I asked this question on the flb forum a long time ago as I heard all kinds of things about pattaya being a ' bangkok on steroids' with a high crime rate and was also told (not by flb members) it was an unfriendly atmosphere when compared with a party island like phuket. Far more of the hooligan element etc..
And to be honest, I felt relaxed by the 2nd night and realized this place was'nt the 'snake pit' it was hyped up to be. It is of course fairly large in size, higher numbers of people would surely mean a higher chance of incidents would'nt it?
To be honest , I would worry more in phuket or samui as both are notorious for having a large mafia type element. It may even be fair to suggest both of those islands may have had more violent incidents per square mile when you compare the size of the places in relation to pattaya times the amount of incidents that have occured in each over the years. But I'm only guessing.
COMMON SENSE!!! Use it just as you would anywhere in the world.
Spread your money out into different pockets and keep an eye on anyone approaching you and getting up close on the street, on a songtaew (baht bus) or wherever. Those slim travel wallets that can be worn under a shirt work very well. Only take what you think you need for the night and don't flash it around. When I pay for drinks, I could easily peel an orange inside my pockets too.
Keep to well lit areas where there are crowds, if you walk down deserted alleyways in the dark, who do you suppose might be there waiting for you? Beach road at night is notorious for ladies/ladyboys that may be high on the drug yabba or whatever, just dont walk around there when it's late. Get on a baht bus rather than walk if you must travel down there.
Keep control of yourself, try not to get so drunk you don't know where you are or what you are doing. Vunerable you will be.
Make sure your catch for the night has an ID card and hands it over to reception, it may be a good idea to speak with the reception staff on arrival and ask them to keep all ID cards until you appear at the desk in the morning with the girl or they call you up to check you are happy and everything is in order, before letting the girl walk out. This applies no matter if the girl is from a bar or freelancer in a disco/off the street.
Don't leave anything is sight that can be stolen in your room, it's very easy to fall into the trap of feeling relaxed and safe, dropping your guard and perhaps leaving your new digi cam on view in your room. The cleaner could nick it, so could your lady from the night before. Hotel safes are there to be used. (even the safe ain't no guarantee I hear you all cry)
If you see a fight of any kind, get the fuck out of there and do not get involved no matter the circumstances. If you want to help, call the tourist police. That's about all you can do without getting beaten up/killed yourself or arrested when the police turn up.
An example, you might see a thai guy beating a thai girl, poking your nose in could see the both of them turn on you and ever other thai within half a mile. No joke.
That's about all I can think of for now in terms of a sensible way to approach the visit. Keep a low profile, that's my advice. And you will simply be just another face in the crowd and unlikely to have anything other than a jolly good time.
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