Pattaya is a town with an identity crisis. Where once it was a popular spot with foreign tourists of all stripes, in recent years, the city has come to rely on big Chinese coach parties.
Now, the coach parties are gone, and things are being reimagined everywhere. But can Alexa Beach Club, ostensibly Pattaya’s most popular beach club, measure up to competition from Phuket and other Southeast Asian destinations like Bali?
Our team was keen to find out, so they packed their things and jumped aboard a Thai Lion flight to Pattaya, and this is what they learned at Alexa Beach Club Pattaya.
Introduction – Getting To Alexa Beach Club Pattaya
Pattaya isn’t an ideal destination for those coming from outside of Thailand, as you probably won’t get a direct flight and will need to change in Bangkok or head outside of the airport and take a long taxi ride.
Either way, once you get to Pattaya, you’ll find Alexa Beach Club is on a nice strip of beach on the Western side of the area.
It’s easy enough to get a ride share out to this beach club from any part of Pattaya or to get an overpriced taxi or tuk-tuk, for that matter. The drive is likely to be no more than 30-60 minutes, even in the worst traffic conditions.
Once you get there, parking is available if you brought your own vehicle, or you can be dropped off at the door by your ride.
This beach club is directly on the beach, and you are also nicely located for the beautiful tropical sunsets in this area.
Where Is Alexa Beach Club Pattaya? 37/15, Moo 2, Na Soi Na Jomtien 8, Na-Jomtien Sattahip District, Chon Buri 20250, Thailand
Online: Alexa
Opening Hours: 12 p.m. – 8 p.m. daily, though this may not be the case on Thai public holidays, make sure to phone ahead and confirm the timings on those days
What’s Available At Alexa Beach Club Pattaya?
There are bar and restaurant services all day long, different seating options (some of which you will need to agree to a minimum spend to use) and a nice pool.
In the evenings, there is usually a live DJ or DJs, and the vibe turns from chill to party. However, there is no fire show or other form of entertainment beyond the music.
Our Detailed Review For Alexa Beach Club Pattaya
We consistently evaluate every beach club using the same method to ensure fairness and equity for owners, management, and staff, while also maintaining a uniform review format for easy comparison between venues.
The evaluation process works as follows:
- A review team is assigned to assess the venue.
- Each member must visit the location, though they are not required to visit together or on the same day.
- At the venue, every reviewer completes a scorecard, rating the beach club from 1 (lowest) to 5 (highest) across specified categories, while also noting details of their experience.
- After all team members have visited and submitted their individual scorecards, they gather to discuss their observations and agree on final scores for each category.
- A designated team member then writes the review, incorporating the team’s discussion and final scores, before it is published on our website.
Reservation and Booking Process
We found the booking system at this beach club somewhat baffling. It all starts sensibly enough by sending you to a ticket booking website, which means the club doesn’t have to design its own booking system, and while it’s not ideal (we like to do all our business on one site if we can), it’s not a deal breaker, either.
However, the next part is when you pick your bed, your date and the number of guests. This all works like clockwork, and we’d be fine with this booking system if that were where it ended, but it doesn’t.
You see, you may be fooled into thinking that the “deposit” you’re asked to pay is equivalent to the minimum spend at the beach club, which is pretty standard industry practice.
But it’s not. While their actual minimum spend packages are fully detailed on their website, they are not detailed on this booking site and the “deposit” is only a fraction of what you will actually be expected to spend.
We don’t think the beach club is doing this to rip you off, and we can certainly argue that the upside of this system is that if you can’t make your booking, you lose less money than you would under normal circumstances.
However, it’s not cool to fail to make your charges clear to your customers at the point of booking. You can’t rely on people to read the rest of the website, particularly when they are no longer on your website, because you use an external booking engine.
No, this didn’t catch us out, but it was clear at the club and in the occasional review that it does catch some people out.
Ambience and Atmosphere
We were instantly impressed with this beach club. We like that it’s going for the luxury vibe and that the setting is attractive and well put together.
The people inside when we arrived all seemed to be having a good time, though some reports say that this beach club can be empty at times, and we doubt that it would have been as much fun.
We would also note that the crowd here seemed to be exceptionally attractive when compared to some of the other beach clubs in this area.
The music is built for chilling in the day, but it builds as they head towards the sunset and the party of the evening. Overall, we liked Alexa’s ambience and atmosphere.
