Penfold's South East Asian Odyssey

Had Sai Kaew is probably one of my favourite beaches within the local area although Bang Saray comes a close second. Sai Kaew is around a 25-35 minute drive from Pattaya, along the Sukhumvit road past Nong Nooch Gardens and the Bang Saray junction. It is located inside the Chumpol Sattahip Naval Ratings College and is cared for and maintained by the recruits. It is the sort of place that would probably not feature in any of the guidebooks and you are most likely to hear about through local people among whom it's incredibly popular. However, it's charms are starting to be discovered by foreign holiday-makers, particularly the Russians and it's not unusual to see minibuses full of tourists these days. It can get quite busy at weekends, so if your considering a trip, I would recommend going during the week. Upon entering the Naval base, you are required to stop and exchange one form of ID, for example, a National ID card or driving licence for a permit which gives yo...

My wife's nephew, who she hadn't seen in more than 5 years, recently spent a week with us. As it was his first visit to Pattaya, we thought it would be nice to take him sightseeing and introduce him to the delights of the city. We decided to visit the Pattaya sheep farm, a relatively new attraction, which opened in June this year. The first plus point was the absence of any double pricing. All visitors whether they're Thai or foreign are charged a nominal 50 baht entrance fee. Visitors are able to feed and pet the sheep, donkeys, cows and deer and I was even able to pick up one of the lambs. The farm also has a steak house, but on this occasion we didn't dine there. I'm sure many of you are also wondering whether the little fella in the picture above will end up as a set of chops. That I can't tell you, but on the day we visited there was lamb on the menu!!!! There are plenty of photo opportunities and also the chance to enjoy a cup of coffee o...