How is Pattaya these days?

[JerryinTH]

The last time I lived in Pattaya was when the 'russian invasion' happened. Shortly before they left, I moved back to Bangkok. 

How is it these days? I am not looking for nightlife but more for a normal family life. I know it's impossible to avoid the trade, but it doesn't bother me. 

Is it safe for a family to relocate or is it just as much trouble as it used to be? 

 

Same old ""police check"" in front of soi 9, same old crazy drivers etc? 

 

Looking for a nice place near the beach and pattaya was offering that back in the day in Naklua, which was a bit away from walking street and all that kind of stuff. 

Happily married and all I really need is a decent condo, gym, beach and some relaxed restaurants. Nothing fancy but something by the beach with some relaxed music like they used to be on Jomtien road, until they started to come with their pick-ups and blast music all night long. 

 

Any input is welcome. What area to move to, how is the corruption these days and all that.. I know everyone has a different opinion, but I never really got into trouble besides a car accident in Pattaya and don't hang around Beach Road or Walking Street. 

We'd like to make it our nice beach resort the government tells us it is  

[newnative]

You can largely and easily avoid 'the trade'--just stay off Walking Street, Soi 6, and a few other places. There are many, me included, who live a nice life in Pattaya away from the bars.  Harbor Mall has opened, very family-oriented with lots for kids and it will have an ice skating rink.  Several new waterparks.  Terminal 21 is under construction in north Pattaya--if you buy in Naklua where several new, nice condos are you will be nearby it.  A lot of the flimsy and tacky is being torn down and replaced by nicer--restaurants, boutique hotels, entertainments, etc.   Big C North Pattaya is being totally re-done and an Asiatique is suppose to be on the horizon near the Imperial Hotel.   Traffic can still be bad but nothing like Bangkok's--and most things aren't too far away in the first place.  Good hospitals still here and Bangkok Hospital has opened a clinic in Jomtien.  Some wonderful new restaurants springing up--including The Chocolate Factory and several restaurants next door to it by Cosy Beach.  Some beautiful new condos have opened--Reflection, Cetus, Unixx, The Base, Amari, Peak Tower, Centric Sea, Zire, The Palm, and others--all with great amenities. Lots of nice housing developments like Silk Road if you prefer a house  Come take a look.

[Peterw42]

I live at Jomtiem, a pretty good normal life, not unlike other areas I have lived in Thailand. Besides walking St, Soi 6 etc, I dont see any great difference from other Thai places that have a western/tourist population.

I still havnt woken up in a bath full of ice, missing a kidney

[Suradit69]

52 minutes ago, newnative said:

You can largely and easily avoid 'the trade'--just stay off Walking Street, Soi 6, and a few other places. There are many, me included, who live a nice life in Pattaya away from the bars.  Harbor Mall has opened, very family-oriented with lots for kids and it will have an ice skating rink.  Several new waterparks.  Terminal 21 is under construction in north Pattaya--if you buy in Naklua where several new, nice condos are you will be nearby it.  A lot of the flimsy and tacky is being torn down and replaced by nicer--restaurants, boutique hotels, entertainments, etc.   Big C North Pattaya is being totally re-done and an Asiatique is suppose to be on the horizon near the Imperial Hotel.   Traffic can still be bad but nothing like Bangkok's--and most things aren't too far away in the first place.  Good hospitals still here and Bangkok Hospital has opened a clinic in Jomtien.  Some wonderful new restaurants springing up--including The Chocolate Factory and several restaurants next door to it by Cosy Beach.  Some beautiful new condos have opened--Reflection, Cetus, Unixx, The Base, Amari, Peak Tower, Centric Sea, Zire, The Palm, and others--all with great amenities. Lots of nice housing developments like Silk Road if you prefer a house  Come take a look.

 

" There are many, me included, who live a nice life in Pattaya away from the bars. "

 

Amen. Unless you intentionally visit those areas you can lead a life largely unaware of the seedy side of Pattaya

Always surprising that the Pattaya bashers who claim they would never come here seem to have an extensive knowledge of only the least salubrious locations.

