Last week, we were given the amazing opportunity to join AirAsia on a 5-day 4-night trip to Pattaya, Thailand! Joining us were 7 content creators – Allif Imran, Sheqin Z, Brandon Hee, KakSueMeow (Nur Aliah), Sandra Hanayu, Nur Syafiq Naser, and Zati Syazwina; all of us stayed at the beautiful Hard Rock Pattaya which is located right next to a beach!
Throughout the whole week, we’ve embarked on an exciting journey of exploring everything Pattaya has to offer! Unfortunately, we can’t fit them all in 1 listicle so instead, we’re going to feature 5 of our personal favourite spots that you should visit when you make a trip to this wonderful city. Here are our recommendations:
1. Pattaya City Signage
On the first day of our trip, we went to the top of the Pattaya City signage. The view was absolutely breathtaking. You can see the view of the whole city from up there and we personally recommend going there during the day when it’s sunny so you can take in the magnificent sight in all its glory. You can also enjoy a nice cup of coffee at the City Cafe that’s located not too far from the viewpoint.
However, if you’re more of a night traveller, don’t worry, the signage also lights up once the sun goes down and so does the whole city. Hence, you’d still get a fantastic view of the nightlife from up there. This is the perfect place for anyone to go if you want to create content or take lots of beautiful photos for memory’s sake.
2. Pattaya Floating Market
We received a warm welcome on the second day of our trip. After a relaxing day at the beach on Koh Larn Island, we checked out the Pattaya Floating Market which was a 20 to 30-minute drive away from our hotel (depending on traffic). As soon as we arrived, we were greeted with a live performance of “Dikir Puteri”, a Malaysian dangdut song originally sung by Noraniza Idris in 1998. We assumed that the performers recognised us as Malaysians so they made us feel right at home.
Unlike the floating market in Bangkok, the one in Pattaya only offers boat rides for sightseeing, not shopping, as the shops and eateries are located on the platform itself so you can’t really buy anything while you’re still on the boat. Regardless, the lively riverside attraction still has a lot to offer to tourists and there are tons of Instagrammable spots in the area for you to take photos.
3. Sanctuary Of Truth
This place was definitely one of the highlights of our trip. Much to our surprise, this unfinished colossal monument is actually a museum and not a place of worship. The Sanctuary of Truth is made entirely out of wood and continues to expand. There is no telling when exactly this beautifully crafted structure will be completed but it’s still very much worth the visit and you can try your hands on woodcarving.
You can explore the museum on your own or with a tour guide, according to the schedule. Don’t worry too much about the language barrier because these tour guides can speak multiple languages such as English, Thai, Korean, Mandarin and Russian.
4. Nong Nooch Botanical Garden
Now this is a place you’d definitely want to bring your family along. As you probably have seen in our Day 3 Reel above, we were fascinated by the award-winning Nong Nooch Botanical Garden. We were told the story of how the owner of this massive land kept all their staff during the Covid-19 pandemic despite there being no visitors. Memories of the staff and their loyalty were immortalised through the large illustrations on the walls around the garden.
Not only is this entire land surrounded by beautiful greenery but it is also flooded with statues of animals and dinosaurs for families to enjoy taking photos and videos together. We visited a unique viewpoint of the dinosaur section of the garden and the scenery was absolutely stunning.
5. Columbia Pictures Aquaverse
Saving the best for last. Who doesn’t love waterparks? Whether you’re there to just sunbathe or enjoy the rides, waterparks never get old. On the 4th day of our Pattaya trip, we went to visit the Columbia Pictures Aquaverse, which is a movie-themed waterpark that features popular releases from Columbia Pictures like “Ghostbusters”, “Hotel Transilvania”, “Jumanji” and “Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs”.
The thrill-seekers among our group had the time of their lives trying out many of the rides offered at the park. One of our highly recommended ones are the “Jumanji” slides as well as the Go Kart rides. We probably spent too much time at this theme park as we lost track of time but the memories (and footage) made were worth it.
