What to do in Jomtien

[LuckyLew]

OK so it looks like we have our hotel sorted - Pinnacle Hotel in Jomtien

Now we need activities to do and to keep us busy

We will be there for 5 days and 4 nights

We are looking for ideas on what to do and what to see

I know there are a lot of day trips that can be organized

What do people suggesst

Lets say we need two trips outside the hotel grounds

Any recommendations on what we should see / do

The zoo? nice park / gardens

We are a party of 4 - 20 month old daughter, 30 yr old GF, 77 year old mother and myself

None of us has ever been on any tours in and around Jomtien, so all would be new and a first time

Also, any nice restaurants for a dinner out?

Thanks in advance

LL

[chakatee]

As you stay in Pinnacle, you wouldn't need to drive too far:

- Nong Nooch is probably a must. Probably the best maintained tourist attraction and with a nice cultural show, for first-timers a nice elephant show and so on. Even at tourist entrance prices still very good value for money. You will find plenty of stuff to do there to fill a whole day. Just let a taxi drop you off there if you ain't got your own transport.

- Floating Market and Mimosa both very nearby. Both probably good enough for half a day each. Can easily be done with baht buses alone Sukhumvit.

- Wat Jan, Chinese Temple, Bhudda Mountain, Silverlake and Wonderfarm (all 5 in each others' proximity) not far from Pinnacle. Very easy to have a full day on that. Best to either rent a taxi with driver for all day, rent a car and drive yourself or (if granny dares to) 2 motorcycles (you only need to get safely across Sukhumvit, the rest is nice and fairly safe road on the east side).

- If you want additionally some cultural show in the evening, Alangkarn ain't too far but you'll need to check from other posters / review sites if this is / is not value for money as I haven't been there since many years now.

You will not even need to enter the city center of Pattaya / Jomtien to have a great time there.

Restaurants nearby: there's Pan Pan, an Italian restaurant / the Glass House on the beach / Coco Club a little further in the back (east side) / good restaurants near Silverlake / on the beach in Ban Amphur ... too many for 5 days / 4 nights.

You will not be disappointed with you stay there.

As a side note I think that also Pinnacle is probably good value for money.

[KhunBENQ]

- Floating Market and Mimosa both very nearby. Both probably good enough for half a day each. Can easily be done with baht buses alone Sukhumvit.

Mimosa seemed to entertain my Thai family quite well.

In the evening its worth visiting the "night market" between Soi 9 and 8 (opposite the beach volleyball court at the beach).

A good stroll for shopping and many food stalls which Thais will like (probably take out to the room).

Depending on where your family comes from they probably be keen on fresh seafood (no pizza please ).

Again dependent where the family lives/comes from:

an excursion to Pattaya will be a must (can be done during daytime), shopping, shopping, Central Shopping, watch all those strange farangs

Boat trip to Ko Lan (island)?

[ThailandLOS]

As you stay in Pinnacle, you wouldn't need to drive too far:

- Nong Nooch is probably a must. Probably the best maintained tourist attraction and with a nice cultural show, for first-timers a nice elephant show and so on. Even at tourist entrance prices still very good value for money. You will find plenty of stuff to do there to fill a whole day. Just let a taxi drop you off there if you ain't got your own transport.

- Floating Market and Mimosa both very nearby. Both probably good enough for half a day each. Can easily be done with baht buses alone Sukhumvit.

- Wat Jan, Chinese Temple, Bhudda Mountain, Silverlake and Wonderfarm (all 5 in each others' proximity) not far from Pinnacle. Very easy to have a full day on that. Best to either rent a taxi with driver for all day, rent a car and drive yourself or (if granny dares to) 2 motorcycles (you only need to get safely across Sukhumvit, the rest is nice and fairly safe road on the east side).

- If you want additionally some cultural show in the evening, Alangkarn ain't too far but you'll need to check from other posters / review sites if this is / is not value for money as I haven't been there since many years now.

You will not even need to enter the city center of Pattaya / Jomtien to have a great time there.

