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Celebrating its grand opening on Valentines Day 2025, Meliá Pattaya Hotel is a luxury hideaway that’s still relatively off the radar for international tourists – but local visitors know what’s up. Here’s why it’s time to add this new five-star retreat to the top of your bucket list.
What’s the neighbourhood like?
Meliá Pattaya Hotel is situated across from LAY Beach Club, which it also operates. Set on sweeping parklands (best travelled across by golf cart) this new beach club is just across the road from Pattaya Beach’s clear waters. From its spacious seating area to the ornate chandeliers overhead, LAY Beach Club radiates an exclusivity; its signature dish, paella, is an ode to Meliá’s Spanish roots and doesn’t disappoint. With nightly DJs, dance performances and even a fire show, it’s turns out to be one of my favourite places to spend the evening; during the warm days the hydro bar, inbuilt seating and tables mean I can nurse an ice-cold cocktail from the comfort of the hotel’s dazzling central pool.
Where am I sleeping?
This hotel takes its inspiration from the ocean and Pattaya’s origins as a fishing village, as a leitmotif of rolling waves in rich cerulean, sky blues and white are painted on the walls and woven into the carpet. Curved doorways with small round windows imitate the portholes of a ship; curved corners imbue each room with refinement and sophistication.
My Deluxe Sea View room (from $A230 per night) overlooks Pattaya Beach and the parkland between the hotel and LAY Beach Club. An expansive bay window seat is the ideal vantage point to take in ocean vistas from. The square-shaped bathroom has two walls that are also sliding doors, meeting in one corner to create for absolute privacy; upon opening them, the room immediately feels more spacious, but soft ambient lighting also makes it exceptionally cosy, especially when I’m winding down at the end of the day.
What’s on the menu?
Yitong Chinese Restaurant & Sky Bar is a celebration of Sichuan and Cantonese cuisine and an ode to the large Chinese community in Pattaya. With dark lighting, moody interiors and smooth tunes playing throughout, entering the space feels like you’ve entered a jazz club at midnight. But with a custom-made oven imported from China to prepare Peking duck, the cuisine is as authentic as it gets: it’s also the best duck I’ve ever eaten, with flesh so succulent it practically melts in my mouth. I have it paired with the Lamoon signature cocktail, which blends chrysanthemum-and-camomile-infused gin, bourbon and vermouth for a floral-forward sip that’s fragrant, silky and wonderfully balanced.
Craving Japanese food? From bamboo tree walkways and manicured bonsai to traditional Japanese wooden finishes and Hokusai-inspired wave banners, upon stepping inside DEN, the hotel’s forward-thinking Japanese restaurant, it feels like you’re not in Thailand anymore. Many of the ingredients are imported straight from Japan, with sushi and sashimi elegantly presented on plates of natural rock and stone. A favourite is the smoked prawn with garlic butter and onigiri (rice balls): the prawn’s lightness plays well with the smokiness, and a hint of spice makes for the perfect finishing touch.
How are the facilities?
Meliá Pattaya masterpiece is the dazzling outdoor pool area. Here, you’ll find seven private cabanas with curtains, lighting and round-the-clock staffing to ensure that your moment in the sun is as comfortable as possible. Snacks and refreshing cocktails are in abundance at Lula Pool Bar (which, incidentally, sells housemade and outrageously delicious vegan ice cream).
This hotel also features a a state-of-the-art fitness centre, kid’s club, onsite YHI Spa (a signature of the Meliá brand) with three treatment rooms and the exclusive The LEVEL Lounge.
Who will love Meliá Pattaya?
Meliá Pattaya is the perfect destination for couples who want to experience the high life at one of Thailand’s most exciting new hotels.
