How much time do you spend in the tourist parts

[BigStar]

3 hours ago, kingstonkid said:

People that live in these cities unless they have people come to visit from out of town or work there shy away from those areas.

Same with most long-term Pattaya expats, I think. They quickly tire of the same ol' nightlife, settle down, now use online services if needed. The random bars around town become part of the wallpaper, interesting or reprehensible only to tourists or noobs.

 

I stop in the TQ for a cool one, music, and visuals some afternoons when I'm out. Maybe hit WS once every two years to reminisce and see the latest incarnation. Never go near LK Metro, too plastic. Soi 6, gutted and homogenized. Never hang out around Soi Buakhao, too depressing.

[1FinickyOne]

20 hours ago, moogradod said:

or would you be interested in a topic saying that your neighbor feels good today ?)

some of them, not all.

[bang saen guy]

21 hours ago, Sparktrader said:

The best tourist parts are the islands or national parks.

And you live near these?

[Laphroaig27]

When I lived there on/off from 00-08 I'd spend a few nights a week around walking or soi 6. Other than that I was completely divorced from tourists. Despite living dead center of the hell myself, friends had special paths and walk ways to get about the town on foot and avoid all the drama. It was like it never existed for us. From Beach Rd to Pattaya tai to N Pattaya Rd and out to Sukhumvit all on the back streets.

[Lemsta69]

1 hour ago, BigStar said:

Never hang out around Soi Buakhao, too depressing.

it's not that good! ????

Edited November 8, 2022 by Lemsta69

[macca3248]

Very little over the last 11 years , I spend a lot of my time going to out of the way places in the north west and also west along the death railway which my Dad was a prisoner on ..

Also small refugee villages along the mainly northern borders of Thailand .

[AlQaholic]

Never visit Pattaya except on my way home to buy stuff in Friendship and Villa Market, and then have breakfast at Terminal 21.

[1FinickyOne]

22 hours ago, scubascuba3 said:

lots of other hobbies.

Is that what they call it in Pattaya now?

[ivor bigun]

23 hours ago, Photoguy21 said:

Never go to Pattaya. I consider it a place where the dregs of humanity congregate.

so my wifeand son and myself are the dregs of humanity as we live on the outskirts of Pattaya ,same for my other married friends ,? i never knew that.

[Photoguy21]

13 minutes ago, ivor bigun said:

so my wifeand son and myself are the dregs of humanity as we live on the outskirts of Pattaya ,same for my other married friends ,? i never knew that.

Absolutely not but many of the people in Pattaya are

[scubascuba3]

27 minutes ago, Photoguy21 said:

Absolutely not but many of the people in Pattaya are

Dregs are everywhere

[Hummin]

23 hours ago, scubascuba3 said:

It's great, lots of things to do, excellent for golfers, cyclists, lots of other hobbies. I can't see why people want to live in Bangkok or Nikon nowhere

The most understandable reasons for not living in Pattaya except the smell that hits me every time I visit my friend who live in one of The Base Tower, is to become bored, start drinking to much and degenerate themselves to become an regular bar monger with every side effect that can have on a mans mind ????

 

Some can handle living in sin city, but not everybody. I just do not thrive there enough to stay, but for a few days I can visit, but now with a wife, I know better places to go and better places to spend my money. But if I did not drive myself, Pattaya is an ok place to go, but still would choose Ao Nang before Pattaya, or any Island. The biggest pluss with Pattaya, it is close to Bangkok, airport, have everything you need, even an Island next to it, and easy cheap transport around. 

[scubascuba3]

2 minutes ago, Hummin said:

The most understandable reasons for not living in Pattaya except the smell that hits me every time I visit my friend who live in one of The Base Tower, is to become bored, start drinking to much and degenerate themselves to become an regular bar monger with every side effect that can have on a mans mind ????

 

Some can handle living in sin city, but not everybody. I just do not thrive there enough to stay, but for a few days I can visit, but now with a wife, I know better places to go and better places to spend my money. But if I did not drive myself, Pattaya is an ok place to go, but still would choose Ao Nang before Pattaya, or any Island. The biggest pluss with Pattaya, it is close to Bangkok, airport, have everything you need, even an Island next to it, and easy cheap transport around. 

Sounds like you think Pattaya is just Buakhao, 2nd road, beach road etc, many make the same mistake, sit in bars and say they don't like Pattaya

 

[Hummin]

9 minutes ago, scubascuba3 said:

Sounds like you think Pattaya is just Buakhao, 2nd road, beach road etc, many make the same mistake, sit in bars and say they don't like Pattaya

 

My experience is those who live there frequently visit bars, as I remember you also have admitted before in previous posts. It becomes a lifestyle and it becomes normal. 
 

