For the old timers who've been here a while, do you think this city has grown and developed faster than most of the rest of the country? Or is it moving at about the same pace?

I would say its certainly the fastest growing weekend retreat for middleclass Bangkokians

Anything travelling downhill tends to increase in momentum, so yes Pattaya is certainly moving faster than other areas.

If you refer to the whole country: no question.

Its cancerous growth.

Even other fast growing areas can not compete.

From early visits and living in Thailand I can compare the development in upcountry since 1994 and Pattaya since 2004.

Even though there has been significant development in upcountry, there is no comparison to Pattaya.

Just reread title and post:

not only grown/developed but also changed faster (not to my pleasure).

Edited November 27, 201510 yr by KhunBENQ

Off topic post removed

PATTAYA is ranked 4th in new construction since 2012, behind, Bangkok, Phuket and Chaing mai

PATTAYA is ranked 4th in new construction since 2012, behind, Bangkok, Phuket and Chaing mai

A source would be nice, What numbers are used?

Absolute numbers?

It might be easy true that a megacity like Bangkok and a complete island like Phuket have more new construction sites than the fishing village on the bay

There are a lot of empty condos and shop houses around, but they keep building more.

There are a lot of empty condos and shop houses around, but they keep building more.

But it seems that most newly built condos and shops are being sold. How come??

There are a lot of empty condos and shop houses around, but they keep building more.

But it seems that most newly built condos and shops are being sold. How come??

Because Thais do not like buying secondhand properties.

I live in Chiang Mai, so my attitude is: Who cares?

I live in Chiang Mai, so my attitude is: Who cares?

Yet you cared enough to post

So my question is: why bother to respond?

I live in Chiang Mai, so my attitude is: Who cares?

Pattaya has great food, great weather (always a breeze), it's close to BK and the airport, the area has lots of (tourist) attractions (also for families), and it a bargain in terms of housing cost.

They have infrastructure problems (which has not kept up with with rapid growth), and heavy car traffic. But note that most of people complaining about bad traffic are driving cars themselves...

Edited November 28, 201510 yr by does

Pattaya is way over developed- too many hotels and condo's for the amount of people that come. There has been no central planning and the roads are also in bad shape. I would never buy in Pattaya but renting is fine and there are restaurants everywhere. Not my favorite place- but to each his own.

There are a lot of empty condos and shop houses around, but they keep building more.

But it seems that most newly built condos and shops are being sold. How come??

Same in BKK, harder to sell used or older Condos; Thais mostly want new, same as cars & bikes, second hand is not sought.

There are a lot of empty condos and shop houses around, but they keep building more.

But it seems that most newly built condos and shops are being sold. How come??

Same in BKK, harder to sell used or older Condos; Thais mostly want new, same as cars & bikes, second hand is not sought.

why is that do you know, i picked up on this recently with my gf as well when talking about these types of purchases, there is an empty house in here village which i reckon would be ideal to spend a bit on and fix up but she say no cannot samee no good… i ask why she say ghosts?? what is that all about?

They do not like second hand condos in case someone has died in them and the ghosts remain...

Be a lot of work in this country for the ghostbusters....

Edited November 28, 201510 yr by namatjira

There are a lot of empty condos and shop houses around, but they keep building more.

But it seems that most newly built condos and shops are being sold. How come??

Same in BKK, harder to sell used or older Condos; Thais mostly want new, same as cars & bikes, second hand is not sought.

why is that do you know, i picked up on this recently with my gf as well when talking about these types of purchases, there is an empty house in here village which i reckon would be ideal to spend a bit on and fix up but she say no cannot samee no good… i ask why she say ghosts?? what is that all about?

Thais are very superstitious & if someone has died or gotten v ill, believe it's bad karma, so won't have anything to do with it.

Often see vacant or derelict houses when out & about, for that reason.

I was in Pattaya as a young backpacker in 1974. It was one sleepy dusty street with a couple of bungalows here and there - so, yes, it is not recognizable in a mere 40 years.

In the past 3 years it has taken on the appearance of a blood clot trying to break through the scab of a working girls knees...

1969s Pattaya was absolutely the best place on earth to live.. Almost like comparing Heaven to Hell in my 2015 book.

