Sick Of People Knocking Pattaya

[chaiyaphumlove]

i actually think Pattaya is much maligned. Sure there our some fairly sordid places i'm sure but you don't have to go there do you. Theres loads of decent bars available to frequent, loads of great restaurants and a lot of very attractive young ladies.

There actually needs to be clarification between the areas. Further down Jomtien, Nakula, over on the dark side... all decent places where normal people seem to live. However, Pattaya proper is a zoo in every sense of the word.

What's wrong with a "Zoo"? If that's what you want.

[Fookhaht]

Been there about 6 times--always dragged by an out of town visitor, or with a Thai tour group. Have been all over the area (not just Walking Street).

My take on it: The attitudes of the locals in the service industry suck. They hate tourists but love their money. Makes for a bad combination of $hitty customer service and surly attitudes. Add to that scenario, a boat-load of Chinese and Russian tourists who have taken on the mantle of the previous "Ugly American," and it becomes the last few nails in the coffin of a tourist-trap-gone-to-hell.

And, I'm not "sanctimonious." I'm a practical-minded world traveler (40 countries) who's seen it all. As for this place, it's ranking and appeal is below the bottom of the barrel.

Even most of the Thais I was with came away hating it too...more like ashamed of it. Their take: It's not really Thailand. it's an alien, misanthropic planet dropped into the middle of SE Asia.

Any bad press that Pattaya gets is well-deserved.

Edited March 24, 2012 by Fookhaht

[carmine]

Been there about 6 times--always dragged by an out of town visitor, or with a Thai tour group. Have been all over the area (not just Walking Street).

My take on it: The attitudes of the locals in the service industry suck. They hate tourists but love their money. Makes for a bad combination of $hitty customer service and surly attitudes. Add to that scenario, a boat-load of Chinese and Russian tourists who have taken on the mantle of the previous "Ugly American," and it becomes the last few nails in the coffin of a tourist-trap-gone-to-hell.

And, I'm not "sanctimonious." I'm a practical-minded world traveler (40 countries) who's seen it all. As for this place, it's ranking and appeal is below the bottom of the barrel.

Even most of the Thais I was with came away hating it too...more like ashamed of it. Their take: It's not really Thailand. it's an alien, misanthropic planet dropped into the middle of SE Asia.

Any bad press that Pattaya gets is well-deserved.

I don't wish to be pedantic but i claim to have bee to 40 countries and have seen it all. i've been to considerably more countries than yourself but i doubt i've seen more than the tip of the iceburg as it were.

You do actually sound very sanctimonious but that aside please explain to us how and why you think you have seen it all.

[Phil Conners]

And my point to last handful of Pattaya-bashers is, again, what you don't like seems to be the downtown area west of Soi Buakao/2nd Road. Yes it is one big red-light district, but there is much more to Pattaya than what you see there.

Other places in the world have red light districts including Amsterdam, Hamburg and Hong Kong - Pattaya is no different. It is a very limited area, maybe 2% of the Pattaya area.

[somtampet]

I love the place, if it was closer to my work i would live there rather than BKK, like some one else said it does have literally everything you could want . I would not worry about the knockers, they spend their lives being miserable.

Plenty of knockers in Pattaya mate lol.

Is Hatter a luton town supporter by any chance ????

[somtampet]

REMOVED

Seen plenty of your sort in Pattaya,Big rats

[stailmanki]

I copied my comments from another similar thread here as I think they apply to this topic also.

There are still many of us military / oil / mine workers who take R&R in Pattaya. We are the bread and butter for many businesses here. Pattaya is like paradise compared to the sort of places we are posted to or choose to work.(Afghanistan/ Saudi/Africa/P.N.G &c) I have been coming here on R&R for 30 years & seen many changes. Pattaya still offers enough R&R facilities to make it attractive. The key for many of us is quick & easy access to the airport. Best of all : when I first came here I was in my early 20s & my girl was also early 20s , now I'm early 50s & she's Still in her early 20s , where else can you find girls that age as well as that huh ? must be all those creams &c she uses.

As for me personally I'm glad that there are fewer of those shirtless tattooed soccer yobs that used to infect the place in large numbers & also happy that the numbers Euro trash in general seems to have diminished. I much prefer the scowling Russians ,howling Chinese & aromatic Middle Easterners , so for me that is a positive change. I suppose it's mainly due to the poor value of the Euro/GBP against the Thai Baht. Sorry for the pensioners who are more or less trapped here on dwindling incomes.

My conclusion: Pattaya still offers sailors on leave a good time at a reasonable price like it has always done & will continue to do so into the future. The new visitors are not taking anything away from guys like me & the slowly improving infrastructure is a bonus. Wish they would clean up the beaches.

[thenervoussurgeon]

Been there about 6 times--always dragged by an out of town visitor, or with a Thai tour group. Have been all over the area (not just Walking Street).

