Pattaya is 147 km southeast of Bangkok, and faces the Gulf of Thailand. It is located within easy access of the Bangkok Suvarnabhumi International Airport and has excellent accommodation and restaurants and entertainment for all tastes. Because of its easy accessibility from Bangkok, Pattaya remains one of Thailand’s most popular weekend getaways for Bangkok’s city-dwellers. 

Accommodation ranges from luxuriously appointed beachside hotels with superb convention facilities to simple guesthouses. 

Sporting opportunities abound both on land and water, and include some of the finest golfing, game-fishing, and scuba-diving anywhere in Asia. 

Theme and amusement parks, offbeat museums and lush botanical gardens offer numerous forms of leisure activities and cultural entertainment for all family members. And after dark, Pattaya offers the allure of a truly vibrant nightlife with a great variety of restaurants, night clubs, bars, discotheques, and cabarets. 

Tourism is Pattaya’s main source of income. It attracts thousands of pleasure-seeking tourists from all over the world. There is much on offer - good beaches, offshore islands, diving, sailing and its many golf courses are just a few of the activities visitors can enjoy.  

More than 30 offshore islands stretch around Pattaya within a radius of some 48 km, from around Si Racha in the north, to Sattahip in the south. A few islands are off-limits as they are under the control of the Royal Thai Navy. Most others have fascinating dive sites. The waters are rich in various coral species and tropical fish.

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History

Known as "The Rivera of Thailand" Pattaya started life as a small, insignificant fishing village. In the 13th century it was the R&R (rest and relaxation) spot for soldiers of the great King Nari during his campaign against Burmese invaders, but other than that it continued to doze, until the 20th century. 

In 1950, Pattaya was still little other than a small fishing village. It regained popularity with the armed forces in 1959 when a group of American GI’s visited for R&R. After renting a house on the beach, spending an enjoyable time with the locals, they returned and the word was out…Pattaya was “The” place to holiday. 

New groups of Marines arrived and it is from this simple beginning that the city grew. In just 40 odd years it has developed into one of the most renowned of all Thailand’s holiday spots, locally, and world wide. 

By the late 70’s, hotels, shopping centers, entertainment houses and the like had shot up. Industry developed as did tourism and with the opening of the motorway from Bangkok to Pattaya, it became a two-hour drive from the country’s capital. 

Pattaya’s popularity grew so rapidly that the local government couldn’t cope with its administration. So in 1976 Pattaya and nearby Naklur became one administrative district. Then in 1978 Pattaya was declared a city in its own right.

For more information, please visit the following websites:

http://www.hoteltravel.com/thailand/pattaya/guides/overview.htm

http://www.pattaya-information.com/index.html

http://www.thaiwaysmagazine.com/pattaya/pattaya_glance.html

http://pattaya.sinlapa-asia.com/