New Years Eve in Pattaya

[lapd]

1 hour ago, 7of9rocks said:

I know what you're saying but it won't be difficult to find a bar with live music that isn't insanely crowded.     thankfully, there are always places off the beaten path that'll do just fine   ?

Sure but then why are you going to Pattaya in the first place?  You don't come to Pattaya during super high season only hide on the dark side or whatever.  Your reasoning makes no sense.  You either come to Pattaya during super high season or you don't.  There is no middle ground.  You can't avoid the crowds.  You will have to go through traffic, you will want to eat as some popular places.  See some popular entertainment. You can't really come here and then hide out unless you live here and plan ahead.  And why would you?  Just don't come in that case.  Again, your reasoning doesn't make sense. 

 

Why not go to Surin in that case.  Plenty of quiet bars there.

Edited September 10, 2018 by lapd

[Dick Crank]

lets see...any bar you end up in in pattaya will be very similar to hillary

 

if i were you id just head downtown and not worry about bar names

[lamyai3]

12 hours ago, balo said:

At NYE we will have a small party at home

Great... we'll all be there around ten! 

[Dick Crank]

12 hours ago, lapd said:

Sure but then why are you going to Pattaya in the first place?  You don't come to Pattaya during super high season only hide on the dark side or whatever.  Your reasoning makes no sense.  You either come to Pattaya during super high season or you don't.  There is no middle ground.  You can't avoid the crowds.  You will have to go through traffic, you will want to eat as some popular places.  See some popular entertainment. You can't really come here and then hide out unless you live here and plan ahead.  And why would you?  Just don't come in that case.  Again, your reasoning doesn't make sense. 

 

Why not go to Surin in that case.  Plenty of quiet bars there.

1. high season may fit into their schedules for some reason.

2. they may like things about pattaya like the girls, but not the crowds, and want to spend nye there.

 

you can easily find your scene in pattaya any time of year. you just go to those places that fit into your vibe.

 

the problem arises when you feel like you have to do what everyone else is doing, or what everyone else thinks you should be doing, or you find yourself repeatedly in situations that arent really you.

 

know thyself, and do that, and the complaints will disappear.

Edited September 10, 2018 by Dick Crank

[7of9rocks]

11 hours ago, Dick Crank said:

1. high season may fit into their schedules for some reason.

2. they may like things about pattaya like the girls, but not the crowds, and want to spend nye there.

 

you can easily find your scene in pattaya any time of year. you just go to those places that fit into your vibe.

 

the problem arises when you feel like you have to do what everyone else is doing, or what everyone else thinks you should be doing, or you find yourself repeatedly in situations that arent really you.

 

know thyself, and do that, and the complaints will disappear.

Exactly.    For what it's worth, here are more specifics: I only get to Thailand about 3 times per year and each time is only for about 2 weeks.    I have an old friend who manages one of the gogo bars in Pattaya and that's the biggest reason for me going there.    As it stands, my plans have changed a bit.   I arrive shortly before New Years Eve and my understanding is everyone and their water buffalo will be on the road trying to get home before New Years Eve, creating terrible traffic jams.    Assuming that to be the case, I've decided to stay in Bangkok until the 3rd of January when I'll catch a bus and get my butt to Pattaya.    I hope that the trip to Pattaya (and back) will no longer be messed up with thousands of people trying to get from A to B.    I'll party in Pattaya for three nights and then head back to Bangkok.       (While in Pattaya, I'll do a ton of walking (I'm not at all familiar where things are), check out some bj bars (my first preference), play tennis everyday (The BayView Hotel), look for good coffee shops (I thought Benjamit was fine but I'd like to find more places that are considered exceptional), etc.)     I've been traveling to various parts of Thailand since 1987 and have no trouble enjoying myself in a small town with just generators or in Bangkok on New Years Eve...

[lapd]

12 hours ago, Dick Crank said:

1. high season may fit into their schedules for some reason.

2. they may like things about pattaya like the girls, but not the crowds, and want to spend nye there.

 

you can easily find your scene in pattaya any time of year. you just go to those places that fit into your vibe.

 

the problem arises when you feel like you have to do what everyone else is doing, or what everyone else thinks you should be doing, or you find yourself repeatedly in situations that arent really you.

 

know thyself, and do that, and the complaints will disappear.

