When you are planning your first trip to Pattaya, it is quite easy to pick a hotel in the wrong area for you. Without knowing the lay of the land, you could end up in a part of the region which is meant for a different type of holidaymaker to you. It may not be a really huge city on the scale of Bangkok, but the small areas which make up Pattaya are such polar opposites that ending up in the wrong one could effectively ruin your trip.

To help you make sense of the stark differences between one end of town and the other, we have prepared this simple guide to the region’s main areas. From the brief summaries of each, you can pick the place which best suits your idea of a perfect holiday and then access the extensive and highly detailed information on the hotels, restaurants, nightlife, shopping and attractions available there.