[JerryinTH]

Reflection in Jomtien caught my attention. Lived in Naklua before but Reflection seems to be really nice. Is it 100% completed and everything is working properly? 

It's at the very end of Jomtien if I remember. Did they ever finish the road on that end where the seafood restaurant was/is ? 

 

[OMGImInPattaya]

It's been very hot and humid the past few days.

[Guderian]

How is Pattaya these days?

 

 

Same same, but different.

[newnative]

I'm living at the other end of town so I'll let some one else answer your Reflection questions.

[JerryinTH]

I just checked on Reflection. Seems to be finished but only 1-2 BR units for rent. Any newer development like reflection with 3+ bedrooms anyone can recommend? Same quality like Northpoint, Reflection and such buildings. No ghost buildings please. 

Well maintained, good quality, good security, ocean front. 

[mcfish]

Hop on a bus and spend weekends there having a look maybe?

 

Jomtien is brilliant for families

Edited September 4, 2016 by mcfish

[DMC1]

Quote 'Jomtien road, until they started to come with their pick-ups and blast music all night long.'

I still see this sometimes on my morning bike rides down Jomtien Beach road. Usually drunk Thais parked up and blasting the music out and carrying on the party.

 

[johng]

8 minutes ago, DMC1 said:

Thais parked up and blasting the music out and carrying on the party.

 

The signs don't help then...

 

 

1 hour ago, JerryinTH said:

Did they ever finish the road on that end where the seafood restaurant was/is ? 

 

Yes now you can  turn left at the restaurant and then right and carry on straight to  a T junction   turn left and emerge at the  Wat Na Jomtien  traffic lights  on Sukhumvit road  just before the Alankarn theatre.

 

[williamgeorgeallen]

1 hour ago, Peterw42 said:

I live at Jomtiem, a pretty good normal life, not unlike other areas I have lived in Thailand. Besides walking St, Soi 6 etc, I dont see any great difference from other Thai places that have a western/tourist population.

I still havnt woken up in a bath full of ice, missing a kidney

jomtien is a great spot but i would not swim in the ocean any more. back to nz to finish the kids schooling. think i will move to hua hin after that.

[OMGImInPattaya]

3 minutes ago, johng said:

 

The signs don't help then...

 

 

 

Yes now you can  turn left at the restaurant and then right and carry on straight to  a T junction   turn left and emerge at the  Wat Na Jomtien  traffic lights  on Sukhumvit road  just before the Alankarn theatre.

 

Like most things...it's in the details. In this case, the decibel level of what's "blaring" for Thais and foreigners is probably different.

[williamgeorgeallen]

28 minutes ago, JerryinTH said:

I just checked on Reflection. Seems to be finished but only 1-2 BR units for rent. Any newer development like reflection with 3+ bedrooms anyone can recommend? Same quality like Northpoint, Reflection and such buildings. No ghost buildings please. 

Well maintained, good quality, good security, ocean front. 

try cetus. pretty nice development on jomtien.

[Thaidream]

Pattaya itself is simply a miniaturized Bangkok. the traffic and pollution are in both places as well as the pleasures and irritants.  The best places for a family are on the dark side further down the Sukhumvit Road in some of the newer housing estates or even down in the Sattahip area.  the traffic is better; the cost is less; and the air is cleaner. The only downside is that one must have a car/truck to get around as the local transportation is not as convenient as in Pattaya itself.

Pattaya is changing- the bar scene will soon get smaller and smaller as more Westerners leave and Western tourists decline. The Chinese and  Thai visitors from Bangkok will make up the difference but they go in for shopping; restaurants; and the water. That is why you see more malls; Terminal 21; and restaurants catering to Asians on the rise.

[Rimmer]

A troll post and reply has been removed

[Deepinthailand]

Pattaya is like any large city in the world there's good and bad. Like any large city there's anything you want on tap which includes quite non scene areas.

You mentioned I belive you have visited before so will know the areas and which are quite and which are not. I stayed in Naklua lovley quite area with everything needed on the doorstep. As then I had no family if I wished I could hop on a bht buss to the night life. Pattaya is not the dirty hell hole a lot on here would have people belive again you will know this having been there before. I now live in issan, would I move back to Pattaya with my family now NO. Why because I am happy and content where I am plus the Mrs (thai) says Pattaya and BKK for that matter  is a dirty hell hole!!! Go figure. Good luck hope you find what your looking for.

