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History of Pattaya

Pattaya was a small fishing village originally called Pad Tha Ya, which means "the wind the blows from the southwest to the northeast at the start of the rainy season". Over time it became known as Pattaya.

The first recorded mention of it was when in 1767 the army of Phraya Tak, later crowned King Taksin, confronted the Burmese army of Nai Klom. Overawed, Nai Klom surrendered without a fight. The place where the two armies met was called Thap Phraya, which means "the army of Phraya" and in honour of that event, the road between South Pattaya and Jomtien Beach is called Thappraya Road. In South Pattaya, the area around Bali Hai Pier and Walking Street is reputedly where the old village used to be. There is no original wooden buildings left of course, but if you stroll down some of the streets off Walking Street you can see how narrow the original lanes were - just wide enough to drive a bullock and cart through.

From then until about 1959, Pattaya continued to be a tiny fishing community. It was just a sub-district of Chonburi, and only in 1964 was municipality status extended from Naklua to South Pattaya. Pattaya started to develop and grow into a holiday resort when American GIs, from their base in Nakhon Ratchasima, and U.S. sailors, moored at Sattahip Naval Base, started to visit. During the Vietnam war Pattaya became an official centre for "Rest and Relaxation" for the American troops. They were flown into U-Tapao Airport, which was specially built for the purpose. Also, at this time many Thais, particularly from Bangkok, began to take weekend breaks here. Pattaya rapidly grew and became the first beach resort in Thailand. By the late 1970's, many hotels, shopping centres, restaurants and entertainment venues had opened  and with the construction of the motorway from Bangkok it is now just a two hour drive from the capital to Pattaya. In addition the new Suvarnabhumi International Airport is little more than an hour's car or bus journey away. Due to the speedy expansion of Pattaya, the national government granted it city status, and "Pattaya City" came into being on 29^th November 1978 - an event that is celebrated every year.

The 1980s and 1990s were a boom time for tourism as Pattaya became the premier destination for exotic holidays. This influx of Western visitors was closely followed by Russian, Eastern European and Middle Eastern nationals among others. The City's infrastructure and administration has grown to cater for the millions of tourists that now arrive annually and the estimated 12,000 people that have become permanent residents here.

Pattaya is now a vibrant, ever expanding, modern city, with several rapidly developing industries in the surrounding areas. Thus more people are re-locating here to take advantage of the myriad facilities and the inexpensive, luxurious lifestyle on offer and contribute to maintaining the steadily increasing property values.

Pattaya Property Market Growth

In the last five to seven years Pattaya has made huge changes for the better, the infrastructure has been transformed, with more improvements on the way. There are new up-scale shopping developments and attractions, with more on the way. Pattaya is becoming a more sophisticated beach-side resort town, with a more diverse expat community, numerous families now choosing to come over for their holidays and international five-star hotel groups opening here or looking for premium sites for their operations.

Pattaya is becoming a more sophisticated beach-side resort town

In the past, Pattaya had a brash, anything goes image, which it will never fully shed - and nor should it, after all it is part of the spirit and history of the town - but with the new influx of visitors it is becoming gentrified. Areas, such as around the dolphin roundabout in north Pattaya and Jomtien in the south, are home to luxury condominiums, first-rate housing developments and five-star restaurants. International fitness centres, top of the range department stores and over twenty world class golf courses are all located here. There are rapidly expanding private schools, like The Regents School and St. Andrews International School, that offer a very high standard of education. In addition, Pattaya has now become a world renowned sailing destination, which has added to the variety of recreational activities and, of course, has added value to the property market.

According to a report in the London Evening Standard on 21/7/2009, an investment think-tank concluded western economies are in the worst recession since the 2^nd world war and will take years to recover. Thus property buyers and developers are looking elsewhere for safe and healthy long-term returns and Thailand, without crippling debts or over extended bank lending, is an obvious choice.  

Location and lifestyle are undoubtedly the two biggest selling points, and the market has matured to the extent that property development is now up to and, in some cases, higher than international standards. Unlike Bangkok, land is readily available in Pattaya, providing house hunters with an opportunity to buy affordable homes or condominiums that offer a trouble free and relaxed lifestyle. Given the advantages in terms of foreign ownership, apartments are undoubtedly the most popular and fastest-growing real estate trend.

