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| Jomtien Beach stretching out towards the city of Pattaya |
The local Thai people find Jomtien to be far more attractive than the more-famous (infamous?) Pattaya beach. The beach is sandy and stretches of the adjacent road have large trees that throw some shade across the parking areas. In many areas, the much-loved and very-affordable umbrella and lounge chair cities spring up. Food vendors proffer coffee, drinks, snacks, and food by the main road, but without the aggressiveness of the touts one would typically find lining Pattaya beach.
In the morning, one might be forgiven for thinking the locals must not like the beach, but by mid-afternoon, as the crowd begins to gather, this misconception would be put to rest with the realization that Thai people just don’t like that hot tropical sun ruining their complexion (of course, this same concept applies to virtually all Asian countries).
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| Children playing in the ocean just before dusk. Note the beach chairs and umbrellas set up on the right - this is typical of many beaches in Thailand |
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| Vender selling floats watches dark clouds approach Jomtien Beach |
A two-and-a-half-hour drive can be quite long after a day of lounging around the beach. Many Bangkokian’s visit for the weekend, staying Saturday night as one of the hotels nearby. For a longer stay, there are also many activities that visitors can enjoy while in the area.
The Ocean Marina Yacht Club deserves a mention if anyone is talking about Jomtien, since there is nothing equivalent to it on the entirety of Thailand’s eastern seaboard. Companies from Bangkok often book excursions on ships anchored here, and expat and Thai sailors alike gather for drinks and to share fishing stories semi-regularly. Everything from medium-sized speedboats and sailboats to huge private yachts are kept in the marina. The grounds themselves are quite beautiful and the club can seem a bit desolate weekdays and in the off-season, but it’s quite relaxing to grab a drink at the bar and watch the boats coming and going from the dock
These days (as of late 2018), the tourist numbers are climbing and some areas of the club (restaurant, hotel) may need a bit of an upgrade. However, if you like booking international-quality boats for various excursions (boat/yacht charters, deep sea fishing, sailing lessons, among others), this is probably the place for you.
Select Activites
Pattaya Floating Market. Good for a 2-4 hour visit. A very commercial floating market built for tourists provides a relatively authentic feel for what a traditional Thai floating market might have been like many years ago. Many shops line canals and offer souvenirs – clothes, bags, soap, and so on – as well as traditional Thai snacks and regular Thai meals. Relatively pricey (entry fee of 200 baht per person), but definitely worth a look for visitors who are unable to make a trip to the massive Ampawa Floating Market outside of Bangkok.
Underwaterworld Pattaya. Aquarium with a 100m long underwater tunnel. Great place to visit with young kids! Tickets are reasonable at about 500bt ($16) for adults and 300bt ($9) for children. A visit will probably last several hours and can be combined with a trip to the nearby Pattaya Floating Market.
Cartoon Network Pattaya. Cartoon-themed waterpark with more than 25 different rides; maintains international safety standards. Spending a day at the waterpark is always tremendous fun for young families! Prices are elevated, about 1300bt ($40) per person when prebooking online, and remember this place gets busy on the weekends (2:30pm seems to be peak time). International and Thai food is available at reasonable prices relative to international prices in waterparks.
Glass House Beachfront Restaurant and Bar. The name says it all! Always a favorite with Thai people visiting Jomtien, this upscale restaurant offers wonderful sunset views from its beachfront location. Prices are elevated along with the ambience provided in the mostly open-concept three-story “house” as well as the large tables set up on the sandy beach before the ocean. Food is mostly Thai or Thai-fusion, relatively passable, with most beverages – alcoholic and otherwise – also available at Bangkok prices. Great place for families or going on a date.
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| Russian tourists making their way along the shore to a hotel |
Select Hotels
Movenpick Hotel Pattaya. Five star resort complex located near the center of Jomtien beach. Modern high-rise hotel with great beachfront, huge pool, kids areas, and good restaurants. Rooms are decent size and provide amazing views of the ocean. Adjacent properties are occupied by rather high quality hotels as well. Location can be rather quiet, but then again, the resort itself can be all-inclusive, and if this isn’t enough, activities available nearby should be more than enough to keep you busy!
Botany Beach Resort. Three star low-rise hotel located near central Jomtien. Beautiful traditional Thai style villas and bungalos placed between pools and tropical trees provide a more exotic feel – with a lower price tag – than the nearby Movenpick. Very quiet family hotel that can provide a nice respite in comparison to busier tourist areas. Food is decent but is similar to what may be found in many local Thai hotels.
U Pattaya. Five star low-rise hotel in south Jomtien. Resort consists of beautiful pool villas and a regular hotel building designed with a modern-yet-Thai fusion sort of feel to it. The highlight of the hotel is the infinity pool overlooking the ocean. Excellent facilities, relatively quiet location. Good international food.
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| Jellyfish warning sign in front of a hotel on Jomtien beach (yes, yes, it may look like a squid, but this is a jellyfish warning!) |
Swimming in the ocean waters off of Jomtien in some seasons is discouraged, since jellyfish abound in these waters. In the fall, Tiger and Bird have taken some morning strolls along the shore and counted - counted, mind you - no less than one hundred of these small aquatic creatures washed up on the beach. After one hundred, we stopped counting. Most of the jellyfish are smaller than the palm of a person's hand.
As one moves further and further south along Jomtien beach, the crowds become less and the sand becomes wilder and more coarse. The beach becomes far steeper too, as opposed to a more gentle slope of the sand as it approaches the ocean. Oftentimes, the beach also seems cleaner than the section of Jomtien found closer to Pattaya. Here, one can often find various sea creatures washed up on the shore after a mild storm.
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| Parrot fish are quite common around Thai reefs, but finding one washed up on the shore is unusual! |
Tiger and Bird always enjoy the sunsets over Jomtien. The ocean off of central Jomtien tends to be very calm and quiet, sheltered by the nearby islands of Khram Yai and Koh Larn. As the sun begins to descend into the sea, the waters take on varying shifting shades of blues and purples framed against a fiery red and pink sky. Nothing says sabai sabai like relaxing on the beach in the tropics, coconut smoothie in hand, and watching the day gradually fade away.
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| Beautiful sunset over the ocean by Jomtien beach. A lone sailboat can be seen making for shore as the day gives way to night |
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Next up, we'll finish up our posts on beach towns in the region by covering Bangsaen beach and Rong Payaban Kao Road in Chonburi
Previous post: Tiger and Bird's hotel suggestions for Pattaya Beach
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Other experiences near Jomtien Beach
Day trips to the Chonburi shore- a quick 1.5 hour drive from Bangkok
Daytime activities around Pattaya
Visiting the island of Koh Larn
