P attaya is 147 kilometres southeast of Bangkok, and faces the Thai Gulf. Pattaya is Asia's premier beach resort, and caters with equal appeal to families, couples and single visitors. Pattaya's relaxing tropical ambience is synonymous with every ingredient for memorable holidays.

Accommodation ranges from luxuriously appointed beachside hotels with superb convention facilities to simple guesthouses. Sporting opportunities abound both on land and water, and include some of the finest golfing, gamefishing and scuba-diving anywhere in Asia.

Theme and amusement parks, offbeat museums and lush botanical gardens offer numerous forms of leisure activities and cultural entertainment for all family members. And, after dark, Pattaya offers all the allure and magic of a truly vibrant nightlife with a spectacular variety of restaurants, nightclubs, bars, discotheques, cocktail lounges and cabarets.

Pattaya can be brash, bold, beautiful and bucolic, and offers everything an authentic international beach resort can.

Within twenty years, Pattaya has been transformed from a sleepy fishing community into an international resort often referred to as the 'Thai Riviera'. Pattaya is literally a place where East meets West, both in colour and character, and is probably the most cosmopolitan place in Thailand after Bangkok.

Some 4 kilometres long, this beach faces Pattaya Bay, the major venue from where boats visit Pattaya's offshore islands. The beach curves from north to south and is largely paralleled by a treelined promenade and beach road which is lined, in the northern and central parts, by hotels and restaurants. The northern section of the beach is largely tranquil, while the central and southern parts become increasingly lively, thanks to a juxtaposition of shops, department stores, boutiques, beauty salons, supermarkets, bars, discotheques, restaurants and nightclubs. The central area of the beach is a major shopping area, while the southern end is one of Pattaya's major nightlife areas.

Situated at kilometre 143 on Sukhumvit Highway, some 3 kilometres from Central Pattaya Road, this complex features miniature reproductions of major cultural and archaeological sites within Thailand, including Khmer shrines and the ancient capitals of Sukhothai and Ayutthaya, and features a section of miniaturised major international landmarks such as the Eiffel Tower, the Sydney Opera House, St Basil's Cathedral and the Statue of Liberty. The complex also has a go-kart track and a Thai restaurant.

Some twenty minutes from central Pattaya, this bucolic enclave features a landscape of native Thai flora, a fascinating collection of Bonsai trees, and massive ancient rocks (thus the park's unusual name) imported from Kanchanaburi province. Artfully landscaped with flowers and trees, the park contains a crocodile farm, a select collection of wild animals native to Thailand and nearing extinction, a pool containing giant catfish native to the Mekong River, and a restaurant. There are daily crocodile and magic shows.

This beachside water amusement park is located between South Pattaya and Jomtien Beach. Colourful water slides, whirlpools and shallow pools suitable for small children make the park popular with families. Restaurant facilities, a fast food corner, changing rooms and lockers number among facilities, and there is easy access to the beach should visitors prefer to swim in the sea. The park is overlooked by the 240-metre high Pattaya Park Tower that contains a revolving restaurant. The tower offers an exhilarating view of Pattaya and two novel ways, the Pattaya Park Sky Shuttle and Pattaya Park Tower Jump, of reaching the ground.

Situated on the Siam Country Club Golf Course road, the village features trained elephants demonstrating time-honoured forestry skills, enjoying themselves playing football, re-enacting wild elephant hunts and a medieval war elephant parade in a popular daily afternoon show. Elephant rides are also available at 9.00 AM.

Located next to the Royal Garden Resort Hotel inside Royal Plaza Garden, this museum, only the second of its kind in Asia, features a high technology theatre adapted from a pilot-training simulator, permanent and special displays of oddities such as animal freaks and unusual human feats, based on the popular cartoon feature of the same name which is featured in newspapers throughout the world.

This artfully landscaped botanical garden and country resort, located at kilometre 163 on Sukhumvit Highway, contains a splendid collection of native Thai flora, including hundreds of varieties of orchids, ferns, flowering plants and exotic blooms. The enclave contains numerous Thai-style residences, an ornamental lake, a large auditorium wherein daily cultural performances are presented, featuring folk dances, martial arts and traditions, followed by the most entertaining of all elephant shows imaginable, an hilarious form of pachyderm burlesque.

The world's sole Bottle Art Museum at Km 145.3 on Sukhumvit Highway, has more than 300 displays of miniature bottles.

Numerous sporting opportunities include participant and spectator sports on land and water. Major land sports include golf, tennis, go-karts, squash, badminton, bowling, jogging. paintball and motor-racing.

Popular watersports include windsurfing, sailing, waterskiing, gamefishing, snorkelling and scuba-diving. Opportunities for less easily definable activities, including bungee jumping and parasailing, are also available.

