Pattaya Thailand Travel Guide - Tours & Hotels

List of Pattaya Hotels Resort

 Pattaya Information

Pattaya is a popular resort on the North Gulf Coast of Eastern Thailand, 150 km south-east of Bangkok. Most famous for its go-go and beer bars, it's also one of Thailand's best locations for all manner of sports and activities. Some of the beaches are lacklustre (by Thailand's high standards) and rampant over-development has long since destroyed any natural charms it once had, but its plethora of hotels and guesthouses and convenient location with quick and easy access from the capital make it a popular weekend getaway. Catering for over 5 million tourists yearly, Pattaya is also able to offer an excellent range of eating choices and a wide variety of things to do and see.

Pattaya's name was originally Thap Phraya, meaning Army of the Phraya - commemorating the surrender of Nai Klom's army to that of Phraya Tak (later King Taksin the Great), without a fight. Thap Phraya became Phatthaya (the name of the north-easterly wind at the beginning of the rainy season), and then Phatthaya (the true phonetic spelling).

Since 1978, Pattaya has been administered under a special autonomous system with a status comparable to that of a municipality by the mayor of Pattaya City, who has overall responsibility for policies, public services, and supervision of all City Hall employees.

While these developments may be still in the planning phase, Pattaya has started to improve its image for a nice weekend getaway or a beachside city within close proximity to Bangkok.  If you go 4km out of Pattaya you can find Hat Jomtien, a nice 6km stretch of beach minus the sleaze of the city, and with more luxury resorts and family friendly hotels, suited to relaxation, swimming and eating at the many restaurants.

You can find many nice resorts by using this site’s Pattaya page, to search and compare each major hotel site to find the best deals.  Two of the nicest family budget hotels along Hat Jomtien I’ve found are the Jomtien Palm Beach, and the Ambassador City.  However, if you are after a luxury holiday, there are many nicer luxury resorts a little bit closer to the Pattaya city side, such as the Royal Cliff.

Tourism
Once a sleepy fishing town, Pattaya first boomed as an R&R spot during the Vietnam War and has been a sex tourism destination trying to improve its image ever since. Currently, Pattaya is booming again: TAT claims 5,338,000 visitors for 2005 (up 6.5% from 2004), of which two-thirds were foreigners, and the takeover by the new Suvarnabhumi Airport (located to the east of Bangkok, alongside the expressway to Pattaya) from the more distant Don Muang Airport at the end of September 2006 will undoubtedly make further increases in tourism revenues inevitable.

Pattaya is popular not only as a beach resort and for its entertainment, nightlife and shopping, but also for the broad selection of pastimes it caters for, from golf and horseback riding to bungee jumping, karting and shooting - not to mention a wide variety of watersports such as scuba diving, jet-skiing, sailing, water skiing, windsurfing and kitesurfing, and a whole lot more. Pattaya is also very popular as a conference, convention and seminar venue, and the grapevine hosts rumours of future developments of varying degrees of plausibility, such as a horse racing track, casinos, and a tram system. 

Koh Samui Thailand Travel Guide - Tours & Hotels

List of Koh Samui Hotels Resort

 Koh Samui Information

Ko Samui ( often called just Samui is an island in the Gulf of Thailand, some 700km south of Bangkok and about 80km from the eastern coastline of southern Thailand.

Ko Samui is Thailand's second largest island (229km. - only Phuket covers a greater area) and all in all a fairly big place. The most popular and commercialised beaches are Chaweng and Lamai, while the northern beaches and their adjacent villages of Mae Nam, Bophut, Bang Ruk (Big Buddha) and Choeng Mon are more peaceful choices, and the west coast beaches are still (comparatively) quiet.

An island of great natural beauty and variety, Samui is home to about 40,000 full-time inhabitants, 90% of whom are Buddhist. The palm fringed shoreline and coconut and fruit cultivation of the coastal lowlands rise to a central granite massive, the slopes of which are cloaked in virgin rainforest.