[DSJPC]

thinking of moving back to Pattaya for a "normal family life"???...get real!

[Jip99]

11 minutes ago, DSJPC said:

thinking of moving back to Pattaya for a "normal family life"???...get real!

 

 

 

 

You clearly don't know, or understand, Pattaya!

[WaywardWind]

5 hours ago, JerryinTH said:

I just checked on Reflection. Seems to be finished but only 1-2 BR units for rent. Any newer development like reflection with 3+ bedrooms anyone can recommend? Same quality like Northpoint, Reflection and such buildings. No ghost buildings please. 

Well maintained, good quality, good security, ocean front. 

We live in Park Beach Condo on Soi Naklua 16. Older building, well maintained, excellent maintenance and housekeeping staff right on the beach, newly renovated pool, nice pub and a coffee shop in the lobby, small in-house free gym as well as Tony's gym right across the street. Quiet location.

 

It appears that there are a couple of 3 bedroom ocean facing units for rent, depending on your budget.

[impulse]

Like a lot of life, Pattaya's as good as you want it to be.

 

Sadly, it seems to suck for a lot of people.

[chicowoodduck]

I see the ugly side of Pattaya on most mornings and during most days....always in awe that after almost 14 years still hanging in there....sort of wears on you after a brief period and one becomes numb.....been the BKK route and that was worse by a country mile....getting close to shifting gears as the noise and constant traffics drives me nuts....?

[spetersen]

Pattaya is just what it was a few years ago, but to much road construction is going on with absolute no planning what so ever, and they are building shop houses and small villas like there is no end of demand from presumtive buyers. Just look around and you will see thousand of units unsold... even in the central of the city. IT'S NOT SO GOOD

[alofthailand]

Pratumnak Hill area.

[KittenKong]

Reflections is finished as is the road from there down to the seafood restaurants. I would be surprised if there were no 3-bed units for rent there as it seems to be completely deserted whenever I go past. In theory there should be no noise from the boom-boom trucks there, but there are a couple of nearby up-market open-air drinking places that I would be wary of. Check out the units at night before signing a long contract.

 

Cetus is very close to the boom-boom truck area so I would also be very cautious there and check it out thoroughly at night before signing. I dont like the location of the ground floor pool but apart from that it's OK. I looked at a 1-bed unit there near the very top of the building and was very taken with the view.

 

For me most of Naklua and Wong Amat is just too built up to be nice. Far too many tall thin condo buildings packed in there, though on the plus side I dont think there are boom-boom trucks and it is convenient for North and Central Pattaya once you have got through the traffic near Naklua Road.

[tomyumchai]

Ive got everything you asked for at naklua, right on the beach, no loud music at night, no cars driving past the condo and not too many residents.the management is very good. Im just waiting to hear if my current tenants want it for a 3rd year. And its very reasonably priced.

[jacko45k]

If you were in Jomtiem you probably felt the Russian invasion more than anywhere.

 

We have a lot of Chinese tourists now, along with the damned large coaches that ferry them around, and no saying the Russians won't return. Pattaya adapts.

Of course it is safe, a matter of avoiding particular areas late and not wandering around with obvious gold on you.

Plenty of areas slightly out of town would suit you, although near the beach is a premium. There is also a good buyers market in condos, but I worry you will be looking for a larger one in a prime area, those still command good prices. A house say 10km out of town might be a good option.

 

You will never get away from corruption, but why not try a 4-5 days break with the family.

[JerryinTH]

Thanks for all the input. We look at Northpoint again (where we used to live) and Zire which is right next to it. Might even just go with a 2br unit since it's more like a getaway place to escape Bangkok on the weekends or for a few  days here and there. 

 

[Keesters]

19 hours ago, OMGImInPattaya said:

Like most things...it's in the details. In this case, the decibel level of what's "blaring" for Thais and foreigners is probably different.

 

Anything from 10dB below that of a Harley Davidson gets to me.