Welcome to Pattaya!

Ever since American GIs started arriving here during the Vietnam War years for a little ‘rest and relaxation’ this Thai coastal city has been associated with all things debaucherous, sleazy and illicit. The thin beaches are among Thailand’s least attractive, rubbish floats in the sea, the streets are crammed with Go-Go bars and mostly overweight middle-aged Western men stroll around with attractive, young Thai ladies. Despite all this sleaze and pollution, thousands and thousands of families flock here on cheap holiday deals from Russia and Europe every year. But is a holiday in Pattaya with kids appropriate? And is Pattaya with kids worth it?

Why did we choose Pattaya with kids?

Pattaya was a last resort for us. At the end of a month-long trip to Thailand, we needed a base to sort out the next part of our trip, buy some essentials and be close to Bangkok Airport for our departing flight. We dreamt of chilling out on a beautiful island somewhere but it was Songkran (the Thai New Year festival) and everywhere we looked at (Koh Samet, Koh Chang) was outrageously expensive for the four of us, unsuitable for small kids or fully-booked. Finally, we found a luxurious apartment online in Pattaya that was cheap, next to the beach and had a beautiful pool. With all the accommodation boxes ticked, we figured that we would be able to restock and refuel easily in a city full of malls and restaurants so off to Pattaya with kids we went.

Is notorious Pattaya with kids right for a family break?

Hmmm…  Parts of Pattaya are sleazy with signs of sex work. There is very evident animal cruelty. There are much better beaches elsewhere in Thailand. More on all of that below in the Top Tips for Travelling to Pattaya with Kids.

But Pattaya has plenty to offer as a family vacation. Here is why Pattaya with kids can work as a family travel destination. 

Pattaya has excellent family accommodation options

If like us, you’re a family with young children and you prefer apartments to cramped family rooms in hotels then Pattaya has a plenty of accommodation options for you. From luxury penthouse apartments to small two-room condos, you are sure to be able to find great and well-priced family-friendly options. For a quieter area, try North Pattaya where there are lots of brand new condos within walking distance of the beach.

Pattaya has lots of family-friendly activities

There are loads of family-friendly activities so Pattaya with kids makes sense from that perspective. Yep, many activities may be tacky, overpriced for Thailand and questionable by safety and legal standards, but there are numerous things to do in Pattaya with kids. With a young family, recommended activities are day-trips to nearby islands such as Koh Larn, water parks and of course, the beach. If the kids are getting a bit sweaty, all the major malls have cinemas, soft play and other kid-friendly activities like indoor bowling and trampolining. H and Zizi spent several hours at the soft play at the Central Festival mall with its pirate ship ball-pit with foam swords.

For bigger day-trips around Pattaya with kids, our two favourite family-friendly activities in Pattaya with kids were:

The Sanctuary of Truth and Nong Nooch Tropical Botanical Gardens

Pattaya with Kids: The Sanctuary of Truth

I promise you that once you get through the tourist complex selling you horse-rides, paintballing and a plethora of other activities designed to get you to spend money, that you will enjoy The Sanctuary of Truth. This colossal, wooden structure right on the water’s edge is magnificent. For over 30 years, wood cravers have been carving this intricate and ornate shrine right on the edge of Pattaya’s urban sprawl.

The children were spell-bound by the sheer size of the temple, the elephants walking around it and life-size wooden statues. Rhino and I have travelled a lot but the scale of the intricate wooden carvings was something we hadn’t seen before. It works as a trip for the whole family so, if you’re in Pattaya with kids, then I would put the Sanctuary of Truth at the top of your list of things to do.

Pattaya with Kids: Nong Nooch Tropical Botanical Gardens

Nong Nooch Tropical Botanical Gardens is quite a distance from Pattaya (about 45 minutes in a taxi) and does have some rather iffy exhibits (photos posing with tigers who are probably drugged, rusty equipment and elephants throwing darts – see the video later on…)

For your entrance fee, you get to spend a whole day in the quirky gardens populated by flocks of plastic zebras and flamingos, bright red London phone boxes and topiary as well as see a Thai Dance extravaganza, a very unethical elephant show and a very depressing, concrete petting zoo.

I’d never recommend Nong Nooch to just adults unless you’re morally OK with being picked up in an elephant’s trunk for an Instagram picture whilst its handler stands next to him with his threatening beating stick…

However, the sheer variety of weird plastic animal things kept the children entertained for hours. Especially the dinosaur park! The dinosaur park (reached by sheltered skywalks) is a must visit within Nong Nooch. There is an avenue of dinosaur sculptures that beats anything similar we’ve seen before.

Pattaya’s proximity to Bangkok’s international airports

The biggest draw of Pattaya for us was how close it is to Bangkok. With two under-fives, cutting travel time to a minimum is important for us. If you don’t want to or can’t fly South to the islands but still want beach time and sunshine, Pattaya with kids or Mae Phim (see the bottom of post) may be right for you.

Pattaya has lots of modern conveniences

Pattaya is a city completely geared towards tourists and expats. There are dozens of malls, international restaurants and high-standard places to rent. During our stay, we had to replace the kids’ swimming costumes and replenish nappies/diapers which had proved a bit tricky in the rest of Thailand but was an absolute breeze at the Big C in Pattaya. If you’ve got some errands to run or need to stock up on items, then Pattaya with kids can work.