Restaurants nearby: there's Pan Pan, an Italian restaurant / the Glass House on the beach / Coco Club a little further in the back (east side) / good restaurants near Silverlake / on the beach in Ban Amphur ... too many for 5 days / 4 nights.

You will not be disappointed with you stay there.

As a side note I think that also Pinnacle is probably good value for money.

Agree on the attractions, but replace Pan Pan with either La Bocca or Gian's if you want good italian food.

A visit to the Buddha mountain and the radio station view point on Pratamnak is also recommended. Can be combined with a decent meal at one of the resorts nearby.

The italian restaurant across from Silver Lake is also recommended.

[siam2007]

ah, see you again here...... great you have chosen the PINNACLE !

ENJOY ;-)

[BoneRanger]

I think you should rent a car or hire a driver to get the most out of the trip.

Drive down to Bang Saray (30 minutes)for some seafood and see a nice tranquil beach town.

On that same trip, you could see that Buddha Mountain, cruise a bit furthur to stop at scenic SilverLake Winery, then over to that huge Chinese Temple on the way.

At that temple, buy some bread and feed the fish in the lake.

A trip up to see the Buddha on the hill overlooking Pattaya Bay is nice The girlfriend can show mom how to make an offering up there too. The monk will spay some holy water and tie a string on the arm. On that hill hop over to Cabbages and Condoms for a meal. Then hop over to Cosy Beach and have coffee/dessert at Twins Cafe. Nice atmosphere in that area overlooking the ocean.

Agree on staying away from Pan Pan Italian. It's OK but they charged me for bread! Italians always give you bread, no charge.

It's not the money, but shows they are greedy. Not nice.

LaBocca & Gians are great.

I usually go to LaMerenda, on Second Rd. 100 meters away from Soi 7. Not as fancy and not air conditioned but something nice about the food and family there. And he make the bread fresh. Nice.

PM me if you want to know my secret Thai Seafood place.

[pegman]

Where are you from or what ethnic food do you like?

[LuckyLew]

Thanks for the great reply

Myself and mother are British, but I was raised in Canada

Any good Thai food restaurants near the pinnacle?

1- Noong Nooch looks like a nice garden place to take the mother and a good palce to let the daughter run run and run some more

2- Buddha mountain ... might sound silly ... but geetting to the buddha on the mountain, would this involve climbing a long walk up stairs?

I have had to walk up to a few in Thailand and it was tough on me and would not want Grandma to do it in the heat

a link to a web site for this one would be appreciated

3- Mimosa looks nice a colorful, would this be good for kids. Looked at the web site but cannot get a good grasp for it

what happens there? what is in all those colorful buildings?

4- The floating market that appears to be smack in the middle of Jomtien, is it open 7 days a weeks?

Thanks for all the great help

LL

[masuk]

As you stay in Pinnacle, you wouldn't need to drive too far:

- Nong Nooch is probably a must. Probably the best maintained tourist attraction and with a nice cultural show, for first-timers a nice elephant show and so on. Even at tourist entrance prices still very good value for money. You will find plenty of stuff to do there to fill a whole day. Just let a taxi drop you off there if you ain't got your own transport.

- Floating Market and Mimosa both very nearby. Both probably good enough for half a day each. Can easily be done with baht buses alone Sukhumvit.

- Wat Jan, Chinese Temple, Bhudda Mountain, Silverlake and Wonderfarm (all 5 in each others' proximity) not far from Pinnacle. Very easy to have a full day on that. Best to either rent a taxi with driver for all day, rent a car and drive yourself or (if granny dares to) 2 motorcycles (you only need to get safely across Sukhumvit, the rest is nice and fairly safe road on the east side).

- If you want additionally some cultural show in the evening, Alangkarn ain't too far but you'll need to check from other posters / review sites if this is / is not value for money as I haven't been there since many years now.

You will not even need to enter the city center of Pattaya / Jomtien to have a great time there.

