Thailand, Pattaya, Asia Pattaya Beach Hotel Reviews

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Good Points: Away from the hussle and bustle of the main town. Private beach, nice pool, friendly staff. Buffet-style restaurant was excellent.

Bad Points: 2 hour drive from Bangkok along a frequently bumpy road. Pattaya is the 'Blackpool' of Thailand. Asia Hotel has no balconies to sit out on.

General comments: We had reservations about staying in Asia Pattaya Beach Hotel after hearing about how noisy and dirty it can be. However, we found it to be just like any other busy Thailand resort. Parts certainly were dirty and a few smells did come up from the sewers beneath the pavements but the friendly people and great shopping soon made you forget them.

The Asia Hotel is about 2 miles south of the main town. It was clean, had beautifully landscaped grounds, a nice pool with swim-up bar, local beach and lovely staff. No balconies though. We had room and breakfast and went out most nights for our evening meal. We ate at the Rice Mill, in the Royal Garden Shopping Plaza, in the centre of Pattaya. A very nice, up-market restaurant; but the best one we liked was the Sugar Hut. Take your shoes off to go in and all that. The service was first class and food choice was excellent. The choice of eating places in Pattaya is enormous. Even down to the street vendors. Don't be put off trying these guys; the food is pretty good and you'll not buy cheaper.
Our shopping was done in the Royal Garden Plaza, Mike's and the Festival Centre. All built on modern day shopping arcades. For the cheapest goods get out to the Night Market on the main road by Tesco Lotus. (Yes, even Tesco's is out here). Great place for clothing is an indoor market called 'Made in Thailand'. This a rabbit warren of market stalls selling designer named T-shirts for less £2! There were football kits, shoes, bags, the lot!

We tried the Lady Boys show at the 'Alcazar'. Everyone said that this was the best cabaret show. The others being Tiffany's and Simon Cabaret. The costumes and set designs were stunning but the actual choreography was a bit sloppy. Still, it's worth going to see just how easily you could be fooled by these Lady Boys!

Recommended Golf courses I played were the Siam Country Club, Natural Park 'Resort' (not the 'Hills'), Leam Chabang. I also played the Pattaya Country Club but was not impressed by that one.

In all, we enjoyed the Pattaya experience. We will be back in Thailand again but to some other location, Koh Samui probably.