Where to stay in Pattaya: the best areas and hotels

This is the Pattaya of the postcards and the cautionary tales. Beach Road curves around the bay, lined with palms, bars and baht buses, and the lanes running inland are a dense tangle of massage shops, markets, restaurants and shopping centres. At the southern end is Walking Street, closed to traffic every evening and given over to bars, clubs and seafood restaurants on stilts.

Stay here if you want everything on tap and are not fussed about peace and quiet. There are refuges, though. Siam Bayshore, at the southern end of the beach near Walking Street, hides low-rise Thai pavilions in a huge tropical garden; Avani Pattaya is a long-established resort in the city centre with a pool and spa; Terra Nara is a five-minute walk from Beach Road; and Grand Palazzo is 300 metres from the Alcazar cabaret.

At the northern end of Pattaya Bay the volume drops a little. You are still on the main beach and a short baht-bus ride from the nightlife, but the hotels are larger and leafier and the crowd is more mixed. The airport-themed Terminal 21 shopping mall anchors the neighbourhood.

Amari Pattaya, at the north end of the bay, is especially good for families with young children. The Dusit Thani sits on the headland at the very top of the bay, with direct access to two beachfronts. Grande Centre Point is connected directly to Terminal 21 and has panoramic views over the bay, and Mytt Hotel is steps from the beach. For a first visit, it is the best balance of convenience and calm.

North of the main bay, around a headland, Pattaya becomes a different place. Naklua was a fishing village before the resort arrived, and it still has a morning market and a slower rhythm. Wong Amat Beach, just beside it, is a fine sweep of soft sand backed by five-star resorts and tall condominiums, with the extraordinary carved-teak Sanctuary of Truth standing on the point.

Centara Grand Mirage is the showstopper, a themed resort with ocean-facing rooms and eight places to eat, as popular with honeymooners as with families. Pattaya Modus Beachfront Resort sits right on Wong Amat; Cape Dara rises 26 storeys above a quiet residential corner, with its own beach and wide sea views; and Z Through by The Zign is near Naklua Beach. The centre is a cheap ride away when you want it.

Pratumnak is the wooded hill that separates Pattaya Bay from Jomtien, topped by a big golden Buddha and a viewpoint over the whole curve of the city. Its streets are residential and quiet, its small beaches are far less crowded than the main strip, and Walking Street is only a few minutes away by taxi. It is the locals' tip for staying close to Pattaya without staying in it.

The Royal Cliff Beach Hotel sits in a private gated estate above its own bay, about ten minutes' drive from the centre. The Elysium is a sea-facing serviced residence three minutes' walk from the beach and close to cliff-top cafés and restaurants; Cross Pattaya Pratamnak is a few hundred metres from little Ta-Yai Beach; and Mountain Beach Resort is up on the hill itself.

Jomtien is what many people hope Pattaya will be. The beach runs straight and long to the south of Pratumnak Hill, shaded by trees and lined with deckchairs, seafood shacks and watersports. Evenings are about night markets and beach-road restaurants, not go-go bars. At the northern end, Dongtan Beach is a largely traffic-free stretch that is especially pleasant.

The Sanctuary Resort is steps from Dongtan Beach, with a rooftop pool and bar and a restaurant where sharks swim past the tables. Pooh Beach Resort & Spa is a nine-minute walk from Dongtan; Sea Crest by Jomtien is a small Thai-themed boutique hotel a short walk from the sand; and Bay Beach Resort is a minute from the beach by car. Central Pattaya is a quick baht-bus ride over the hill.

Keep driving south from Jomtien and the high-rises thin out. Na Jomtien and the old fishing village of Bang Saray, in Sattahip district, are where Pattaya keeps its most design-conscious resorts: low buildings in big gardens, right on the sand, with the islands on the horizon at sunset. The floating market and several big family attractions are close by.

Andaz Pattaya Jomtien Beach spreads its rooms and villas through mature gardens. Mövenpick Siam Hotel Na Jomtien is beachfront and built with families in mind; the Renaissance Pattaya has three outdoor pools and four restaurants; and U Pattaya is a peaceful beachfront retreat between Jomtien and Bang Saray. You will want taxis for nights out, but that is rather the idea.

Koh Larn, a short ferry ride from the pier in South Pattaya, is where the city goes for a proper swim. The island has a handful of beaches with pale sand and clear, turquoise water, quite unlike the mainland shore. Day-trippers pour in by late morning and leave by late afternoon. Stay the night and you get the before and after to yourself.

Accommodation is simple and small-scale. Xanadu Beach Resort is on Samae Beach, one of the best on the island, with fresh seafood on the menu. Rimtalay Resort is beachfront, and Madusea Grand Villa has a private beach and a dozen pools. Do not expect five-star polish; do expect to wake up to the sound of the sea.