Pattaya Property

A day out at Nong Nooch Gardens Pattaya with TPME property developers.

Had a great day out yesterday, I spent the day at Nong Nooch Tropical Gardens which made a nice change from all the hustle and bustle of Pattaya City. Most people when they think of Pattaya think of bars, beaches, nightclubs and shopping but there are some great places to visit outside the city.

Nong Nooch is about 15 kilometers east of Pattaya and over 500 acres there are some truly wonderful and superbly kept gardens, an enormous orchid nursery, elephants shows and rides, a cultural show giving a different insight into the history or Thailand. You can also see tigers, leopards and chimpanzees. There are plenty of places to eat and drink and variety of shops selling souvenirs and local craft goods.

All in all a great day out and not far from Pattaya.

The Islands

There are several islands off the coast of Pattaya, these offer a great day trip away from the hustle and bustle of Pattaya City, they are a divers heaven!

Ko Lan
Ko Lan, or Coral Island, is a small island situated 7.5 km west of Pattaya. Ko Lan is accessible by speedboat and ferry. The ferry departs hourly, and is a 45-minute ride costing just 20 baht each way. Speedboats are more expensive, but can reach the island in less than 15 minutes. Ko Lan has several beaches, which are known for their cleanliness, relaxing atmosphere, soft white sand, and crystal-clear water.

Island groups
Off Pattaya there are two small island groups, the “Near Islands” (Ko Sak, Ko Krok) located close to the northern shores of Pattaya, very near Ko Lan, and the “Far Islands” (Ko Rin, Ko Man Wichai, Ko Hua Chang, and Ko Badan), located offshore directly west of Pattaya. These islands, especially the “Far Islands”, are the primary scuba diving destinations in and around Pattaya.

Songkran In Pattaya

Songkran is the Thai New Year, celebrated primarily by everyone throwing prodigious quantities of water at anything that moves. Pattaya officially celebrates Songkran on later dates (April 18-19) than most of the rest of the country (April 13-15) - but in reality the fun just starts early and keeps on going that much longer. During this period many hotels and guest houses have high occupancy levels, and public transport services (especially buses to/from Bangkok) are very busy, with more frequent than normal departures but also with appreciable delays due to the general mayhem on the roads.

Songkran in Pattaya follows the same overall pattern as seen elsewhere in Thailand, but is especially vigorous in areas such as Soi 7 and Soi 8. Expect to get very wet indeed and you’re unlikely to be disappointed - regardless of where you go or what else you actually plan to do. Although things calm down considerably after dusk, it’s still worth keeping anything that could easily be damaged (especially cameras, mobile telephones, passports etc) in plastic bags.

As is the case throughout Thailand, Songkran is a particularly dangerous time on the roads, and especially for motorcyclists and moto-taxi passengers. It’s also a bad time to get caught without protection for your luggage while traveling in a songthaew, so if arriving or departing during this period, either plan ahead (bin-liners are invaluable) or else take a taxi instead.

Note that the banks in Pattaya close for three days on the “national” Songkran dates (April 13-15) and are open as normal on the Pattaya-specific dates. Pattaya Immigration Office also closes on the “national” dates, and for the rest of the period hands back all passports pre-wrapped in plastic bags, without being asked.

Great Golf Courses Near Pattaya

Golf is a big thing around Pattaya, there something like 18 1st Class courses within 45 minutes drive of the city centre, these are a few of our favourites.

1. Siam Country Club, this is closest to Pattaya City and the Old Course has just been renovated and the brand new Plantation Course \, with some very tricky greens, has just opened.
2. Pattaya Country Club, a little further down teh road from Siam, a simple course that is very popular locally.
3. Laem Chabang International, about 20 minutes from Pattaya City it is generally rated as the best club around, designed by Jack Nicklaus and is a real challenge.
4. Phoenix, again about 20 minutes away has a huge clubhouse with fabulous facilities, a nice easy course and a dream for the long hitter.
5. Great Lake Golf Club, way out in the East Pattaya countryside, alongside the Dok Rai Reservoir, loads of bunkers, 120 in all makes this a challenging course.
6. Rayong Green Valley, built around a small river this course is a pleasure to play but beware of the water hazards, about 40 minutes from Pattaya City.
7. Chonburi Century Country Club, also 40 minutes from Pattaya but in the opposite direction, designed by Nick Faldo and is a good course for beginners.