Sounds to me like you have never been to Pattaya.  None of that makes sense or is practical advice in this town.  The whole town is a zoo in high season.  Plain and simple.  If you think you are going to avoid it all you are sadly mistaken.  There is no way to avoid it.  One way or another you will have to contend with the super high season zoo atmosphere.   There is no 'zen' or 'vibe' to be found.  That's ridiculous nonsense. 

 

If you happen to live on the dark side you can avoid the worst of it by staying on that side and stocking your fridge.  But someone coming here as a tourist is typically not going to be staying on the dark side. The hotels are all on the beach side in the middle of the madness.

Edited September 11, 2018 by lapd

[7of9rocks]

45 minutes ago, lapd said:

Sounds to me like you have never been to Pattaya.  None of that makes sense or is practical advice in this town.  The whole town is a zoo in high season.  Plain and simple.  If you think you are going to avoid it all you are sadly mistaken.  There is no way to avoid it.  One way or another you will have to contend with the super high season zoo atmosphere.   There is no 'zen' or 'vibe' to be found.  That's ridiculous nonsense. 

 

If you happen to live on the dark side you can avoid the worst of it by staying on that side and stocking your fridge.  But someone coming here as a tourist is typically not going to be staying on the dark side. The hotels are all on the beach side in the middle of the madness.

I've only been to Pattaya three times and I'm sure it wasn't what is considered a high season so we'll see.    If it's crazy busy and crowded, so be it.    I'll be there to party with my old mate; I always bring a good bottle of tequila and we finish that off with ease.    For me, it's a no-lose situation.     If it's as crowded and as busy as you say, fine.     If it's not, fine.    Either way, nothing's going to stop me and my mate from having a fun time    ?        It's all part of the experience of life.

P.S.    After my trip, I'll remember to write some comments about how things went in this thread.

[Dick Crank]

2 hours ago, lapd said:

Sounds to me like you have never been to Pattaya.  None of that makes sense or is practical advice in this town.  The whole town is a zoo in high season.  Plain and simple.  If you think you are going to avoid it all you are sadly mistaken.  There is no way to avoid it.  One way or another you will have to contend with the super high season zoo atmosphere.   There is no 'zen' or 'vibe' to be found.  That's ridiculous nonsense. 

 

If you happen to live on the dark side you can avoid the worst of it by staying on that side and stocking your fridge.  But someone coming here as a tourist is typically not going to be staying on the dark side. The hotels are all on the beach side in the middle of the madness.

when does it quiet down? mid january?

[lapd]

8 minutes ago, Kim J said:

Traveling from the airport South to Pattaya would generally not be a problem, all the major traffic jams are as a result of people heading from Bangkok northwards to Isaan and North Thailand back to their home for the holiday. The problem you could have however is finding a sober taxi driver.

Thais don't really celebrate Christmas and New Years like in the west.  Yea they like any holiday from any culture that involves a party so they participate.  Chinese New Years is also a busy time.  New Years is a 4 day weekend holiday so it's busy like any other 4 day weekend holiday.  But probably not as big as Sonkran which is the more traditional Thai New Years.

Edited September 11, 2018 by lapd

[lapd]

1 minute ago, Kim J said:

Clearly you have never tried to travel by Road North of Bangkok at this time. Thai's have a public holiday period over New year, the fact that they may not celebrate the new year does not stop tens of thousands of them traveling en mass on the same day to go back to their family homes for a few days. Just look every year on the TV news at this time.

A number of years ago I got caught in it and it took me 18 hrs to drive from Pattaya to Korat, unless of course you can tell me different?

Ummm, like I said, just like any other 4 day long weekend.

[marcusarelus]

I have to sit with my dog in the kitchen and keep telling her she is not going to blow up.  The fireworks freak her out.  Wife is not scared though.  She is watching the cow dow (count down). 

[Dick Crank]

On September 10, 2018 at 3:29 AM, Kim J said:

I have been in Thailand / Pattaya at New Year since 1999, in the early days it was always good fun and a good atmosphere, but over the years it has degenerated and around 10 years ago I decided to avoid the city all together over Xmas and NY, two years I stopped at home and evber since have gone away somewhere over new year.

Good luck to the op and I hope you find what you are looking for, but I am afraid it is not for me any more.

what do u mean degenerated?

 

just more crowds, or?

[lapd]

8 hours ago, Kim J said:

Not more crowds, it has always been very busy over the two week main holiday period, just more absolute idiots. Bars and everything else charging ridiculous mark ups on New years eve. etc etc

That pretty much sums it up.  Add to that a hundred little annoyances directly/indirectly related to those things and it adds up to a less than pleasant experience imo. 