Pattaya has great food, great weather (always a breeze), it's close to BK and the airport, the area has lots of (tourist) attractions (also for families), and it a bargain in terms of housing cost.

They have infrastructure problems (which has not kept up with with rapid growth), and heavy car traffic. But note that most of people complaining about bad traffic are driving cars themselves...

Has great food? I don't think so...very few decent restaurants. Weather is basically same as rest of Thailand. Close to BKK...yes. Tourist attractions...agree but not the type that families are interested in.

And let's face it, the beaches are pure crap. A week or less there for two times each year to enjoy nightlife that is definitely unique is enuf for me. Living there not an option.

Thais are very superstitious & if someone has died or gotten v ill, believe it's bad karma, so won't have anything to do with it.

Often see vacant or derelict houses when out & about, for that reason.

Hmm, I am far away from superstitious, but....

Two years ago, I've rented a house where the former owner (a foreigner) died of cancer.

These two years were the worst time in my live.

All my dogs got sick, two of my puppies died and I got sick with almost "everything", until I left TH for a holiday in EU.

Felt like "new born" after a couple of weeks.

Moved within a few weeks when I came back to to TH.

Call it coincidence, but...

Never again...

Edited November 28, 201510 yr by Turkleton

Have you tried the food in the Hard Rock Cafe or any of the 4/5 start restaurants? From Indian to Mexican, Pattaya has it all.

Thai weather the same everywhere? Have you been in Isaan in June when it's nearly 40 degrees and no wind?

Have you taken your children to Water World in in Bang Saray?

Agreed, the beaches in Pattaya aren't great (actually it's the water quality that's the problem). But if you want to swim, the rooftop pool at Mikes is fantastic.

What do you mean by "enjoying the night life"?

Pattaya has great food, great weather (always a breeze), it's close to BK and the airport, the area has lots of (tourist) attractions (also for families), and it a bargain in terms of housing cost.

They have infrastructure problems (which has not kept up with with rapid growth), and heavy car traffic. But note that most of people complaining about bad traffic are driving cars themselves...

Has great food? I don't think so...very few decent restaurants. Weather is basically same as rest of Thailand. Close to BKK...yes. Tourist attractions...agree but not the type that families are interested in.

And let's face it, the beaches are pure crap. A week or less there for two times each year to enjoy nightlife that is definitely unique is enuf for me. Living there not an option.

Have you tried the food in the Hard Rock Cafe or any of the 4/5 start restaurants? From Indian to Mexican, Pattaya has it all.

Thai weather the same everywhere? Have you been in Isaan in June when it's nearly 40 degrees and no wind?

Have you taken your children to Water World in in Bang Saray?

Agreed, the beaches in Pattaya aren't great (actually it's the water quality that's the problem). But if you want to swim, the rooftop pool at Mikes is fantastic.

What do you mean by "enjoying the night life"?

Pattaya has great food, great weather (always a breeze), it's close to BK and the airport, the area has lots of (tourist) attractions (also for families), and it a bargain in terms of housing cost.

They have infrastructure problems (which has not kept up with with rapid growth), and heavy car traffic. But note that most of people complaining about bad traffic are driving cars themselves...

Has great food? I don't think so...very few decent restaurants. Weather is basically same as rest of Thailand. Close to BKK...yes. Tourist attractions...agree but not the type that families are interested in.

And let's face it, the beaches are pure crap. A week or less there for two times each year to enjoy nightlife that is definitely unique is enuf for me. Living there not an option.

Hard Rock Cafe? You must be joking...simply heavily overpriced Western food, just like most 4/5 star Western restaurants. Sure, there are Indian and Mexican restaurants but you can find those in many places in LOS, and the ones in Pat are nothing special for sure. Even many of the Thai restaurants are nothing special.

I've been in Pat many times when it was hot as hell and no breeze so again I don't see how it is so different or special from much of Thailand.

Water World...no, never been there and doubt it would interest me...prefer the natural outdoors which Pat has none.

Why live near the beach if you can't enjoy it? I can find a pool (with a view) anywhere so there again nothing special about Pat.

