Jomtien Beach Tourist Guide

Jomtien Beach

Since the 1990s, long after Pattaya had already reached a top position in
the ranking of Southeast Asian beach resorts, Jomtien Beach with its 6 km long stretch of sandy beach has gained more and more popularity not only with family vacationers and domestic weekend tourists but also with rather traditional Pattaya visitors in search of a more tranquil alternative to South Pattaya's traffic and noise.
Jomtien Beach with its abundance of hotels and guesthouses of various standards (with new ones being built continuously) has thus become the perfect holiday destination for those who don't fancy a vacation right in the middle of Pattaya's entertainment zones but still don't want to miss out on Funtown's vibrant nightlife.
Jomtien's great bonus is that it provides the features of a relaxed beach vacation and various water and entertainment activities within immediate vicinity of South Pattaya and Walking Street. These can be reached by "Baht-Bus" in only 5 to 15 minutes. Pratamnak Hill which topographically seperates Jomtien Beach from the main city area has itself become one of Pattaya's most booming residential areas so that Jomtien's northern parts actually merge with the southernmost parts of Pattaya.

Jomtien's main attraction has traditionally been its long sandy beach. Despite an excess supply of noise-polluting water scooters and motorboats, a disproportional number of beach vendors and the fact that the water quality does not really resemble what visitors might expect from a "tropical beach" either, it offers a much more relaxed environment for swimming, sunbathing and enjoying the various water activities than Pattaya beach. Provided you avoid weekends and Thai holidays when loads of Bangkokians in search of
a "tranquil" retreat overcrowd Jomtien's waterfront, you'll find a beach much more suitable for relaxed sunbathing and swimming than Pattaya's main Beach.
Beach/ Water activities include Beach Soccer & Volleyball, Scuba Diving, Banana Boat or Water Scooter Riding, Windsurfing, Jet- and Water Skiing, Parasailing, Snorkelling and whatever you can think of! And in case you get tired of just hanging about on your deck-chair why not take a ferry to "Coral Island" Koh Larn or charter a motorboat to one of Pattaya's other offshore islands to go diving in crystal-clear water and search the ocean's hidden treasures!
Activities & Sports
Tourist Attractions

Most brochures describe Jomtien Beach merely as a kind of Pattaya's little brother with a bit less of everything that might be "too much" in Pattaya. In a way this description is true - beachlife at Jomtien is much more relaxed, the atmosphere here is less "touristy" and the nightlife more laid-back than in Pattaya's main entertainment zones. But somehow this approach cannot cover all aspects of life and holidays at Jomtien.
Whereas only decades ago Jomtien bay could only be reached by a boat-
trip around Pratamnak hill, Jomtien Beach has become not only a tourist destination in its own right nowadays but also one of Pattaya's favourite residential areas with new condominium complexes, shophouses and residential "villages" under construction all the time.
So far Pattaya Park Tower (240 m tall) has been Jomtien's most prominent landmark. This, however, would change significantly once construction of the 91-storey Ocean 1 Tower Condominium project has been completed. With a total height of 367 m "Ocean 1" would not be only Thailand's tallest building but one of the tallest residential buildings in the world. Apart from increasing traffic problems on Jomtien Beach Road especially on weekends and public holidays when loads of domestic tourists rush onto Jomtien beach in search of "rest and recreation", it was mainly this high profile building project which was the main drive for the long awaited construction of a "Jomtien Second Road" (parallel to Beach Road, linking Thappraya Road/ Hanuman Statue and the southern parts of Jomtien) that is currently still under construction.
Jomtien Condo & House For Sale

While in the early days of touristic development holidays at Jomtien beach had been focussed mainly on beach & water activities, Jomtien hasn't only become one of Pattaya's most looked for residential areas in recent years but has also developed its own infrastructure and entertainment zones. In fact, Jomtien has gone through significant changes and made an amazing development during the first decade of the new millenium.

Along Jomtien Beach Road and its sidestreets (soi) you will find an ever increasing number of Thai, seafood and International restaurants, travel agencies, money exchange booths and souvenir shops, traditional Thai massage parlours, real estate agents, pharmacies, opticians and even dental clinics.
Though shopping facilities in Jomtien area with most shops being rather small and specialized in souvenirs or beach clothing can't compare to the shopping paradises of Pattaya or Bangkok, Jomtien still satisfies most of your tourist shopping expectations. Apart from little shops along Jomtien Beach Road, Thepprasit Nightmarket, held every weekend from Friday till Sunday, is well worth a visit and is known as one of Pattaya's largest and most interesting markets (Thepprasit Road, Sukhumvit Road end). Around the corner on Sukhumvit Highway a Tesco Lotus branch and "Outlet Mall" are awaiting you. Near the junction of Thappraya and Thepprasit Road there is even an international supermarket now ("Foodmart" in front of View Talay
1 Condominium) that caters for the culinary everyday needs of tourist and expats alike. And if that should still not be enough to satisfy your shopping needs, Pattaya is just an average 10 minutes taxi drive away which should not cost you more than maximum 20 Baht.
Shopping In Pattaya

Other popular daytime attractions besides beach activities include a Fishing Park, Bungy Jumping or a visit to Pattaya Water Park.
Tourist Attractions In Pattaya
Activities & Sports In Pattaya

Whereas just a decade ago Jomtien beach was all about water activities and provided only very little evening entertainment for revellers too lazy for a taxi ride to Pattaya, Jomtien has established quite a remarkable nightlife with an ever-growing bar scene of its own in recent years. If you find South Pattaya and Walking Street too noisy, crowded and "touristy" but still don't want to miss out on all the varieties of nightlife which Funtown has become famous for, then Jomtien Beach is probably the perfect choice for your holiday. The most prominent entertainment areas (from North to South) include Jomtien Complex and Thappraya Road, Soi 5 (Post Office), Soi 7, Soi White House and Soi Welcome Jomtien.
Though most bars are "Girlie" bars and cater to straight revellers, there are
quite a few Gay Bars and Clubs in Jomtien Complex that cater to those with an alternative lifestyle.

Pattaya Nightlife
Pattaya Beer Bars
Pattaya Gogo Bars
Pattaya Bar Girls
Pattaya Gay Scene

To find your way at Jomtien Beach is extremely easy. At the moment (2008) there is only one main North-South connection: Jomtien Beach Road with several side-streets ("Soi") which are either numbered (e.g. Soi 7) or have been given names of relevant buildings or hotels (e.g. Soi Whitehouse or Soi Welcome Jomtien Beach). Some are known both by numbers and names (Jomtien Soi 5 = Soi Praisanee/ Post Office). Jomtien Beach Road has only two connections to Sukhumvit Road: Soi Wat Boon and Soi Chayapruek.
When branching off the beachfront at Dongtan police box in Jomtien's North, Jomtien Beach Road changes name to Thappraya Road which goes all the way to South Pattaya. Half way up Pratamnak hill there is an intersection with Thepprasit Road which is the major link between Jomtien and Sukhumvit highway.

Map Of Jomtien Beach
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