Pattaya may be more popular for its nightlife and other activities as compared to its shopping entertainment. However, for the shopaholic travellers, there are still a few shopping malls in the city which are worth the time checking out.
Royal Garden Plaza
Situated near a beach, this shopping mall tends to get crowded during the evenings. It is not uncommon to witness endless streams of visitors making a beeline for the insta-worthy and easily noticeable red airplane that is hanging mid-air from the highest level of the mall. That particular eye-catching airplane comes from Ripley’s Believe It or Not, a museum which happens to be the core attraction of Royal Garden Plaza. For those who think they have already travelled and know the world well, do consider rethinking. After touring Ripley’s Believe It or Not, one will easily feel their ideas and views of the world being challenged to a major extent. Overall, Royal Garden Plaza boasts an undeniably huge range of shops despite being only average in size as compared to other bigger malls.
Fashion-conscious shoppers can check out a popular local fashion brand known as Jaspal, which is comparable to brands like Esprit and Cotton On. For dining options, there are a few including the must-try Sizzler and Food Wave, a trendy food court offering international cuisines coupled with an amazing balcony view overlooking the gorgeous Pattaya Bay. Shoppers can also check out the interesting wax museum called Louis Tussaud’s WaxWorks, an entertaining attraction for taking insta-worthy pictures with beloved celebrities.
Factory Outlet Mall Pattaya
The shopping complex takes up a huge space and is beautifully designed with tall palm trees around the walkways, giving off a chill-out Miami vibe. There are more than a sufficient number of shops in total to keep shoppers happy and bargainings help to ensure that the place is constantly buzzing with activities.
The complex itself is separated into two different sections, the Outlet Mall and Premium Fashion Mall. The Outlet Mall is actually an indoor mall while the Premium Fashion Mall utilizes an outdoor street concept. The overall idea was to offer enormous discounts on popular global fashion brands. On a side note though, most items are actually from last season’s leftover stocks and also, not every item is discounted. Despite all that, the prices would have already been slashed off a huge chunk, up to half the price slashed at maximum. For shoppers who are absolutely into discounted quality clothings, this is the recommended place to check out at once.
Central Festival Pattaya
Central Festival Shopping Mall is perhaps the most popular shopping mall in Pattaya given its constant popularity with both tourists and locals alike. Shoppers in the mall can enjoy a scenic view of the gorgeous Pattaya Bay, which is good for relaxing after a long day of shopping. The amount of popular fashion brands on sale in Central Festival is in a class of its own. Beyond that, there is a cinema and a bowling alley on the highest level of the mall. When it comes to dining, shoppers will be pampered with an incredible range of global cuisines. Central Festival’s FoodLoft, which is a hybrid of styles including food court and a la carte buffet, is a great option for those who tend to be indecisive on what to eat. For those who are vacationing in Pattaya, be sure to drop by Central Festival at least once as it is superior to all other shopping malls in the city by far.
The Avenue Pattaya
The Avenue Shopping Mall is a popular second option to indoor malls in Pattaya. Equipped with an ultra-modern, open-air design plus a wide range of entertainment choices, it is impossible not to take a fancy to Pattaya Avenue. At the basement level, shoppers can tour factory outlet stores from both Adidas and Reebok, where the chances of buying items up to a whopping 70% discount, is incredibly high.
Shoppers will have plenty of dining options too, which include bars offering cold beers. There is one particular bar with an interesting British-themed design. One can easily spot from afar as there are old-school Mini Coopers and London Subway signage. For shoppers who need a break from walking, there are karaoke booths of different sizes to rest the legs while belting out a few hit songs.
Overall, The Avenue is pretty distinctive from other shopping malls in Pattaya, mainly due to its outdoor setting and an equally spread out focus on both leisure entertainment and retail shopping. On a side note, there will also be a fashion market in front of the mall selling clothes and accessories on a nightly basis. Be sure to check that out too!
Terminal 21 Mall
Terminal 21 Mall is one of the few ultra-modern malls to be opened in Thailand lately. Occupying a huge amount of area, it also houses the Grand Centerpoint Hotel in order to tick the boxes of convenience. With the huge expectations people have of this mall, it can be deemed as an incredible success on a whole, due to the mall’s ability to satisfy those expectations. The overall concept executed is very much different from other shopping malls in Thailand. The goal is to inject into shoppers, the feeling of travelling across the entire world in a day. Thus, different levels of the mall are themed accordingly to different popular destinations on the globe. For example, at ground level’s destination Paris, there are various fashion and cosmetics shops. For destination Hollywood at the fourth level, one can hit the cineplex or game zones. At the third level which is the San Francisco destination, one can discover tons of dining options. The food court, known as Pier 21, is highly recommended due to the amazing food at only street food prices. For the insta-crazed shoppers out there, do remember to check out and snap some truly insta-worthy pictures inside those uniquely-themed and one-of-a-kind washrooms. It is certainly plausible to claim that this is perhaps the only mall out there to be able to compete with the ever-popular Central Festival Mall. Which is why shoppers should hesitate no further to drop by and decide for themselves which shopping mall is truly deserving of the maiden title: “best shopping mall in Pattaya.''
To conclude, shopping is of paramount importance to most tourists as they can feel a certain kind of joy cum excitement, which they will fail to replicate/rediscover upon returning to their home countries. The feeling of exploring new shopping malls helps to open a whole new world and elevates the shopping experience for serious shopaholics who just simply cannot live life to the fullest without some shopping indulgence once in a while.