My take on it: The attitudes of the locals in the service industry suck. They hate tourists but love their money. Makes for a bad combination of $hitty customer service and surly attitudes. Add to that scenario, a boat-load of Chinese and Russian tourists who have taken on the mantle of the previous "Ugly American," and it becomes the last few nails in the coffin of a tourist-trap-gone-to-hell.

And, I'm not "sanctimonious." I'm a practical-minded world traveler (40 countries) who's seen it all. As for this place, it's ranking and appeal is below the bottom of the barrel.

Even most of the Thais I was with came away hating it too...more like ashamed of it. Their take: It's not really Thailand. it's an alien, misanthropic planet dropped into the middle of SE Asia.

Any bad press that Pattaya gets is well-deserved.

Yes we believe you ,dragged here 6 times and came away hating it ,and we all know that you will "hate" it the next six times

[Rimmer]

Posts denigrating Pattaya have been removed because they are off topic. Any more of the same will be removed and most likely earn a suspension.

[petercool]

One year . Wow.. Well after 45 years here I moved to Pattaya where housing is cheaper than Bangkok and where a new life of relative peace was started. I have no illusions about the place but can easily avoid its worse aspects and enjoy its better ones.

[Phil Conners]

One Pattaya-bashing post has been deleted and the poster gone on a posting holiday.

Others please note.

[miksguevara]

Some people think they are superior because they have lots of money!

Please explain,do you mean that as we live in Pattaya we have lots of money?

had lots of money....?

[miksguevara]

One year . Wow.. Well after 45 years here I moved to Pattaya where housing is cheaper than Bangkok and where a new life of relative peace was started. I have no illusions about the place but can easily avoid its worse aspects and enjoy its better ones.

wow it must have been a wholly different place back then m8

[petercool]

^^^

In Pattaya only for 3 years but first visited 45 years ago when nothing was here other than one hotel and one restaurant.

Other years were spent in Bangkok.

[how241]

Love it or leave it. If your not happy here, why stay?

[tropo]

It is an unfortunate fact that those who are anti Pattaya can not afford to live here, don't be sick of them, pity them.

I think many of the "anti Pattaya" brigade have actually only spent time in Central Pattaya. And have not ventured to the outlying areas where there is so much more to see and do. As mentioned above, many of us who live here rarely go to Central Pattaya. Other than a foray to Central Festival!

I do go to Central Pattaya everyday and still like it here. Sure, there's plenty of things here I don't like such as the persistent traffic congestion but I live in Pattaya because I think it's the best place in Thailand to live. I rent and am free to move any time I want. If I knew a better location I would move. Bangkok, Phuket, Chiang Mai, Samui, the sticks - no thanks. Overall Pattaya wins hands down.

[NanLaew]

There actually needs to be clarification between the areas. Further down Jomtien, Nakula, over on the dark side... all decent places where normal people seem to live. However, Pattaya proper is a zoo in every sense of the word.

Another non-resident talking through the hole of his arse. Jomtien, Naklua and the 'dark side' aren't Pattaya, never have been or will be either.

And <deleted> is "Pattaya proper"? Go on, try your best to define that geographically since you seem to know the suburbs. Or are you another one that defines Pattaya be the extents of where you think the whores and sexpats hang about since you haven't really got a clue?

[NanLaew]

Does this thread make you all feel better about living there?

By the same token, did your post make you feel better about not living there?

[petercool]

There are district and juristic definitions of where Pattaya starts and stops, where Banglamung starts and stops - and Nongprue, Jomtien etc. But as in other large cities, Bangkok for example, these subtleties will likely continue to be ignored and the whole general area be lumped into one for easy reference.

[Naam]

Actually I wouldn't live in Pattaya. It is just too congested for me. I much prefer Jomtien and in fact, I have a condo there.

Why is it that Pattaya, Jomtien and the dark side are growing so rapidly? Could it possibly be that it is a great area to live?

living east of Sukhumvit we don't face the horrible pollution of down town Pattaya and the lower relative humidity adds to physical comfort. the reason for this is the different (opposite) direction of air flow even though the distance (in my case) is less than 4 kilometers as the crow flies.

[NanLaew]

Actually I wouldn't live in Pattaya. It is just too congested for me. I much prefer Jomtien and in fact, I have a condo there.

Jomtien is nice once you get out past the busy Dongtan corner, and gets nicer the further down you go.

Why is it that Pattaya, Jomtien and the dark side are growing so rapidly? Could it possibly be that it is a great area to live?

Ever been to Russia? If so, you understand why they are pouring into Pattaya and wanting to stay.

Yes.... clueless, absolutely clueless.

The Russians are actually pouring into Pratumnak and the more remote, cheaper extents of Jomtien rather than into Pattaya.

[cardholder]

There actually needs to be clarification between the areas. Further down Jomtien, Nakula, over on the dark side... all decent places where normal people seem to live. However, Pattaya proper is a zoo in every sense of the word.

