Are you here for the beach?

Are you here for the beach?

Although I'm not here specifically for the beach, I'm here because there is a beach. I always favour beachside living....the view, the cool sea breezes and other features that come with a beach.

I am assuming that by "the beach" you mean Pattaya and/or Jomtien beach. I also have to rewind to the years I lived in Pattaya and this period falls into three distinct phases.

Phase 1. Condo in Siri Homes Apartments off soi 8, 1992-1995.

Used to go and sit on Pattaya beach maybe once or twice a month and once in a while on Jomtien beach. Mind you in that period a visit to Pattaya beach required almost a full NBC cleandown.

Phase 2. Rented house between soi Buakhaw and soi Choomsai (3rd road), 1995-1997.

Went probably slightly less than once a week to Jomtien beach.

Phase 3. House in soi Khaw Noi, 1997-2004.

Maybe once a month but probably less to Jomtien beach.

I'm not really a beach person as I get bored very quickly. Usual visits to Jomtien beach I spent 30 minutes or so out in the sun and the rest of the time sat in the shade eating, drinking and people watching or walking along the beach people observing. Like tropo I enjoy living on the coast for the fresher air and availability of the beach and the sea even if I hardly use them. I guess it might be something to do with being from an island nation (UK) I like to be beside the sea.

None per month is not a low enough average, how about none per year? I've been here for 13 years and can count on the fingers of 1 hand the number of times I've been to the beach (any beach) during the daytime (5 and once at night for Loy Kratong).

And 4 of those times have been in the last year 'cos my kid likes to go to the beach.

Are you here for the beach?

the lady who is doing once a month my pedicure works at Jomtien beach.

You can be somewhere for the beach without swimming in it. I much prefer to swim in a pool, but I like looking at the beach.

there are beaches here ? oh my god we must go.

You can be somewhere for the beach without swimming in it. I much prefer to swim in a pool, but I like looking at the beach.

Same here. I'd rather swim in my crystal clear, refreshing pool than hike it to the beach.

One of my pet hates about spending time on the beach is being constantly bothered by hawkers.

One day I went down there to swim and the water was too hot. The Gulf of Thailand is like a giant bath tub.

When I first moved here I went to the beach 4-5 times a week, for sun bathing and swimming etc. but now I go there perhaps every 4th month or even less. Its a sad fact but I dont have time.

Yeah sure..too busy going to walkingstreet... hehe if it only was so.

But its sad to live 4 minutes walk from the beach and then not use it! I want to make that my new years goal - go to the beach once a week - and loose 20 kg - start going to tonys gym - stop going to beer bars - run for chief of police in Pattaya (I hear it pays good)

Just as I suspected!

I suppose I would go more if we had a really nice beach.

Good poll subject and not a surprising result... this beach is mainly for tourists after all. I voted never but wasn't paying attention as I assumed it meant Pattaya beach.

I agree that I would probably go more often if they got rid of touts trying to sell me crap I don't want and reduced the numbers of deck chairs. When I lived here in the 80's, me and the (ex) wife were down on Dongtan maybe 3 times a week. There were probably 3 deckchair operators, each with about 20 chairs and the food was delivered quick, decent quality and price. Nowadays it seems they have acres of chairs and any food service is slow and the stuff served is crap.

I went to Wong Amat once last year when the girls were visiting from Udon and although it was quieter and looked cleaner, they also had crammed too many deck chairs into too small and area for it to be really comfortable. BTW, we also went to Jomtien once but they didn't have any coconuts which was a disappointment for the girls. When we asked for a menu, one was dropped onto the table then the 'waiter' buggered off to yack with his jet-ski rental buddies and we had to shout for him to come and take the order. Everything we asked for was 'no haab' or 'mai-mee' so we paid for the chairs and left. This was khao pat and somtam we were asking for as well! I mean, why do they bother?

Last year I started going to Ban Saray beach twice a month on a week day as it was quiet and just like 'the old days'. However, it's getting more popular, even during the week but still much better than the Pattaya area beaches for space, cleanliness, food service quality and price, IMHO.

wow thank god for that,i thought it was just me.......im whiter than if i was still in uk...thais think i just arrived here on hols.even when i have been out in the sun i tend to just go red and back to white again....to keep a decent brown colour you got to be a real beach regular..but this year gonna try and get there a bit more which means i better get rid of my creeping gut too(maybe only 15 beers on my night out instead of much more..hmmmmmm.

i agree with the remarks about deckchairs..they put them all nearly down to thewaters edge usually and we aint got much beach to start with.i also tend to get a bit bored at the beach,not many girls there really,just old guys to look at.......which beach have the russian ladies invaded???

Future wannabe Pattaya expats take note: you don't have to bring over as much sunblock lotion as you thought.

I sometimes take the girls down or go when we have people visiting but day to day I never go.

I agree that the constant battle with hawkers pisses me off as does the occasional occurance whereby the bill does not constitute the sum of its parts !

Often the chairs are downright dangerous and decrepid and the food is utter garbage. Often we stop en route to pick up some munchies though the girls will eat anything if muggins is paying ! (when isn't he ?).