Location and lifestyle are undoubtedly the two biggest selling points

Proof of Pattaya's popularity is its ever expanding cosmopolitan flavour, with a large presence of expatriates from all over the globe who have either settled here or invested in holiday homes. Due to the vastly improved motorway system, the growth in the residential market has been further boosted by the demand for property from commuters who work in Bangkok or the eastern seaboard industrial parks.

Property development in Pattaya has been the fastest growing and most profitable sector and the number of projects currently underway is a sure sign that this trend is set to continue. With Suvarnabhumi airport serviced by daily flights to and from more international destinations than any other domestic airport in Thailand, Pattaya makes for a convenient, affordable and accessible residence, holiday home or investment.

Coral Island

Koh Lan is the largest of a number of islands that lie in Pattaya Bay. It is conveniently located about seven kilometers offshore and is 4.65 km. long, with a maximum width of 2.15 km. 90% of the area is mountainous and covered in low tropical forest. Its highest point rises to 205 metres with a Buddhist shrine at the peak. The island has two main villages on it: Ban Ko Lan and Ban Krok Makhan, both with shops, restaurants and places to stay. Monkeys naturally inhabit the island as well as other wildlife and the Infrastructure here in most part consists of narrow roadways covered with brick pavers.

Koh Lan, is also known as a coral island due to the quantity and variety of corals found there. All of the necessary amenities are available here, including a police force and a small medical facility. There are about six beaches on the island that boast clean white sand and clear blue water, most of them with a number of excellent restaurants, offering freshly caught seafood

Ta Waen Beach is the longest and most popular beach of Koh Lan. Located in the north west of Koh Lan, this 750-metre-long beach has clear waters and fine white sand. The beach, which is popular among Asian tourists, is lined with colourful beach chairs, shops and restaurants. Located to the west of the island is Thien Beach. This beautiful beach is 500 metres long and has some impressive coral reefs. It is as popular as Ta Waen Beach with many restaurants and numerous water sport activities available. Another beach near Ta Waen Beach is Sangwan Beach. It is only around 150 metres long and without any beachside shops or restaurant, is consequently quieter  and excellent for sunbathing. The 300 metre long Samae Beach is only 10 minute walk from Thien Beach and is popular Europeans. A prominent feature of the beach is the Scenic Viewing Point of Khao Nom, which looks out over the bay with Pattaya City in the distance. It is relatively quiet with shops and restaurants all around. On the northern tip of the island, Thong Lang Beach is a tranquil spot with just one beachside restaurant. The major activity here is shallow-water coral snorkeling. A "sea walker" service is also offered where coral enthusiasts can enjoy another way to view underwater corals. Nual Beach is situated in the south of Koh Larn with a 250 metre long beach which features beautiful corals that attract snorkel diving enthusiasts from all over the world. Here hotels are located right on the seafront.

Apart from those mentioned above, a host of other activities are available on Koh Lan, including windsurfing, waterskiing, jet-skiing and para-sailing. One of the main attractions is sailing around the sightseeing. Some of the boats have glass bottoms enabling passengers to see coral and marine life at the bottom of the sea. Koh Larn is also very well suited for bicycling and hiking. The area also features deep sea fishing boats around Koh Lan's neighbours, Koh Krok, a private island located less than 2 Km to the east of Koh Lan's north east shore and Koh Sak, a narrow "C"-shaped island with a small bay and horseshoe-shaped beach open towards the north. Koh Sak is located just 0.6 Km off Ko Lan's northern tip and accommodation is available.

It is 45 minutes by ferry from Bali Hai Pier in South Pattaya. The first boat leaves the pier at 8 a.m. and from Koh lan to Pattaya city also at 8 a.m. It operates every two hours, the last boat from Pattaya to Koh Larn departs at 6.30 p.m. and the last boat departs Koh Lan at 6 p.m. the fare is 20 Baht per person each way. Alternatively, for 1,500 Baht to 2,000 Baht a speedboat can be hired, which cuts the journey time to twenty minutes, with the added advantage of being able to drop off and pick up at any of the beaches.

Many visitors spend their entire holiday on Koh Lan and return year after year. For them it is a peaceful and relaxing home away from home.