Edited September 12, 2018 by lapd

[balo]

The only good thing about NYE is that the Chinese will probably wait until the Chinese New Year before they invade the city , yes they are already here , but maybe we can avoid a few of them . 

 

[Henryford]

Best avoided. The traffic is a nightmare so you can't go anywhere. The girls double their prices. Stay in bed.

[Dick Crank]

1 hour ago, lapd said:

That pretty much sums it up.  Add to that a hundred little annoyances directly/indirectly related to those things and it adds up to a less than pleasant experience imo. 

what little annoyances. can you be specific and list 10 or so?

[lapd]

41 minutes ago, Henryford said:

Best avoided. The traffic is a nightmare so you can't go anywhere. The girls double their prices. Stay in bed.

Or go to Cambodia/Philippines for a few days like many other expats do.

[lapd]

1 hour ago, Dick Crank said:

what little annoyances. can you be specific and list 10 or so?

 

Depends what you do and where/how you do it.  Just in general EVERYTHING is more expensive,  EVERYTHING is more of a hassle,  EVERYTHING is more crowded.  Getting around is slower and harder.  You are viewed as just another piece of meat that needs to be separated from as much cash as possible during high season.  Complain and Thais will just ignore you, lose your room reservation, delay bringing out your food until it gets cold.  They don't care as much during high season so service goes out the window, there are plenty more in line before and after you willing to put up with it and pay a premium for it if you won't.  They don't care about your repeat business during that time because they are caught up in the high season feeding frenzy.  You get the idea.

 

The one good thing I can say about high season is that it is the nicest time of year weather wise.  Hardly any rain, a little cooler and not so humid.
 

Edited September 12, 2018 by lapd

[lamyai3]

On 9/12/2018 at 1:11 AM, Kim J said:

Bars and everything else charging ridiculous mark ups on New years eve. etc etc

I've been out many times in Pattaya on NYE, never seen drinks prices any different than normal. Perhaps there's a mark up on barfines, though that's advisable on a popular night to ensure there's a decent number of girls dancing. 

[The manic]

On 8/30/2018 at 8:01 AM, oldies1 said:

I've seen their prices ? come on,  man ?

All you can eat and drink, fantastic food, for1400 baht!  That's very good.

[The manic]

On 9/11/2018 at 12:13 PM, 7of9rocks said:

Exactly.    For what it's worth, here are more specifics: I only get to Thailand about 3 times per year and each time is only for about 2 weeks.    I have an old friend who manages one of the gogo bars in Pattaya and that's the biggest reason for me going there.    As it stands, my plans have changed a bit.   I arrive shortly before New Years Eve and my understanding is everyone and their water buffalo will be on the road trying to get home before New Years Eve, creating terrible traffic jams.    Assuming that to be the case, I've decided to stay in Bangkok until the 3rd of January when I'll catch a bus and get my butt to Pattaya.    I hope that the trip to Pattaya (and back) will no longer be messed up with thousands of people trying to get from A to B.    I'll party in Pattaya for three nights and then head back to Bangkok.       (While in Pattaya, I'll do a ton of walking (I'm not at all familiar where things are), check out some bj bars (my first preference), play tennis everyday (The BayView Hotel), look for good coffee shops (I thought Benjamit was fine but I'd like to find more places that are considered exceptional), etc.)     I've been traveling to various parts of Thailand since 1987 and have no trouble enjoying myself in a small town with just generators or in Bangkok on New Years Eve...

If you arrive at the airport Pattaya is very near. The VIP bus takes about 2 hours. Bangkok is pretty tragic these days.

[The manic]

On 9/11/2018 at 12:13 PM, 7of9rocks said:

Exactly.    For what it's worth, here are more specifics: I only get to Thailand about 3 times per year and each time is only for about 2 weeks.    I have an old friend who manages one of the gogo bars in Pattaya and that's the biggest reason for me going there.    As it stands, my plans have changed a bit.   I arrive shortly before New Years Eve and my understanding is everyone and their water buffalo will be on the road trying to get home before New Years Eve, creating terrible traffic jams.    Assuming that to be the case, I've decided to stay in Bangkok until the 3rd of January when I'll catch a bus and get my butt to Pattaya.    I hope that the trip to Pattaya (and back) will no longer be messed up with thousands of people trying to get from A to B.    I'll party in Pattaya for three nights and then head back to Bangkok.       (While in Pattaya, I'll do a ton of walking (I'm not at all familiar where things are), check out some bj bars (my first preference), play tennis everyday (The BayView Hotel), look for good coffee shops (I thought Benjamit was fine but I'd like to find more places that are considered exceptional), etc.)     I've been traveling to various parts of Thailand since 1987 and have no trouble enjoying myself in a small town with just generators or in Bangkok on New Years Eve...

