Pattaya Bay Resort Review

Hotel Pattaya Bay Resort (236/21 Moo 10, Soi 15 & 2nd Road, Central Pattaya) is one of my favourite hotels in Pattaya. There are two reasons for that. One, it is close to Both Second Road and Soi Buakhao, and second, its budget pricing. The location is the best advantage of Pattaya Bay Resort. A few minutes walk brings one to Soi Buakhao, which has practically everything that Pattaya has to offer, be it food, bars, cheap laundry, massage parlours, etc. On the other side, there is a small shopping mall - The Avenue - which has a Pool Club and a rather large grocery store. One can pass through The Avenue and reach Pattaya Second Road from where a short walk leads to Walking Street or Central Festival Mall. Price-wise, Pattaya Bay Resort offers a good bargain. Standard Double Room in this hotel costs around 1000 THB per day with free wifi internet (without breakfast). No joiner fee is charged if the room is booked by a solo guest. If a third guest is checked in, a fee of 500 THB is charged. Read more below and see pictures... Visit Hotel Page Now

New Bombay Palace Indian Restaurant Walking Street Pattaya

New Bombay Palace is one of the two Indian restaurants located inside Pattaya's famous Walking Street (left side of the road from the Beach Road end). The other one is called "Banana Leaf" which is located at the far end of the street on the way to the boat terminal for Coral Island. New Bombay Palace is open everyday from 12.00 pm to 02.00 am. The timing is covenient for someone looking to have Indian food late in the evening without leaving Walking Street. Otherwise, there are several Indian restaurants on the Beach Road and the Second Road (behind Beach Road) that serve nice Indian food but may not remain open up to 2.00 am. I guess, the opening hours and the location must be the USP of New Bombay Palace because I found their food quite ordinary and their air conditioning hopeless. After walking around in the crowded street full of bright neon sign boards, I entered this restaurant not so much for food but looking to spend some time in airconditioned comfort. It was no doubt better than the street outside, but not very cool. After a few minutes, it started feeling as hot as outside. But by then, I had already ordered a Chana Bhatura (chick peas curry with deep fried bread of refined flour - 195 THB). This dish is classic North Indian junk food, an all-time favourite eaten as a snack and also as a meal because the chick peas curry and the oily bread make it very heavy. The taste of Chana Bhatura is pleasant in most Indian restaurants. In New Bombay Palace, poor air-conditioning had almost killed whatever little appetite I had when I entered the restaurant. The Bhatura (deep fried refined-flour bread) was OK but the chick peas curry had more salt than flavour in it. It was like a dish prepapred by an ill-trained chef. Read more below...

Pasadena Lodge Pattaya Review

Pasadena Lodge is a budget hotel in Pattaya located at 33/127 Moo 10 Soi LK Metro. The hotel can also be approached from Soi Diana Inn. The area around the hotel is full of Go-Go and all other kinds of bars and is not suitable for family stay. Very loud music goes on in these bars at least up to 4.00 am which can be heard inside the hotel room. Room rates start at 800 THB (Standard Room) and go up to 1300 (Deluxe Room). Rooms can be hired on weekly / monthly basis but without any consession in rates. There is a bar/restaurant in the lobby. Prices of drinks are cheap, a beer costs 50-60 THB and a coffee costs 30 THB. My "Class" room was OK exept for an unpleasant smell probably caused by the floor cleaning chemical they used. The smell was there in the other room too they showed me. I got to see two rooms because the "Standard" room for which I had a confirmed booking from Agoda was said to be not available. The front office guy offered me a "Class" room if I paid 100 THB extra. I agreed because I was tired and just needed a place to crash for one night. My sleep was not comfortable though becuase of the un-ending loud music from the nearby bars. Read more and see pictures below... Visit Hotel Page Now

Zaika Indian Restaurant Pattaya

Zaika Indian Restaurant is located on Pattaya Second Road on the left side while going from Central Festival Mall towards Walking Street. There are a few others too like Madras Darbar (South Indian), and Curry House (Earler called Great India) on this road. I particulalry like Madras Darbar for their Idli and Dosa which are always very nice. My first meal at Great India was also satisfactory. But I can't say the same about Zaika. They messed it up big time. Mutter Paneer (green peas and cottage cheese curry) is my favourite order when I eat in an Indian restaurant. The reason for that is the simplicity of this preparation. Most restaurants are able to dish out a perfectly edible Mutter Paneer. Frozen green peas are available everywhere and an Indian restaurant can't be in business if they can't find fresh paneer (cottage cheese). The rest boils down to the masala in the curry which is basically a mix of onions, ginger, garlic, tomato paste, and a few spices all ground together and fried. A little water is added to the masala, the mix is brought to a boil, peas and deep-fried cottage cheese cubes are added, and after five minutes the dish is ready to serve. Mutter Paneer tastes best with very mild spices because mild spices let you enjoy the sweetness of peas and the rich flavour of deep fried paneer. My order for Mutter Paneer was the same in this restaurant - medium spicy. (Read more below...)

L. K. Royal Wing Pattaya Review

L K Royal Wing Pattaya is a luxury hotel located in Soi Buakhao in a kind of an annexe building behind the LK Royal Suites. I stayed in its Studio Room which I think is the most basic accomodation they have. It cost me 1600 THB all-inclusive without breakfast. The room was really large, had a kitchenette complete with a sink, a few dishes, a refrigerator, and a microwave. Perfect for long stay. There was a very comfortable king bed, a huge wardrobe, a large and clean bath with a separate shower, a balcony, tea / coffee maker & some supplies, and a digital locker. The only thing I missed was bathroom slippers that they could have easily supplied. Don't know why LK group hotels in Pattaya do not provide disposable slippers. The earlier LK I stayed in, LK Crystal Place, did not have any food available in the hotel. But LK Royal Wing do have room service for food at very reasonable prices. Set breakfast costs 150 THB in English, American, or German Sausage variants. There was no vegetarian food in the menu. Wifi internet was free and fast. There is one PC in the lobby for internet surfing by guests that requires the same password as for wifi. Front desk was helpful. They printed the voucher for my other hotel booking without charge. LK Royal Wing costs a little less that LK Royal Suites. The difference may be because of the free breakfast that comes with a booking in Royal Suites. But I found the room better in Royal Wing. Solo guest can bring another guest without charge. Location-wise, Soi Buakhao has everything from restaurants, bars, nightlife, laundry services, and what not. LK Royal Wing is fine. Visit Hotel Page (Opens in new window)

See pictures below...

Tips for a Sweat-Free Summer Holiday

We Indians sweat a lot and I have always wondered why? The web world is full of articles giving advice like wearing light-colored cotton clothes, avoiding the sun, walking slowly, drinking lots of water, etc. We do all that but still sweat more than fellow human beings of other nationalities. Being a frequent traveler, I can tell you that this one trait of Indians has earned us a rather bad name abroad. Obviously, a solution needs to be found to this problem. In this article, I will share the remedies that I have found and appied with a reasonable degree of success. These remedies work in any place and during any season. Trust me, you will be happy that you read this article. Lets cut to the chase: Its a three step solution - 1) Foods and food ingredients that need to be totally avoided; 2) Foods that need to be consumed more; and 3) Using Soaps and Deos that help. Read the details below...