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Only Bangkok beats Pattaya in number of hotel rooms. For seclusion, you'll have to stay at one of the high-end places. Ask hotels about packages and discounts—it can save you a chunk of change.
Step into the modern lobby here, and you'll immediately be transported to a haven removed from Pattaya's hectic streets. Classy deluxe rooms are comfortable and spacious, with impeccable furnishings and clear views of the free-form pool. The gleaming Ocean Tower vaults the resort to the top of Pattaya's hotel lineup, though. It includes a spa and an executive lounge, and all of its rooms have ocean-view balconies.
Located on a green, forested headland overlooking Koh Lan, this is one of Pattaya's most enticing properties. It offers a paradisiacal village of newly renovated rooms, private cabanas, and shade-providing palm trees. Other highlights include a private sandy beach and inviting lagoon pools. Views of the water frame the resort, but what really sets it apart is its relatively intimate size and peerless degree of personal service.
A cheaper alternative to Pattaya's five-star palaces, this centrally-located hotel has amenities like flat-screen TVs, refrigerators, safes, and hot showers—a great value for money.
At the northern end of Pattaya Beach, this sprawling hotel has superb bay views and several pools, including one with a swim-up bar. The rooms themselves also have comfortable seating areas and private balconies, and the lobby that leads to them is a light-soaked atrium complete with waterfalls. Not to be outdone, the resort's restaurants have expansive views, and the Devarana Spa is a luxurious, cutting-edge facility.
Despite a somewhat odd African theme, The Gem's Mining is one of Pattaya's classiest new luxury properties. Fabulous landscaping means that each of its 98 rooms and villas feel wonderfully secluded, even though the hotel is next to the main Bangkok-Pattaya motorway. The pick of the accommodations are the Ruby three-bedroom pool villas, which have a private pool and access to a larger lagoon pool.
In the middle of the beach yet convenient to much of Pattaya—especially the shopping mall it looms over—the Hilton serves up no-fuss luxury. The hotel also makes an effort to deliver a vacation feel, with relaxed sea themes and chic furnishings. All the amenities, including the rooftop pool, fitness facilities, and a lavish spa, encourage guests to pamper themselves. Even standard rooms have great views and offer excellent value for the money, and some of the suites have Jacuzzis on their balconies.
High on a bluff about 1½ km (1 mile) south of town, this four-hotel ensemble, a Thai institution, is known far and wide for its gulf views, setting, and staggering size. Even the standard rooms are well furnished, and most have ocean-view terraces (request one ahead of time). Some suites have two bedrooms, making them good for families. The beach is nice, too, but it's a hike down some stairs. The 11 on-site restaurants prepare a range of cuisines. Rossi serves high-quality Italian food at affordable prices.