At 247km. Samui is the largest island in an archipelago of over 80 (mostly uninhabited) islands which form the Ang Thong National Marine Park, a kayaking and snorkeling paradise. At 25km long and 21km wide, Samui is big enough for serious exploration by the adventurous and fit, but can be circumnavigated in just a couple of hours by motorbike or car.

If you are looking for a place to stay, then there are over 300 hotels and resorts to choose from. It is not unusual to get a basic room right on the beach for as low as $20 per night. However, prices in more expensive establishments such as Four Seasons Resort go up to $500 per night, but as they say “you do get what you pay for”. The level of service in Thai resorts is notoriously low, so if you are looking for something more orthodox, then you may need to pay up a little more and stay in a more prominent resort. Here is a comprehensive list of luxury hotels and resorts for your reference.

Tourism has long since overtaken coconut farming and fishing as the main sources of income. The latter are still practiced though to a lesser extent and the pleasant aroma of charring coconuts can still be smelled on many parts of the island. Many of the fish on local restaurant and hotel dining room tables come from the surrounding Gulf of Thailand’s warm waters, although increasing amounts are imported from elsewhere as demand outstrips supply. 

Clockwise from Nathon on the west coast, the main beaches are:

• Nathon - Samui's port and administrative center, but with little to attract the tourist
• Mae Nam - a quiet and beautiful beach on the northern coast
• Bophut - known for its Fisherman's Village, laid-back but growing fast
• Bang Ruk - at the northeastern tip, home of the Big Buddha
• Choeng Mon - quiet North shore beach
• Chaweng - the largest and most-developed beach, with a curious mix of luxury hotels and backpacker guesthouses and a hopping nightlife
• Lamai - Samui's "second" beach south of Chaweng, more backpackery than Chaweng
• South Coast - the small beaches of Ban Hua Thanon, Na Khai, Laem Set, Bang Kao and Thong Krut

Phuket Thailand Travel Guide - Tours & Hotels

List of Phuket Hotels Resort

 Phuket Information

Phuket ,pronounced "Poo-get", is Thailand's largest island and also its second smallest province. It is 48 km in length, 21 km at its widest, and is located in Southern Thailand, on the west-facing Andaman Sea coastline, suspended from the southern tip of Phang Nga Province by a pair of short but substantial road bridges.

Phuket Town is the administrative centre of Phuket Province, and the island's main population centre.

Phuket enjoys great popularity as a travel destination. Most beaches are on the west coast, with Phuket Town to the south-east and the airport in the north.

Climate 
Phuket is hot and humid throughout the year. The high season is generally considered to be from November to May. During the summer monsoon season, mornings and afternoons are still sunny and clear, but it tends to rain in the evenings and water clarity goes down. Locals consider May to October the "cool" season, and the weather is quite tolerable, much more so than in the tourism centers around the Gulf coast. It's comparable to Florida's summer weather in temperature and intensity of rain storms: 25-33 deg C, flying clouds, short and thunderous rainfalls in the afternoons and evenings. Surfing is possible off the western beaches.

Beaches

Particularly in the monsoon season, there are strong currents on many of the beaches and drownings are a depressingly common occurrence. Heed the warning flags on popular beaches and play it safe if off the beaten track. It is important to note that, while many tourists who flock to the beaches of Phuket are European, nudity is viewed as highly offensive to Thais. It is very rude to go topless to beaches. Thais are generally non-confrontational, but it is always best to be respectful while treading on another's home country.

The major beaches from north to south are:

• Bang Tao - long, very quiet beach
• Surin Beach - an up-and-coming destination
• Laem Singh Beach - small bay with stunning views, between Kamala Beach and Surin Beach
• Kamala Beach - a quieter beach to the north of Patong
• Patong Beach - the largest beach resort, known for its nightlife
• Karon Beach - a quieter beach to the south of Patong
• Kata Yai Beach - busy, clean tourist beach with good surf
• Kata Noi Beach - quieter sister of Kata Yai
• Ao Chalong - home to Phuket's most popular yacht anchorage
• Rawai Beach - set off point for lots of local islands, popular with locals for eating on the beach

Krabi Thailand Travel Guide - Tours & Hotels

List of Krabi Hotels Resort

 Krabi Thailand

Krabi is the provincial capital of Krabi Province.

