Love For Sale: Pattaya's Naughty Nightlife

Beaches are not Pattaya's main attraction...

Dear International Living Reader,

"You can't write about real estate without mentioning Pattaya," said one American expat during my last trip to Thailand. Pattaya...the beach resort city whose major selling point is sex tourism? No thanks.

But along with neighboring Jomtien, it's booming. Bangkok's new international airport comes into operation later this year--and it will cut the current 2-hour journey time from Bangkok to Pattaya by half. And so I booked a taxi pick-up over the Internet to meet me at Bangkok airport for the 95-mile run to Sin City. Thought it was a good deal at 1,600 baht ($41.60). More fool me. Pattaya taxis make the return trip for half that price.

My hotel, Siam Bayview, is on Pattaya's beach road. It's lovely. Clean and spacious room, attractive pool and gardens, excellent buffet breakfast. And I adore the way the lift man gives me a military salute. Not so lovely are the majority of the clientele. Over a Singapore Sling, I watch a constant procession of old men--and more than a few young men--approach the reception desk to sign in "guests."

I feel like I'm in a fancy brothel. At least prostitutes must show identity cards--they're checked off against a list of undesirables. It's undoubtedly to protect both buyer and seller. But I'm pleased to see my lift-man doesn't offer them a salute.

Any Western male can get a "girlfriend" or a "boyfriend" for the hour/night/week/month in less than two minutes. Of the city's 72,000 population, an estimated 20,000 are prostitutes. Come evening, the dimly lit beach promenade is lined with bodies for sale. I notice a few lady-boys, or transvestites among them. Hope some short-sighted old duffer gets a nasty shock in the cold light of morning...

I've yet to discover a bar that isn't a hooker's hangout. Center of the action is Walking Street and its sois or side alleys. I feel really out of place here. And I guess the couples with kids who didn't realize Pattaya's reputation do, too.

After the tsunami, many European holidaymakers switched their bookings from Phuket to the Gulf of Thailand. This part of the country's coast was untouched by the tidal wave. But Pattaya's beach is disappointing. It's so narrow, there's only space for four rows of crammed-together deckchairs. Plus the stench of sewage is everywhere.

Other than saying it's a great place for a western woman who wants to be completely ignored by her male counterparts, I'm struggling to enthuse about Pattaya. However, full marks to Vientiane restaurant on Second Road. Offering a huge mix of Thai, Chinese, and Vietnamese food, this open-sided restaurant is excellent value. Most dishes--Thai chicken curry, sweet and sour pork, squid and spicy papaya salad--are under $2.50.

Heaven or hell? If you think paying for a frolic is desperate, don't visit. It's depressing to see how Pattaya's temptations prove so irresistible to the unfairer sex. More about property in my article in this month's print issue, but if you're saying "heaven," you can find furnished 344 square-foot studio condos here for less than $30,000. And a whole night of naughtiness for $25.

Steenie Harvey
For International Living

Editor's Note: For more about Steenie's adventures in Thailand, including her insights on the import/export potential of shopping in this unbelievably affordable country, see this month's issue of International Living in print. Paid subscribers can access the June issue online in PDF format here; to become a subscriber, sign up here.