During weekdays, there are few courses that need to be booked in advance. Major courses in the Pattaya area are:

45 Mu 6 Tambon Bangphra, Amphoe Si Racha, Chon Buri Tel: (038) 341-149, 341-150 Fax: 341-151

Tambon Bung, Amphoe Si Racha (opposite Laem Chabang International Golf Course) Tel: (02) 248-15569

Tambon Bangphra, Amphoe Si Racha, Chon Buri Tel: (02) 279-4817 Fax: 01-353-2511

106 Mu 4 Tambon Bung, Amphoe Si Racha, Chon Buri Tel: (02) 255-3556, 01- 485--0639

502 Mu 10 Sukhumvit Highway, Amphoe Si Racha, Chon Buri Tel: (038) 349-370- 81 Fax: 349-365

Kilometre 158 Sukhumvit Highway, Amphoe Bang Lamung, Chon Buri Tel: 01-213-3859, (038) 239-391-8

Tambon Phlu Ta Luang, Amphoe Sattahip, Chon Buri Tel: (038) 431-189

50 Tambon Pong, Amphoe Bang Lamung, Chon Buri Tel: (038) 249-381-7

284-285 Amphoe Si Racha, Chon Buri Tel: 01-916-2416, 01-915-6282

159/1 Sansuk Bangphra Road, Chon Buri Tel: (038) 393-001-18 Fax: (038) 393-019

88/8 Mu 6 Ban Bung, Chon Buri Tel: (01) 484-9066, 484-9069 Fax: (01) 212-9327

Highway No. 331, Bang Lamung , Chon Buri Tel: (01) 211-2499, 213-9457 Fax: (01) 212- 0278

Tennis can be enjoyed at 14 Pattaya hotels, where preference is given to hotel guests. Certain hotels have tennis coaches.

This game of skill, strategy and daring can be enjoyed every day at the Paintball Parkwhich is located near the Pattaya Kart Speedway.

Three alleys cater for bowlers, the Pattaya Bowl on Pattaya Road 2, an alley in the Royal Jomtien Hotel, and the OD Bowl in South Pattaya.

A jogging track is an integral part of the pleasantly landscaped Pattaya Fitness Park located near the summit of Pattaya hill. Certain hotels have jogging tracks. Jogging is also enjoyable along the promenades facing Pattaya Bay, and along Jomtien Beach.

The Bira International Circuit at Km 14 on Route 36 to Rayong periodically stages international motor and motorcycle racing. The 2.4 kilometre track is ideal for Formula 3 racing. There are daily opportunities for speed enthusiasts who enjoy driving their own two-wheeled or four-wheeled vehicles around the challenging track for nominal fees.

Snooker can be enjoyed at the Pattaya Bowl, AR Snooker, Dice Cafe Hall and the Royal Place Hotel.

A handgun and rifle range with 19 fully equipped and airconditioned galleries is open daily at Tiffany's on Pattaya 2 Road.

Available at the Horse Sport Centre at Km. 11 on Route 36 (near the Bira International Circuit). Mountain and jungle rides are made on Australian thoroughbreds. Riding lessons are offered.

The most popular venues are the northern and southern parts of Pattaya Beach, Jomtien Beach and Ko Lan island. Freshwater water-skiing is available at Lakeland Cable Water Ski at Kilometre 150.5 on Sukhumvit Highway.

Jomtien Beach is the major centre for windsurfing. Tuition is widely available for beginners. The Pattaya Windsurf Club on Jomtien Beach regularly stages board competitions.October

The most popular rentals are Lasers, Prindles and Hobie Cats. Sailing is a yearround sport in Pattaya's waters. Visitors wishing to avail themselves of knowledgeable information regarding sailing rentals and seasonal conditions should contact their hotel travel desk, or the Royal Varuna Yacht Club at Tel: 251-115.

Expeditions are organised by many operators. Waters surrounding Manwic-hai, Rin and Kram islands are popular for the pursuit of marlin, king mackerel, barracuda and other Gulf denizens. Major game fishing operators include:

Bangsaray Fishing Lodge

Km 165 Sukhumvit Highway, Bangsare Village, Amphoe Sattahip Tel: (038) 436- 757

Deutches Haus

Soi 4 Beach Road, North Pattaya Tel: (038) 428-725

Samaesan Fishing Bridge

40/7 Mu 4 Samaesan Village, Amphoe Sattahip Tel: 01-211-4659

Scuba diving and snorkelling are popular around Pattaya's offshore islands, particularly those furthest from Pattaya Bay, namely Ko Pai, Ko Manwichai, Ko Luam and Ko Rim. Neophyte divers can take open water certification courses organised by several local dive shops. Pattaya's major dive shops include:

190/11 Mu 9, Central Pattaya Road Tel: (038) 420-411 Fax: 360-095

Mermaid Beach Resort, 75/102 Mu 12 Jomtien Beach Road Tel: (038) 232-219- 20, 231-907 Ext. Dive Shop Fax: 232-221

Siam Bayview Hotel, 310/2 Mu 10, Beach Road Tel: (038) 423-871-8 Ext. Paradise Divers Shop Fax:423-879 Tlx: 85931 TH

This sport is ubiquitous throughout the resort, is featured at several hotels with their own private beaches, and is perhaps best enjoyed at Ko Lan where floating 'take-off and landing' platforms mean flight occurs exclusively above the sea.