Restaurants nearby: there's Pan Pan, an Italian restaurant / the Glass House on the beach / Coco Club a little further in the back (east side) / good restaurants near Silverlake / on the beach in Ban Amphur ... too many for 5 days / 4 nights.

You will not be disappointed with you stay there.

As a side note I think that also Pinnacle is probably good value for money.

Agree with all these suggestions: How about the all-timber temple. or is that the wat you've mentioned? It's an amazing building.

Also the Chinese/Thai museum a bit out of town. Some amazing works of art and life-size statues etc. Anyone know the name?

Certainly nothing much to see in the town centre, unless one enjoys walking around shopping malls.

[petercool]

Troll post removed.

[Swamp Thing]

How about the all-timber temple. It's an amazing building.

Also the Chinese/Thai museum a bit out of town. Some amazing works of art and life-size statues etc. Anyone know the name?

The all-timber temple is well worth a visit. Some excellent carvings. It's called The Sanctuary of Truth.

http://www.sanctuaryoftruth.com/

I also agree on the Chinese/Thai museum being put on your list. It's one of my favourite museums.

It's called;

Anek Kuson Sala (Viharna Sien)

Address: Na Jomtien Km 160, Sukhumvit Road, Pattaya.

Local name อเนกกุศลศาลา (วิหารเซียน)

Local address นาจอมเทียน กม.ที่ 160 ถ. สุขุมวิท

[guzzi850m2]

Thanks for the great reply

Myself and mother are British, but I was raised in Canada

Any good Thai food restaurants near the pinnacle?

1- Noong Nooch looks like a nice garden place to take the mother and a good palce to let the daughter run run and run some more

2- Buddha mountain ... might sound silly ... but geetting to the buddha on the mountain, would this involve climbing a long walk up stairs?

I have had to walk up to a few in Thailand and it was tough on me and would not want Grandma to do it in the heat

a link to a web site for this one would be appreciated

3- Mimosa looks nice a colorful, would this be good for kids. Looked at the web site but cannot get a good grasp for it

what happens there? what is in all those colorful buildings?

4- The floating market that appears to be smack in the middle of Jomtien, is it open 7 days a weeks?

Thanks for all the great help

LL

1= very nice

2= okay if you got your own wheels but hardly worth spending a taxi ride on.

3= tourist trap, sells souvenirs in the different building, some are restaurants

4= tourist trap, as no3, not worth spending any time in there.

Go see sanctuary of truth (the big wooden temple is awesome), located in north pattaya. as poster masuk mentioned but maybe not so interesting for small kids.

Khao Kheow Open Zoo is very good for the kids too but far away, maybe check the price for a group tour.

Closer to Pattaya is the one million stone park, basically a park and a zoo where you can see elephant/crocodile show or just walk around. They have a lake filled with many crocks and you can walk out and look at them on a sturdy wooden bridge, some of the crocks are huge man.

[sfokevin]

Take a songtow all the way to the end of Jomtien road one evening and there a a couple Thai seafood restaurants that have tables right on the waterfront ;-)

[balo]

I agree on the thai seafood restaurants , you have to take a baht bus all the way up to Na Jomtien beach . Not so many touists there and best seafood in this area.

[BoneRanger]

Take a songtow all the way to the end of Jomtien road one evening and there a a couple Thai seafood restaurants that have tables right on the waterfront ;-)

That's pretty charming. Next to the beach is hard to beat. Can be windy sometimes. Easy access though.

The Glass House on the beach mentioned earlier is special. (you need a car). Nice atmosphere. A bit expensive and hi so but casual on the beach.

Also very impressive in that same area is Rimpa Lapin. Very cool scene happening up there. Food, creative architecture, views.

Really awesome. Memorable evening. Need reservations.

[lcp0761]

All the below responses cite adequately activities in the Jomtien area to do.

I recommend you don't rent a taxi but you use available baht bus (songtail) to get transported around the region. Other than for activities outside of the Pattaya area.

Cost is $20 Baht per person to get to Pattaya; shorter distance it drops down to $10 Baht.

