Pattaya Gone Quiet ?

[Buff-horns]

It all goes quiet as Pattaya recovers from the New Year Festivities.

With the New Year festivities out of the way, Pattaya is beginning to return to normal. However, according to some business owners and Hoteliers it has returned back to normal too quickly. We toured Pattaya on Wednesday and begun on the Sukumvit Road which, compared to a few days before, was virtually empty. The Bali Hai Port on Pattaya Beach has been cleaned up after the New Year Festival which saw thousands of Thai and foreign tourists converge on the location to see in 2006. We spoke with a number of Hotel owners who told us that the Christmas and New Year periods were good for business, however every hotel owner mentioned that in previous years, the “No Vacancy” signs would remain in place until the start of February, however, this year, the “Vacancy” signs are coming out early. Is this a worrying new trend or is it good news for the low season months. We will have to wait and see!

pattayacitynews

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so whats going on??

were they all really so full up ?

[jbaldwin]

I have lived in Pattaya for three years now. It is often difficult to judge how busy it is but to me this year has seemed a little strange. Off season seemed to be busier that the last two years but there seemed to be very little pick up in November and early December. However, I think that between Christmas and New Year was the busist I have ever seen

[Nam Kao]

Farangs go home early, hmm what buffalo story i give ma and paa and thai husband why i not send money,

oh who care i buy shiny stuff and shirt....

[Simbo]

Eastern Europeans are keeping it buoyant, I think. There seems to be loads about. Chinese too, but they don't spend money in the bars.

[Jack Jones]

Eastern Europeans are keeping it buoyant, I think. There seems to be loads about. Chinese too, but they don't spend money in the bars.

Usually take a look and walk straight back out, bizarre

Edited January 7, 2006 by Jack Jones

[think_too_mut]

I spent 3 weeks on Pattaya, came back to BKK yesterday.

Deck chairs at the Jomtien Beach were 80%+ occupied, lots of people there.

Lotus Tesco at Rama IV in BKK feels like a ghost place compared with Pattaya's one.

[CGW]

I have lived in Pattaya for three years now. It is often difficult to judge how busy it is but to me this year has seemed a little strange. Off season seemed to be busier that the last two years but there seemed to be very little pick up in November and early December. However, I think that between Christmas and New Year was the busist I have ever seen

I have lived here 15 years and still havn't worked it out, when people say it is busy it appears quite! and Vice Versa - sometimes? One thing I can say is that Sukhumvit road is busy all day now, year round!

Cheers

[think_too_mut]

I have lived in Pattaya for three years now. It is often difficult to judge how busy it is but to me this year has seemed a little strange. Off season seemed to be busier that the last two years but there seemed to be very little pick up in November and early December. However, I think that between Christmas and New Year was the busist I have ever seen

I have lived here 15 years and still havn't worked it out, when people say it is busy it appears quite! and Vice Versa - sometimes? One thing I can say is that Sukhumvit road is busy all day now, year round!

Cheers

Ah, you, the veterans.

My experience is one a visitor could have. Seeing many lights in the hotels, full beach, full Pattaya Water Park, many shoppers in the supermarkets.

Could be, the number of people holidaying there don't realy fill (or are not interested in) the night spots?

IMO, that's good for Pattaya and does not harm the sanukers.

[barryofthailand]

I have Thai friends that work in hotels. The hotels are still full, mostly people from England.

Barry

[ProfessorFart]

Barry, with all due respect, to Thais, most people with white skin are classed as 'English' even the Welsh and Scottish which always makes me laugh!!

[Phil Conners]

Normally Sukhumvit road is all packed out in the Bangkok direction all Sunday but yesterday afternoon it was virtually empty. We were most surprised!

I think Pattya is becoming more a place of retirement and less a place of holidaying. It just doesn't have much of the things most holiday seekers are looking for, otoh, it has some of the best expat infrastructure in Thailand.

Edited January 9, 2006 by madsere

[Rimmer]

Normally Sukhumvit road is all packed out in the Bangkok direction all Sunday but yesterday afternoon it was virtually empty. We were most surprised!

I think Pattya is becoming more a place of retirement and less a place of holidaying. It just doesn't have much of the things most holiday seekers are looking for, otoh, it has some of the best expat infrastructure in Thailand.

Yup agree with that, Someone has to be buying up all the new condos and landed property in and around town and it's not the young guys in the bars on a 10 day holiday from a factory in the UK Midlands. The face of Pattaya is changing wether we like it or not.

As you say the town has great ex-pat infrastructure and is still fairly cheap compared to 'not sunny You Kay'.