These can be enjoyed at the Ban Bung Sailing & Paramotor Centre some 4 kilometres off Sukhumvit Highway (from Km 150) where there are facilities for, among other activities, windsurfing, sailing, canoeing and fishing.

Major hotels operate gourmet restaurants, cocktail lounges, discotheques, nightclubs and supper clubs which offer excellent food, drinks, music and international entertainment. Such establishments are ideally suited to family entertainment. Nightlife beyond Pattaya's hotels is more liberated and exciting. Discotheques, transvestite cabarets, nightclubs, coffee shops, karaoke bars, open air bars and restaurants with live music and entertainment compete for attention. Most such establisments are located along the Beach Road, Pattaya 2 Road, and in South Pattaya, which is also the resort's major shopping area. Up-to-date listings of entertainment and shows are available in local Englishlanguage tourism publications.

South Pattaya is the major shopping area for beachwear, souvenirs, films, tapes, pharmaceuticals and liquor. The resort's major gems, jewellery, silk, cotton and handicraft shops, tailors and boutiques are located in the vicinity of, or adjacent to, major beachside hotels. The Pattaya 2 Road is also a favourite haunt for shoppers, with several handicraft and Thai silk shops. Department stores and allied bazaars in Central Pattaya offer other shopping experiences.

Some of Thailand's choicest seafood is found in hotel buffets and several specialty restaurants. Steakhouses, coffeeshops and fast food outlets provide attractive alternatives. Gourmets and gourmands alike find satisfaction in numerous restaurants featuring regional Thai cuisine and French, Swiss, German, Italian, English, Scandinavian, Indian, Arabic, Indonesian, Japanese, Chinese and Korean food.

Pattaya can be reached in a comfortable 2-hour drive along Sukhumvit Highway via Bang Na, Bang Pakong, Chon Buri and Si Racha.

Airconditioned, and non-airconditioned, coaches regularly leave from the Eastern Bus Terminal near Soi 63 (Soi Ekamai) on Sukhumvit, and the Northern Bus Terminal on Phahon Yothin Road throughout the day. Departure times and fares may be obtained by telephoning the Eastern Bus Terminal (392-9227 for airconditioned coaches and 391-2504 for regular coaches) and the Northern Bus Terminal at 279-4484-7 for airconditioned coaches.

The State Railways of Thailand offers daily train services departing Bangkok's Hualampong Station at 7.00 AM. Tel: 223- 7010 or 223-7020 for further details. Thai International operates an airconditioned limousine service between Bangkok's Don Muang International Airport and Pattaya. Bookings in Pattaya may be made by telephoning 423-140-1.

Travelling around Pattaya is most convenient by mini-buses that continually ply the Beach Road and Pattaya 2 Road in counterclockwise circuits. Fares are 5 baht per person per ride. Fares beyond the main bay are negotiable.

AVIS from the Dusit Resort Hotel (Tel: 429-901-3 Ext. Avis), Royal Cliff Beach Resort (Tel: 250-421-30 Ext. Avis)

Ko Lan, Pattaya's nearest island, is some 45 minutes by ordinary boat (15 minutes by speedboat) from Pattaya Bay. Local travel agents sell 280 baht tickets per person per round trip, including lunch, on a ferry service departing at 9.30 and 11.30 AM. The transfer costs 180 baht per person without lunch. Boat charters cost 800 to 1,500 baht per day, depending on the season, the number of tourists and size of the boat, most of which are converted fishing smacks.

Sailing junks also make the trip to Lan island. The trip includes lunch and coral viewing, with departure at 9.30 AM and a 4.30 PM return. The trip costs 300 baht per person.

Each year, usually during April, the week-long Pattaya Festival is celebrated with a wide range of entertainment spectacles, including parades, beauty contests, concerts, food festivals, fireworks and an exciting calendar of sporting events, in- cluding Grand Prix and go-kart motor-racing, sailing regattas, windsurfing competitions, power boat racing and fishing contests. Special exhibitions and shopping opportunities abound as Pattaya celebrates in a style befitting its stature as Asia's premier beach resort.

Pattaya offers accommodation to suit every pocket. Facilities range from the airconditioned, beachside opulence of some of Asia's finest hotels to the basic simplicity of friendly guest houses. Major hotels occupy spacious, gorgeously landscaped gardens where swimming pools, tennis courts and jogging tracks are commonly featured.

Essentially, visitors have the choice of luxury hotels with private beaches, bayside hotels and bungalows, and 'inland' economy-class hotels, inns and guest houses.

A comprehensive accommodation list may be obtained from the Pattaya TAT office at 246/1 Mu 9, Beach Road.

Rayong and Chanthaburi are neighbouring coastal provinces on Thailand's Eastern Seaboard. Rayong province covers some 3,562 square kilometres. Rayong's provincial capital is 179 kilometres southeast of Bangkok. Chanthaburi covers some 6,338 square kilometres. The provincial capital is some 245 kilometres from Bangkok, and some 110 kilometres east of Rayong. Both provinces are well known among Thais for their tropical fruits, fine beaches, national parks and natural beauty.