Pattaya 2025 Guide and Mistakes To Avoid

I thought I would share my experience with your viewers as a lot of stories submitted to your channel start by taking a trip to Pattaya.

I have been traveling to Pattaya for many years now, in my eyes in the best place in the world, it never gets old for me, always something new and exciting happening.

I am fortunate enough to spend 6 months of the year in Thailand and the rest of the 6 months back in my home country.

During my trips to sin city of the years, I have learnt so much, going from a newbie tourist to quite the veteran.

Having said that, I am still learning new tips, tricks and mistakes to avoid.

So, I am going to share the things I have learnt, the mistakes to avoid and share the stories of some of the people I have met here.

Some of these are for Pattaya newbies, but some are also for the long timers out there that may not know about them.

Some are short and sweet, and some I may go into depth a little bit.

With that said, let’s begin.

Table of Contents

Dont Stay With The First Bargirl You See.

If it’s your first time in Pattaya, it’s easy to fall in love with the first girl that shows you attention, I think the long time veterans can vouch for this.

Maybe you do not get much attention in your home country, but when you walk into a bar here, you will be treated like you are the most attractive man on the planet.

Make no mistake, it’s business for these girls, but it is so easy to fall for their charm and the way they treat you.

You can like a girl and go back to see her every now and again, but do not fall in love with her and make your whole holiday about going to see her.

Enjoy your first night, but then the next night go to a different area, explore the bars, there is so many girls and bars out here that you don’t want to be tied down to one.

The girls will do everything and tell you everything you want to hear to try and get you to keep coming back to their bar.

They do this for one reason and one reason alone, money, its work for them.

As I say, people have come here, met a girl and things have gone good between them but it’s rare.

Play the field, have fun, meet many different girls, you can always go back to one you like if you really want, but see what’s out there first.

Will Power

You need to be able to say No.

I know this sounds like a simple task, but it’s easier said than done, especially with all the temptation surrounding Pattaya.

You have to learn to say no to bargirls, friends, drinking buddies you’ve met and going out every night.

Ok, if you have just come for a week or 2 holiday and been saving up all year, then going out every night is doable, but if you have come for a long stay and need funds to last you, then turning down a few nights out is a wise move.

I say this because once you start getting addicted to the nightlife and the girls, it can lead you down a slippery slope and you end up with no money and no girl.

If you have gotten friendly with one of the bargirls here, they will invite you to the bar pretty much every night, even on their days off.

Your bill will get full of a ladydrinks for her and you will be splashing out, and that’s before whatever you spend on her after leaving the bar.

There are plenty of men that have came to Pattaya, even moved here, thinking they can go out every night, spend stacks of cash and live happily ever after.

You can see the same people that thought that sitting on the beach together with their bottled Leo from 7eleven.

Like I said, if you are coming for a short holiday and have enough money, then you should be fine.

But if you are planning to stay a long time or even move here, then its something to really consider.

Sob Stories That Bargirl Tell You

So, you walk into a bar, sit down and a beautiful girl comes to join you and have a few drinks with you.

You get chatting and start to talk about life, getting to know each other.

The chances are she is going to hit you with some type of sob story which normally starts like this “I have only been working at the bar for 2 weeks, I do this work because….”

And that’s when she will drop lines to try and make you feel sorry for her.

Her children are sick back in her hometown, he mother is in hospital, paying for kids school, saving to leave the bar and go back home.

If you are lucky, you might even get fed the famous “My Buffalo is sick” line.

Yes, there is probably an unfortunate reason she is doing this type of work, but why is she telling a random man she has just met?

Easy, she wants you to feel sorry for her and help her.

Don’t be so soft for them, you are an easy target and a girl is just going to say the same to you in the next bar you go to.

Keep It Private, Dont Share Social Media

This is something that I don’t hear many foreigners talking about, yet I think its pretty important, here is a little story about a friend of mine regarding social media.

He got friendly with a bargirl here and started somewhat of a holiday girlfriend relationship.

Stupidly he gave her his Facebook and other social medias so they could stay in touch.

It did not take her long to realize that he actually already had a relationship and family back in his home country.

While he was in Thailand, they had pictures and videos together while out on dates, at the bars and also some private pictures.

She blackmailed him and threatened him that if he does not send her money and give into her requests, then she will tell his family what he has been up to.

As far as im aware, he blocked her from everywhere and apparently nothing came of it, she was bluffing.

