Pattaya Flourishes from Quiet Fishing Village to Vibrant Tourist Hub

[jacko45k]

13 hours ago, Confuscious said:

Take away the sex trade and Pattaya will be a fishing village again.
Most of the tourists and people wwho go to Pattaya are only for the sex trade, not for anything else.

What utter nonsense..... the place was packed to the gills over the weekend and the attraction had absolutely nothing to do with the 'sex trade'.....

[fdimike]

I first went to Pattaya in 1970 and again in 1971 & 1972. There were 2 hotels at that time.  The Pattaya Palace and the Nipa lodge.  A third hotel opened not far from the Pattaya Palace but I don't recall the name.  There was also an R & R Center which rented bungalows to American GI's on R & R from the Vietnam war.  There was one very good restaurant on the beach called I believe Dolf's.  i don't recall any bars at that time but there may have been a couple. Prostitution didn't  appear until much later.  The water was clean and fishing boats were available to take you to Koh Larn where they would clean and cook what you caught along the way with drop lines.  Pattaya was a nice place at that time.  Prostitution was centered in Bangkok especially around Patpong . 

[simple1]

4 hours ago, SAFETY FIRST said:

Did he own any land. 

 

My girlfriends family come from Pattaya, they have owned land beach road/second road since 80's. 

Their Land value has sky rocketed since owning 

 

 

Yes, but on the Dark Side and only a small parcel of land

[SAFETY FIRST]

9 minutes ago, simple1 said:

 

Yes, but on the Dark Side and only a small parcel of land

Wow, that would have been a journey back in the day, commuting from darkside to beach every day. 

 

[simple1]

6 minutes ago, SAFETY FIRST said:

Wow, that would have been a journey back in the day, commuting from darkside to beach every day. 

 

 

Yep, tough life. At that time the area was mostly jungle and the "house" was made from bamboo. Since then been rebuilt twice and now modernised. Some of the then locals (Muslim) eventually became relatively wealthy by building and renting out town houses on Soi Nern Plub Wan.

[newnative]

3 hours ago, thaibeachlovers said:

Improved roads

Modernised public transport. Have they built that monorail then?

facilities catering to family-friendly tourism. They managed to fool some family friendly resort owners to build up in North Pattaya, but apparently the little busters remain with the resort grounds as not much in evidence whenever I was in Pattaya

 

       If I'm not mistaken, though, it's been years since you've been to Pattaya.  Was Terminal 21 built the last time you were here?  How about Centre Point Space?  Universal Studios Aquaverse amusement park?  Ramayana Water Park?  Dolphinarium?  The new Go-Kart amusement that recently opened?  Ripley's new Horror Hospital?  Frost Magical Ice of Siam?

      You are correct that family friendly attractions have been built in North Pattaya, starting with T21.  Amari built a whole new family wing catering to families.  T21, itself, has a family friendly Centre Point hotel on top of it.  That was so successful the company built Centre Point Space, also geared to families, right across the street. 

      CP Space has also been so successful that they are now building the massive Centre Point 3 family resort on a huge tract of land by Cape Dara, also family-oriented.  You may not have seen many 'little busters' years ago but, obviously, they are here now.  And, the numbers are growing; hence, the need for CP3.

    Centara Resort, the grandaddy of Pattaya's family resorts, is undergoing a massive renovation, perhaps with an eye to the new competition going up down the street.   Another large tract of land across from T21 by Dolphin Circle has also been cleared for new development.  

       From your perch in New Zealand it's likely hard to keep up with all the new development going on.  Heck, I live in Pattaya and it's hard for me to keep up--even though I am out and about a lot.  Not too long ago a couple of my Bangkok relatives clued me in to a huge new 2-story coffee and dessert emporium that had opened on Sukhumvit.   I do know that yet another water-themed amusement park opened recently but the name escapes me.   In any case, Pattaya now has a lot on offer, both for visitors and the growing numbers of full and part-time residents moving into all the new condo projects and housing estates being built.

