There’s so much of the same stuff discussed about Pattaya on this site, over and over and over again, ad nauseam, but really the formula is pretty simple. It’s not a completely horrible place, especially if you spend some of the time down there away from the really hardcore party areas. Although, in all fairness, I haven’t been down there since the more recent Indian invasion, so maybe it’s even a lot worse now than it was before. Who knows. Even the main strip with all the bars from Soi 3 until about Soi 13 is good for a laugh for a couple of nights, skipping Walking Street entirely, especially if you haven’t been down there for quite a while. You can have a wander around, see all the madness, have a few drinks and enjoy the circus for what it is. But after a couple of nights, I’d be thinking about getting out. If you’re staying in a nice hotel with good facilities, decent rooms and a nice pool, then it’s probably quite doable for about a week. But beyond that, especially if you’re right in the middle of all the shizzle, you’ll probably start questioning your sanity. I think I did about six weeks down there once, back in 2011 during the Bangkok floods. But that was a whole different adventure. It was more of a survival situation, and Pattaya was basically an oasis for avoiding the chaos in Bangkok. Under those circumstances, it actually seemed like a pretty good place to be. But otherwise, beyond a week and you start climbing the walls. Unless you actually live down there and have sensibly chosen somewhere well away from all the madness, I don’t know how people even do it long term. And as for the women, well, you also have to be realistic about what you’re going to find. Pattaya isn’t exactly the place you go if you’re expecting to be surrounded by supermodels. There are plenty of women around, obviously, but you’re going to see a lot of older, heavier, tatted up slappers who have clearly been around the barn a few times. Some of them look like life has already given them a few too many chapters. But that's Patts. You take it for what it is. Go down there, have a giggle, enjoy the madness for a few days, and then get the fook out before you start thinking that living above a bar on Soi 6 with Bob is actually a sensible long term plan.
