Pattaya Trip Report – August 2016

Bangkok 112 Pattaya

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Pattaya Trip Report – August 2016

 

I enjoy photography a lot, but don’t take that many photos anymore due to not having the time. I took less than 200 shots on my last Pattaya trip and here are some of the better ones:

 

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Pattaya bay, as viewed from the hotel with the best infinity pools in Sin City.

 

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Bronx Pizza, Soi Diana. New York style pizza in Pattaya and only 115 baht for 2 slices. Highly recommended, I always stop by here at least once when I’m in Sin City.

Tip: You can eat your pizza at the beer bar complex nearby which I sometimes do as it’s nice to wash spicy pizza down with a cold, refreshing beer.

Close by on Soi Diana is the Beefeater which is arguably the best steakhouse in Pattaya. It’s not cheap, but you get what you pay for here. This restaurant is very popular so it’s best to book ahead to avoid disappointment.

 

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PP Soapy Massage. Just off Soi Buakhao and opposite one of the cheapest and best 4-Star hotels in Pattaya (video review coming soon).

 

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Skyfall Agogo Pokemon party night, Walking Street. Skyfall is one of the better Pattaya gogo bars for good looking girls. The barfine is 1000 baht and short time is 2500/3000 baht here. The promo girls out front are often very camera shy here so you have to keep your distance.

 

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The Reggae bar that replaced Utopia Rock House close to McDonald’s. I’m always amazed at the ability of some Thai people to sleep almost anywhere at the drop of a hat 🙂

 

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Insomnia nightclub around 5am. Everyone is sozzled at this point and the many freelancers around eye the easy pickings.

 

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The Hangover killer at Jolly’s on Soi Buakhao. The best Full English breakfast I’ve had in Pattaya. Very filling, and it will set you back a mere 155 baht. I gave up searching for new places on this trip as I was so hungover and staying close by.

 

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Pattaya beach, many umbrellas and deck chairs take up most of the space when the tide is in. The chairs cost 40 baht to hire and you are sure to be accosted by many hawkers selling seafood, fake tattoos, cigarettes, fake watches and all kinds of worthless junk. It can be tiresome waving the hawkers away if you want to relax in peace with a beer or a book, so sit towards the back of the umbrellas and you will be hassled less.

 

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Abstract shot of Beach Road. I think I was checking the camera focus and this was a test shot, I like it though 🙂

 

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The Hilton Hotel, Pattaya. If money is no object then you should stay here. This hotel was built on top of Central Festival Mall and every room is blessed with unobstructed ocean views. Rooms start from around $170 a night.

 

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Soi 8 beer bar complex, Beach Road. A great place to relax with a cheap 65 baht beer and watch the world go by around sunset. Even better if you can get a bar girl with soft hands to give you a shoulder massage 😉

 

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It was a poor sunset on this night, but hanging out on the 26 floor of the best infinity pool in Pattaya was a nice consolation.

 

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The Red Point Bar and neighbouring bars, Soi 6. So many ladies available, if you come in the low season then you have your pick pretty much everywhere you go.

 

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I like drinking on Soi 6 with all the fun girls. Most are up for a laugh, even if you are not paying for short time with them. On this night a girl bought all the girls lollipops, of a certain shape 😉

 

img_7888_2Beach road in the low season, so quiet. The Five Star bar has been here since the end of the Vietnam war. It’s full of military memorabilia inside and a good place to stop for a beer and soak in the nostalgia.

 

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Beach Road freelancers waiting for customers. A ‘freelancer’ is a working girl with no fixed place of work.

On this night I saw an attractive looking young Beach Road freelancer and decided (for research purposes only) to proposition her. I smiled and said ‘you look pretty, how much?’ She replied ‘800 baht, one shot’ in a heartbeat.

I made my excuses and left. It was funny to me that she used the ‘one shot’ terminology that mongers like to speak in 🙂 I think I could have knocked her price down further, and a good tip if you are in a freelancer negotiation is to be very direct as they get a lot of timewasters.

I find it’s good to say ‘right now’ a lot in any bartering negotiations as it lets them know you are serious. So if I’d have said ‘600 baht and we go RIGHT NOW she’d have probably agreed 😉

 

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Tahitian Queen gogo bar, Beach Road. The longest running gogo bar in Pattaya that opened it’s doors way back in 1978. They play rock music inside at a moderate decibel level, and the dancers all wear skimpy bikinis. Bottled beers were around 135 baht when I visited and I recommend this place if you are bored of the generic gogo bars of Walking Street.

 

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LK The Empress Hotel. A good choice for a 4-star hotel on Beach Road, rooms from around $66 a night. In the mornings they have a fantastic breakfast buffet for only 220 baht (August 2016 price). This breakfast buffet is popular with expats which is always a good sign you are getting value for money 🙂

 

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Blue Sky Station Live Music Bar, Walking Street. This large live music venue opened in late 2015 and has quickly become a favourite. Often packed, they have some good bands and the whole atmosphere is usually great. Located opposite Skyfall Agogo.

 

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Sapphire Club, arguably the best gogo bar in Pattaya. Located on Soi 15 Alley (the holy grail for gogo bars), Sapphire club had a refit in late July 2016 extending the bar into nearby premises which is always a sign of a bar doing well.

 

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Owned by a couple of Irish guys, I’ve never had any problems with any bills at Sapphire Club (I can’t say the same for many Walking Street gogo bars).

They have a strict no hassle policy for the girls so they are not allowed to pester you for lady drinks. 475ml Tiger draft is served all night at 95 baht a glass (and you don’t get dirty looks for ordering it). Lady drinks are a reasonable 150 baht.

The barfine here is a standard 1000 baht with short time costing 2500 baht for most of the girls. If you like pretty girls then the lineup at Sapphire Club is definitely in the top 5 at Sin City.

 

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The Siam @ Siam Design Hotel pool (video coming soon). This hotel really has the wow factor and if you want to impress someone at a more reasonable rate than the Hilton then staying here is a good choice. Room rates are from around $72 per night (2502 baht I was quoted for a room in October 2016) where the standard walkin rate was 3500 baht.

 

Thank you for reading this photo article. I don’t put many of these together as my spare time is normally much better spent editing videos for the Bangkok 112 YouTube channel.

If you like this sort of blog post please leave a comment below saying so. I’m thinking of starting a weekly, fortnightly or monthly posting schedule along with relaunching the website.

 

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(Prices in $ Dollars were taken in August 2016. If you book a hotel close to the date you stay then the prices might be higher)

There are no cookies in the links in this article, so if you do choose a hotel from this list then please consider clicking from the article links and booking straight through. This will be at no extra cost to you, any commission will go straight back into improving Bangkok 112 YouTube videos and maintaining this website.

NB. All the hotels are ‘guest friendly’ meaning there are no girl joiner fees. Make sure you check 2 in the people staying in the room when booking.