| Distance from Bangkok | Water quality | Sailing conditions |
| 2 hours by road | Moderate | Flat to choppy, small waves |
Wind direction: "Pattaya" means southwest wind. In summer, during the
Southwest monsoon, wind is onshore. The best months are March/April and 
July/August. The later part of the season can see wind
blowing for weeks on end. In winter, during the Northeast monsoon, wind is
side-off to sideshore. Best months for the Northeast are December/January.
Pattaya is Thailand's largest beach resort and home to the Thailand national windsurfing team. Most windsurfing takes place in Jomtien Beach, a 10 minute drive from Pattaya. Pattaya also hosts the Siam Cup in December (see Racing).
Pattaya is Thailand's most popular windsurfing spot for Thai and expatriate sailors. You are more likely to see other sailors in Pattaya than at any other spot in Thailand.
Pattaya offers the greatest range of accommodation and eating places of all of the resorts covered here. It also offers the liveliest night life.
| Equipment rentals: On Jomtien Beach, there are a 3 rental operations: Club Loong Chat, near Pattaya Park on Jomtien Beach, Amara Sailing Center closer to the Jomtien Beach Road and further south, Starboard Club has a good selection of Starboards for rent. |  |
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North Pattaya: Surf Club on Wong Amat Beach, North Pattaya. The location gets better exposure to the Northeast than Jomtien, and is good in the Southwest too. The club has a beach front location and board storage facilities.
About 30 kilometers before Pattaya on the road from Bangkok, near Sriracha, is popular with Bangkok sailors as it is a little closer to Bangkok. The spot is called Tabsai, and offers flatter water than Pattaya. Click to see the Tabsai home page.
| Distance from Bangkok | Water quality | Sailing conditions |
| 3 hours by road | Good | Flat to choppy, small waves |
Wind direction: In summer, during the Southwest monsoon, wind is
sideshore (starboard tack). Later in the season (after June), the wind becomes
more offshore and unsailable. In winter, during the Northeast monsoon, wind is
side-onshore (port tack).
Hua Hin and the neighbouring Cha Am area offer long sandy beaches with less high rise development than in Pattaya. Wind strength in Hua Hin is usually a few knots more than in Pattaya (except for July - October, when Pattaya is better). The water is also cleaner in Hua Hin than in Pattaya. The choices of accommodation and nightlife are not so great as in Pattaya.
The local sailing scene is on Cha Am Beach, about 15 kilometres north of Hua Hin, next to the Cha Am Regent resort. There is a small club here (see picture), with board storage facilities & a restaurant. The Windsurfing Association of Thailand occasionally organizes funboard races on this beach.
Equipment rentals: resort style rentals available at the Regent Cha-Am Hotel in Cha Am, and at the Royal Garden Village Resort in Hua Hin. Limited short board rentals are also available at Royal Garden Resort and Club Aldiana Siam near Pranburi has the best short board rental equipment in the area.
| Distance from Bangkok | Water quality | Sailing conditions |
| 5 hours by road | Good | Flat to choppy, small waves |
Located another 200 km to the south of Hua Hin, Bang Saphan
offers similar wind and water conditions to those in Hua Hin. In the Northeast,
it is a little more exposed to the wind and to any waves generated, but does not
get the Southwest thermal conditions that affect Hua Hin in February - April.
The Bang Saphan area is almost pristine - miles of clean beach with very little
tourist development or industry. A great spot for those looking for something
off the beaten track.
Equipment rentals: none to speak of. There is a nice resort near Bang Saphan Yai, called Coral Hotel, with well appointed bungalows and rooms on the beach.Other resorts can also be found in the area.
