A Guide to the Beaches in Pattaya

If a fun-packed day in the sun is what you are after on your holiday in Pattaya, there is no shortage of decent beaches to settle into for an afternoon. Each of the beaches offers unique views of the Gulf of Thailand as well as different activities with which to enjoy yourself.

Wong Amat Beach: Located in the Naklua, Wong Amat Beach is one of the cleaner beaches that the city has on offer. The people in the area tend to take very good care of policing the trash in the area. Wong Amat is more of a quiet “fishing village” style beach. It is normally not overly crowded with tour buses of people as most of them stick to Pattaya Beach.

You will not find any jet ski rentals and watersport-type activities on this beach. There is a nice sandy and cordoned-off area in the water for swimming and random trees around the area if you decide to settle in for the day and are trying to find a shaded spot.

If you are feeling hungry, Rim Talay seafood restaurant is right on the beach and has plenty of seating and a wide variety of menu items for your choosing.

Pattaya Beach: Pattaya Beach is the most popular tourist beach. It is not because it is necessarily the most beautiful beach in the area but it is the most iconic beach in Pattaya.
This is the beach that you see when you are on Pattaya’s Beach Road. Simply step out the front of any business on the strip and the beach is just across the street from you. If you look out along the water you will no doubt notice many boats parked out on the water. These boats didn’t always use to be there. In fact, they all used to have to be pulled from the water every evening and a vast majority of them were parked on the backside of the Pier.

Pattaya Beach has been under construction for a long while now in an effort to expand the beach and make it more “visitor friendly”. The construction constantly has delays and setbacks, however, thanks to Pattaya’s drainage system (also currently under construction).

To people that live here, Pattaya Beach is much more of a sunset view type of beach than a swimming beach. The water quality is not swimming optimal thanks to it being a major shipping lane for the boats. Pattaya Beach vendors offer beach chairs for a fee and a beverage service. If beach chairs aren’t your thing, you can also find many vendors renting out beach blankets and if you want to be on the water, there are even jet ski rental services available.

Cosy Beach: Cosy Beach is located on the Kasetsin side of Pratumnak Hill. It can be accessed via two main entrances located just passed the Chocolate Factory restaurant. Both entrances require visitors to take old stone steps leading down to the beach.

Being that Cosy Beach is more of a privatized beach, it is cleaned daily by the few vendors that are in the area. Cosy Beach is the kind of beach where you can bring your own beach towel and go for a swim or sunbathe without the whole of the city at your back as would be on Pattaya Beach.

In the evening it is not unusual to spot Thai fishermen laying their long fishing nets in the water. If you stick around long enough you may even get to see them haul out their catch. The area is teeming with schools of fish that can be seen moving around like a black cloud in the evening.

Dongtan Beach: Dongtan Beach is a semi-secluded beach that lies between Cosy Beach and Jomtien Beach. This beach is lined with a variety of trees in the sand and is a perfect beach to go to during a hot day thanks to the shade and cover.

There are a number of small Thai restaurants down the shaded walk and if you are in the mood, you can find a massage right on the comfortable sands of the beach. In the evenings on most days, there are Zumba classes down towards the Jomtien beach side of Dongtan Beach and there is also a free “bodyweight” style fitness center. Dongtan is the beach where you would want to take your bicycle for a beautiful beach ride without the sunburn. It is also a very popular spot among the gay crowd in the city.

Jomtien Beach: Jomtien Beach runs along Beach Road, the main strip on the Jomtien side of Pattaya. This beach is very similar to Pattaya Beach except that it is not the main thoroughfare for boats. Here you will find many more people in the water splashing about. Jomtien Beach is one of the main swimming beaches in Pattaya.

Activities here vary from jet ski rentals to banana boat rides. A variety of food vendors wander up and down the sand all day long offering tasty Thai snacks or there are plenty of convenience stores and restaurants right across the street.

In the evening time, the Jomtien night market opens every day and offers a wide variety of street food as well as trinkets and clothes for good value.

Once you finish all of these beaches, you can always hop on a 40-minute ferry ride to Koh Larn for the day. The ticket to get to the pristine beaches on the island of Koh Larn will cost you a whopping 30 baht one way. Don’t miss the last ferry coming back though or you’ll be stuck on the island overnight.

If you had to choose one beach in Pattaya, which is your favorite?