Night life in Pat? Oh, I was mistaken...there is no night life in Pat. Geez.

I'll enjoy my short trips to Pat and then get out of town. Like another commentator said, Pat was heaven in 1969...and that was a long time ago.

Edited November 28, 201510 yr by morpho

pattaya is probably the fastest growing village-town-city worldwide, if you dont count state-planned cities in china.1982 it had maybe around 20 000 inhabitants.
second road was a dirt road, the only paved roads were beachroad, north, south pattaya and the road to the cliff beach hotel. all of jomtien was a few dirt roads, and very few buildings.
now pattaya has maybe 200.00 people, a 10-fold growth in 30 years, or 1000 % .now less trees, dirty beaches, but you have ko lahn , samed, sattahip, even wong amat, cosy beach or pinnacle kite beach is often quite clean.far more opportunities than bangkok for swimming, and equally opportunities for shopping, eating, entertainment.
i can easily imagine, in 50 years pattaya will be the capital of thailand, after 3 more huge floodings bangkok will disappear in the sea.there are still many places in thailand,that are almost unchanged in the last 30 years, ko payam, beaches south of huahin or south of surat thani, many islands. but evertime i come back to pattaya, and enjoy the sunset over ko lahn island on my balcony, i feel "at home".
home is, where you are happy,(willie nelson), and that always depends on yourself, not on a place.

A couple of photos I took from the Montien hotel in 1991.

Most of Pattaya was like that 20 plus years ago, a perfect clean family seaside town. So has it changed? Beyond all recognition I would say.

Pattaya has great food, great weather (always a breeze), it's close to BK and the airport, the area has lots of (tourist) attractions (also for families), and it a bargain in terms of housing cost.

They have infrastructure problems (which has not kept up with with rapid growth), and heavy car traffic. But note that most of people complaining about bad traffic are driving cars themselves...

OMB. Be careful posting anything positive about Sin City, the most maligned city in all of SEA lest you be branded someone who doesn't 'truly' know Pattaya.

Have you tried the food in the Hard Rock Cafe or any of the 4/5 start restaurants? From Indian to Mexican, Pattaya has it all.

Thai weather the same everywhere? Have you been in Isaan in June when it's nearly 40 degrees and no wind?

Have you taken your children to Water World in in Bang Saray?

Agreed, the beaches in Pattaya aren't great (actually it's the water quality that's the problem). But if you want to swim, the rooftop pool at Mikes is fantastic.

What do you mean by "enjoying the night life"?

Pattaya has great food, great weather (always a breeze), it's close to BK and the airport, the area has lots of (tourist) attractions (also for families), and it a bargain in terms of housing cost.

They have infrastructure problems (which has not kept up with with rapid growth), and heavy car traffic. But note that most of people complaining about bad traffic are driving cars themselves...

Has great food? I don't think so...very few decent restaurants. Weather is basically same as rest of Thailand. Close to BKK...yes. Tourist attractions...agree but not the type that families are interested in.

And let's face it, the beaches are pure crap. A week or less there for two times each year to enjoy nightlife that is definitely unique is enuf for me. Living there not an option.

Hard Rock Cafe? You must be joking...simply heavily overpriced Western food, just like most 4/5 star Western restaurants. Sure, there are Indian and Mexican restaurants but you can find those in many places in LOS, and the ones in Pat are nothing special for sure. Even many of the Thai restaurants are nothing special.

I've been in Pat many times when it was hot as hell and no breeze so again I don't see how it is so different or special from much of Thailand.

Water World...no, never been there and doubt it would interest me...prefer the natural outdoors which Pat has none.

Why live near the beach if you can't enjoy it? I can find a pool (with a view) anywhere so there again nothing special about Pat.

Night life in Pat? Oh, I was mistaken...there is no night life in Pat. Geez.

I'll enjoy my short trips to Pat and then get out of town. Like another commentator said, Pat was heaven in 1969...and that was a long time ago.

There's far more to Pattaya and the surrounding area than Beach Rd/Walking Street that's for sure.

Some amazing beaches & Thai restaurants a short drive away.

Same for natural, outdoorsy type stuff, once again just a short drive away. I don't think Pattaya is all doom and gloom.