[BigStar]

9 hours ago, thaibeachlovers said:

Improved roads

 

Yep, all the major roads have been resurfaced, Beach Road widened. The Tunnel's good, no flooding. Been a lot of disruption with putting in more drainage pipes to alleviate flooding. Seems finally done, might do some good. Traffic is still a major issue, but signifies Pattaya's overall economic vibrancy.

 

9 hours ago, thaibeachlovers said:

Modernised public transport. Have they built that monorail then?

 

Supporting ride sharing is a welcome modern improvement, though not the Holy Grail we demand for satisfaction. Buses been tried, nobody wanted to ride them. Monorail is usually cited by our Pattaya trolls just as the Red Bull heir is by our ANF Justice Oversight Board. How about BKK traffic these days? All smooth sailing now that they have BTS and MRT?

 

[Evil Penevil]

I don't know why it's so hard for some to grasp that Pattaya can flourish as both a family destination and an "adult oriented" Paradise.

 

The bar and commercial sex scene is there for those who wantt it but is easily avoided by those who don't.   I know numerous families with children of all ages who have had great family vacations in Pattaya and avoided the commercial sex side of the city.  With a bit of research and planning, it's totally possible.

 

My British niece, her husband and two children (boy 10, girl 7 at the time) visited me in Pattaya some years ago.  On my advice. they stayed at the Centara Grand Mirage Beach Resort on Wong Amat Beach in NaKlua. The resort has its own waterpark and private stretch of beach as well as a huge Kids' Club with a ton of activities for children from 8.00 a.m. until 6 p.m.  Aside from a trip to Paris Disneyland, they thought Pattaya was the best family vacation they ever had.  The kids never saw anything sleazy and the little girl cried when it was time to check out of the resort because she liked it so much.

  

The family did most of their sightseeing during the morning or early afternoon, before most of the commercial sex businesses get going.  They used car service to get around and there was nothing sleazy for the kids to see.  Of course they avoided WS, LK Metro and above all, Soi 6.  They never ventured out with the kids after dark.   My niece said they'd seen far more inappropriate behavior on trips to Spain and Greece than in Pattaya.  Drunk chavs and chavettes are far worse than bar girls.

 

There's plenty for families to do in and around Pattaya.  The Russians don't seem to mind pushing kids in strollers down WS or Soi 6 and that's up to them.  But for the families that want to avoid any glimpse of the sex scene, it's easily enough done.

[kwaussie]

Last time in Patts it was full of old men and bars playing crappy old music, give me Phuket any day!

[terryofcrete]

On 12/2/2024 at 12:43 PM, Jack Hammer said:

 

 

On 12/2/2024 at 3:09 PM, Issanraider said:

I have just returned to the tranquility of Khon Kaen after a 3 night visit to Pattaya to see the fireworks festival which was spectacular beyond belief.

The city was mobbed and I’m sure that fortunes were made by everyone from  the beach chair operatives up to the hotels who seem to treble their nightly rates.

 Can’t believe the transformation of Pattaya since my first visit in 2001 however nothing has changed with the infrastructure with constant gridlock on most roads although to be fair there was an exceptional amount of additional traffic due to the fireworks festival.

It must be an age thing because I happily lived in Jomtien for 7 years from 2005 but after just a couple of hours in Soi Diana last Thursday I concluded that I no longer want to be in the company of masses of pissed up farangs anymore. 😂

Soi Diana and Buakhao were like car parks last Friday and Saturday and pedestrians were fair game for the motorbikes weaving in and out of the standstill traffic ..as  I get older I find I'm complaining to myself more and more about the lack of footpaths and dangers of crossing the Soi ... all it takes is one mistake ..

[BigStar]

25 minutes ago, terryofcrete said:

I get older I find I'm complaining to myself more and more about the lack of footpaths and dangers of crossing the Soi ... all it takes is one mistake ..

 

Maybe you should explore one of countless areas other than Buakhao. But, contrary to forum gospel, Buakhao is negotiable if you think outside the box.