But it was still a wake up call for him.

My advice, if you want to keep incontact with these girls and see their pics and whatever else, create new social media accounts before you get to Thailand.

Don’t share any personal information on there and don’t add any friends or family from back home.

Then use this account to add the girls you meet on holiday.

Last thing you want is your holiday antics following you back home.

Falling In Love In Pattaya

Just do not do it.

Don’t fall in love.

Now I could go on and on about this, and have countless stories I could share that have been told to me by men that have fell in love here, 99% of which ended badly, but its common sense really.

Falling in love in Pattaya is something that men say they will never do… That is, until they actually do.

I am sure you have heard all the stories of men losing everything because they have fell for a bargirl and convinced that she is the one for them.

Once in a blue moon you will hear a success story, and successful relationships with a bargirl are out there but they are very few and far between.

If you don’t plan to live in Pattaya then forget it.

Under no circumstances should you fall in love and then go back to your country thinking that long distance with a bargirl is going to work, it’s not and will just end in heartbreak for you.

It’s easy though to fall in love, I would be lying if I said I hadn’t be close to falling for a bargirl.

Luckily I got out of there before it was too late.

The best thing to do is not keep going to the same bars, there are thousands of bars to choose from, just explore a new place every time you go out, that will help you to not catch feelings for someone.

If you are here for a short time, just play the field, don’t get involved with anyone and go home with no feelings.

If you are here for a long time and you start catching feelings, double check then triple check and make sure you are making the right choice.

Pattaya Holiday Girlfriend

Now this is something I did on my first trip, I did not realize it at the time and I did not even know what a holiday girlfriend was.

My experience was great, in fact most stories ive heard about holiday girlfriends when done right has worked out well, while some others have been disastrous.

Quick run down of what a holiday girlfriend is, it’s exactly how it sounds.

A girlfriend, normally paid for, to be with you during your holiday.

In my case what happened was, as a newbie to Pattaya I met a girl in a bar on the first night, barfined her and then pretty much every day after that we spent together while I was paying the barfine and expenses every day.

We would go on dates, explore, go to the bars together, literally like we was in a relationship.

I wasn’t too drawn in and I knew it wasn’t real feelings, just business so I did not fall for any traps.

When it was time to leave we chose not to share any contact information with each other, and still to this day, I have never heard from her again, even though it was a great experience and I have zero regrets.

The problem with a holiday girlfriend that some guys have is, you guessed it, they catch feelings and somehow thing that its a real thing even though they are paying for it.

You really have to get it into your head that if you wasn’t paying for it, the chances are, she would not be dating you.

It’s not a real relationship.

If you really want to spend your time with a holiday girlfriend, I suggest spending a couple of nights with her first, make sure you connect as you do not want to spend your whole holiday with someone that bores the hell out of you.

Pay the barfine daily, not in one go, because if you pay for a week or 2 in advance, and after a few days you realize you do not want to be with her then you have lost all that money.

If things are going great for you, remind yourself every day that it’s a temporary romance, share no contact info and when it’s time to leave, get her out your head.

In my opinion, there is nothing wrong with having a holiday girlfriend experience, but I would much rather play the field now than be tied down to 1 girl, either way, if you do go down this route, keep your head screwed on and do not listen to your heart.

Make Sure You Have Enough Money

A lot of people do not realize how fast your money will go here, even though it will more than likely be cheaper than back in your home country.

When you go out here you feel rich, you are a 2 week millionaire, you’re buying drinks left right and center, splashing it out on the bargirls and just having a great time.

That money will run out fast.

Even though you are here to have a good time, still keep an eye on your money, you don’t want to go crazy the first week and then only managing to scrape by for the second week.

While I am talking about money, make sure you have a couple of ways to get your money.

If you planning to withdraw money from your bank, get a spare bank card and leave it in your room incase you lose your wallet or something.

Same with if you are coming with cash, don’t take it all out with you, leave some in your safe in the hotel room, you can always get a taxi back to pick some more up on a night out.

Its A Business For Bargirls, Try To Avoid Relationships

I can not stress this point enough.

Never ever ever forget that it’s business to these women, they are at work, it’s their job to get you to spend money.

They are going to tell you everything and anything to make you feel like they actually like you, and trust me, it’s easy to fall for it.

A lot of them will tell you that they are looking for a boyfriend or husband, they will make you feel like you have a chance at a relationship with them.

