Don't worry: for every coal-fired power plant we Europeans close to save the planet, the Chinese open two more to get cheap electricity to compete with us by manufacturing at a better price.
The same thing seems to be happening everywhere this year. Even in southern Spain, it rained a lot in March this year. My Thai wife was amazed to see everything green, when it's usually already dry and brown by this time.
Personally, I think Koh Samet is closer, has better beaches, is quieter (it's all a natural park), and still has a zone of nightlife and restaurants if you're looking for some fun.
A good destination for couples.
"Thailand is basking in the glow of a tourist boom as the Songkran festival draws an impressive 666,000 international visitors, reports revealed on Tuesday. The nation welcomed roughly 10.7 million tourists in 2025, raking in a whopping 510 billion baht from tourism-related income this year."
Yes, thanks.
So now we have 2 identical threads with the same name from the same member.
I don't understand why they closed the most popular thread on the Pattaya forum and opened a new one that's exactly the same but without all the information from all these years.
Yes. There are public restrooms and various restaurants, shops, and cafes.
It's a good place to rest halfway, use the restroom, and have a drink.
The problem is that it's usually crowded and parking is difficult.
They're not actually there anymore. They've moved to a new location in the alley across the street, between Soi Buakhao and Soi Baku:
https://maps.app.goo.gl/dimD3fXYC5u4V8DU6