The Nam



The 1950s saw Pattaya as a small sleepy fishing village on one of those sleepy lazy Thai ports. Its beaches like many other Thai beaches stood beautifully palm fringed with squeaky golden sands but yet ignored, unused and alone; its sole purpose-to haul in fishing nets and boats. Indeed, Thais in those days were hardly interested in Beach hotel resorts and entertainments a luxury not yet discovered here. When the North Vietnamese attacked South Vietnam, Thailand and number of other Asian and Oceanic countries once again stepped in as an ally to the West, not only did Thailand offer its well-trained, jungle experienced troops. But it also allowed a very strategic position by way of army, navy and air bases all over the country. The ?nowhere? Nakhon Ratchisima military base as it was referred to in the early years was at first one of those strategic GI Bases with little in regards to R&R for the troops, that is until Pattaya beaches were discovered. In no time at all with supply and demand in favour of the Thais, Pattaya exploded on to the tourism scene with entertainment for the troops, that included beach life, surf life, wild life and above all hotels and of course, later luxury hotels. With a raging war in the distance, Pattaya became a lifesaving oasis of comparative luxury. As one war poet put it [As time stood still along the front where bullets fly and fear dies, I for one will accept in passing the day of judgement, the day of reckoning, but God put by the day of resting and relaxing?].

By the time war had finally come to an end, Pattaya had already become a comparatively large hotel and vacation resort. From then on in- Pattaya beach grew and with this growth came tourism and more growth. Luxury hotels were built. Many Thais mainly from Bangkok also enjoyed the new founded pleasures of hotel and resort life, many renting bungalows or even buying beach land and houses. From that point on the resort of Pattaya was well and truly established as main holiday destination for both Thais and foreign guests. The 1980s and 90s was a huge boom period for the town with the large influx of tourism from not only Thailand but also from Europeans escaping the cold winters. With infrastructural maintenance necessary the city's administration has grown to help cater for the increase in size and in demand of what is now considered one of Thailand's biggest resort towns. Within in the last twenty years and even more recently; the Dusit Thani chain has not only set up the Royal Pattaya Hotel but also the very, very slick-modern dusit2 baraquda Pattaya-its futuristic structure impresses in its locations on Second Road. If you wish for luxury modern state-of-the art, dusit2 has it, if you wish for European or S-E Asian cuisine it's here. Seventy two spacious luxury rooms fitted with high-tech amenities and chic furnishings and amazing five star quality service.