Pattaya

Sea-view rooms above a mall, an elevated pool that stays calm, and sunsets you'll actually remember.

A family resort built around a water park, with slides, a lazy river and sea views from every room.

Hotel comforts with a kitchen sink and a clothes dryer, which makes it a smart pick for longer stays.

A space-themed family machine next to Terminal 21, with a water park built for under-tens.

A big air-conditioned mall on Beach Road where the food court does the heavy lifting.

Big waterfront seafood hall where the prawns justify the premium, if you time it for sunset.

Big open-air seafood barn across from Jomtien Beach, and the blue crab in yellow curry is the reason to come.

Top-floor mall food court where 40-baht som tam and air con make lunch almost embarrassingly cheap.

A hand-carved wooden giant still under construction, and watching the carpenters work is half the point.

The 100-metre tunnel is the reason to come, and honestly it's most of what you're paying for.

Free to enter, easy stairs, and a hilltop view over the city that's worth the trip up alone.

A 3D illusion museum that only works if you've got someone with you to press the shutter.

Ko Lan's biggest beach, great water, but come early and don't expect peace from the jet skis.

Clear water, white sand and a hill walk to a view over the whole bay, all for a 40 baht ferry.

Six kilometres of sand where you can hire a chair, drink a cold beer and let the day go by.

The eight-minute walk in is exactly why this Koh Larn beach stays calmer than the rest.

A cheap 45-minute ferry buys you beaches, viewpoints and monkeys, but go on a weekday.

An airport-themed mall where each floor is a different world city, and the food court is the real draw.

A paid-entry, purpose-built market that's photogenic at sunset but light on actual boat vendors.

Covered aisles of clothes, bags and souvenirs where the first price quoted is never the real one.

Floors of phones, cables and repair counters, plus decent cafes downstairs if gadgets aren't your thing.

Thai lessons on Pratumnak built around ED visa paperwork, open seven days from 9am to 8pm.

Half a day minimum, 500 acres of themed gardens and dinosaurs, and you'll want to be there by 8am.

Rent the golf cart. Walk it and you'll see a fraction of the place and still lose seven hours.

Loud, neon, adults-only after dark, and the seafood is easier before the 9pm crush.

A proper EDM club with a real dress code, so leave the sleeveless shirt at the hotel.

Turn up after midnight if you want the club rather than the bar, and expect the sound system to earn its praise.

Bollywood, Punjabi and EDM on Walking Street, with drink prices that need watching before you order.

A proper, professional massage on Walking Street, open from mid-afternoon until half past midnight.

Japanese-style communal hot spring bathing on Thep Prasit, best paired with a massage and a slow afternoon.

A well-regarded Pattaya massage spa offering Thai, herb, and aroma oil treatments in a calm, cabin-like setting.

A well-established day spa on Jomtien's Thappraya Road, open daily until midnight with a loyal repeat clientele.

Take the 30-baht ferry, not the speedboat, unless you fancy paying for a tuk-tuk at the other end.

Thirty baht and forty minutes to Coral Island, as long as your bag is light and your legs work fine.