Part 3: Do you Live In Pattaya East Pattaya (Soi Boonsampan)

In this third part of our series on the areas that make up “Greater Pattaya” we are going over to the Dark Side. 

No, we are not talking about anything to do with Star Wars but rather the area to the east of Sukhumvit Road. There are a lot of small areas that make up the East Pattaya and we will only explore a few in our series.

How did East Pattaya become known as the Dark Side? According to a contributor on the Thai Visa forum (very popular with expats) “it was the owner of Noi's Bar on Soi Khao Noi who first coined the phrase. The reason being as east Pattaya is well away from the bright lights of Pattaya and was always a bit mysterious way back when as people (tourists) rarely ventured across Sukhumvit road in fear of what may be lurking on the other side.”

Inspire Pattaya offers the same explanation on their site. According to Inspire “Not so many years ago now, East Pattaya was a very quiet and forgotten area to Pattaya, it was a place nobody visited – let alone considered living – on the other side of the Sukhumvit Road. By virtue of this it was an area that when it got dark in the evening it never lit up like the busy central Pattaya area counterpart. East Pattaya became known therefore as ‘the Darkside’.”

What a difference a few years can make! East Pattaya has become very popular with expat residents and tourists alike and many parts of East Pattaya are busy well into the evening. There are many housing developments in East Pattaya as well as markets, shops, resorts and golf courses.

The area known as East Pattaya is quite large so we will look at some smaller areas that encompass East Pattaya. This week we are going to take a look at the Boonsampan area but also include some of the popular attractions on Soi Khao Noi and Soi Khao Talo. This may seem like a small area to cover but there is a lot going on here.

images source from Image Greenfield Villas 2 rental

Housing

One of the appealing things about living East Pattaya is that you can get a lot for your money.  For example, we are listing a completely renovated two story home in the Greenfield Villas 2 development for 37,000 Baht a month. A similar size and quality house in the Pratumnak area would be 55,000 Baht or higher.

The same is true when purchasing a house in East Pattaya. We have over 33 properties listed on our site in the 2 to 4,000,000 Baht range in East Pattaya and no houses in that price range for Jomtien or Pratumnak and only 3 in Central Pattaya. I guess this is a good time to say if you have a house in Jomtien, Pratumnak or Central Pattaya in that price range for sale please contact us.

This is not to say that there are only inexpensive houses in East Pattaya. Siam Royal View, on Khao Talo is probably one of the nicest developments in the city.

Coastal Real Estate offers houses in the village for over 40,000,000 Baht. Some like the one in the image above offer excellent views of Pattaya.

There are several development in the Boonsampan area that offer excellent value for the money such as Pattaya Hill 2 and Mike Orchid Villa just to name a few. So if you are interested in seeing what we have available please get in touch with one of our sales staff.

Shopping Dining and Nightlife

If you are looking for inexpensive dining you will have plenty of options in the Boonsampan area. Both Soi Khao Talo and Soi Khao Noi have several large markets. During the day you will find a smaller selection of fresh produce, meats and Thai fare but after 6:00 p.m. the markets start to come alive.

All types of Thai food is available at very low prices. I find it hard to resist the grilled squid at the market on Soi Khao Talo. It is very delicious (aroy in Thai) and impossible to beat for 40 Baht.

It is great fun to take an hour or so and wander around the market and try different foods. If you are a little adventurous you can was it down with a shot or two of Ya Dong, one of Thailand’s alcoholic treasures.

There are plenty of great places serving Farang food in the area as well. 

Murphy’s Irish Pub is a favorite among the local expat community and will be an excellent place to spend the upcoming St. Patrick’s Day.

Another popular spot is the Livv Bakery on Soi Khao Talo. They offer an excellent selection of baked goods as well as an all day breakfast and an extensive lunch and dinner menu and wonderful wine list.

They also make a very good pizza at Livv and offer delivery too. Their entire menu is online so the next time you feel like staying home give them a try.

The Booze Lounge, also on Soi Khao Talo is a great spot to have a drink and they have specials every day of the week. According to their website they have “The Hottest Girls, Cheap Beer, Free Pool And A Fantastic Atmosphere Everyday Of The Week!” It really is a fun place and worth the trip to “The Dark Side” if you have never been there.

Other Things To Do

There are plenty of other things to do in East Pattaya than eat and drink.

Pool Leagues

The Old Hounds Lounge on Soi Khao Noi hosts several Pattaya pool leagues and has one of the best tables in town.

Fishing

The Paifon fishing park located off of Boonsampan Soi 9 in East Pattaya is a great place to spend the day. According to Pattaya Unlimited, “If you like to catch lots of catfish in the 6 – 10 kilogram category, Paifon Fishing Park would rank as 1 of the best fishing parks in Pattaya, and a perfect introduction to angling for catfish.”

Castra Gym

If you are a fitness buff or are just trying to get in shape then the Castra Gym is the place for you. At the gym you will find everything that you need to keep fit and tone up. Whether it's a cardio workout, heavy weight session or boxing/bag work, Castra Gym has something for everybody.

The gym is located on Soi Khao Talo at the top of the hill past Siam Royal View.

The Not so Dark Side

As you can see there is a lot going on in East Pattaya. While it may not be as lively as Central Pattaya it is from being a ghost town.

Take a day to explore the east side of Sukhumvit Road and you might be surprised what you find.

If you are looking for some advice on available housing options or just a suggestion for a place to eat or have a drink please feel free to stop by our office and ask. Coastal Real Estate.

You can also email us at info@coastalrealestatepattaya.com