Jomtien Beach is a section of Pattaya, a city in Thailand, located on the east coast of the Gulf of Thailand about 165 km southeast of Bangkok in the province of Chonburi. It is located about 3 km south of South Pattaya and is home to many high-rise condominiums, beachside hotels, beaches and restaurants.
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There was a construction boom in the last several years with many new condominiums as well as housing developments in the Jomtien area. It has become quite popular with Bangkokians seeking a second home and retired expatriates.
The Jomtien Complex includes a large group of shophouses, many restaurants, bars and stores.
A recent trend has been the opening of many upscale restaurants along Thappraya Road, the main thoroughfare connecting Pattaya and Jomtien.
Jomtien Beach is known for its water sports (jet skis, para sailing, scuba diving), and for several annual sponsored events and festivals, attracting visitors from around the world. A 265-meter section of Jomtien Beach (also known as Dongtan Beach) from Tui's Place right up to Rabbit Resort, is also known as an extremely popular place to visit among the LGBT community, as this is Pattaya's only gay beach.
Pattaya is served by frequent bus services from Bangkok's Northern Bus Terminal (Morchit) and the Eastern Bus Terminal (Ekamai). Buses from Pattaya serve nearby provincial towns and direct long distance routes serve many provincial capitals. City and suburban services are mainly provided by blue taxis (passenger pick-up vehicles). These taxis are avavilable to the Pattaya Nuea bus terminal to take passengers to Jomtien Beach. There is a bus service to Suvarnabhumi Airport that leaves from a terminal just south of the intersection of Thappraya Road and Theppraset Road.
There are some metered taxis and air-conditioned vans operating for private hire from some hotel car-parks. Blue taxis are the most popular mode of public transportation, and run from Jomtien Beach to north Pattaya. The cost is 10 baht for any distance on a regular route, but much higher if asked to go to a designated destination. Motorbike taxis generally operate in the town and suburbs, and are mainly used by locals for short distances.
Jomtien Beach is about 1-1/2 hours, or 120 km by road from Suvarnabhumi Airport, the Bangkok international hub. By road, it is accessed from Sukhumvit Road and Motorway 7 from Bangkok. There is a new airport bus service terminal located south of the Thappraya Road and Theppraset road intersection. Modern air-conditioned buses run hourly from 6 am to 8 pm, and cost 126 baht.