Alluring Pattaya

PATTAYA — An interesting trivia welcomed our media group on the day of our arrival in Thailand. The Bangkok airport was bustling with Chinese tourists. Our guide from the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) which hosted our trip said that because of the hit Chinese comedy film Lost in Thailand large numbers of visitors from China have been coming to Thailand.

Thailand has always been a favorite film setting. According to Thailand Film Office figures, more than 600 foreign productions were shot in 2014, including films, documentaries, commercials, TV programs and music videos.

TAT’s Philippine marketing representative Len Garcia said they often get requests from local TV programs to shoot episodes in Thailand because it has a lot to offer, a mix of east and west, and replete with cultural and tropical attractions such as temples and beaches.

One such place that combines both is the popular seaside destination of Pattaya, which is about 140 kilometers away from Bangkok.

Last time I was in Pattaya was 10 years ago, and much has visibly changed especially in terms of infrastructure. The hospitality industry has also grown bigger.

According to Suladda Sarutilavan, the director of the Tourism Authority of Thailand’s Pattaya Office, the city has now more than 100,000 rooms and more than 20 five-star hotels. It drew 10 million tourists in the last two years, 30 percent of which is foreign.

Small wonder really. If you’ve been to Bangkok, you can go directly to Pattaya on your next visit because there’s so much to do in the place. Here are some of the places not to be missed when in Pattaya:

Silver Lake Garden. This beautifully-landscaped, 400-acre Tuscan-style vineyard and winery compound is owned by Thai superstar Supansa Nuangpirom. Interestingly, one of its directors and its official spokesperson is a Filipino who grew up in Thailand, Dennis Dila. He shared that he got into the winery business upon the prodding of his childhood friend Surachai Tangjaitrong, who happens to be the husband of Supansa.

About 11 years ago, Dennis who was living and working in the US at that time was brought to a dense area on the outskirts of Pattaya by Surachai. “He said, we’re going to clean this whole area and turn it into a vineyard. I thought he was joking,” Dennis recalled, “At that time, we were corporate people, involved in the steel business so I never thought that we’d become farmers 11 years after.” They started small, producing wine mostly for themselves. “All of a sudden, we have this humongous place and it’s now a huge part of Pattaya tourism. We have over 300,000 people visiting the vineyard on an annual basis.”

The vineyard, which uses state-of-the-art equipment, also makes its own jam and other grape products. It also has a café, restaurant and a quirky bed and breakfast area that offers glimpses into its owner’s movie-star lifestyle. Silverlake has also been a concert and music festival venue with its own amphitheater.

Nong Nooch Tropical Garden. It has been called “paradise on earth” on travel sites by obviously besotted visitors, and rightfully so. At Nong Nooch, we were toured by its only Filipino employee, Rey Mendoza from Cavite. He used to be an English teacher in Thailand before he went on to work at Nong Nooch.

Nong Nooch was opened to the public in 1980 and has since become a top draw in Pattaya. The 600-acre property of rolling hills is owned by husband and wife Pisit and Nongnooch Tanscha and was initially intended as a fruit orchard. But Mrs. Nongnooch got inspired by the world-famous gardens she saw during her overseas travels and asked her son, who then headed the family’s movie business, to transform the property into a tropical botanical garden. Today, Nongnooch is often cited as one of the Top 10 gardens in the world, attracting over 3,000 visitors every day, said Rey.

Visitors view these gardens by riding an elephant, bicycle, tram or through a skywalk. Some of the elaborate gardens exude a whimsical, fairytale-like appeal such as the Pottery Display Garden, which boasts of clay pots arranged in various shapes, from images of famous people. It also has a floating garden, where flowers take on different patterns and shapes on floating barges on lake; the Four Towers garden which showcases architecture not just unique to Thailand but also from its neighboring countries of Laos, Myanmar, Cambodia, and the 10-acre French garden inspired by the Versailles Palace in France.

Apart from its botanical garden, it has a Thai cultural and elephant show held five times a day and features more than 40 elephants. Admission fee to Nong Nooch is 400 Baht.

What’s nice about Nong Nooch is it’s also near the Laser Beams Carved Buddha Image of Khao Chi Chan. The image was built 20 years ago to honor the King of Thailand. It has a height of 130 meters and width of 70 meters. 

The Centara Grand Mirage Beach Resort Pattaya was where we were billeted. The five-star, six-year-old hotel delivers the wow factor with its Lost World-inspired architecture and ambience (reporters were reminded of the movie Blended). Grand Mirage is the only themed hotel in Pattaya. “It is our only themed resort. We have resorts in Maldives, Phuket, Krabi, among others, but they are not as themed as this one. The minute you walk into the hotel and into your room, the concept is everywhere,” David Nowak, executive assistant manager for Food & Beverage, said. 

One of its strongest features is its water park, which has a jungle, a lazy river, waterfalls and rope bridges. On top of that is a 230-meter beach.

“Even if it’s a hotel, it offers a little more than the grounds, the surroundings. The water attraction is very appealing to a lot of people, especially because we are a family hotel. Eighty-eight percent of our business is for family,” Nowak said. “On the weekends, we’re full. And yeah, we have a lot of Thai stars coming down for a weekend because Bangkok is very close.”

It’s also a choice hotel for Indian weddings, holding three to four weddings in a month. The hotel’s expanse as well as activities and facilities provide its guests the ultimate playground. “The grounds are so big we have 100 staff looking after the grounds only.”

  For more details, check out tourismthailand.org or e-mail [email protected].