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Pattaya is 147 kilometes south-east of Bangkok, and faces the
Gulf of Thailand.
Fifty years ago Pattaya was a sleepy little fishing village, dwarfed by her
neighbors-to the North, Naklua, to the South, Rayong. Its only claim to fame
being that it had, in the 13th century, been a resting place for the battle
forces of the great King Narai during his campaign to oust the Burmese
invaders. From that overnight bivouac, Pattaya derives its name. Then came
the Vietnam war and incursion of more benign foreign troops. Thailand
supported the Americans efforts in the area by providing bases, manned by
thousands of young Americans requiring rest and recreation. This can be
considered as the birth of Pattaya as a tourist resort. After the GIs had
left, Pattaya continued to grow in popularity at such a rate with both Thai
and foreign tourists and thus, with and ever-increasing influx of visitors
and residents from the burgeoning surrounding industrial estates, she
developed into what she is today.
Although branded by occidentals with an infamous reputation because of
prostitution, which brought a for a while a decrease in tourist
frequentation, to the benefit of Phuket and Koh Samui, Pattaya is now
regaining its popularity, first because of its cheap hotel prices, compared
to Phuket and Samui, but also because people realized that there is much
more to it. It is a very pleasant and friendly city, with well organized
beaches. Theme and amusement parks, offbeat museums and lush botanical
gardens offer numerous forms of leisure activities and cultural
entertainment for all family members. And after dark, Pattaya offers all the
allure and magic of a truly vibrant nightlife with a spectacular variety of
restaurants, night clubs, bars, discotheques, cocktail lounges and cabarets.
Pattaya can be brash, bold, beautiful and bucolic, and offers everything an
authentic international beach resort can.
For those who like discotheques, we recommend the "STAR
DICE", next to Pattaya Garden hotel (see below). This is a typical Thai
discotheque, which means it does not have a big dance-floor, since people
dance around the tables. It has a good clientele, mostly Thai, but also
tourists, and excellent live bands and singers, some of them local stars.
Besides getting in the real modern Thai way of life, you will discover and
really enjoy the dynamism and quality of these amazing young Thai artists.
HOTELS
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