Pattaya deserves a week. Go to Scooters bar on Soi Buakao or Soi LK Metro .Always a good craic there.

 

[Denim]

1 hour ago, The manic said:

Pattaya deserves a week. Go to Scooters bar on Soi Buakao or Soi LK Metro .Always a good craic there.

 

 

What on earth is a craic ? Some kind of seafood ?

[lamyai3]

On 9/11/2018 at 6:13 PM, 7of9rocks said:

I arrive shortly before New Years Eve and my understanding is everyone and their water buffalo will be on the road trying to get home before New Years Eve, creating terrible traffic jams.    Assuming that to be the case, I've decided to stay in Bangkok until the 3rd of January when I'll catch a bus and get my butt to Pattaya.    I hope that the trip to Pattaya (and back) will no longer be messed up with thousands of people trying to get from A to B.  

Not sure where you got this information. On several years I've headed out of Bangkok to Pattaya a day or two before NYE and returned a couple of days after new year, never recall any major traffic issues. All the regular workplace traffic is absent as it's a holiday, so getting out of the city is faster than usual. There'd probably be longer queues at the bus station - this occurs at most long weekends in the year when there's a national holiday, but the road traffic isn't especially worse than usual. If people were heading back home for the holidays, it wouldn't be the Pattaya route that was busy, but the routes out of the city heading North and North East. This is even true ahead of Songkran, the mega traffic jams are on other routes. 

[The manic]

1 hour ago, Denim said:

 

What on earth is a craic ? Some kind of seafood ?

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Craic

Read and learn. My pleasure.

[7of9rocks]

14 hours ago, lamyai3 said:

Not sure where you got this information. On several years I've headed out of Bangkok to Pattaya a day or two before NYE and returned a couple of days after new year, never recall any major traffic issues. All the regular workplace traffic is absent as it's a holiday, so getting out of the city is faster than usual. There'd probably be longer queues at the bus station - this occurs at most long weekends in the year when there's a national holiday, but the road traffic isn't especially worse than usual. If people were heading back home for the holidays, it wouldn't be the Pattaya route that was busy, but the routes out of the city heading North and North East. This is even true ahead of Songkran, the mega traffic jams are on other routes. 

Many thanks for pointing that out to me; it's a great relief!

[CanadaSam]

Could someone please direct me to a live music bar in Pattaya, with a view of the sea, where I could possibly get a table waterside and watch the fireworks on NYE?

 

I'm arriving on 31st itself and won't have time to reconnoiter a suitable place for myself around walking street or on the beach road.

 

I'm 50+ and dread walking around in the crowds possibly with pickpockets and who knows what on that evening! 

 

Really appreciate it!

[marcusarelus]

1 hour ago, CanadaSam said:

Could someone please direct me to a live music bar in Pattaya, with a view of the sea, where I could possibly get a table waterside and watch the fireworks on NYE?

 

I'm arriving on 31st itself and won't have time to reconnoiter a suitable place for myself around walking street or on the beach road.

 

I'm 50+ and dread walking around in the crowds possibly with pickpockets and who knows what on that evening! 

 

Really appreciate it!

Hilton Hotel but don't know about the music.

[moreem]

hello, any update on this ? do you know where they offer a reasonably priced dinner ? thank you.

[moreem]

On 9/14/2018 at 3:41 AM, lamyai3 said:

Not sure where you got this information. On several years I've headed out of Bangkok to Pattaya a day or two before NYE and returned a couple of days after new year, never recall any major traffic issues. All the regular workplace traffic is absent as it's a holiday, so getting out of the city is faster than usual. There'd probably be longer queues at the bus station - this occurs at most long weekends in the year when there's a national holiday, but the road traffic isn't especially worse than usual. If people were heading back home for the holidays, it wouldn't be the Pattaya route that was busy, but the routes out of the city heading North and North East. This is even true ahead of Songkran, the mega traffic jams are on other routes. 

 

Roads to Pattaya were already over crowded today on 30th, and it will be worst tomorrow 31st. It is the same situation every year. It seems that you are not living on the same planet.