Pattaya

Meaning the 'south-west monsoon wind" Pattaya resort is located on the eastern coastline of Thailand's exotic Gulf of Siam and is approximately 140 km southeast of the capital city of Bangkok. Pattaya is second only to Bangkok in high rise buildings, as many condos for foreign residents are built, and has a modest skyline. The city's economy benefits from its relative proximity to Bangkok. The main attraction of Pattaya is its long curving beach. Stretching to the south, the hill rises and extends well into the sea. On top of the hill is a temple with a large-seated Buddha at the crown. There is a good panoramic view of beautiful Pattaya Bay from this hill-top temple.

Pattaya is Thailand's premier beach resort and attracts annual more than 5,000,000 tourists from all over the world. Pattaya provides high standard hotels, restaurants, sports, entertainment, shopping facilities, reasonable prices and a wide variety of nearby tourist attractions, boasting some of the finest Eurasian restaurants catering to all budgets and tastes, Pattaya has it all. The resort is Thailand's most important diving centre and the east coast is also a paradise for golfers.

Climate

Pattaya enjoys a tropical wet and dry climate, which is divided into the following seasons: warm and dry (November to February), hot and humid (March to May), and hot and rainy (June to October). The most comfortable time of year coincides with the peak tourist season, which is over the Christmas and New Year period.

Pattaya Beach

Pattaya Beach is situated alongside the city centre, close to shopping, hotels and bars. The section of beach from Central Road (Pattaya Klang) south to the harbor is adjacent to the core of Pattaya's abundant nightlife area, and hence is less family-oriented than the North Pattaya, Na Klua and Jomtien beaches. Most sections of the beach are covered by rented deckchairs run by local beverage vendors during daylight hours.

Jomtien Beach

Jomtien Beach  is divided from the main part of Pattaya by Pratumnak Hill, just south of the city. In contrast to Pattaya Beach, Jomtien is a popular spot for family vacationers and water sports enthusiasts. Jomtien is essentially a residential area with beachside hotels, bungalow complexes, condominiums and restaurants. A wide array of water sport activities can be found, including jet skis, parasailing and small sail boat (Hobie Cat) rental. Dongtan Beach, just past the Avalon Beach Resort in Jomtien, is known as the gay beach, and is busy every day of the year. It is very popular location for vendors of all types to solicit their services or goods.

Extreme City

Otherwise known as the ‘Extreme City”, Pattaya is well documented for its diversity in entertainment and nightlife with probably only Las Vegas rivaling it in books, articles and web sites designated to this remarkable City.

Combining this with the number of International sporting events recently hosted by Pattaya including the 2003 women’s world beach volleyball and WTA Pattaya Women’s Open championships , The 2007 Asian games and windsurfing championships, Pattaya  is much more than a City famed for nightlife.