Jomtien Beach

This is the beach to head for when central Pattaya feels like too much. Jomtien is a straight, 6 km stretch of sand on the Gulf, starting about 3 km south of Pattaya Beach, and the pace drops noticeably once you're on the promenade under the trees. It's lined with condos, hotels, bars and restaurants the whole way, and it's the more family-friendly of the two.

Vendors rent out deck chairs cheaply, and someone will bring a coconut or a cold beer to your umbrella. Jet skis, banana boats and parasailing run off the sand if you want to do something. You can swim here, though the water is calm rather than clear and reviews are split on how clean it is. The southern end, past the night market, is the quietest part.

Evening is the best time to come, when it's cooler and the sun goes down over the water. Early morning is the other good window, before the chair and jet-ski operators set up. December to February are the driest months, and September and October bring the heaviest rain.

The dark-blue baht buses run along the beach road for ฿15 a ride, or ฿20 for the longer run between Jomtien and central Pattaya, which is the easy way to hop between sections of the beach. Bring cash for chairs and vendors.