A Week in Pattaya Via Bangkok Airport

Pattaya in General

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Pattaya is a Thai city a couple of hours' drive away from Bangkok in a South Easterly direction. It is a beach side resort that is famous for its nightlife and severe lack of morals in terms of a very public sex trade. There are two areas to the city, namely Pattaya itself and nearby Jomtien Beach.===Pattaya===Pattaya is a fairly big place but most of the action centres on the beach front promenade, which is lined with shops, restaurants, shopping malls, and tourist attractions. There is very little, if anything, of the real Thailand in this place because it is over run with american fast food chains and things like Ripley's Believe It Or Not. Aside from the sex that is very cl...Read More

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Pattaya Walking Street

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Attraction | "Walking Through The Weird"

Neon Madness Photo - Pattaya Walking Street, Pattaya, Thailand

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Walking Street is classed as a tourist attraction in Pattaya, which shows what kind of place Pattaya in general is. We didn't much like the city and Walking Street was an amalgamation of everything that we didn't like about it. It was full of brashness and seediness and, even though the place seemed to be very popular with everyone else, we really didn't enjoy being there.Walking Street is located in Pattaya at the end of Beach Street, which is a huge promenade and fairly busy road running alongside the sea. Walking Street is located beyond a huge neon archway that welcomes tourists. You'll find it easy to spot because everyone seems to be heading this way, so just follow the masses really...Read More

Walking Street is classed as a tourist attraction in Pattaya, which shows what kind of place Pattaya in general is. We didn't much like the city and Walking Street was an amalgamation of everything that we didn't like about it. It was full of brashness and seediness and, even though the place seemed to be very popular with everyone else, we really didn't enjoy being there.

Walking Street is located in Pattaya at the end of Beach Street, which is a huge promenade and fairly busy road running alongside the sea. Walking Street is located beyond a huge neon archway that welcomes tourists. You'll find it easy to spot because everyone seems to be heading this way, so just follow the masses really!

It is closed to vehicle traffic between 7pm and 3am, hence the name, which means the street opens up to hundreds of thousands of tourists each night; a combination of those coming to gawk and those coming to use the 'services' on offer. It is all about advertising those services and there are literally a million and one neon signs lighting up the street to draw your attention. It is unbelievable really and so tacky that it is almost funny.

The businesses that line the side of the street are a combination of go-go bars, brothels, fish restaurants and tacky souvenir shops, a really odd mix I think you'll agree. There is no shame here either as prostitutes stand outside their place of work attempting to entice you in. The fact that they don't look particularly happy is both off putting and depressing. There is no discrimination amongst tourists either; they will approach you to see if you are interested in watching a sex show whether you are on your own, walking through as a couple or, even more frightening, even if you have kids in tow. Why on earth you'd walk through here with children is totally beyond me because it couldn't be more inappropriate for youngsters, but people did anyway.

I felt like Walking Street was a totally oppressive place and I didn't enjoy the force with which people tried to shove sex in your face. There are hundreds of men up and down the street who shove little cards on your face with lists of the different sex shows on offer. They are quite aggressive with it too and I didn't feel particularly safe. There are police all the way up and down the street. The fact that they turn a blind eye to all the things that are going on made me wonder whether they were there to protect the visitors of the workers. I didn't feel particularly unsafe in terms of being attacked, but I would imagine that there are an awful lot of pick pockets operating around here.

The restaurants and bars all seemed really busy and the menus looked pretty reasonable, there are lots of places where you can choose your own fish and so on. Most of the restaurants have massive open windows at the front, so I suppose it would be a good place to go and people watch - and there are certainly some people to watch!!

Overall, as you can probably tell, i wouldn't recommend a visit to Walking Street. I think it is probably one of those places you have to go once just to see what it is like, but don't stay long and don't go back. I certainly won't be going back. Read Less

Member Rating 1 out of 5 on April 30, 2013

Pattaya Walking Street
Walking Street
Pattaya, Thailand

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Novotel Suvarnabhumi Airport

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Hotel | "Super Convenient"

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The Novotel at Bangkok airport is the only hotel that is actually connected to the airport and we stayed there for a night before our long haul flight the following day. Our stay was very pleasant and the hotel is ultra modern and very comfortable.As it is an airport hotel they have an ultra flexible check in system which is great. You pay for a 24 hour stay rather than a night in the hotel and you can check in at any time of the day or night, which is when your 24 hours start. The hotel is absolutely huge so they can well accommodate people coming and going at all hours of the day. The hotel is surprisingly quiet though so you can't hear people coming and going which is nice. They obvious...Read More

The Novotel at Bangkok airport is the only hotel that is actually connected to the airport and we stayed there for a night before our long haul flight the following day. Our stay was very pleasant and the hotel is ultra modern and very comfortable.

