Pattaya Or Phuket?

[hunterhull]

Hey everyone.....me and 4 other friends are looking at going to thailand in december for 14 nights....we cant decide which beach resort to go to, Pattaya or Phuket. We are all aged between 20 and 25 so we want some good nightlife aswell as some good sights to see during the day? please help!!!

[qwertz]

Hey everyone.....me and 4 other friends are looking at going to thailand in december for 14 nights....we cant decide which beach resort to go to, Pattaya or Phuket. We are all aged between 20 and 25 so we want some good nightlife aswell as some good sights to see during the day? please help!!!

Patt is cheaper and bigger. Phuket is smaller and cleaner.

[Jingthing]

I live in Pattaya but I would say Phuket because the day trips from there can be incredible. If you want the best nightlife for your age group, spend some time in Bangkok.

[hunterhull]

we are looking at spending a few days in bangkok then moving onto a beach resort. phuket looks better but the nightlife in pattaya looks great!!!

[Ulysses G.]

I enjoy both places, but Pattaya is WAY cheaper.

When it comes to hotels, you get more for your money than anywhere else in Thailand. 500 baht with a swimming pool, cable TV and Air-con is not uncommon.

Good Farang restaurants in Pattaya are far cheaper than crap ones in Phuket and there is cheap Thai food available everywhere, where in Patong, you have to go out of your way to find it.

[hunterhull]

looks like its gonna be pattaya then.....just been looking now and we can go to bangkok for 4nights and pattaya for 10nights, staying in amari atrium in bangkok and woodlands resort in pattaya..........has anyone stayed in these hotels???

[cdnvic]

Did somebody call Phuket clean?

[Penkoprod]

Reading between the lines of your posts here, i would hazzard a guess that you are looking at a package holiday ( the likes of Kouni, Tradewinds, Thomas Cook etc)

Am i right?

If so then i would recommend you look for a flight only deal and get your accomodation sorted yourself before you go (even to the point of missing out on Bangkok this time)

I have stayed at The Woodlands myself, and, while its an OK place, its a bit out of the way action wise........North of the Dolphin Roundabout, if memory serves me well.

As has been said here, you can get a hotel deal for 500 baht, with pool and so on.

Take into consideration any "security payment" you may have to make any night you bring a "guest" back to the room at The Woodlands (which ammounts to about the same 500 baht a night) and you can see you will be paying twice for the room. And is this deal you are looking at without a single room occupancy surcharge? Another thing to consider.

All you should be looking for at your age is a room with a bed and perhaps a pool. Its all well and good to get lots of facilities that you never use, but.................you pay for them in the package price.

When i was about your age, i went the package tour route at 1st, but soon wised up to the fact i could do better myself.

The intended dates of travel might mean a bit of prebooking of accomodation to be done, but there are plenty of people here that can advise on upto the minute info on where to stay, how much per night, facilities etc

HTH

Penkoprod

[buddhafly]

pattays beach is crap.

if you want a better beach then koh samet is great

[kopite]

judging by you age, going with mates, after nightlife. pattaya all the way. you'll never look back

[Kerryd]

I (often) tell friends and co-workers:

If you want lots of beaches and scenery, with a little bit of nightlife, go to Phuket (and surrounding areas).

If you wan a little bit of beaches and scenery, but lots of nightlife, go to Pattaya.

If you want some scenery, no beaches, a fair bit of nightlife, smog, smells and traffic jams, go to Bangkok.

[Thai Chi]

.......And if you want to visit the real Thailand, come to Issan, the great north east

But no beaches here

[John_Rambo]

If you're after nightlife and you're a whoremonger, then go to Pattaya. If you're not, look for a better place to go to.

[dttk0009]

pattays beach is crap.

if you want a better beach then koh samet is great

Ugh, it's true. Pattaya is a hole. It was nice when my family took me there as a small kid 2 decades ago, but these days I find it quite revolting. Samet is close, cheap, and clean. Your best bet imo.

[kopite]

pattays beach is crap.

if you want a better beach then koh samet is great

Ugh, it's true. Pattaya is a hole. It was nice when my family took me there as a small kid 2 decades ago, but these days I find it quite revolting. Samet is close, cheap, and clean. Your best bet imo.

best bet? for a group of 20-25 yea old lads from the uk looking for fun, and anting things to do in the day.

diving, golf, tiger/crocadile zoo etc...

pattaya bashers are boring

[KireB]

Phuket is beautiful and Pattaya is the same as the Costa del Sol with 20,000 hookers.

It's just what you like!

Phuket has a large Thai (!duhh!!!) community and is therefor not more expensive than Pattaya.

Just don't go to Patong, but go to Nai Harn (superb!) or Chalong!

