I don't think either one is good unless your a sex tourist. If your not then try one of the many islands like Koh Chang, Koh Samed or even a less commercialised beach area like Chumporn
It was a long time since I went to Patong beach but it was far less commercialised than Pattaya. Phuket is less centralised too so you need to hire a car to get around to the good beaches. The sea in Phuket is much cleaner.
I live in Pattaya. It is the most commercial holiday resort in Thailand. It has very many hotels of every class and price range. It has lots of bars, pubs, restaurants, lady boy shows, excursions, but it is still mostly a resort for single men, not families.
Pattaya itself has a dirty beach and sea but there is and island called Koh Larn 20 minutes away by speedboat where the water is clean and Jomtien Beach just a taxi ride away which though not clean is a lot cleaner than Pattaya.
If you want a beach holiday, either is fine. I'm not really into beach holidays so I don't particularly find either amazing places to go - although for different reasons. Pattaya is too commercialised/sex driven (although there are plenty of resort hotels that families can stay at and they need never see the commercialised side of Pattaya). Phuket is, well, for a non-beach enthusiast like me, a bit boring (I know I'll get shouted at for that but I struggled to find interesting things to do/places to visit - also the traffic was really bad on those up and down, round the hills roads - took ages to get anywhere). If I had to do a beach holiday in Thailand I'd go to Hua Hin because there are other things to explore apart from the beaches - for example, Wat Khao Lad, the 'Monkey' temple and Mrigadayavan Palace. There's also a national park nearby and the city of Petchaburi is within easy range that has a number of things to explore like King Rama IV's summer palace.
As a previous answerer said there are other beach destinations in Thailand to go to apart from the two that you mention. Even though I'm not really into beaches, I liked Koh Samet (or Samed). I've stayed on both sides of the island. Both were good, but the side with the resort hotels (which is not the area that the ferry brings you into near the entrance to the national park) was really nice and we had the beach almost to ourselves.
You dont need to hire a car to get around in Phuket. You can just get a taxi or tuk tuk to get around or hire a scooter - very cheap !!
Patong is beautiful but there is also Karon and Kata, Rawaii and Nai Harn all within 15 mins of Patong. So if you go to Patong you will get to go to all of these places too. Also you could get on a boat and go to Phi Phi Islands as well ...
Well if money is a concern you can take a look at Pattaya! To get to Pattaya you can take a cheap bus from the Ekamai bus terminal for around 125 baht. (It would cost you more than that just to take a taxi to the airport to fly to Phuket, not to mention the cost of the flight!) Hotels are cheaper in Pattaya/Jomtien than in Phuket too!
If you don't want the nightlife and commercial trappings which are mostly located on or close to Beach Road and Pattaya 2nd Road you can opt for a hotel in the Naklua area or even in Jomtien. Tourists don't normally swim at Pattaya Beach, they go to Jomtien or swim in the Naklua area. Baht bus ride to Jomtien is 20 baht.
Many expats with their families live in the Jomtien - Naklua area. Pattaya/Jomtien is a top destination for family groups and couples regardless of the diverse nightlife.
You could spend a few days in the Pattaya area if it is not your cup of tea then head out for somewhere different. From Pattaya you can take a 20 baht ferry to Koh Larn Island too! Various tours can be obtained from travel agencies for nearby attractions.
Here is an old clip I "borrowed" from another travel forum.
http://www.metacafe.com/watch/2143131/pattaya_video_activities_in_thailand_part_1/
You won't get to most of these places without a car and driver though or an organized tour.
Best thing about this area is that it is only around 125 baht to get back to Bangkok and head for somewhere different!
Good luck.
Both are much the same though Pattaya is cheaper and the beach is less attractive. Pattaya is bigger and there is more to do. Pattaya would be my choice everytime.
Read:
http://www.pattayahome.net/home/
for an honest opinion
Prefer Patong, its cleaner and not so commercial or as big as Pattaya. But for countryside I prefer Koh Samui or Koh Tao. For trekking in the hills it has to be Chiang Mai.
I like Pattaya golf courses better.
BOTH ARE ALMOST SAME, PATTAAYA IS NEAR TO BANGKOK.
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