Pattaya has a rather infamous ring to it and for that reason we also avoided visiting it during our past travels to Thailand and chose destinations like Krabi and Phuket instead, but this time around we decided to go to a beach side destination which not only is conveniently connected to Bangkok, but also has a few more tourist attractions apart from the usual Island hopping.

 

We did some research and zeroed down on Pattaya and when we reached there we were pleasantly surprised with what all this lovely city has to offer. There is definitely far more to Pattaya than just the free-flowing sleaze at the walking street. As many of you would know, we are based in Mumbai, so Thailand is a convenient holiday destination for us – a 4 hour direct flight and we chose to visit Pattaya this time on a long weekend as it was a quick and easy 1 hour 30 minutes drive from Bangkok 🙂

 

So, here’s what we did on our long weekend trip to Pattaya. If you’re planning a similar weekend trip with your partner or a short holiday with your friends or family, you can explore some of this activities too!

 

1. Check in to a Beach Resort

 

 

 

 

 

https://www.instagram.com/p/B2GSTT5FCx2/

 

Pattaya has a lovely scenery and a there are few great beach resorts to enjoy this scenery, Amari Pattaya being one of the best! We stayed here during our visit and simply loved it. It has a perfect setting for an incredible unwinding experience with great food, luxurious views, buzzing pool side and a soothing spa. You can read more about our experience at the Amari Pattaya HERE.

 

 

 

2. Visit the Pattaya View Point

 

 

Now we’ve already mentioned that Pattaya has a lovely scenery, so obviously we must now share with you the equally incredible viewpoints to enjoy this scenery 🙂 The Pattaya view point (also known as the Pratumnak Hill View point) offers a great vantage point to see the city’s shore line. The best time is to go around 5.30 pm and stay there till 7 PM and watch the city dazzle in lights as the sun goes down.

 

 

 

3. Visit the Big Buddha

 

 

 

Just a few minutes’ walk away from the Pattaya view point, this attraction is not to be missed. We reached there just after the sun set and were treated not only with very less crowd but also an incredible blue sky.

 

 

 

 

4. Chill at a Beer Garden

 

 

Errr, yes you read that right! Pattaya has a beer Garden 🙂 We concluded our first day with a round of local beer, delicious Thai food, an amazing view at the Pattaya Beer Garden and also got a bonus sneak peek into traditional Thai kick boxing, Muay Thai.

 

 

 

 

 

5. Visit Sanctuary of Truth

 

 

 

If you are to ever visit Pattaya, this is one place you shouldn’t miss out on. The awe-inspiring structure is one of its kind in the entire world. Its construction began in 1981 and it is still far from being complete, but it is this very rawness which makes it very interesting.

 

 

You will see craftsmen working on the timber planks, carving out amazing designs and bringing this whole fairytailish looking temple/castle to life. Apart from marvelling at this beautiful architecture there are cultural shows that one can enjoy or even take boat rides.

 

 

One thing which we didn’t particularly like about this place was the Elephant rides, it is just cruel and should absolutely be discouraged. So, whoever is planning on to go let’s just avoid taking those rides.

You can book the tickets HERE (Klook has the best price for these tickets)

 

 

 

 

6. Learn to Cook Thai Food

 

 

 

 

One can learn a lot about various cultures through their food, and what could be better than just eating traditional food?… Well, making it yourself ! 🙂 It doesn’t matter if you are a pro in the kitchen or not, this is one absolute must do when in Thailand. We enrolled ourselves into a Thai cooking class with very low expectation but it turned out to be one of the best activity we did. The food which we cooked was the tastiest food we had in Thailand. And ever since we are back from our holiday, our Saturday mornings go in hunting for Thai ingredients at the mall and the evenings cooking authentic Thai food for our friends. If there is one souvenir you need to bring back home it is this!

 

 

 

 

7. Enjoy at the Beach

 

 

 

There is no doubt that beaches in southern part of Thailand are far prettier than anywhere else in the country, but we honestly didn’t mind the Pattaya beach. Stricter rules have helped making Pattaya beach far cleaner than what it used to be. It might still not be the best place to take a dip in the water but surely is a great place to walk with sand in your feet and enjoy lovely sunsets. You can also hire a beach bed on an hourly basis and sip on fresh, cold coconut water while enjoying a foot massages!

 

 

Well that is all we could do during our short weekend trip to Pattaya, but trust us that is not all what this lovely city has to offer. You can also enjoy water sports at Ko Larn Island, a thrilling Go Kart experience, visiting a splendid Buddha monument carved on a mountain and learning about sustainable and ethical way of treating elephants at the Elephant Jungle Santuary … these are the things already in our to do list for our next trip to Pattaya.

 

 

So get over with the stereotypes about Pattaya that might have painted in your mind and include this wonderful city in your Thailand itinerary, trust us you won’t regret it.