Pattaya holidays - travel guide - lifestyle

Shopping

Like other beach resorts, Pattaya has a wide range of stalls open day and night, selling souvenir clothing, handcrafts, luggage, electronics and much more. Most are spread along Beach Road and the parallel Second Avenue. There are also a few malls with excellent ranges of shops. Pattaya is a great place to pick up antique, or to get some clothing tailor-made - an affordable luxury in Thailand!

Cuisine

Thai cuisine is famed throughout the world and largely based on simple and fresh ingredients, each with their own distinct taste, from lemongrass and coriander to fish sauce and ginger. Dishes are generally shared by all diners and eaten with rice. Famous dishes include ?tom yum? - a coconut milk-based soup with prawns, ginger and lemongrass, ?phad Thai? - noodles with chicken topped with peanuts, green and red Thai curries, or for dessert, sticky rice and mangoes. To drink, sample a bottle of Singha, the local beer, coconut milk, or the delicious fresh tropical fruit juices on offer.

Nightlife

Nightlife in Pattaya has all sorts on offer, from bars, pubs and restaurants to live music and cabaret shows, all located close to each other on Walking Street, a shopping area that is closed to traffic at night. Dancing is popular, and there is something going on every night of the week.