fish fish spa therapy fish spa treatment things I like to indulge in things to do in pattaya things to do in thailand travel advice pattaya travel advice thailand travel tips for thailand

I recently dished out some Travel Tips for Thailand, and so I thought about extending that into a more city specific post.  I had been down to Pattaya during the Songkran Festival (and no one had told me just HOW much fun that could be !)  

Here are some of my general travel tips for Pattaya:

Why Are You Going To Pattaya?  That’s the first question you must answer – and if the reason is the beach or to party – then you’re in a for a BIG surprise.  Pattaya does have 3 main beaches but they are quite ‘nasty’ and very commercialized.  The beaches aren’t very clean and neither is the water – for a good beach you have to head out to the islands for a day trip or just head over to Phuket / Krabi / Koh Samui instead.  The city is full of curb-side bars which is great if you are beer drinking or fancy drinking vodka in the middle of the afternoon – however there are very few clubs that play English music at night !  Also be warned – Pattaya is notorious for its Lady-Boys and prostitutes.  I don’t recommend single girls going to Pattaya at all.  The general view is lots of older men with very young Thai women all over the place !

Getting There.  Once you arrive into Bangkok airport, its quite easy to get to Pattaya which is 2 hours away by road.  There are metered taxis from the airport to Pattaya which ‘officially’ cost 1,050 THB, plus 60 THB for expressway charges.  There are AC buses as well which are about THB 106 and can be taken from the Transport Center at the airport.

Traveling Around Pattaya.  The most common form of transport in Pattaya is a  ‘Songthaew’ which is a dark blue pick-up truck with two benches in the back and a cover on top.  Tourists pay 10 THB per ride within the city (regardless of the distance).  They are all over the city and one can easily jump on and off the trucks.

Things To Do In Pattaya:

Alcazar Cabaret.  Definitely worth watching.  Get ready to be dazzled by the famous Thai Lady-Boys ! The show is approximately 2 hours long and is a fully choreographed musical performance.  The light effects and backdrops for each sequence is truly mind blowing; and done all so quickly !! The Alcazar Cabaret is situated on Pattaya 2nd Road, with 3 daily shows at 6:30 p.m, 8 p.m and 9:30 p.m (and complimentary soft drinks through out the show)  At the end of the show if you decide to take a picture with one of the performers – they will ask for a tip – so consider yourself warned.

Foam Party at Hard Rock Cafe.  This event happens every Saturday and it is super fun !!  There’s a 300 THB entrance which includes one drink.  The party starts at 8 p.m till 1:30 a.m.  There’s a separate section for the foam party and the HRC pool is adjacent to it.  Don’t forget to take your bikinis / swimming trunks !

There are lockers and towels available for a rate of about THB 200 which is refundable on return of the keys and towels. 

Sanctuary of Truth.  Is considered to be a work of art in progress.  It’s a typical Thai structure but made out of wood, and about 105 meters in height ! It is located at 206/2 Moo5 Naklua 12 Naklua Rd. Banglamung Chonburi 20150 Thailand

Fish Spa.  If you haven’t done this – then you MUST do it ! The price ranges from 80 THB  to 200 THB and is broken into sessions of 15 mins, 30 mins and more.  Nat and I got very lucky as we got a deal for THB 150 for an unlimited time period.  Check out my experience at a fish spa. 

Sriracha Tiger Zoo.  One of the highlights of my trip with Nat was heading over to the Tiger Zoo – which is approximately 30 minutes outside of Pattaya.  Here’s your chance to get a picture taken feeding a tiger cub; being carried by an elephant and if you are daring enough – you can even sit on a crocodile ! (yup I did that!) Make sure you carry enough cash as each photograph costs between 100 THB to 300 THB.  Also make sure you that you watch all the animal shows that go on.  The best way to get there would be to take a car or hire a taxi.

There you have it … that’s the general travel advice and tips I can give you for Pattaya. I hope this comes in handy for when you plan your next holiday.  Don’t forget to check out my travel tips for Thailand.

If you have any other travel advice for Pattaya – please leave a comment and share it with all the neighbours on Blogosphere.

thai diving holiday thailand monarchy thailand travel advice things to do in thailand travel advice thailand travel tips for thailand visa for thailand

Some of you might recall that I spent a week in Thailand with my girlfriend Nat.  Neither of us had ever been there and despite hearing lots of stories from various friends – we both decided to conduct our own research before heading off as two carefree single girls to the most promiscuous country in Asia !

Here are some of my general travel tips for Thailand:

Best Time To Travel.  What’s the point of going on holiday if you don’t get the timing right ? Thailand has 3 seasons : summer (March-July), rains (July-Oct), winter (Nov-Feb); with the winter season being the best time to visit.  Before you start changing your July Thai holiday – the rains aren’t so bad – it comes and goes; so nothing permanent.

Why Are You Going To Thailand?  Seriously – aside from wanting a holiday and the fact that Thailand is quite cheap – why are you going there ?  What kind of holiday do you want ?  Is it culture and heritage that you want ? Are you a diver and heard of the great diving spots out there ? A shopping getaway ? Or a beach getaway ? Once you know what kind of holiday you want – you can plan your trip to Thailand accordingly.  It’s not a huge country – but each province has its own specialty.  

Is That Valid ?  Yes, I’m referring to your passport; and whilst you’re checking that out – do you need a visa for Thailand ?  Certain passport holders such as UK, USA, Canada, and some European countries are exempt from Visas.  Indian passport holders can get a visa on arrival.

Get a Local SIM card on arrival.  Trust me – this saves you an arm & a leg on roaming charges; and you’ve got a phone in case of an emergency.  A local SIM costs THB 99 which includes THB 35 credit.  You can top-up / refill the SIM in denominations of THB 25, 50, 100, 200 etc.

Vegetarians Consider Yourself Warned !  There is honestly not a huge choice of vegetarian food in Thailand.  They don’t even sell cheese in the 7/11’s !! Depending on where you are staying, stock up on some snacks & drinks for your hotel room / service apartment.  If you’re an ovo-lacto vegetarian (i.e. you eat dairy & eggs – then you’re slightly better off) then  you still have a chance with egg-fried rice at restaurants.  I strongly suggest that all vegetarians fill-up at breakfast because once you’re on the road – there’s not much out there for you.  Unless you traveled thousands of miles to eat pizza and pasta. 

Event though holidays are meant to be full of full – you must be able to respect the culture of the country that you are visiting.  Here are a few things you should be careful about :

Don’t Make Fun of the Monarchy.  Seriously.  It’s a punishable offense.  The Thai people will not tolerate any lack of respect to any of the monarchs – past or present.  The current King has been on the throne for 60 years and that’s a record in Thailand. 

Be Respectful.  Thailand is a predominantly Muslim country and comprises of over 30,000 temples across the country.  Ladies visiting temples (especially the bigger ones) must have their shoulders, chest and knees covered. Always leave your shoes outside the temples; and also when you visit someone’s home.  We had to take our shoes off whilst going into a nail bar. 

Say No To Drugs.  I’m not trying to burst your holiday bubble; but do you really want to be caught and sentenced to a lifetime behind bars in a Thai prison cell ?? Didn’t you watch Brokedown Palace ?? There are random raids that take place at clubs and bars – so don’t say I didn’t warn you !

There you have it … that’s the general travel advice and tips I can give you for Thailand. I hope this comes in handy for when you plan your next holiday.  Don’t forget to check out my tips for Bangkok and Pattaya.

If you have any other travel advice for Thailand – please leave a comment and share it with all the neighbours on Blogosphere.