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Diamond Arcade celebrates 25 years in business
Huge turnout congratulates popular nightspot
Damri Muangkaew
One of the liveliest places in South Pattaya’s Walking
Street is the Diamond Arcade, also known as Soi Diamond, in which the
Diamond Beach Hotel is located celebrated. The hotel marked their 25th
anniversary in grand style with a jubilant party that spilled out onto
Walking Street. Senior management welcomed guests, dignitaries and members
of the community to the celebrations.
 Mayor
Pairat Suthithamrongsawat greets Khun Suwanna Supachartkraisorn at the 25th
anniversary celebrations.
Mayor Pairat Suthithamrongsawat presiding over the
ceremonies as guest of honor was called to the stage along with hotel
management, each lighting a candle on the birthday cake before opening a
magnum of champagne.
Activities and entertainment throughout the evening
included a myriad of activities from classical Thai dancing to beer drinking
contests. Live music and the popular Miss Bikini beauty pageant drew a great
deal of interest from passersby.
The Diamond Arcade opened for business in 1978 under the
company name Pattaya Promotion Ltd with Managing Director Suwanna
Supachartkraisorn at the helm and Kruetwit Supachartkraisorn as arcade
general manager. The hotel and arcade was opened to provide the first
entertainment venue for Pattaya’s growing tourist trade. The arcade
included a caf้, bathhouse, go-go bars and beer bars which proved a
popular attraction in the first 3 years of operation. Twenty five years
later, this formula for success has made the arcade a thriving hub of
activity, which draws visitors from around the globe.
The Arcade also held the first Diamond Arcade Fair which
raised funds for charity as part of HM the King’s 60th birthday
celebrations which were donated to His Majesty’s royal projects.
The management of the hotel and arcade expressed their
appreciation for the support of their many customers over the years and
thanked city officials for attending the 25th anniversary celebrations. The
party then continued well into the night in the fun and spectacular style
for which the Diamond Arcade is renowned.
Tulip House and Travel host official opening party
Damri Muangkaew
Growth in Jomtien Beach is on the up. Recently Tulip
House and Travel held their official opening party after a number of months
of operation.
 Mathieu
Corporaal (left) and Khun Chaweewan Phoothavorn (2nd
right) greet well wishers at the opening party.
Chaweewan Phootaron and Mathieu Corpooraal, owners of the
twofold business of apartments and travel services held an opening party for
friends and customers last week.
Chaweewan told reporters that they have been open for
sometime but until now had no time to hold the official opening party and
that now was the ideal time to do so.
Tulip House and Travel located near soi 9 on Jomtien
Beach road offers a wide range of services such as rented apartments, an
in-house restaurant offering inexpensive food and drinks as well as tour and
travel services.
Le Petit Lie’geois opens for business in Carrefour Hypermart
Suchada Tupchai
The latest in the Belgian cuisine experience, Le Petit
Lie’geois, opened its doors for business on Wednesday afternoon on the
ground floor of the new Carrefour Hypermart.
 Evelyne
and Ghislain stand proudly in front of their new restaurant.
The new restaurant, run by Ghislain and Evelyne, offers
unique Belgian and French style cuisine and warm friendly service.
Friends, family and business associates congratulated the
pair on their new venture wishing them success.
Le Petit Lie’geois is located just near the front
entrance on the ground floor of Carrefour and is open daily, serving a wide
range of food and refreshments on the menu.
Walk for Life - Pattaya Extreme City style!
Pattaya Gay Festival and street party draws record crowd
This year’s World AIDS Day “Walk for Life” was the
biggest and best since its inception, thanks to the foresight and
encouragement of Mayor Pairat, members of city hall administration, teachers
and staff at the various schools in the district and the entertainment
establishments and individuals who created the floats.
 Pascal
and Kim Schnyder present a cheque of 70,000 baht collected at their
restaurant to Jim Lumsden as a contribution towards the AIDS fund.
The joint parade with Pattaya Gay Festival (PGF) provided
a spectacular hour-long free show as it passed along Beach Road. The
thousands of walkers received an enthusiastic reception from the crowds
thronging the sidewalks and vantage points and one hopes that the message
clearly came across that Pattaya people care and are jointly, not only
working to help those who have contracted HIV/AIDS related symptoms, but
also to educate about the precautions and preventative means available.
The World AIDS Day walk is a single event - the fight
against AIDS is, as Dr. Phillipe, from HEARTT 2000, always says, a marathon.
The ever effervescent and energetic Jim, from Ambiance
Hotel and the Events organizer for the PGF coordinated the floats and PGF
participation in the parade and managed to encourage more floats and more
people to get involved than ever this year.
Memories of last year’s rain-soaked parade had not
dampened the spirits - maybe people remembered the still-smiling faces and
people “dancing in the rain” at the end.
Utopia Travel gave a 10,000 baht prize for the best
float. This year it was won jointly by the Jomtien Beach Boys and Icon who
kindly re-donated it to the funds of the PGF charities.
The PGF Committee also gratefully acknowledges the kind
donation of 10,000 baht from Fredi at Bruno’s Restaurant, Thappraya Road.
This additional donation brings the funds raised that night to 445,000 baht.
The total amount raised to date is over 2.3 million baht
and we expect the target of 2.5 will be reached at the end of the street
party. In all, it was a fantastic effort by everyone concerned.
