Bangkok Diaries – Part 3 (Living in Pattaya)

Living in Pattaya:

 

Dear Readers,

After my stay in Bangkok, we bid adieu to Pratunam on the third day and left for Pattaya.

How did we do that?

Transit from Bangkok to Pattaya:

Firstly, you can catch a flight to Pattaya which should cost you a minimum of 4000 THB for a journey that could last anything between 4.5-10 hours as there is a stopover included.

Secondly you could go by road which should cost you anything between 1200-1700 THB for a 2-2.5 hour journey depending on the traffic you get. The earlier you start, the better. Cabs are always ready for this and I insist you bargain as much as possible for this as the driver will quote nothing less than 2500-3000 THB on the first attempt.

Lastly you can go via a semi luxury air conditioned bus. This shall cost you 108 THB per ticket and will take you a maximum of 2.5-3 hours to get to Pattaya bus station. From Pratunam it takes a 2 km cab ride to get to Ekamai bus station. From Ekamai there are buses that leave for Pattaya every 30 minutes. The only thing you need to note is that for every person 1 big bag is allotted. If you have more than 1 big trolley/suitcase you have to pay 20 THB per bag. We went via the bus and the ride was really good.

Stay in Pattaya:

We were up at the Seashore Pattaya resort. They are located exactly opposite the world famous Alcazar show. The resort and its rooms were very decent. They have a swimming pool enough to accommodate over 30 people at once with a kiddie pool at one end. There’s a banquet hall where the food is served all day for those who have paid for it. There’s also an in house massage parlour and a store for the men and women to buy clothes both formal and casual. The beach is a 5-7 minute walk away from here. Overall, we paid a total of 4200 THB for 3 nights with breakfast for 3 people.

P.S – Like Bangkok, here too you only get the room tariff and food is not included. That happens for most of the places. For breakfast, you need to include it as an add on while making the payment.

 

 

Things to do in Pattaya:

I shall be listing down the things that we did in Pattaya.

Alcazar Show/ Tiffany’s Ladyboy Cabaret Show. There are 2 shows which are very famous in Pattaya; Alcazar and Tiffany’s. Hundreds of talented performers will be found here. They will be dressed in some amazing costumes and will entertain you with dance and comedy. It’s truly worth spending a couple of hours for these shows. The shows begin post 4pm onward and there are not more than 5 shows a day. It’s best to book your tickets in advance as with different tours arriving each and every day, the theater is always packed. Tickets range from 600 THB to 1500 THB per person.

Art in Paradise:

Truly I say to you, this is the mother of all surprises on our trip. The art gallery has over 10 different themes including over a 100 3-D art works on display. You can pose with funny expressions and be part of the pictures. This does bring back childhood memories when we would be ourselves and not care a damn. That’s the attitude you should carry for this place. Bring out the child in you. I have over 500 pictures in total of me and my parents posing for almost every picture. The ticket costs 500 THB per person and I assure you that you will take more than 2.5 hours inside for sure.

 

 

 

Underwater World:

The underwater world has a lot of variety of marine animals which would total over at least 2000 different animals. For those who have never been to any underwater aquarium, this would be a different experience. A ticket will cost you 500 THB if you book directly. My suggestion would be to check the different tour offices which are present in Pattaya on every street. We took the offer of 460 THB per person where we not only got the entry ticket but also got the pick and drop from our hotel.

Coral Island:

Firstly, if any of the above don’t interest you, it’s not a problem. But please do go to the beach. Catch the morning sunrise and also be there from 4.30pm onward. The color of the sea along with the sunset is worth every penny.

Secondly, the coral island tour is also something that you must not miss. There are different package deals with the most basic one being the Koh – Larn and Koh Sak Island tour with lunch (9am to 4pm). Here, the vehicle picks you up from the hotel, gets you to the starting point of the speed boat. The speed boat takes you to both the islands mentioned where lunch is served on Koh-Larn and post that you get an hour at the other island Koh-Sak. The water is blue and clean and we had a joyous time swimming.

Seawalking

The packages start from anywhere between 600-800 THB for this. Any water-sports like Parasailing + Snorkeling + Banana boat ride + Sea walking and jetski are available. If you want all of them, the costs can go upto 2500 THB. For few adventure sports, the costs shall vary. If you are in a bigger group like 5 and above, bargaining goes well. If less than 3, then getting a good rate gets tough.

These are the attractions we visited. However we did also want to try out a few more options like; The Sanctuary of Truth, Pattaya View Point, Ripley’s Believe it or Not, Big Buddha and many more. Visit this link for checking more such activies – Top 12 things to do in Pattaya 

Conclusion:

Pattaya is more for relaxation. For us Mumbaikars in simple definition, Bangkok is Mumbai and Pattaya is Goa. There are beaches, sea food, adventure sports, old structures and many more attractions to witness. My only advice to you would be to do all your shopping in Bangkok and not in Pattaya as it is on the costlier side. Overall, my stay here was very relaxing and I liked every moment.

Here are the links to my previous posts in this series:

Bangkok Diaries – Part 1 (Transport)

Bangkok Diaries -Part 2 (Living in Pratunam)

 

My next post in this series will be the last one.

I shall list a basic itinerary for staying in Bangkok and Pattaya… Stay tuned.

3 thoughts on “Bangkok Diaries – Part 3 (Living in Pattaya)”

  1. Pingback: Bangkok Diaries - Conclusion (Basic Itinerary) - Lance Quadras

What do you think about this article?

Scroll to Top