach or headland at its seaboard.
In the middle are the three Pattaya Bay sub-districts, which share
the main Baht Bus route (so most places are within 5 minutes / 10
baht of most other places, at any hour) and have much else in
common, and hence in combination make up the main quasi-downtown
zone:
North Pattaya (Pattaya Nua) - not the northern-most part of Pattaya
(as Naklua lies further north), but the section of Pattaya adjacent
to the northern end of Pattaya Beach and extending inland to both
the north and south of North Pattaya Road. Does not include Naklua.
South Pattaya (Pattaya Tai) - not the southern-most part of Pattaya
(as the Buddha Hill headland, and then Jomtien, lie further south),
but the section of Pattaya adjacent to the southern end of Pattaya
Beach and extending inland to both the north and south of South
Pattaya Road. Includes Pattayaland and Walking Street. Does not
include Buddha Hill or Jomtien.
Central Pattaya (Pattaya Klang) - not the dead center of Pattaya,
but the section of Pattaya adjacent to the middle of Pattaya Beach
and extending inland to both the north and south of Central Pattaya
Road. Some maps/guides disregard the Central Pattaya convention, and
instead extend North Pattaya and South Pattaya to meet each other
along Central Pattaya Road; sometimes, Beach Road is described with
a similar division, and the respective halves given "North Beach
Road" and "South Beach Road" monikers.
The three-kms. long, main Pattaya Beach, runs along the city
centre. The beach is full of life with hotels, restaurants, shopping
malls all along the road facing the beach. The street along the
beach – Walking Street – comes alive with rock music as the night
sets in. People throng the street to experience the night life,
which is unique in all respects. There are hundreds of beer bars,
go-go bars, discotheques around the area. Muay Thai, the Thai
Boxing, an open arena in some of the beer bars are exciting to the
hilt.
Another beach in Pattaya, Jomtien Beach, more popular among family
vacationers, is on the Southern part of the city, and separated from
the main Pattaya Bay by a hill. Jomtien is more calm and serene
compared to the crowded Pattaya Beach and a paradise for water
sports enthusiasts. Jomtien is also popular for its amusement park
and tower, to keep children entertained. The one-km. long, Wong
Phrachan Beach, situated on the Northern part of the Pattaya Beach
is a favourite among swimmers.
