Hotel Reservations in Pattaya Beach & Travel Information

This once peaceful fishing village is notable in that it became the R&R destination for US servicemen who were doing tours of duty during the Vietnam War. The first troop of 100 men arrived in Pattaya on 29th April 1961.

Not long after this Pattaya grew in popularity and became a vacation spot of choice for local Thai people. This soon escalated and today the resort is one of the most popular holiday destinations in Thailand, attracting visitors from all over the world. You can find great discount hotel reservations in Pattaya as they have more than 400 hotels and resorts to choose from. Brilliant restaurants and a rocking nightlife, Pattaya is only second to Bangkok for high-rise buildings in Thailand.

As Pattaya is so close to Bangkok, it is a popular weekend destination for city dwellers. It has been estimated that as many as 5 million tourists annually visit Pattaya. Because of the excellent facilities and tranquility Pattay attracts tourists from Asia, Europe and the US. Even retired people have come to Pattaya to settle.

The most obvious focal point of Pattaya is the unspoiled beaches; these are north, central and south Pattaya. The beach starts at Dolphin roundabout where the Dusit resort is situated and stretches for kilometers to the more southern beaches. Pattaya Neau or North Pattaya is considered to be the quietest area whilst South Pattaya is where all the night spots and entertainment are to be found. This area comprises of restaurants, bars night clubs and many other recreational facilities, this area come to life at night and these facilities are of an adult nature. Central Pattaya is a little more subdued and houses restaurants, shopping malls, coffee shops and the like. All of these areas have great hotel accommodation available.

Jomitien Beach and Dong Tan are also thriving beach areas just south of Pattaya, but all of the beaches in the area provide ample recreational facilities for holiday makers.

Diving shops in Pattaya offer both PADI and NAUI certificate courses at very affordable rates and for expert divers Ko Rin and Ko Man Wichai provide really good scuba diving options. Windsurfing is a very popular activity and Jomitien Beach is the favored beach for this particular water sport and the Pattaya Windsurf Club is situated here, where they organize and run board competitions. These areas are also considered to be excellent water skiing beaches.

There are many activities in Pattaya, they are not only confined to water sport. Pattaya and Chon Buri offer international standard golf facilities to golf lovers. The courses here are designed by the most famous international golfers. There are also the options of bowling, paintball shooting, go-kart racing and bungee jumping, watching Thai boxing and the best to my mind, Thai massage. It is also possible to learn more about the Thai culture, language and cooking.

It doesn't end here, Pattaya is not only beaches, nightlife, eating out, shopping and water sports activities, there are a whole hot of other attractions to keep tourists and sightseers occupied, some of the most significant of these are:

• Million Years Stone Park & Pattaya Crocodile Farm, this exotic attraction has the most beautiful rock gardens, a great animal collection that include albino crocodiles and bears and a bonsai tree that is more than 200 years old.
• The Elephant Village where visitors see the elephants being trained and experience how they live, they can also hand feed and ride on the elephants.
• Funny Land Amusement Park it fantastic for both children and adults, its attractions include the Samba Tower, Swing Vikings Ship, Slalom Roller Coaster, monorail and many, many others.
• The Siriporn Orchid Farm is a must for the orchid lover, the astounding selection of these gorgeous flowers includes vandas, catteleyas, daedrovium, pompadours and ecosanda.
• The display in the Bottle Art Museum is of more than 300 bottles that contain miniature replicas of ships, churches, temples and palaces, this museum also contains many other interesting items.
• Mini Siam is a collection of approximately eight sacred places and historical sites, all in miniature.

Bearing in mind all of these attractions, it is not surprising that tourists flock to Pattaya. The growing demand of tourists has added greatly to the growth of the hotel industry and there is ample accommodation available for all kinds of tastes and budget. There are up-market hotels and resorts for luxury lovers and budget accommodation as well as middle of the range accommodation to be had.

Many hotels and resorts in Pattaya offer packages that include accommodation as well as dining and the use of certain other facilities and these are reasonable priced. Some hotel groups are even happy to customize a package to suit your requirements.