The Pattaya Story

In 1950 there were only a few houses in Pattaya as it was a small fishing village. Unspoiled but also unsophisticated, with no tourists comforts nor infrastructure. In 40 years it has become not just a resort town but actually a city. The development started when during the Vietnam War, the US constructed and heavily used a nearby base at Sattahip. US warships still visit the base occasionally and then, thousands of sex-hungry sailors storm the city. The base nowadays is mainly used by the Royal Thai Navy, and there are often many Thai soldiers in town though their pay does not allow them to indulge in Pattaya as the Western tourists do.

Today, Pattaya is Thailand's premier beach resort and annually attracts hundreds of thousands of pleasure-seeking tourists from all over the world.

A great variety of water-related activities await visitors who can windsurf, water-ski, parasail, swim, sunbathe, snorkel, sail, or take trips to offshore coral islands (where there are bungalows for overnight stays) by ferry, hydrofoil or hired boat.

One can rent water scooters to explore Pattaya bay, or motorcycles and jeeps to travel to neighboring beaches such as the increasingly popular Jomtien Beach, just south of Pattaya, where there also is a wide range of accommodations.

Tennis enthusiasts can have a ball at hotel courts, and golfers can tee off at the Siam Country Club, the Panya Resort Golf Course, the Royal Thai Navy Golf Course and the Bangphra Golf Course, all within 30min from Pattaya. Bowling alleys, billiard halls, shooting galleries and archery ranges offer further entertainments of skill.

Away from the beach going inland, there are different kinds of things to do and see: visiting orchid farms, orchards and botanical gardens; riding through the lush countryside on thoroughbreds or just horsing about to the many small villages in the hill country surrounding Pattaya.

Further alternatives are the Nong Nooch Village, just southeast of the resort, the Elephant Village and Pattaya's Elephant Kraal, where one may watch trained elephants at work or performing feats they have been taught for the entertainment of tourists.

The week-long annual Pattaya Festival, usually in early April, is celebrated with a broad range of entertainment spectacles, including parades, beauty contests, concerts, food festivals, fireworks and an exhaustive calendar of sporting events and contests. These include, for example, a Grand Prix and go-kart racing, sailing regattas, windsurfing competitions and fishing contests.