They probably already have a few boyfriends that are sending them money and supporting them from back home.

Don’t take your eye off the ball and get into a relationship, there is a 99% chance that they do not like you and are just trying to rinse you out of as much money as they can.

They will give you the lines such as “I want a boyfriend, I don’t like working at the bar anymore” and if you get in a relationship, and she stops working at the bar, guess who’s going to be paying her salary?

That’s right, you.

You will be paying everything so she does not go back to working at the bar, and the chances of her going back to the bar and just lying to you are very high.

It’s ok to keep in contact with their girls when you leave and if you are fine with them working in a bar doing the stuff they do then go for it, but I really try my best to not start any type of relationships.

Emotionally Stable

Coming to Pattaya when you are emotionally unstable can lead to a complete disaster, especially if you are feeling this way because you have just broken up with a girlfriend or wife.

You will be an easy target wearing your heart on your sleeve, and these girls will take full advantage of that.

I met a man during my second or third trip to Pattaya that has just gotten out of a relationship with his fiancé that he was with for 7 years due to her being unfaithful and cheating on him.

It really knocked his confidence and his world was torn apart.

This is his words not mine.

He thought he had lost the love of his life and was having no luck with girls in his country, he wanted to get away for a bit and decided to go to Pattaya.

He met a girl on Soi 6 during his trip and I think you can see where this story is heading.

She made him feel like he was a million dollars, the most handsome man in the world that she would do anything for and how deeply and madly in love she was with him.

He thought he had hit the jackpot with this beautiful younger girl that wanted to be with him, but in reality, it was her that hit the jackpot.

She eventually took him for everything she could: New phone, bike, daily barfines, jewelry, work on her parents home, the list goes on.

After he explained that his money was running out and he had to cut back spending on her, her so called love magically started running out for him.

He eventually saw the light even though he had been completely rinsed, but luckily he got out of there before he became flat broke.

So, if you are coming to Pattaya, I would suggest to clear you head and take care of any mental health issues first, don’t wear your heart on your sleeve.

Pattaya Soi 6 Is Just All Hype

Here is something that a lot of people disagree with me on, but I’ll still share my opinion.

Soi 6 for me is completely overrated.

It’s a great place to check out at least once, maybe twice, just to say you have actually been.

But I think it’s completely over hyped, it’s more expensive and the bars aren’t that great.

The only good thing about that soi to me is that it is full of girls.

The street is literally flooded with them.

A lot of people come to Pattaya just for the girls, they do not care about going to the bars all night, buying lady drinks and flirting.

They simply want to get right to it.

And in that case, then yes, I suggest Soi 6, because there is plenty of girls to choose from and the quality of girls there seem to be better than everywhere else in Pattaya.

Again, just my opinion.

But if you are like me and like to explore new bars and drink the night away with someone, then I suggest just having one night on son 6 and then the rest of your trip exploring.

If You Move Here, Find A Hobby

So you came to Pattaya and you fell in love with the city, you want a change of life and fancy your chances of moving here to start a new life.

Going back to my Money point, it runs out fast, you have to quickly get out of holiday mode.

The way I did this was find a hobby or some online work, that way I kept myself busy during the week and then just went out on a Saturday.

I realized fast that if I kept going out 4-5 times a week and spending the way I did as if I was on holiday, then I would have found myself on a flight back home.

It is so easy to get caught up with the bar life here, it’s very addictive and it can suck you in without you even realizing.

We all know the famous line of “I will only go out for a couple and then come home” and how often does that really happen? You end up staying out all night.

So my tip for this is to find a hobby, learn a new skill or simply get an online job that requires you to work from home 5 days a week.

You will also be making an extra income from this at the time you won’t be out spending money, so it’s a win win.

I worked for 3 days of the week online and then took Thai language classes the other 2 days, and that does me just fine.

You Really Are Not A Handsome Man

Look, maybe women in your own country don’t give you a second look, but women here will make you feel very special.

While walking around the city, outside the bars you will hear the girls call at you “Handsome man” to get you into their bars.

Smile back, flirt, talk to them, do whatever you want, just know that they call everyone a handsome man.

Don’t get me wrong, its nice being called that, but just remember that its work for these and to not take anything they say seriously.

I am not really saying you are not a handsome man, but im sure you know yourself if you are or not.

Being made to feel good is all part of the fun here in Pattaya.

