There are so many sports clubs that offer badminton and can also provide a specialized badminton shop, table tennis, restringing rackets, swimming pool, shower rooms, swimming training courses, billiard and snooker room with also restaurants and fitness clubs.
The places where you can find all the above facilities in Pattaya, include the following:

- Pattaya Badminton Club, which is located on 390/ 10 Moo 10, Soi 17, South Pattaya, Chonburi, 038-425 397 or 038-429 532

- Ambassador City Sports Center which is located at the Ambassador Hotel, 21/ 10 Moo 2, Sukhumvit Road, Pattaya, Chonburi 038-231 501-40, 038-231 601-40, Fax 038-255 731-3

- Fairtex Sports and Racquet club, 179/185-212 Moo 5, North Pattaya Road, Naklua Banglamung, Chonburi

- Euro Badminton Club, located 44/3 Moo 9, Soi Chaiyapruk2, Jomtein ( near Pattaya Stadium) +66 38074434/ + 66 817231627.

As you would expect from a Michelin star chef, the food is exquisite, with a menu that features European classics as well as some local dishes. The food is artfully presented, but one of the great things that makes this Michelin chef’s food different, is that you actually get a good size portion of food on the plate as well. That’s right, there is no need to go order something extra on the way home because the size of the food offering was so meagre.

Accompanying the food is of course an exquisite wine list, which features wines that have been chosen especially to accompany the individual dishes on Bruno’s food menu. Bruno’s Restaurant and Wine Bar have their own cellar, and the wait staff are all very knowledgeable about food and wine. So, if you have any questions or would like a recommendation or two, just ask one of the friendly staff and I’m sure they’ll be able to help you.

One of the things I like most about Bruno’s is its lounge bar. This is the best place to come if you don’t feel like paying for a full meal, but would like to just enjoy a drink or two and the fine ambiance of the place.

You’ll find Bruno’s Restaurant and Wine Bar on Thappraya Road.

For those looking to explore the nearby islands, cheap day trips can be booked through Pattaya travel agents and guesthouses. Boating trips to nearby Ko Laan are a cheap way to enjoy the beaches of these islands and take in the breathtaking scenery of Pattaya’s surrounds.

Along the beach are a number of day and night markets and stalls set up, offering a cheap way to enjoy a spot of shopping for souvenirs and local handicrafts.

Beyond the beaches are a number of temples that provide an inexpensive way to explore Thai culture and religion. Temples include the tranquil Wat Yannasangwararam and Phra Tamnak which are cheap and easy to get to. There are also lots of zoos and wildlife attractions including a tiger zoo and monkey shows. Entrance fees for many of these places are very reasonable for those on a budget.

To get around, be sure to take the local song taews which provide a cheap way to tour the city and its surrounds.

Pattaya really comes alive at night, and for many it is the lure of Pattaya’s nightlife that attracts them to this coastal town. The famous “Walking Street” is worth a look, but for the budget traveller looking to enjoy a night out, head instead to nearby 2nd Road and Soi Bukhao.

Enjoy and relax in a sauna, take a Finnish sauna with all the other sauna facilities like a Turkish bath, steam room, herbal steam room, Jacuzzi and swimming pool.

The saunas and spas in Pattaya are very good for your body, weight loss, the cleansing properties and toxins released from your body, plus you will feel better afterwards.

Most of the saunas in Pattaya, you will also be able to have food their like the authentic Thai food or western food and if you are staying in one of Pattaya’s luxurious hotels, don’t look far because most of them over these facilities and services.

Most of the Spas in Pattaya, offer you many packages like massage therapies, aroma therapy, reflexology, facial massages, my recommendation, the Thai herbal body scrub and many more.

For Gay people, perhaps Pattaya is the best place to be in Thailand if you enjoy spas and saunas as they accommodate all your needs. There are so many gay saunas and spas, if you are there, just check the Internet, you will be able to find one near where you are staying.

There are so many spas and saunas in Pattaya to recommend any, there are all good, but for the best trained staff, you will need to go to the proper spa parlors, though you will pay more than shops you will see all over Pattaya.

Pattaya public transportation options are cost effective way to get around Pattaya. There are a number of different options to choose from. This rough information is subject to change but it will provide you with the basics for planning a trip and use of public transport.

