Pattaya travel info

Eight in the morning at Bali Hai Pier. People in shorts clutch 30-baht tickets and climb onto weathered wooden ferries. As the boat clears the breakwater, the row of Beach Road towers shrinks behind you, and about forty minutes later the water off Koh Larn turns a pale green. That's when you understand why locals say the real swimming is on the island.

Back on the mainland at dusk, the city changes gear. Dark-blue pickup trucks, the songthaews, roll down Beach Road nose to tail; raise a hand and one stops to take you along for 10 baht. Prawns and squid hiss over charcoal at the seafood stalls, and at the south end the neon of Walking Street flicks on. At the same hour, Wong Amat to the north and Jomtien to the south are quiet. Where you sleep decides what kind of trip you get.

It's about two hours by road from Bangkok's Suvarnabhumi airport. Golfing dads, families headed for water parks and couples off to snorkel all share the same road down. Add two or three days to a Bangkok trip and you have the beach covered.

Bangkok Suvarnabhumi Airport (BKK)

U-Tapao International Airport (UTP)