 

 

 

[spidermike007]

It's interesting how development is always considered to be a good thing, granted it does create income for a lot of people, but is it necessarily a positive thing overall when a town such as Pattaya grows into a tourist mecca, with all the related problems and issues? 

[metisdead]

Posts with derogatory trolling references to Pattaya have been removed:

• You will not post slurs, degrading, or overly negative comments directed towards Thailand, Thai people, Thai culture, Thai institutions such as the military, judicial or law enforcement system, or specific locations within Thailand.

 

[BigStar]

36 minutes ago, spidermike007 said:

It's interesting how development is always considered to be a good thing, granted it does create income for a lot of people, but is it necessarily a positive thing overall when a town such as Pattaya grows into a tourist mecca, with all the related problems and issues? 

 

Yes.

 

[BigStar]

On 12/3/2024 at 9:07 AM, fdimike said:

There was also an R & R Center which rented bungalows to American GI's on R & R from the Vietnam war.  There was one very good restaurant on the beach called I believe Dolf's.  i don't recall any bars at that time but there may have been a couple. Prostitution didn't  appear until much later. 

 

That building wasn't an R&R center. No serviceman was going to spend his precious 5 days of annual R&R in Pattaya. It'd be in BKK or other designated locations he could get a free flight to,

 

U-Tapao had maybe 8000 living, working, coming through the base, so taking leave for a day or so to get out to a beach w/ an island offshore, do some fishing or snorkeling (water beautifully clear off Koh Larn), eat some great fresh seafood, drink w/ a few buddies made for a pleasant break.

 

Not many places to stay in Pattaya, however, nothing else to do, little Western food, so the military made things easier by putting an office there to rent bungalows, serve food in a cafeteria, and even play movies in a small theater. No ripoffs or negotiating or friction with locals.

 

As you note, no prostitution. If servicemen wanted girls with them, they packed them in from bars near the base.

 

 

[1happykamper]

Two headlines next to each other seem to contradict this author 555

[BigStar]

2 hours ago, 1happykamper said:

Two headlines next to each other seem to contradict this author 555

 

No, craziness & crime happen in tourist resorts all the time.

[Jiggo]

On 12/2/2024 at 11:53 AM, wensiensheng said:

No mention of Pattayas principal industry of prostitution? It started during the Vietnam R and R destination during the Vietnam war as referenced in the article and has indeed flourished since that date.

 

Quiye why such a random article should make headlines today, I have no idea 🤷‍♂️

Actually there was a US Forces hospital first, as well as some R&R.

Heard that the location was near Soi Diamond, not verified though 

[terryofcrete]

On 12/2/2024 at 6:11 AM, Tailwagsdog said:

..what soi is that ???

Soi no money no honey...

[hotandsticky]

If flourishing equates to untrolled, unplanned development with inadequate consideration for infrastructure, then it sounds about right.

[818Pilot]

The title should read

 

“Pattaya, once a  Quiet Fishing Village, is no longer recognizable and an example of what Not To Do” 

[BusyB]

On 12/2/2024 at 6:32 AM, blazes said:

 

Do they commemorate January 6 then??

 

With a violent fetish orgy.

[Jim Blue]

I always visited for the cultural  attractions myself !

[Suetape]

On 12/2/2024 at 5:39 AM, BigStar said:

 

Ignorant nonsense. R&R was in Bangkok. It was wide open, and it had everything for everybody. The bases, except U-tapao, were north of BKK in Isaan. Why spend your precious R&R fishing at a pretty much deserted beach with no bar scene or nightlife? As for U-tapao, it had its own regulated little bar scene even further south at a place called Newland.

 

[Suetape]

Just now, Suetape said:

My American wife and I lived in Pattaya 69/70 and JUSMAGTHAI offered a cafeteria, outdoor theater, small first air station and bungalows that were mainly rented by US Military or

US Government families that lived and worked in Bangkok.