Using the songtail allows users to partake in local transportation. It's regular, it's easy and it's safe.

[pegman]

Also from Canada. Seems your hotel is in the next municipality, Na Jomtien, which is south of Jomtien. Not too much around there other than resorts and hi-rise condos as far as I know. With a young child and older lady it would be best I think to take a metered taxis to get around from there. Expensive for here but cheap compared to back home. Jomtien has a long beach, about 5km long, which your child may enjoy playing in the sand at. Get dropped off around Soi 1 which is busier and has plenty of street shopping and restaurants. Chairs on the beach are 30baht each and refreshments or food can be ordered. Seadoos and parasailing there also. Frasers on Thappraya has good western and thai food. A really good bbq on Sundays with supervised children's area. Pattaya Park in Jomtien has a 50+ floor revolving tower with great view but lousy food. The elephant village may also interest you. They arranged for hotel pickup. SofT as stated in north pattaya is worthwhile. Leave mom and child in one nite and do a a Walking Street stroll to check out the fuss.

[ggt]

Take them to the beach...have one of the many roving massage ladies take care of your ladies...while they are preoccupied...scurry off to soy 6 on Jomtien Beach Road...right across from the beach...pick out a lady lovely...and enjoy a massage soi 6 style...you will not be disappointed...

[londoedan]

All the below responses cite adequately activities in the Jomtien area to do.

I recommend you don't rent a taxi but you use available baht bus (songtail) to get transported around the region. Other than for activities outside of the Pattaya area.

Cost is $20 Baht per person to get to Pattaya; shorter distance it drops down to $10 Baht.

Using the songtail allows users to partake in local transportation. It's regular, it's easy and it's safe.

It's 10 baht to get to Pattaya from Jomtien. Don't pay a penny more.

[LuckyLew]

Sanctuary of truth looks and sounds good but is way back in naklua so will give it a miss this trip

Seems there is more than anough to keep us busy for a few days closer to and in Jomtien

Yes the flaoting market will probably be a tourist trap bbut Mommy say she wants to go to one

so if we cannto hit the one up near Ramkamhaeng 140 then the one in Jomtien will do.

Looks like we have a lot to choose from for restaurants for evening meals which is nice, give a

good choice and selection for Mommy to pick from, personally I like the idea of eating along the beach.

Reckon we will spend an afternoon at the Pattaya Resort water park as well, went there before, not much

to it, but is a good splash about for our daughter.

For transpoartation we will just have to play it by ear, no sure how excited Mommy will be about the Songtaews,

but it makes me smile and laugh at the thought of en elderly lady climbing in the back of a pick up truck to get

from point A to point B.v To make outing easier we might just book a couple tours at the hotel if they have a tour

desk, might be more expensive but you only live once and with transpo. included it is worth it for ease and comfort

Pattaya is out as there is nothing really there for us to see and do, GF might want the big mall but she can shop

when in Bangkok

Thanks to all for the great informmation

Now we are all looking forward to the arrival of out daughters grandmother ... should be a great time

at least we can say we have got a good list of options to keep us all occupied and happy

[chakatee]

Post us some pics when Da Mommy's hopping on a MoSai Taxi

Note: no climbing for the Buddha mountain. In itself it ain't much either, just worth a picture and that's basically it, but it is right adjacent to Silverlake (for the whole family) with the nice Italian restaurant which another poster mentioned, few hundred meters away there's Wonder Farm, another nice place to have a cup of coffee while the daughter's feeding the rabbits and a few hundred meters more there's the Thai/Chinese museum (for you and the wifey), the daughter can feed the catfish and Da Mommy can stay with her favorite MoSai Taxi driver for a few moments ;-)

Sanctuary of truth looks and sounds good but is way back in naklua so will give it a miss this trip

Seems there is more than anough to keep us busy for a few days closer to and in Jomtien

Yes the flaoting market will probably be a tourist trap bbut Mommy say she wants to go to one

so if we cannto hit the one up near Ramkamhaeng 140 then the one in Jomtien will do.