Buses:

Local buses are scheduled for every 30 minutes from the scheduled stops and include wheelchair facilities. Local buses are not considered reliable as songhaews and few people use them because of this. At various points, scheduled or planned services have been terminated or never started.

Taxis (Cars and Motorbikes):

The fastest wat around Pattaya is by use of motorbike taxis. A motor bike taxis is less expensive than a songthaew. This mode of transportation is much faster but it is also considered less safe. Though two or more passengers can physically get on a motorbike taxi, this is actually illegal. You will pay between 30-40 Baht for a trip in the town. There are a number of stands around Pattaya or you can flag down a driver.

Meter taxis are fairly common in Pattaya as well. These taxis come from Bangkok and typically have brought a visitor from Bangkok or the airport and will act as a local driver until they get a return trip to Bangkok. These taxis are generally more expensive than Songthaew and motorbike taxis.

These days, however, the process of building and flying kites has taken a much more scientific vein with engineers joining the fray to build some of the largest and most impressive offerings around. Kites that resemble new-born babies, houses and even creatures from the deep will be on show in Pattaya next week.

The international kite festival takes place from Saturday, March 13,  to Sunday, March 14, March 2010 at 10.00 until 21.00 at the Mrigadayavan Palace, Naresuan Camp, Amphoe Cha-am, Phetchaburi. Families are very welcome and it will be a fantastic outing for kids and adults alike.

The festival, which will run from the 10th to the 17th of March, has been established in order to celebrate the ancient art of Muay Thai boxing. I’ve been to see a few Muay Thai fights during my time in Thailand, and although I was aware that it was a very popular sport here, I didn’t realised that it crossed borders to any larger extent than the odd western bloke giving it a go on his holidays. This, of course, was a very naive attitude and I have since learned that Muay Thai is now one of the world’s most popular martial arts.

So for anyone who really does know what they’re talking about when it comes to Muay Thai, the Ayutthaya Stadium will be the venue for the festival, where traditional ceremonies will be performed before a bout of matches and tournaments. There will even be training workshops on offer to the novices, so maybe I should give it a go and see what all the fuss is about.

The now annual event attracted petrol heads from all over Thailand and the world, and plenty of rubber has been burnt on the streets of Pattaya over the last few days.

Festivities started with the bikers’ parade around the city before a good, old-fashioned knees-up at the Hardrock Hotel.

The after-party was held at the stadium in Soi Chaiyapruek, and although many did, I’m not sure anyone was in a fit state to ride home afterwards.

Continuous shows and drinks flowed throughout the night and the festival atmosphere was helped along by the vast amounts of visitors choosing to camp out around the stadium for the night.

I’ve never ridden more than the most modest scooters myself, but I must admit that even I feel a surge of adrenaline when I hear those big motors roaring.

But while I will always be a little envious of the guys and gals who ride these monsters with such style, I just don’t think I could handle the leathers in this heat!

It happend in broad daylight at around 3pm. It is thought that the man’s head came into contact with high-voltage power lines while he was working high up installing a sign.

Officers attended the scene in Soi Mab Bon and found 33-year-old Nikom Unnamthieng unconscious and with blood coming out of his nose.

He was only wearing fragments of clothing and had suffered severe burns.

He is currently in the burns department at Chon Buri Hospital after being transferred from the local facility.

The incident is a shocking one, but surely one that could have been avoided if someone was supervising the project’s safety.

I can’t imagine how horrific it was for anyone unlucky enough to have witnessed the accident and, of course, for the injured man and his family.

After the success and the frivolity of this week’s annual Pattaya Bed Race, it comes as a bit of a shocking blow to hear about the body of an unknown man which was found floating just off the coast of Sattahip yesterday.

The body was found by a fisherman at around 5.30am while on his way back to Prateung fishing pier. The man had deep cuts in his neck and his leg and is believed to have been in dead for as long as four days.

The nationality of the man, who was wearing black shorts and a red T-shirt, is not yet known, but he is suspected to be Thai. He is thought to have been around 30-years-old and he has a tattoo on his left arm of the number 83.

A murder and attempted cover up has not been confirmed but is strongly suspected and an investigation is currently underway.

 What a horrible way to end the week.