I useally visited for a few days party, and to be true not much else I found interesting since I did not play golf, and instead do pretty much everything else Thailand have to offer of watersport, climbing, motorbiking touring. 
 

I prefered the nightclubs more than the traditional beer bars, but there is a few good ones there where you can watch sports 24/7 with a decent crew and decent regular customers. 
 

And to be social it means alchohol no matter where you go in the world. Very rear boys meet up for a coffe unless it is breakfest time. 

[scubascuba3]

5 minutes ago, Hummin said:

My experience is those who live there frequently visit bars, as I remember you also have admitted before in previous posts. It becomes a lifestyle and it becomes normal. 
 

I useally visited for a few days party, and to be true not much else I found interesting since I did not play golf, and instead do pretty much everything else Thailand have to offer of watersport, climbing, motorbiking touring. 
 

I prefered the nightclubs more than the traditional beer bars, but there is a few good ones there where you can watch sports 24/7 with a decent crew and decent regular customers. 
 

And to be social it means alchohol no matter where you go in the world. Very rear boys meet up for a coffe unless it is breakfest time. 

i rarely go to bars, i do go to agogos once every fortnight or so. i meet friends for coffee, try Benjamit next time you come, many people meet there, the best coffee places are out of town

[swm59nj]

During my three years living in Bangkok.  I visited Pattaya once for two days with a girl I was dating at that time. 
The impression it gave me for the average expat.  It’s like living in a smaller city  in Thailand with less expensive rents.  I thought the people both foreigners and locals were friendlier than Bangkok.  It seemed like more Thais spoke English there. 
As for a lot of so called “ dregs of society”  type foreigners living there. .  Well you can find those types anywhere.  Even in the villages. 

[Hummin]

29 minutes ago, scubascuba3 said:

i rarely go to bars, i do go to agogos once every fortnight or so. i meet friends for coffee, try Benjamit next time you come, many people meet there, the best coffee places are out of town

I believe for most who state they do not go to Pattaya, it is to state Im not like that! And that feels important to them be it for their family and friends back home or for their self here in Thailand. 
 

Many wifes and gf do not want to go to Pattaya either, and some have to because their man want to live there.

 

It is a bit more complicated than just Like or not like Pattya for most. Pattaya comes with a stigma

[khunPer]

I don't know if I'm average expat, but I've only been to Pattay twice. First time in 1987 – where I stayed at Royal Cliff, and don't recall any towers, but a number of okay restaurants and a loong bar that I never visited – and once again in 2004, where I found out that it is had become "no go" for me...

But luckily we are all different, what I prefer somebody else don't like...

[moogradod]

2 hours ago, 1FinickyOne said:

some of them, not all.

Yes, of course. But I am sure you understood what I meant to say. Could have proposed "The Sun has again risen today" as a headline on the front page of a big newspaper or "Scientists have discovered that Light Speed has not changed for the last 50 years or even longer"........ Not that some of the real headlines ressemble my propositions in terms of boredom at times. ????

[The Fugitive]

Rented an economical apartment on the Dark Side for a while. Quiet Soi yet had a couple of Western style bars, Thai/Western restaurants and a Gentleman's club nearby. Massage with options too. Don't drive and don't do physical activities. 40 baht moto taxi into Central Pattaya where I spent approx. 50% of my time. This was pre-Covid. Unfortunately, my favourite bar/cafe/restaurant on LK Metro has been repurposed and also a great restaurant on Soi Lengkee now appears to be a shadow of it's former self. 

[Woof999]

On 11/7/2022 at 5:00 PM, KhunBENQ said:

But I wouldn't want to live there permanently. In a high rise 30 sqm condo

I wouldn't want to live in a 30sqm (or even larger) condo anywhere.

 

Less than 10 minutes from the centre of Pattaya you have "the dark side". A huge selection of houses from 1 bed up to 10 bedroom luxury pool villas and full resorts that you can rent or buy. Pattaya is far more than just the nightlife and anyone suggesting that is all there is, or condos are the only place you can stay has never spent any time here.

 

I would wager that, within just a few km of the centre, there are better quality, more keenly priced villas than you could possibly imagine. I've lived in 6 pool villas here (never a condo) and they kept going up in size and quality until I decided to buy.

 

Nightlife is great whether you want to make use of it or not, as is food selection, pricing, cinemas, bowling, pool (billiards), ice skating, golf and whatever else, all without the need to be anywhere near the concrete jungle that is Bangkok.