Pattaya is great fun during Songkran Festivities

Songkran is the Thai New Year Festival and is typically celebrated around Thailand with holidays and huge water fights. It normally takes place during April. Pattaya is a city of extremes so of course, it celebrates Songkran in extreme ways. Crazy water fights take place all along Beach Road in the days before and after Songkran (which lasts three days).

Pattaya has its very own festival called Wan Lai after the end of the official Songkran festival where the whole town turns into one huge water fight. We were in town a few days before Wan Lai during the official Songkran festival and Beach Road and some of the other streets with bars were already really going for it. Customers travelling in open Baht Buses were enduring buckets of freezing cold water being thrown over them whilst everyone strolled the beach promenade armed with water pistols and super soakers ready to defend themselves against ambushes. H and Zizi had the absolute best time defending themselves against local kids and adults.

Top Tips for Travelling to Pattaya with Kids

• Avoid the sleaze by not staying in or near Central Pattaya. We stayed in North Pattaya in an area dominated by huge, modern condos and beachfront restaurants. It was very quiet, had a small range of amenities and was full of Russian and wealthy Thai families. Sadly, it still had rubbish floating in the sea… Jomtien Beach to the South also has a huge range of kid-friendly resorts (many with pirate ships in their pools!). Choose carefully where you are going to stay in Pattaya with kids.

• If you have children who can read, then think carefully before you visit certain parts of Pattaya with kids. Some bar areas like the infamous Walking Street are not really suitable as there are some pretty explicit signs.

• With older children and teenagers, you may want to think about how to talk honestly to them about sex-tourism and its impact upon the women and men who work in the bars and clubs. It is important children know that they can talk to you about anything that makes them uncomfortable (even if they choose not to).

• Have an open mind. For me, feminism is about accepting women’s choices whatever they may be whilst making sure that no woman is made to feel inferior to men (or other women for that matter). Remember there are bar and sex workers in Pattaya who choose to be here and enjoy the work/lifestyle. Conversely, there are many more women who have been trafficked, abused or are controlled by gangs. As a passerby, try not to judge or categorise everyone is the same box.

• Similarly, in Pattaya there are lots of destitute older Western men and charities even exist to help repatriate and assist them. Everyone has unique stories so try not to judge too quickly.

• If you’re are a wife or girlfriend (or even a solo female traveller), trust me there are far better places to party in Thailand than Pattaya.

• If you’d like to eat in a restaurant that tries to make a positive difference to the women and men of Pattaya (and Thailand), try Cabbages and Condoms at the Birds and Bees Resort. The concept behind the chain of restaurants is to use proceeds from the restaurant to help make condoms as common as cabbages in Thailand, thereby helping in the prevention of STIs and backstreet abortions. Unfortunately, we didn’t have a chance to visit as we were based at the other end of town so can’t comment on the food but it definitely sounds like a great cause to eat for!

• It’s not just human exploitation that takes place in Pattaya, elephant rides are abundant. Unfortunately, these elephants are ‘trained’ through sleep deprivation, confining them in very small spaces and by beating the elephants into submission with metal hooked sticks. This video shows what elephants are prepared to learn when threatened by the metal hooks.

• Similarly, there are tiger centres where you pay to pose with drugged-up big cats and we saw sharks kept in tiny nets just so that tourists can feed them. Choose your family-friendly activities carefully when in Pattaya with kids…

Empowering Women in Pattaya: The Tamar Center

Most of the bar workers and prostitutes in Pattaya are young women born into poor, rural communities in North-Eastern Thailand. From an early age, many are fed real-life ‘fairy-tale’ stories about marrying ‘farangs’ (foreigners) and escaping poverty forever. The reality is gruelling, demanding sex work in Thai cities, especially Pattaya, abuse and assault. One amazing charity helping these women out of a cycle of poverty and abuse is The Tamar Center in Pattaya.

For almost 20 years, a Dutch woman, Nella Davidse, has been running a sex workers rehabilitation programme right in the middle of the Pattaya red-light district. The Tamar Center offers an Outreach Center run by former bar workers as well as a bakery, restaurant, crèche and training rooms nearby. All of these help train the women in other occupations such as baking, hairdressing and gift card-making. To learn more, volunteer or donate here. www.tamarcenter.org

A great alternative to Pattaya with kids: Mae Phim

Mae Phim (or Mae Pim) could be nicknamed ‘Little Sweden’ on the Gulf of Thailand. This long stretch of sandy beaches frequented by local Thais and Swedes is a great alternative to busy, boisterous Pattaya. Prior to Pattaya, we spent one very chilled out, relaxing week next to the beach here. The children loved the uncrowded beaches and great swimming pools and we all enjoyed our daily Swedish cinnamon buns bought from a bakery decorated with portraits of the Swedish Royal Family!

For more information and tips on travelling in Thailand with kids, you may find my other Thailand travel posts interesting: 10 Day Southern Thailand itinerary with kids, Tips for surviving Bangkok with kids and 2 day Chanthaburi itinerary with kids.

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