Holiday Insurance

The amount of people that come here without holiday insurance is actually worrying.

None of us want to have an accident and get hurt, it just happens.

The last thing you want for your holiday is to be sat on a hospital bed staring at a huge bill that you are going to struggle to pay, having no insurance.

I know a guy that had a motorbike accident and broke his arm.

He had a license, wore a helmet and followed the law, so the insurance would of paid out for his bill, but because he took a short cut and thought he wouldn’t need insurance he had to pay the bill out of his own money.

On the flip side, I know a guy that became extremely sick to the point where they had to fly him back to his country with doctors on board, but because he had insurance he got it all paid for.

Can you imagine how much that bill would have been? I dread to think if he did not have insurance.

So I highly recommend getting some, even if you are coming for just a week, its not worth the risk.

Take A Day Off, Go To The Beach, Explore Pattaya

If you are here for a long time, or maybe 2 weeks plus, it’s good to do something else other than bars and girls.

Although you don’t really hear about it and it’s not very known, but there is a lot more to Pattaya than just going out to the millions of bars at night.

It’s good to have a day off the sauce, exploring and clearing your head.

What I used to do when I wanted a day off was just go to the beach, and relax with a cocunt or none alcoholic drink, soaking up the sun and taking in the scenes.

Even on the beach, some girls may approach you and try their luck with you.

Depending on how you feel you can take it from there.

Other than the beach there is other things to do such as golfing, shopping, go karting, even Bangkok is not far away so could have a day trip there.

This tip is entirely up to you and how you are as a person, so take it as you will.

Where To Stay In Pattaya

This is all going to depend on the reason you are coming to Pattaya, how long for, and the type of person you are.

If it’s a 2 week holiday where your main goal is to meet as many girls as possible and party as much as you can, then finding a hotel around Soi buakhoa would be the best bet.

Soi buakhao is the big street with lots of bars on and most of the other main Soi’s will lead off from Buakhao so you do not have very far to walk.

If you are coming to Pattaya for a longer holiday, and want to chill as well as party a few nights, then Jometien would be a good spot.

Jometien also has its own beach and there are still many bars there to have fun in.

However, if you are planning to move here or stay longer than 6 months then I would recommend getting a condo just outside of the city.

You do not want temptation on your doorstep every night of the week.

With all that said, no matter where you stay in Pattaya, you are still going to be able to find some fun bars close by.

Be Careful of Foreigners That You Befriend

The first time I ever went to Pattaya was with a couple of friends, but ever since then I have always travelled there solo.

Being in Pattaya solo you will always meet other foreigners in the bar and get chatting.

Some of them you will keep in touch with and some of them you will think to yourself why are they not locked up.

Pattaya has a wide range of tourists from all different walks of life, just keep your head screwed on when getting friendly with people.

You will see in the news every week that a foreigner has been up to no good, whether it’s a drunken night out or something more serious, you want to try and stay away from these types.

You will also meet foreigners that are scraping the bottom of their bank account and instead of just going home, they are addicted to the Pattaya life.

These guys will more than likely end up trying to befriend you so they can ask to borrow money later down the line, or at least you buying the beers on a night out.

I won’t tell you what to do with money when it comes to this, but I think its common sense that you should not be lending money to any foreigners there.

Avoid Disrespecting Thai’s and Confrontation

Again, this is common sense but it’s still amazing how many times you’ll see a foreigner get his ass handed to him because he acted like the big I am to a Thai guy.

When it comes to trouble with a Thai guy, they all stick together, even if they are not involved they will make themselves involved.

If you cause trouble with 1 Thai guy, within seconds you are going to be surrounded and things could get really messy for you.

My advice is if you find yourself in any type of trouble of confrontation with a Thai, simply walk away, and if it’s your fault just say sorry and walk away.

There really is no need for trouble, but like every country, there is bad people always looking for it.

Some Thai guys, especially the younger ones, will look at foreigners with jealousy, thinking we are all rich and there to take all the girls.

You might even have the pleasure of meeting jealous bargirls boyfriend.

I have been there before and it’s not fun.

With that being said, the ones that normally cause trouble here are idiot foreigners acting the big man and starting problems with other foreigners.

I still recommend walking away from trouble wether it be with a Thai or a foreigner, don’t let some idiot ruin your holiday and last thing you want is to be sat in a cell in Thailand.