About Stays Pattaya
G’day, I’m Rob
Stays Pattaya is an independent hotel guide written by one bloke who has spent the best part of twenty years getting to know Pattaya’s sois, songthaews and hotels. I also write Pattaya Newbie, and this site is its sister guide, focused entirely on where to stay.
I first came to Pattaya in 2007 and moved here in 2008 while working fly-in, fly-out. I lived here until 2017, kept coming back a couple of times a year after that, and retired to Thailand in 2023. Along the way I’ve stayed in good hotels, average hotels and a few I’d rather forget.
I started this site because I got sick of hotel reviews that all read the same: glossy photos, a copy-pasted description, and nothing about whether you can actually walk anywhere from the front door.
Why Stays Pattaya Exists
The big booking sites will show you thousands of hotels. They won’t tell you which ones are worth the money, or what the street outside is like at 11pm.
“Close to Walking Street” might mean a three-minute stroll or a sweaty twenty-minute slog down Second Road. “Central location” can mean almost anything. The details that shape your stay rarely make it into the listing, so these guides cover them directly:
- Real walking times to Beach Road, Second Road, Soi Buakhao and the places you’ll use most
- How close you are to an active songthaew (baht bus) route, where a ride costs ฿15 to ฿20, versus paying for Grab or Bolt every time you go out
- Street noise, and whether your room sits above a bar strip or on a quiet side soi
- Guest policy: whether the hotel is guest-friendly, whether it charges a joiner fee, and how the front desk handles visitor registration
Guest policy is a practical question, the same as Wi-Fi or air-con, but booking sites tend to bury it or leave it out. Here it sits up front.
What “Guest-Friendly” Means Here
Every hotel on this site is guest-friendly with no joiner fee, so you can bring a visitor back to your room without paying a surcharge.
All of these hotels will ask your guest to leave photo ID at reception or at least take a copy of it. It’s a standard safety measure that protects you, your belongings and the property. I count a front desk that checks ID properly as a point in the hotel’s favour.
How the Guides Are Built
I don’t spin these guides from other websites or scrape them from booking platforms. They come from time on the ground in Central Pattaya, Soi Buakhao and LK Metro, Walking Street and South Pattaya, and Jomtien.
| What I Check | Why It Matters |
|---|---|
| Walking distance to main roads | Tells you how much you’ll rely on taxis |
| Songthaew access | Every featured hotel is within a 2 to 5 minute walk of an active route |
| Street noise and surroundings | Decides whether you’ll actually sleep |
| Guest policy and front desk protocol | No surprises at check-in, or at 1am |
| The hotel’s own published information | More reliable than aggregator listings, which are often out of date |
The hotel list is intentionally short. I’d rather recommend a handful of hotels I’m confident in, across a range of budgets and styles, than list two hundred I can’t vouch for. If a hotel doesn’t make the cut, it isn’t here.
Pattaya changes quickly. Hotels renovate, change hands and quietly rewrite their policies. I keep the guides as current as I can, but if guest policy matters to your stay, confirm it with the hotel before you book.
Affiliate Disclosure & Independence
This site uses affiliate links, including links to Agoda. If you click through and book, I may earn a small commission. You pay the same price you’d pay going direct to the booking site.
That commission helps cover hosting, site visits and the hours it takes to keep these guides accurate, and it’s what keeps the site free to read.
It doesn’t buy a place on the list. No hotel pays to be featured, and none gets a softer write-up because it pays a better commission. If a place has a downside, like a long walk to the main road, thin walls or a fussy front desk, I’ll say so. Every recommendation comes down to one question: would I tell a mate to stay there?
Where to Start
Pick your area first, then your hotel. Each area guide covers the neighbourhood, how to get around, and the hotels I’d book there.
- Central Pattaya: close to the beach, Second Road and the big shopping centres. The easiest base for a first visit.
- Soi Buakhao & LK Metro: good value, local food, a busy bar scene and good songthaew access.
- Walking Street & South Pattaya: right in the nightlife, for people who want everything on the doorstep.
- Jomtien: a quieter, more laid-back beach base, a short ride from the centre.
Not sure which area suits you? The area overview on the homepage will point you in the right direction.
If you are planning your first trip Pattaya Newbie has all the information that you need to know.
If you spot something out of date or have a question about a hotel, get in touch.
Enjoy your stay, and stay safe.
Rob