Chanti Lodge around Chalong is one of the top guesthouses in Thailand, clean ,cheap and excellent food!

[Lesumare]

Phuket!

[warwick7735]

Hi

Phuket gets my vote too.

Pattaya is like Blackpool.

[PaulUSA302]

I have been to Pattaya and Phuket and I would suggest you and your friends go to Pattaya.

The cost of fun in cheaper in Pattaya. Transportation is much cheaper with the use of the baht-bus and Motorbike Taxi. There are bars for you. If you like women or men or men who look like women, you will find it in Pattaya.. If you have champagne taste and beer barrel pockets..... You will find that Pattaya is more your taste.

Also, if you and your friends travel in groups and you each find a friend, it will be easier for you all to travel about in a group in Pattaya on their larger Baht-bus than in the tiny tuk-tuks used in Phuket.

Pattaya is also less conservative than Phuket... You can let your hair down and not feel like a ugly traveler if you don't over-do it.

[tropo]

Hey everyone.....me and 4 other friends are looking at going to thailand in december for 14 nights....we cant decide which beach resort to go to, Pattaya or Phuket. We are all aged between 20 and 25 so we want some good nightlife aswell as some good sights to see during the day? please help!!!

In your age group I'd recommend Pattaya. Basically Pattaya is a bar district with beach, whereas Phuket is a beach town with some bars.

If you're primarily looking for a beach holiday then Phuket should be your choice.

Did you consider doing 7 nights in each place?

[torrenova]

OK I'm biased as I live in Pattaya but it doesn't sound like you've been to Thailand before either. Get clued up on bangkok or they will eat you alive money wise.

Screw the package deals. Get a flight only. You may well end up with shared rooms and fork out loads for joiner fees. If you want, get an "IT" ticket which will include perhaps 2 or 3 days accommodation which you can use or lose. You can change the hotel they offer as it is just a way to disguise the real ticket price. Use maths and you can find that out.

Try Trailfinders or West East Travel in Hammersmith.

I'd go to Bangkok for a coupe of days. Then head to Pattaya. If you think it is crap and are willing to pay OTT Phuket or Samui prices (way OTT in December) then fly from Pattaya to either. Loads to do in Pattay apart from beer and sex though you'll likely do nothing more. Why pay posh prices for it ?

[britmaveric]

Patters wins hands down least for the nightlife aspect, and good beaches are just a speedboat away so that cancels out any advantage that phuket might have apart from its more scenic. Plenty of side trips out of Patters - think def should do patters.

Stay away from Woodlands - too far away from central Patters where the nightlife is.

[torrenova]

More nightlife in Naklua than you give it credit for. I know, I've got a place up there as well !

[naka]

Given your ages, it's got to be Patong.

Pattaya is more geared up to the more mature or retired crowd.

You will simply love the nightlife in Patong, Tiapan is a blast as

are many of the other nightspots catering to the younger traveler.

Now don't let me catch you in Pattaya.

Naka.

[Ulysses G.]

Phuket has a large Thai (!duhh!!!) community and is therefor not more expensive than Pattaya.

Just don't go to Patong, but go to Nai Harn (superb!) or Chalong!

Please direct me to the five hundred baht hotels with air-con, a swimming pool and cable TV.

No, I didn't say five thousand baht!

Edited May 8, 2007 by Ulysses G.

[kankaroo]

I (often) tell friends and co-workers:

If you want lots of beaches and scenery, with a little bit of nightlife, go to Phuket (and surrounding areas).

If you wan a little bit of beaches and scenery, but lots of nightlife, go to Pattaya.

If you want some scenery, no beaches, a fair bit of nightlife, smog, smells and traffic jams, go to Bangkok.

Yep I lived on Phuket for 6 months and avoid Patong beach like the plague IT IS CRAP. I lived in a small fishing community so therefore knew where all the good Thai eateries were (cheap too). Phuket beaches are BEAUTIFUL and I am weeping at my keyboard here in Scotland just thinking about them,

HOWEVER I have visited Pattaya a few times just for fun an will take the memories to my GRAVE! !! ! (which I hope isn't soon as I'm only 27)- A truly amazing party destination (beaches are crap tho......)

MY FRIEND YOU SHOULD HIT PATTAYA for some SUN, SEA, & SCRABBLE

ENJOY, wish I was coming too

[PaulUSA302]

** Pattaya FYI **

If you go to Pattaya keep in mind that at night when the bars are closing, many of the Baht Buses act as if they are a Taxi and will want to charge you a much higher rate to take you to your hotel. You can haggle out a cost for door to door service or if you are patient a baht bus acting as a baht bus will come along in due time.