Pattaya

 Pattaya has an unfortunate seedy air about it. It's the place where muay thai is performed in go-go bars as a sideshow and where you'd find all manners of hand weapons being sold on the sidestreets forming its unofficial night market.

However, Pattaya is also the site of a vibrant horse culture, with well-designed new establishments having been set up to cater to a regional crowd.

With the setting up of new hotels from luxury chains like the Amari and the Dusi group in Pattaya, luxury accommodation and dining options are beginning to be found on this island.

Pattaya, in competition with Phuket and increasingly, Koh Samui and the newly emergent luxury beach destinations of Hua Hin and the much lesser-known Kui Buri, is disadvantaged in the luxury tourism stakes.

However, its equine tradition and events uniquely positions Pattaya as a seasonal luxury destination.