Thailand Guide
The east coast
Getting around
The densest glut of hotels, restaurants, bars and souvenir shops is halfway down Pattaya Beach Road, in Central Pattaya, but after dark the action moves to the neon zone south of Soi 13/2. Here, in South Pattaya, and specifically along ultra-sleazy Walking Street, sex is peddled in hundreds of go-go bars, discos, massage parlours and open-sided bar-beers. The gay district is also here, in the lanes known as Pattayaland sois 1, 2 and 3 (or Boyz Town). The quietest and least sleazy end of town to stay in is North Pattaya, between Central Pattaya Road and North Pattaya Road (Thanon Hat Pattaya Neua).
South around the headland from South Pattaya, Jomtien Beach (sometimes spelt Chom Tian) also flounders under an excess of bar-beers and shops flogging tacky souvenirs. The nicest stretch of sand is Dongtan Beach, beyond the northern end of Jomtien Beach Road: shady, and car-free between 10am and 5pm, it is Pattaya's main gay beach, though used by all.