Looks like we have a lot to choose from for restaurants for evening meals which is nice, give a

good choice and selection for Mommy to pick from, personally I like the idea of eating along the beach.

Reckon we will spend an afternoon at the Pattaya Resort water park as well, went there before, not much

to it, but is a good splash about for our daughter.

For transpoartation we will just have to play it by ear, no sure how excited Mommy will be about the Songtaews,

but it makes me smile and laugh at the thought of en elderly lady climbing in the back of a pick up truck to get

from point A to point B.v To make outing easier we might just book a couple tours at the hotel if they have a tour

desk, might be more expensive but you only live once and with transpo. included it is worth it for ease and comfort

Pattaya is out as there is nothing really there for us to see and do, GF might want the big mall but she can shop

when in Bangkok

Thanks to all for the great informmation

Now we are all looking forward to the arrival of out daughters grandmother ... should be a great time

at least we can say we have got a good list of options to keep us all occupied and happy

[maimeepom]

A lot of good suggestions contributed already.

I generally take Thai families to lunch, at the sea food restaurants at the south end of Jomtien beach. Avoid weekends when numerous coach parties show up.

For a romantic evening, the lush beachside resort of "Cabbages and Condoms" fits the bill. It was set up by Khun Meechai to finance HIV charities.

It is situated at the bottom of Pratumak Hill. thor 038 250557

[steven100]

Nothing ..... there's nothing to do in Jomtien ....

[lor]

Colosseum on Thepresit Road is also a great night out. Lady Boy Cabaret show on stage but very good and family friendly.

Don't pay at the door! Over 1,000 baht for farang. Instead do internet search for "Cheapest Colosseum Tickets Pattaya" If you book about 48 hours in advance you can get the most expensive VIP seats for about 320 baht each. Done it many times with friends.

Chris

[Dannyboy666]

Nothing ..... there's nothing to do in Jomtien ....

. You can watch The Russians pack up and Leave...

[MrY]

Take a songtow all the way to the end of Jomtien road one evening and there a a couple Thai seafood restaurants that have tables right on the waterfront ;-)

I agree on the thai seafood restaurants , you have to take a baht bus all the way up to Na Jomtien beach . Not so many touists there and best seafood in this area.

The best one on the beach is called Pupen Seafood. The name is in Thai, but a giant crab in front marks the spot. It's 100m before the southern end of Jomtien beach road.

Walk down to the beach from the Pinnacle and 100m to the right is one of our favorite daytime hangouts, Drifters Cafe. A little Aussie run place with great pizzas [from a real pizza oven], cocktails and a relaxing atmosphere.

Glass House nearby is of course worth a visit, just don't expect the food to quite match the surroundings (great drinks though). Some of our friends love it, some refuse to go. Let me know what you thought.

About a mile south is Seaview (Na Jomtien Soi 14), another good to excellent seafood restaurant. It's a bigger place and you can choose between proper tables and the beach setup.

Enjoy.

[champers]

Did Silverlake, Bhudda Mountain, Thai/Chinese temple, large pagoda type temple and Mimosa recently - all in one day. Mimosa was dead during the day and I reckon it must come to life at night. The rest are more for grown-ups but petting farms are also nearby and would be ideal for the little 'uns.

[LuckyLew]

Take a songtow all the way to the end of Jomtien road one evening and there a a couple Thai seafood restaurants that have tables right on the waterfront ;-)

I agree on the thai seafood restaurants , you have to take a baht bus all the way up to Na Jomtien beach . Not so many touists there and best seafood in this area.

The best one on the beach is called Pupen Seafood. The name is in Thai, but a giant crab in front marks the spot. It's 100m before the southern end of Jomtien beach road.

My GF has actually been to PuPen and every time we goo to Pattaya shoe goes on about it

So I think now that we are going to Jomtien, we will have to pack up and hop on a songtaew and go to PuPen

[kimchibob]

http://www.pattaya-hotels.com/excursions-in-pattaya.html

[petercool]

Flame post removed