Pattaya Hotels

If you visit Pattaya, you might notice that it is spelled "Patthaya" in some places. This is the official transliteration of the Thai name for the city. The name is derived from an event in the area's history, in which the native Thais were defending their land from Burmese invaders. General Phraya Tak marched his army down to the area now known as Pattaya, where he met enemy general Nai Klom. Klom was so impressed by the superior discipline of Phraya's army that he surrendered on the spot. The area became known as Thap Phraya, which translates as "Army of the Phraya," and the name was later changed to Patthaya, which refers to a wind that blows from the northeast to southwest at the start of the rainy season.

Pattaya remained a minor fishing town until some Vietnam-area American troops discovered it while on R&R in Thailand. Today, it is a major tourist destination that hosts more than four million visitors a year and a growing population of foreign retirees. The fishermen's huts were replaced by hotels and shopping centers, including Asia's largest beachfront mall.

If you visit Pattaya, you can always count on warm temperatures, with a typical high temperature averaging about 88 degrees Farenheit (31 Celsius.) It does have a humid season from March to May and a rainy season from June to October, so if you prefer dry heat, you might want to consider traveling during the dry season from November to January.

You can reach Pattaya by road via the Bangkok-Chonburi-Pattaya Motorway (Highway No. 7) or the Bang Na-Trat Highway (Highway No. 34). A train runs between Pattaya and Hualumphong Station in Bangkok daily. Buses go from Bangkok to Pattaya from Bangkok's Northern Bus Terminal (Morchit) and Eastern Bus Terminal (Ekamai). Taxis and songthaews ("Baht-buses") are also available for travel within the city. The nearest airports are U-Tapao International Airport, a 45-minute drive from Pattaya, and Suvarnabhumi Airport in Bangkok, 120 kilometers from Pattaya.

Local attractions include golf courses, zoos and aquariums, museums that include the Ripley's Believe It or Not Museum, the 500-acre Non Nooch Tropical Botanical Gardens, and a miniature model village called Mini Siam, which includes replicas of famous monuments and historical sites like the Emerald Buddha and the Bridge over the River Kwai.

Pattaya Hotels makes it easy to find and book a hotel room in Pattaya, Thailand. Find discounts on 3-star, 4-star and 5-star hotels and read reviews from real people who vacationed in Pattaya. Hotels that have been highly rated by real travelers are easy to find, so you can feel less like you're rolling the dice on a hotel and more like you're getting a great deal on your trip to Pattaya.