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Central Pattaya
Pataya Klang, or Central Pattaya, is a little funkier than the Northern district. The hotels are not so grand, the restaurants smaller, and here you will find the beginning of Pattaya's bar-beers, or open-air bars. There are plenty of tailor shops, and some go-go bars. Pattaya police station, and the Immigration Office are here. Two main shopping malls, the Royal Garden Plaza and Mike's Place, are both in Central Pattaya. In addition to the action along Beach Road, many of the sois are very lively: Soi Post Office, and Soi Pattayaland 1, 2 and 3 in particular. There is a Tourist Police office on Beach Road near the junction with South Pattaya's Walking Street. The sois will all take you through to Second Road, where there are more bars and restaurants, and a couple of dive shops. There are many small hotels and guesthouses here, offering good value accommodation and no-frills Western and Thai dining.
North Pattaya / Naklua
Naklua means "salt fields", after the main occupation of the area before the rise of tourism and industry. There is still the air of an ancient village to Naklua today, for here you will see old wooden houses and narrow streets, traditional noodle shops and working fishing boats. The old houses over the creek are especially picturesque, and a walk through the streets will reveal plenty of little shops selling handicrafts and domestic goods. The Dolphin Roundabout and the beginning of Beach Road mark the junction with North Pattaya, and the surroundings change dramatically. This is the classy end of the resort, with upmarket hotel and restaurants facing out over the beach. Here too you can begin a pleasant walk along the bayfront, for a recently built promenade will take you along the shore under the palm trees right up to through to the back part of Pattaya, known as Second Road. There are more major hotels here, along with shopping areas, bars, clubs, and a Tourist Police office.
South Pattaya
South Pattaya Road curves sharply off from Beach Road, taking the traffic away from this busy district which is now known as Walking Street. A relatively recent development, this pedestrians only zone is welcome relief, allowing visitors to browse amongst the endless little shops offering fast tailoring services, sports goods, jewelry and souvenirs. Here too the bars are almost endless, as are the big seafood restaurants, several of them built out over the ocean and offering pleasant surroundings to enjoy you meal. South Pattaya tends to be older, brasher and busier than the remainder of the city. You can walk uninterrupted all the way through to the Siam Bayshore Hotel and Arthachinda Road, which effectively marks the boundary of South Pattaya. Take any of the sois, no matter how tiny they may seem, to make you way through to Pratamnak Road, the back part of Pattaya which links up with Second Road.
Around Jomtien Beach
As is so often the case in Thailand, you will see several different spellings of "Jomtien". This district, with its 6km beach, is divided off form the rest of Pattaya by the hill which rises to the back of South Pattaya. Drive over the hill, past the big Buddha and the Royal Cliff Hotel, and down into the relatively quiet Jomtien. The beach is popular with windsurfs and water sports enthusiasts, largely because the area enjoys brisk and fresh breezes sweeping inland from the Thai Gulf, and because the seas are less congested with boats than in Pattaya Bay. This is also the place to relax for a suntan, of go for long early morning or sunset walks along the oceanfront. There is little in the way of shopping or beer - bars at Jomtien, which is essentially a residential area with beachside hotels, bungalow complexes, condominiums and restaurants. Jomtien has its own very distinctive gay beach, accessed by turning right at the bottom of the hill; for all other attractions, turn left.