As it is an airport hotel they have an ultra flexible check in system which is great. You pay for a 24 hour stay rather than a night in the hotel and you can check in at any time of the day or night, which is when your 24 hours start. The hotel is absolutely huge so they can well accommodate people coming and going at all hours of the day. The hotel is surprisingly quiet though so you can't hear people coming and going which is nice. They obviously considered that when they built the place and made the walls and doors superthick! Talking of noise, you can't hear the airport noise from beyond either, which is impressive considering how big and busy the airport is.

The entrance to the hotel is lovely and really peaceful, which we thought was amazing to say how many people that were about. They have obviously put a lot of thought into the presentation of the hotel and it makes a difference. There are little touches of luxury everywhere, from the man made little stream complete with wooden bridge to the huge chandeliers hanging from the ceiling.

The rooms are lovely; very modern and comfortable and they have all the amenities you'd expect to see - tea and coffee, safe, iron and board, complimentary bottled water and plenty of toiletries. The thing we loved most about the room was the massive bed that was unbelievably comfortable. So much so that we had the best night's sleep we had in our whole three weeks away!

The bathroom was lovely too and had a huge walk in shower. Everything was so clean and fresh that it was lovely. All of the toiletries were great so, they obviously weren't cheap and it was nice to have them.

The hotel had plenty of amenities too, not least the five different restaurants. We ate in the buffet restaurant and it was fantastic. It wasn't cheap at £25 per head, but it was so very worth it. The theme was food from around the world and there was literally every food you could imagine and it was all wonderfully prepared and beautifully presented.

There was a small outdoor pool and gym although we weren't there long enough to enjoy either of these facilities. We did enjoy one of the lounge areas though (there were two of them) and it was a pleasant if expensive way to pass the evening with a couple of very enjoyable cocktails.

The staff in the whole hotel were fantastic. They were all extremely helpful and welcoming. I got the impression that nothing was too much for any of them and if they couldn't do it, they would find somebody who could, which was lovely and much appreciated.

Getting to the airport from the hotel is very easy because there is a tunnel that goes directly to the terminal. There are moving walkways all the way around to help when you are carrying heavy cases and it takes about five to ten minutes depending on how fast you walk. If you don't feel like that, you can get one of the hundreds of taxis waiting outside to the airport in a matter of minutes.

We paid £100 for our stay in the hotel, which was a room only rate. It is not cheap by any standards but especially by Thai standards, but we thought it was well worth it for the convenience and for the sheer comfort. Definitely recommended. Read Less

Member Rating 4 out of 5 on April 29, 2013

Novotel Suvarnabhumi Airport
999 Suvarnabhumi Airport Hotel
Bangkok, Thailand 10540
+66 (2) 1311111

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Rabbit Resort

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Hotel | "Rabbit Resort!"

The Bedroom Photo - Rabbit Resort, Pattaya, Thailand

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Rabbit Resort is a family owned beach front resort in Dongtan Beach in the town of Pattaya in Thailand. It is a wonderful resort with lots of great things about it, not least the cosy and genuinely happy vibe that the staff give off. We stayed there in January for a week after travelling around the Far East for a couple of weeks. We were looking for somewhere to relax after doing some hardcore sightseeing and this fit the bill perfectly. ===Getting There and First Impressions===The nearest airport to Pattaya is Bangkok International and it is about a ninety minute journey by car. When you book directly with the resort, you have the option of booking an airport pick up for about...Read More

Member Rating 4 out of 5 on April 20, 2013

Rabbit Resort
318/84 Moo 12, Soi Dongtan Police Station
Jomtien, Pattaya 20150
+66 38 251 730

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Ripley's Believe It or Not!

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Attraction | "Believe It . . . . Or Not!"

Giant Chair! Photo - Ripley's Believe It or Not!, Pattaya, Thailand

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The Ripley's Believe It Or Not in Pattaya is more of a complex than a simple museum like they usually are. It is split up into different parts and you can pick and choose which bits you want to visit. We didn't go to them all, but we went into three of the exhibitions and they were pretty good. It's not a fabulous place to go, but when the weather wasn't that great, it was a cool place to spend a couple of hours.Tickets are a complicated affair, but there are lots of Ripley's representative to help you decide which bits you want to visit. It's about £10 to get in an individual part but each one works out much cheaper the more you buy. We went for the three visit pass that cost us about £1...Read More

Member Rating 3 out of 5 on April 29, 2013

Ripley's Believe It or Not!
2nd Fl Royal Garden Plaza
Pattaya, Thailand

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