I got Eastern Europeans renting next to me, (not cheap 100k a month touch) they have been there since long before Christmas, never see them, never hear them, they go out most days and come back early evening. Really strange and a little scary actually.

[Artisan]

Eastern Europeans are keeping it buoyant, I think. There seems to be loads about. Chinese too, but they don't spend money in the bars.

Hi Simbo..............wall-to-wall Russians in Jomtien.

[Simbo]

Eastern Europeans are keeping it buoyant, I think. There seems to be loads about. Chinese too, but they don't spend money in the bars.

Hi Simbo..............wall-to-wall Russians in Jomtien.

Thats the cause of the problem. They pulled the wall down.

[lostsoul]

Other places in the World now, cheaper too.

Has Pattaya anything different to offer than say 10 years ago, Prostitute's, Bars and ??????????????????????

[mrbojangles]

Eastern Europeans are keeping it buoyant, I think. There seems to be loads about. Chinese too, but they don't spend money in the bars.

Hi Simbo..............wall-to-wall Russians in Jomtien.

Agreed. I have never seen so many Russians here before. And as someone else said, they don't spend much money in the bars.

You can tell how full a place is by the vacancies in the Hotels and Condo's (as well as the prices) We've struggled this time to get somewhere decent (value for money) but we move into a Studio tomorrow in Jomtien for the remaining 5 weeks. 13,000 baht per month plus electric and water, not cheap really (for the type of accomodation) but didn't have much choice.

Edited January 12, 2006 by mrbojangles

[chucky66]

Ive been looking around for some hotels at the the end of Feb/beginning March and Im shocked at the prices that some places are asking for a room. I usually visit in April/May and always get a great walk in rate. Is Pattaya usually so busy at the end of Feb that the hotels can charge double what their rates are in April/May? The area I usually stay in is around soi 8 (I think) off beach road in central Pattaya.

[mrbojangles]

The area I usually stay in is around soi 8 (I think) off beach road in central Pattaya.

The Flipper Lodge, Sunshine and the likes are all pretty much booked up until March, apart from the occasional 2-3 day vacancy.

[chucky66]

The area I usually stay in is around soi 8 (I think) off beach road in central Pattaya.

The Flipper Lodge, Sunshine and the likes are all pretty much booked up until March, apart from the occasional 2-3 day vacancy.

This cant be right as I just had e-mails from Flipper and Sunshine today to say they had rooms but their prices were much higher than I had expected.

Edited January 12, 2006 by chucky66

[Simbo]

Normally Sukhumvit road is all packed out in the Bangkok direction all Sunday but yesterday afternoon it was virtually empty. We were most surprised!

I think Pattya is becoming more a place of retirement and less a place of holidaying. It just doesn't have much of the things most holiday seekers are looking for, otoh, it has some of the best expat infrastructure in Thailand.

This could be why they are doing all the pavements, in readiness for the influx of bathchairs. The shortage of rooms, could be because many are converting to old peoples homes. As we know, thats where the profit lies. Just look at Bournemouth and Eastbourne. I can just see a loads of bathchairs, being pushed along the beach promenade by sexy nurses with long legged kinky boots. Miami, eat your heart out.

Normally Sukhumvit road is all packed out in the Bangkok direction all Sunday but yesterday afternoon it was virtually empty. We were most surprised!

I think Pattya is becoming more a place of retirement and less a place of holidaying. It just doesn't have much of the things most holiday seekers are looking for, otoh, it has some of the best expat infrastructure in Thailand.

This could be why they are doing all the pavements, in readiness for the influx of bathchairs. The shortage of rooms, could be because many are converting to old peoples homes. As we know, thats where the profit lies. Just look at Bournemouth and Eastbourne. I can just see a loads of bathchairs, being pushed along the beach promenade by sexy nurses with long legged kinky boots. Miami, eat your heart out.

Thinking about it, I may have unwittingly hit on a winner there. Pity I have no money.

[mrbojangles]

The area I usually stay in is around soi 8 (I think) off beach road in central Pattaya.

The Flipper Lodge, Sunshine and the likes are all pretty much booked up until March, apart from the occasional 2-3 day vacancy.

This cant be right as I just had e-mails from Flipper and Sunshine today to say they had rooms but their prices were much higher than I had expected.

Well we walked into them both last week, wanting just one room for a couple of weeks and they told us "sorry, no have". Only in LOS eh The other Flipper (on Soi 7) had some, though they where for short period's before pre-bookings where due to arrive

[Gary74]

After Chinese New Year's which is at the end of January, everything will slow down again and by Mid-March it will be slow season again except at Songron which is April 13-19.