after hearing stories and having been to Bangkok in some dodgy spots I wasn't expecting much better. this was clean, friendly and no pressurising sales people. good bars and some great bands playing. Mojos is a really nice restaurant at the far end from the beach (Italian but do all styles). Watch the beer prices though down the road ... the first beer is the price they get you in on and then the price steadily rises per drink ?? no set prices.

So we came here for New Year's Eve and it was crazy. So, I'm sure any other time of the year it won't be as chaotic. Don't get me wrong it was an experience and anyone should try it, but this was worse than a subway station in London or New York. Shoulder to shoulder congestion moving an inch an hour. We arrived around 11:15 to get to the beach for the fireworks, which we did make it bit normally it's a 3 minute walk. It's a lively, party scene, with loud music, tantalizing lights, go-go dancers , and of course the silly string. Silly string vendors line up the road to sell 3 cans for 100 ฿. Beware as you will get silly string everywhere! Its funny I witnessed 3 or 4 obnoxious drunken tourist/foreigner deliberately spray others directly in the face 🙄. So just be mindful. The fireworks were amazing, the crowd was diverse, and overall it was exciting but will probably never do it again for New Years.

This is an "if you're here, you might as well" kind of place. It is worth walking through at night. It is easy to bar-hop and eat at the open stalls (I recommend kabobs). I was also able to shop at the knock-off shops and enjoy some people watching. However, it is VERY touristy and gets a little sketchy and drunk-y after about 11pm. If you've been on the Las Vegas strip late at night, it's a very similar experience. I wouldn't recommend spending more than an evening here as it doesn't offer anything unique like other Thai experiences!