Krabi is a small city with a population of around 18,000. Located just upriver from the coast, it has no beaches and hence many visitors make a beeline for Ao Nang or Rai Leh (Railay).

Bangkok Thailand Travel Guide - Tours & Hotels

List of Bagnkok Hotels Resort

 Bangkok Information

Bangkok (Thai: Krung Thep) [1] is the capital of Thailand and by far its largest city with an estimated population of over 10 million.

Districts
Bangkok is a large city, rising vertically and growing horizontally. Administratively it is split up into 50 khet (districts), but these are rarely used in practice and the visitor will find the conceptual division below more useful.

• Sukhumvit – The long Sukhumvit Road, changing name to Ploenchit Road and Rama I Road going west, is Bangkok's modern commercial core, full of glitzy malls and hotels. The Skytrain intersection at Siam Square is the closest thing Bangkok has to a center.
  
• Silom – To the south of Sukhumvit, the area around Silom Road and Sathorn Road is Thailand's sober financial center by day, but Bangkok's primary party district by night when quarters like the infamous Patpong come alive.
  
• Rattanakosin – Between the river and Sukhumvit lies the densely packed "Old Bangkok", home to Bangkok's best-known wats. Yaowarat (Chinatown) and sights around the Chao Phraya River are also included here. Bangkok's backpacker mecca Khao San Road and the surrounding district of Banglamphu are located on the northern part of Rattanakosin.
  
  
• Thonburi – The quieter west bank of the Chao Phraya River, with many small canals and some offbeat attractions.
  Phahonyothin – The area around Phahonyothin Road and Viphavadi Rangsit Road is best known for the Chatuchak Weekend Market and Don Muang Airport.
  
• Ratchadaphisek – The district north of Sukhumvit centered around Ratchadaphisek Road (part of which is called Asoke) and reaching from Phetchaburi Road to Lat Phrao. This area has really opened up recently as the new metro line follows Ratchadaphisek Road.

Chiang Mai Thailand Travel Guide - Tours & Hotels

List of Chiagn Mai Hotels Resort

 Chiang Mai Information

Chiang Mai is the gateway to Northern Thailand. With a population of over 170,000, Chiang Mai is Thailand's second-largest city after Bangkok. Located on a plain surrounded by mountains, surrounded by lush countryside, and with a cosmopolitan air and a significant expat population, it is much greener and quieter than the capital, factors which have led many from Bangkok to settle permanently in this "Rose of the North".

Founded in 1296 AD, the culturally rich city of Chiang Mai is the longest continuously inhabited settlement from the ancient days of Siam. Located amidst the rolling foot hills of the Himalayan Mountains some 800 km north of Bangkok, it could only be reached by an arduous river journey or an elephant back trip until the 1920's, isolation which has helped keep Chiang Mai's distinctive charm intact to this day.

Chiang Mai's historical centre is the walled city (chiang in Thai, hence Chiang Mai - "New Walled City"). Sections of the wall remain at the gates and corners, but of the rest only the moat remains.

Inside Chiang Mai's remaining city walls are more than 30 temples dating back to the founding of the principality, in a combination of Burmese, Sri Lankan and Lanna Thai styles, decorated with beautiful wood carvings, Naga staircases, leonine and angelic guardians, gilded umbrellas and pagodas laced with gold filigree. The most famous is Doi Suthep, which overlooks the city from a 1,050 m (3,500 ft) mountain top 13 km away.

Modern-day Chiang Mai has expanded in all directions, but particularly to the east towards the Ping River (Mae Nam Ping), where Thanon Chang Klan, the famous Night Bazaar and the bulk of Chiang Mai's hotels and guesthouses are located. The locals say you've not experienced Chiang Mai until you've seen the view from Doi Suthep, eaten a bowl of kao soi, and purchased an umbrella from Bo Sang.