Quick intro and quick question

[flipside]

Hi All,
Just spent a few hours roaming around this very informative board. I've never been to LOS but I have visited a few other Asian countries. I'm in cold, miserable London at the moment and I'm thinking of just booking a flight and heading off to the sun.

I've been trying to get a feel for the differences between Pattaya, Phuket and BKK. I realise this a fairly common question, and I have done some searching but any further info would be appreciated. I'm wondering if BMs ended up in Phuket after trying other places, doing research, or just by accident.

For what it's worth my, fairly sketch and probably very inaccurate impression of the three is: BKK - large urban sprawl; Pattaya - more bars, more farangs, more of everything; Phuket - smaller, a little quieter, a little more expensive, perhaps a higher percentage of LBs.

Cheers,
Flipside

[easyrider_au]

Your analysis is pretty good.
So far as the LB's go........I do tend to notice more in Patong, but I put this down to them being in the Bangla Rd area where they seem more concentrated in a smaller area, as opposed to Pattaya or BKK.
Go to any nightlife area in the above places & you'll find plenty of LB's.

It's only my recommendation, but if you're a newbie to Thailand, I reckon that Phuket is the best place to start your journey.

[Iltis]

agree with easyrider... imo you cant really compare patts and phuket. both are great in their own ways.

if i was in your place i'd start with phuket and then a couple of days in pattaya. also if you dont like it in one place it's so easy to travel around from place to place...

[ThaiLearner]

Originally Posted by Iltis

agree with easyrider... imo you cant really compare patts and phuket. both are great in their own ways.

if i was in your place i'd start with phuket and then a couple of days in pattaya. also if you dont like it in one place it's so easy to travel around from place to place...

Do phuket first then Pattaya .

Fly from Bangkok to Phuket then fly from Phuket to Pattaya and then taxi back to airport home.

[Werwolf]

I would also recomment first Phuket.
So you can get the "feeling of Thailand". There you have more oppunities with the beaches.
Then you may go to Pattaya.
Best is you travel a little bit around Thailand.

BTW
Welcome to the board.

[Nanook]

Welcome to the board and you already got some got recommendations from fellow BM's

[sundancekid]

Just have to agree 100% with the advice given. Personally --- if it was my first trip --- I would head straight down to Phuket. Chill out and get a feel of the place and nightlife scene. Then do 3 – 4 nights in Pattaya in the end. I’d skip Bangkok altogether unless shopping is your thing.

[Sirgezza]

Originally Posted by flipside

Hi All,
Just spent a few hours roaming around this very informative board. I've never been to LOS but I have visited a few other Asian countries. I'm in cold, miserable London at the moment and I'm thinking of just booking a flight and heading off to the sun.

I've been trying to get a feel for the differences between Pattaya, Phuket and BKK. I realise this a fairly common question, and I have done some searching but any further info would be appreciated. I'm wondering if BMs ended up in Phuket after trying other places, doing research, or just by accident.

For what it's worth my, fairly sketch and probably very inaccurate impression of the three is: BKK - large urban sprawl; Pattaya - more bars, more farangs, more of everything; Phuket - smaller, a little quieter, a little more expensive, perhaps a higher percentage of LBs.

Cheers,
Flipside

If you are thinking of going soon, then last minute accommodation will be easier to find in Pattaya. Peak season accommodation in Phuket is double low season rate, peak season rate in Pattaya is 20% higher than low season rate.

What do you want from the holiday, and for how long are you going?

[shez21]

I agree with the other BM's.
If it's your first time then try Phuket.
It has a great bar scene and is not as busy as BKK or Pattaya.
After Phuket you'll get an idea of whether you like Thailand and the bar scene itself.
If you decide that you do like the bar scene and want to really have some fun, head off to Pattaya where it is in my opinion "full on".
If you prefer things a little quieter then Phuket is a great place to start out...and to continue coming back too.

[flipside]

Originally Posted by Sirgezza

.

What do you want from the holiday, and for how long are you going?

Thanks for all the replies and the welcomes.

I'd probably be going for a couple of weeks, maybe 3. I enjoy the bar scene and I like the idea of full-on Pattaya. What appeals to me about Phuket, is that I get the impression that it might be easier to find a few quieter places too. I can only handle head-exploding volumes for so long.

I'm kind of getting the feeling that I'd like the choice and the glitz at Pattaya, but might find a slightly quieter ambience at Phuket (relatively speaking!) which would suit me better.

On top of all of that, I'd like to try to see some of the "real" Thailand, away from the touristy side, and also to get some diving in.

[Sirgezza]

Originally Posted by flipside

Thanks for all the replies and the welcomes.

I'd probably be going for a couple of weeks, maybe 3. I enjoy the bar scene and I like the idea of full-on Pattaya. What appeals to me about Phuket, is that I get the impression that it might be easier to find a few quieter places too. I can only handle head-exploding volumes for so long.

I'm kind of getting the feeling that I'd like the choice and the glitz at Pattaya, but might find a slightly quieter ambience at Phuket (relatively speaking!) which would suit me better.

On top of all of that, I'd like to try to see some of the "real" Thailand, away from the touristy side, and also to get some diving in.

Maybe you should get a hotel with a pool in a quiet area of Pattaya and use the baht bus to travel to the noisy parts when you feel like it.

I don't think that you will see any of the ''real'' Thailand in either Patong or Pattaya. Maybe a trip up north to Chiang Mai.

So how about this:

arrive BKK and get taxi straight dwn to pattaya (book hotel ASAP)
10 days Pattaya then taxi back to BKK for flight to Chiang Mai.
4 days CM then decide whether to go back to Pattaya, or get a direct flight to Phuket (hotels still busy end of January).
7 days Patong and then flight back to BKK.

[MassMoose]

Welcome to the board!

I can't give any recommendations about Pattaya as my first trip is still coming up. I do recommend Phuket/Patong. I like the night life and also nice beaches around. Sounds like you have enough time in LOS to take in a little bit of everything.
Have fun!

[shez21]

I agree with Sirgezza....if you want to see more of a real Thailand, head up north to Chiang Mai and Chiang Rai.