 

[Sparktrader]

2 hours ago, 1FinickyOne said:

Is that what they call it in Pattaya now?

3 genders to choose from

[1FinickyOne]

1 hour ago, Sparktrader said:

3 genders to choose from

why only 3? what are you missing out on?

[Thingamabob]

On 11/7/2022 at 4:04 PM, Photoguy21 said:

Never go to Pattaya. I consider it a place where the dregs of humanity congregate.

That's ridiculous. I trust you are joking, albeit in poor taste.

[Hummin]

2 hours ago, Woof999 said:

I wouldn't want to live in a 30sqm (or even larger) condo anywhere.

 

Less than 10 minutes from the centre of Pattaya you have "the dark side". A huge selection of houses from 1 bed up to 10 bedroom luxury pool villas and full resorts that you can rent or buy. Pattaya is far more than just the nightlife and anyone suggesting that is all there is, or condos are the only place you can stay has never spent any time here.

 

I would wager that, within just a few km of the centre, there are better quality, more keenly priced villas than you could possibly imagine. I've lived in 6 pool villas here (never a condo) and they kept going up in size and quality until I decided to buy.

 

Nightlife is great whether you want to make use of it or not, as is food selection, pricing, cinemas, bowling, pool (billiards), ice skating, golf and whatever else, all without the need to be anywhere near the concrete jungle that is Bangkok.

 

And you select away the beach and the easy transport it have to offer, and could select any destination around in Thailand living behind walls with restricted personal space without the view.

 

I prefer Jomtien above anything and I think it is an better option than Hua Hin at the moment.

Edited November 8, 2022 by Hummin

[Golden Triangle]

I have lived here for over 12 years, I live on the darkside as it is affecionately known, it's actually very nice, quiet, clean, and cheap.

 

The last time I visited Walking Street was over 4 years ago & that was only to show it to my brother who paid us a visit, oh we went to Soi 6 as well ???? living here is a totally different ballgame to a 3 or 4 week visit.

[kinyara]

12 hours ago, kingstonkid said:

The question was for those that live in Pattaya.  However, the haters have to jump in.

 

The Pattaya nightlife is what it is some like it some hate it.

 

What I am talking about is the people that live in Pattaya.

 

Much like in Toronto and Yonge street

Las Vegas and the Vegas strip.

 

People that live in these cities unless they have people come to visit from out of town or work there shy away from those areas.

 

I am wondering if Pats is the same

Thanks for clarifying, that's what I thought you meant. I've been based part-time/lived full-time here 20/7 years and I think I live a fairly normal balanced expat life. Central Pattaya is tourist central so I live in Jomtien, Jomtien is busy every weekend with local tourists so that's the 2 days of the week when I prefer to relax around my condo pool rather than having a 10km walk along the beachfront. I don't mind popping down for a sundowner, it's a nice vibe without the full-on zoo that is central Pattaya. The many holiday weekends when Pattaya/Naklua/Jomtien get packed are the same, the successful recipe for me  enjoying a laid back lifestyle is to go out socially the day after they have all left.  

 

One of the reasons I've always enjoyed Pattaya since my first trip as a youngster 25 years ago is that you can be sat on a barstool and literally meet anyone from around the world, and because they are on holiday and enjoying themselves it's an incredibly sociable place.  There is no stereotypical expat or tourist, that's why it's such an interesting and enjoyable place to live, the haters and disparagers thankfully live elsewhere and don't understand what makes Pattaya a great place to live as an expat.

 

It's a tourist city, embrace the positives and manage the negatives same as anywhere else in the world. 

 

 

[Andycoops]

I Live in Isaan and visit the tourist resorts 3 times or so a year, usually when friends come over from the UK for a holiday, although I never go as far as Phuket.

Annual Christmas week in Pattaya coming up next.

[PJ71]

The times i've been up to the dark side the traffic has been horrendous, SSCC road and the one that runs parallel to it - awful.

[Kevin Taylor]

You read how bad Pattaya is with girls walking and bars. What does that mean ? I presume your talking about walking street agogo bars. You kind of have to go out of your way to go to a walking street agogo bar. So to go there just to write the negative articles that you seem to have read seems kind of dumb. Most people end up pretty quickly finding a few local bars where they have friends to talk to. Pretty much the same as anywhere I would have thought. It is nice to have the nightlife options available if and when you want it. But maybe I am one of those undesirables you have read about, sure as hell though I won't lose any sleep worrying what other people think about me for living in Pattaya.