Wong Amat Beach

Wong Amat curves for roughly a kilometre between the Naklua headland and the start of North Pattaya, facing west. The sand is finer than Pattaya Beach and the water clearer, partly because the bay is sheltered and partly because there are no speedboats loading passengers. It is swimmable most of the year, calmest from November to March; after storms in the rainy season the sea brings in debris for a day or two. The southern end near the public access sois has a few lounger operators, drink carts and seafood vendors; the northern stretch under the resorts is quieter still.

The hotels line the frontage, but Thai beaches are public and you can walk the whole strip at low tide. The easiest public entrances are the lanes off Naklua Road around Soi 16 and Soi 18, which lead down to the sand in a few minutes. A songthaew north along Second Road and Naklua Road costs 15 THB from the city centre; a Bolt or Grab is 80–120 THB and drops you at the lane. If you are staying at one of the Wong Amat resorts you simply walk out of the garden.

The Sanctuary of Truth is a kilometre along the shore, so a late-afternoon swim followed by the sunset session there is one of the best evenings in Pattaya. Naklua fish market, a short songthaew ride north, is where locals buy seafood and eat it grilled at the stalls behind; our fish market guide covers it. Terminal 21 mall and its food court are ten minutes south. For a sunset dinner, the beachfront restaurants at the resorts take walk-ins and charge resort prices; the seafood places along Naklua Road charge half as much.