Another non-resident talking through the hole of his arse. Jomtien, Naklua and the 'dark side' aren't Pattaya, never have been or will be either.

And <deleted> is "Pattaya proper"? Go on, try your best to define that geographically since you seem to know the suburbs. Or are you another one that defines Pattaya be the extents of where you think the whores and sexpats hang about since you haven't really got a clue?

I didn't think there were any boundaries to where the whores and sexpats hang out ?

[thenervoussurgeon]

There actually needs to be clarification between the areas. Further down Jomtien, Nakula, over on the dark side... all decent places where normal people seem to live. However, Pattaya proper is a zoo in every sense of the word.

Another non-resident talking through the hole of his arse. Jomtien, Naklua and the 'dark side' aren't Pattaya, never have been or will be either.

And <deleted> is "Pattaya proper"? Go on, try your best to define that geographically since you seem to know the suburbs. Or are you another one that defines Pattaya be the extents of where you think the whores and sexpats hang about since you haven't really got a clue?

I didn't think there were any boundaries to where the whores and sexpats hang out ?

You obviously dont live out of town near us , no bars ,and not a lot of falangs.

[miksguevara]

I dont see what the problem is if you like pattaya live there , if you dont ...dont. I lived on the dark side for three years , we now have a bungalow on the outskirts of Sattahip..

Edited March 25, 2012 by miksguevara

[tropo]

There actually needs to be clarification between the areas. Further down Jomtien, Nakula, over on the dark side... all decent places where normal people seem to live. However, Pattaya proper is a zoo in every sense of the word.

Another non-resident talking through the hole of his arse. Jomtien, Naklua and the 'dark side' aren't Pattaya, never have been or will be either.

And <deleted> is "Pattaya proper"? Go on, try your best to define that geographically since you seem to know the suburbs. Or are you another one that defines Pattaya be the extents of where you think the whores and sexpats hang about since you haven't really got a clue?

I don't know about that. I would consider Naklua, Jomtien and the dark side all within the region we describe as Pattaya.

Pattaya is a pretty vague term. I live 0.5 km from Walking Street and "Pattaya" is not even included in my official address - Nongprue, Banglamung....

[Jingthing]

I think bashing Pattaya fills an emotional need for some people. I reckon it's harmless.

[VeraLynn]

Everyone has a choice when they land in Bangkok which way are they going to go, where are they going to lay their roots for the foreseeable future. Some folk make decisions that suit them some folk make mistakes this is where the bitterness comes from.

I just watched the beautiful sunset set across Pattaya Bay sipping on a ice cold beer where I live, not to far away from me the likes of Kobi Elbaz is investing over 2 Billion baht on Bali Pier, the harbor and his new high end project along with other projects where I'm sure millions if not billions more baht has been poured into.

That's just an example, there are countless other major companies pouring astounding vast amount of cash into Pattaya to make it an even nicer and better and even more desirable place to live, if you like to live amongst nice things that is.

So as I call out to my beautiful girlfriend to kindly pour me another ice cold beer on my balcony over looking the bay, I raise a glass to you Pattaya haters with a cheeky little wink becasue at least for me I know I made the right decision. Cheers.

[peteinchina]

I live in Pattaya.

I mourn the lack of decent coffee shops and groovy jazz bars and alternative culture, but hey, my choice to live here and I make the best of it by doing things I CAN do here, like windsurfing - in one of the premier world spots for it....

pps

I am gobsmacked about the "they are just jealous / too poor blah blah blah posts, which display at least as much if not more ignorance as the mindless pattaya bashing.

If someone has a different opinion or point of view, they are NOT more worthless than you. They just have a different, and equally valid point of view.

Lesson over

Edited March 26, 2012 by Rimmer
Discussing moderation actions

[tropo]

I live in Pattaya.

I mourn the lack of decent coffee shops and groovy jazz bars and alternative culture, but hey, my choice to live here and I make the best of it

Which begs the question: Why did you come to Pattaya in the first place?

[peteinchina]

I live in Pattaya.

I mourn the lack of decent coffee shops and groovy jazz bars and alternative culture, but hey, my choice to live here and I make the best of it

Which begs the question: Why did you come to Pattaya in the first place?

I got a great job here.

Anyway, I'm not really in Pattaya.

I live sth of jomtien, work east of jomtien and only go to Pattaya to buy coffee beans.

It is not my scene and there is little to attract me.

I do understand and accept how other people are attracted to the lifestyle, just not me.

Living here does have a negative impact on me. On first contact, the Thais here seem to take it for granted that I am like the bulk of farang they have had contact with, and are suspicious if not judgemental. There is more active avoidance of farang here and when there is contact, it is not as open and happy as other parts of Thailand, in my experience anyway.

So I have made the connection, and am a little sad about what Pattaya has done to the world view of the Thais that live here. And as a consequence, what Pattaya has done to our perception of Thais.