Hotels in Central Pattaya, Pattaya

Central Pattaya is the most popular area of Pattaya, thanks to its unspoilt coastline that encompasses a stretch of umbrellaed beach and distant islands. This beachfront area is also blessed with outdoor cafes, cultural monuments and Go-Go bars. A sandy beach meets coffee shops and bars in Central Pattaya where leisure comes naturally. While palm trees and loungers dot the shoreline, not everything is sleepy here. You can also get that adrenalin pumping with Jetski rides, banana boats and paragliding. Inject some culture into your holiday at Wat Chai Mongkhon, a religious temple with Buddha murals just south of Central Pattaya. More entertainment can be found off the beach at family-friendly attractions such as Ripley’s Believe it or Not! Fancy a bit of retail therapy? Head to Central Festival Pattaya Beach, a mega shopping mall with over 370 stores including Swarovski, Armani, Adidas and Nike. When the pampering is done, satisfy your culinary cravings at restaurants serving French, Chinese, Italian and Thai cuisine. There are plenty of places to unwind in Central Pattaya, especially at day spas offering head-to-toe Thai treatments such as body scrubs, herbal steam rooms and hydrotherapy. These three islands form the main tourist trio, transporting you to aquamarine havens with charming villages and secluded beaches. You can walk to most places around Central Pattaya, but reaching other areas of Pattaya requires the use of “baht buses”. Let Pattaya spoil you with its sweeping bay that provides a gateway to Ko Lan, Ko Sak and Ko Krok. These range from air-conditioned vans to three-wheeled canopy bikes and run along the major roads. Motorbikes and scooters can also be hired if you prefer travelling solo.

Pattaya Hill Pattaya

All rooms are in a 4-level block overlooking the skinny pool and facing the wall of another resort. The décor is also uninspiring: grey wallpaper and a disconcerting wall-length mirror. Rooms have a floor-to-ceiling window leading to a balcony barely large enough for 1 chair. And the layout is chic but not always practical, e.g. the shower has a bench but no door (only an inadequate curtain), and there are no tables next to the bed which is shaped like a space capsule. The location, however, is unbeatable: halfway along Pattaya, 1 block from the esplanade, and next to the classy Pattaya Avenue shopping center. The centerpiece pool sparkles, but the bar alongside is predictably noisy as many guests are partygoers. Modern, central, jaw-dropping views – but an eyesore? All angles and edges, with no apparent symmetry, is this an architectural wonder or a teetering monstrosity? Either way, it towers over central Pattaya like nothing else.

Natural Park Resort

Perched above the world-class Central Festival shopping center, the lobby is on the 16th floor and rooms soar heavenwards for another 18 levels. Deluxe Rooms feature a marble entrance and a bed facing an angled balcony with sweeping panoramas across the sea and along Pattaya beach. The décor is chic throughout. But the rooms need considerably more color and the desk, bedside table and sofa are trendily undersized. The more spacious Executive Plus Seaview rooms feature the same unremarkable furnishings but do boast terrific sea views from a balcony with a Jacuzzi. Adjacent to the 16th-floor lobby, the Infinity pool is one of the most extraordinary in Southeast Asia, while views from the rooftop bar are even more breathtaking. Quiet, comfortable, with lovely pools and gardens. This hotel – with a high-rise of serviced residences alongside – is in the Na-Klua area, an easy trip by songthaew taxi truck from the hubbub of Pattaya. There are two separate sections, but guests can share the shady gardens and either pool.

Most Superior Rooms, which face flourishing gardens and are further back from the main road, feature a colorful décor and sizeable balcony, but the bathroom is undersized. Deluxe Rooms are closer to the road, but still quiet, and most face the pool. Surprisingly rare among other resorts, some rooms on the ground floor have a stepladder from the patio leading to the main pool, with a swim-up bar attached. But sun-lovers may be disappointed that the closest beach is 500m away. Other attractions include a snooker table, children’s pool, and petite library. This enchanting resort is at the northern end of the far nicer and quieter beach at Jomtien, 15 minutes from Pattaya by songthaew taxi truck. Most buildings are detached, with 1 room up and 1 down, seemingly lost among dense tropical gardens in the surprisingly substantial grounds. Odd name, but beach frontage and peaceful jungle vibe. The design is instantly likable, with traditionally curved roofs, dark wooden railings, and peach-colored walls.