Latin dance fever comes to Pattaya
Suchada Tupchai
Throughout the city on the HMS the King’s birthday
weekend numerous tributes and activities were held. However, those people
with a feel for dancing skipped on into the Sunshine Vista Hotel on Soi 3
for night of Dance Fever, Latin style.
 Elena
impresses her dance partner with her thrilling Latino moves.
The activity organized by EGF International, the new
dance club, had guests doing the rumba and tango to build up their appetite
for the buffet dinner on offer.
Apart from a dinner and dance session, a special Latin
and ballroom dance performance took to the floor to show the amateurs just
how it’s done by the pros. The dance club also teaches ballroom and Latin
dancing. The fun evening concluded with everyone dancing the night away till
the early hours of Saturday morning.
Bangkok Pattaya Hospital opens Health Information Center in Royal Garden Plaza
Damri Muangkaew
The innovative Bangkok Pattaya Hospital recently opened a
Health Information Center on the 2nd floor of the Royal Garden Plaza.
Honored guests and hospital management attended the opening of the new booth
to provide free health checks for visitors and residents alike.
 Sopin
Tappajug gets a checkup at the Health Information Center. Pa Noi is as
strong and healthy as ever declared the nurse.
The hospital is focusing on preventative measures and
catching potential health problems in early stages. The new booth offers
free ear and eye checks as well as blood pressure tests and discounts on
major test packages at the hospital.
Dr. Phichit Kangwolkij, hospital director said, “The most common health
issues are the common cold and accidents, however, there is an increasing
number of more serious health problems occurring. The most important factor
is that these people can feel confident and comfortable when receiving
treatment. The hospital has set its standards high and offers the latest in
diagnostic equipment and services. Our intention in opening this booth is to
provide special privileges to the visitors and the general public as well as
receive a free check up.”
Home Mart Max ‘Amazing Day
Grand Party’ hands out gold
Special guest Miss Thailand charms shoppers
Damri Muangkaew
The Home Mart Max in South Pattaya recently held their
‘Amazing Day Grand Party’. This year’s special guest of honour, Miss
Thailand winner, Chalisa Boonkrongsap, was also on hand for shoppers to talk
to through the day’s event.
 You’ve
heard of singing in the shower, but not here. This lovely water nymph is
singing in the bath, much to the amusement of the onlookers.
However, the main aim of the day was to provide
do-it-yourself handymen and women with the opportunity to learn tips from
building professionals, supplements with special discounts of bathroom d้cor,
home d้cor and numerous other products on sale at the store, which
also gave shoppers a chance to win one baht weight of gold every hour in a
lucky draw among numerous activities throughout the day.
Mike Shopping Mall holds annual merit making ceremony for HM the King’s birthday
Suchada Tupchai
Last week Mike Shopping Mall held their annual merit
making ceremonies in the car park with 99 monks performing the religious
rites and prayers amid hundreds of management, staff and city officers and
devout Buddhists.
 Devotees
make offerings to the revered monks to mark HM the King’s Birthday.
The annual activity which began at 6 a.m. was organized
to pay homage to HM the King on his birthday as well as create unity and
compassion within the community.
This year 99 monks from 10 local temples conducted the prayers and
received donations to preserve temples and traditional Thai Buddhist values.
Pattaya Marriott Resort & Spa holds Royal Jazz Fest in honour of HM the King
The sounds of classical and contemporary jazz wafted
through the gardens of the Pattaya Marriott Resort & Spa last Friday
evening as the hotel held a musical evening in honour of Thailand’s most
famous jazz musician, His Majesty the King.
 The
Jazz Tet nearly brought the roof down.
The Jazz Tet Band played classics from Duke Ellington,
Sidney Bechet, Benny Goodman, Stan Getz, and of course, His Majesty’s
compositions, as part the evening’s entertainment. The Sala Rim Nam in the
gardens of the Marriott was alive with fervour as guests dined on an
international buffet in cool night air.
His Majesty King Bhumibol Adulyadej the Great is a keen
and talented musician and composer, having studied abroad, and is well known
for informal jam sessions with some of the planet’s best-known musicians.
The Marriott’s tribute to His Majesty was moving and innovative,
offering a unique and subtler aspect to the annual celebrations.
Royal Garden Plaza and the Marriott get into the spirit of Christmas
Suchada Tupchai
The festive season is upon us in Pattaya. To jumpstart
Christmas this year, the Royal Garden Plaza along with the Marriott Resort
& Spa have erected a 9 meter tall Christmas tree in the shopping center.
 (l-r)
Pasteur Saint Chong, Mukda Maneratjarutsri, William E. Heinecke, and Supadit
Maneratjarutsri
William Heinecke, CEO of the Minor Group and Royal Garden
Resort along with Pattaya City Mayor Pairat Sutithamrongsawat, Niti Kongrut,
TAT director, Central Region 3 and Supadit Maneejaratsri, managing director
of the Royal Garden Plaza and Marriott Hotel properties were present for the
lighting of the Christmas tree last week.
The festivities included singing traditional Christmas
carols and a glorious lighting display on the beach side of the shopping
center. The display drew great interest from both local and foreign visitors
to the center.
Both Mr. Heinecke and Mayor Pairat flicked the switch to light the
evening with the 2 million baht lighting display. Following the official
proceedings, William Heinecke handed over a donation to Pasteur Saint Chong
of the Church of Christ Pattaya to aid in the renovations and bring the old
church building back to its former glory.
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