Jomtien and Jomtien Beach near Pattaya, Thailand

As is so often the case in Thailand, you will see several different spellings of "Jomtien". This district, with its 6 Km beach, is separated from Pattaya by Thapraya Hill which rises south of Pattaya.

Drive over the hill, past the big Buddha and the Royal Cliff Hotel, and down into the relatively quiet Jomtien. The beach is popular with wind surfers and watersports enthusiasts, largely because the area enjoys brisk and fresh breezes sweeping inland from the Thai Gulf, and because the seas are less congested with boats than in Pattaya Bay.

This is also the place to relax for a suntan, or go for long early morning or sunset walks along the ocean front. Jomtien is essentially a residential area with beach side hotels, bungalow complexes, condominiums and restaurants. The night-time bar scene is very much more laid back than Pattaya, which perfectly suits those who choose Jomtien over Pattaya as a holiday destination.

There are vendors wandering up and down the beach selling fresh sea food, pastries, fruits and ice cream as well as trinkets, newspapers, henna tattoos and many other things. In addition you can get a traditional Thai massage from licensed masseuses working on the beach.

The water here is warm and relatively clean. The beach flattens out just below the high tide line, so the sea remains quite shallow for several yards. The waves are generally only two to three feet, so it's extremely popular for swimming. There are some jet skis and banana boats but these are well regulated and have their own areas, separated from swimming areas by marker buoys. Wind surfing is very much the watersport of choice in Jomtien.

Since 2005 regular Jomtien holiday makers will have witnessed a definite and very upmarket improvement to the town which will no doubt enable Jomtien to carve it's own identity as a holiday destination in it's own right, catering to couples and families, as opposed to being "that quiet town the other side of Pattaya."