Location And Accessibility
It’s in Pattaya, so you’re either catching an internal flight from another part of Thailand or you’re opting for a fairly long taxi ride from one of the Bangkok airports.
That’s not the end of the world, but we imagine most people will want a day to recover from the travel before they head out the door to party.
Pattaya has a certain reputation for specific kinds of tourists, but at the moment, Pattaya is reeling because the Chinese tourists who had been coming in their millions have stopped, so you can get good deals on flights, hotels, and even meals in the area.
This beach club is easily accessible from anywhere in the Pattaya area, and we doubt it would take more than 30-60 minutes to get there under most circumstances.
It’s also in a nice spot on the right coast for a pleasant sunset view, and on an exceptionally clear day, you might even be able to glimpse the island of Ko Lan in the distance over the waves.
Aesthetic And Design
We liked the clean, modern design of this beach club, but we also felt like it was a bit indistinct; it’s reminiscent of the corporate 5-star hotel.
Nice enough, just without a sense of its own identity. You can get some nice Instagram shots, and the pool area is attractive enough, but it didn’t make our jaws drop.
In fact, it felt like it was missing a touch of Thailand to give it an accent of the destination, which is, after all, why most people are there in the first place.
It’s not bad when it comes to aesthetics, but it’s also not particularly memorable.
Staff Friendliness and Professionalism (Service Standard)
This was something of a mixed bag; the majority of our reviewers said that they felt that the service staff were both friendly (in that Thai “Land of Smiles” way that people love) and professional enough.
However, two reported being badgered regarding the minimum spend despite having made the reservations for the seats that they’d occupied.
And one reviewer was simply made to sit there, until they actually got up and went to find a manager to complain about the lack of service, only to be told they had to pay the minimum spend right now if they wanted service.
Service Speed and Efficiency
While overall, our review team did feel that the team here was speedy and efficient and a credit to the Alexa Beach Club Pattaya, a couple were less impressed.
They felt that they’d been waiting a long time for both food and drinks, and that there was no communication of any delay from the staff or apology for the wait.
We all know that Thailand tends to be a fairly laid-back sort of place, but we do like to be kept in the picture when it comes to serious tardiness.
Food Quality and Variety
We found the bizarre distinction between the “food menu” and the “Japanese menu” (which also contains food, but of a Japanese bent, and presented in Thai and English, not Japanese) a little odd.
But there’s no doubt that this beach club offers a pretty good variety of food products, and we liked that there was some local fare on the menu amidst the international offerings.
We also thought that the ingredients used were of good quality and were clearly fresh.
However, while we’re always prepared to pay a premium for food in a beach club, we did feel that the prices here were much higher than they would be for similar dishes in nearly any restaurant in the area.
Beverage Selection and Creativity
The cocktail menu at this beach club is one of the most creative and exciting that we’ve come across and it was nice to be greeted with a big range of champagne cocktails (you don’t have to buy an expensive bottle of Moet and Chandon to enjoy some bubbles at this beach) and they’re all presented very well by the bartenders.
However, the wine list was a bit on the short side and only offering 3 beers and a handful of fizzy soft drinks and expensive mineral waters felt like a complete missed opportunity for this beach club.
We certainly wouldn’t recommend this place to someone who doesn’t drink alcohol for a day. We’d also note that, given some of the weekend minimum spend requirements, it’s not likely that a non-drinker would be able to spend their minimum spend on some of the more expensive beds.
Cleanliness and Hygiene
This is Thailand, and the nation is famous for its finicky attitude towards pristine cleanliness, with many locals opting to shower 2 or more times a day because of the sticky heat.
So, we weren’t overly surprised to find that this beach club was extremely clean and that the swimming pool area, in particular, was clean and well-maintained and that the water was crystal clear.
The bathroom facilities were also pleasantly kept, and you wouldn’t be sorry to use them even if you had a bit of a traveller’s tummy.
Comfort of Seating and Lounging Areas
In keeping with the bland hotel-style decor, all of the furniture in this beach club is “good enough”, but none of it feels especially designed to be comfortable for all-day and night lounging.
That’s a bit of a shame, as we feel that it’s important to ensure people want to stick around and spend their money at a beach club.
This isn’t McDonald’s, and given the substantial minimum spend requirements, most people won’t be moving on after a few minutes.
Music and Entertainment
We thought that the music at this beach club was just OK, though it did improve slightly when the DJs hit the decks in the later part of the day.
Overall, there was nothing wrong with the sound here, but it was completely unmemorable, music you can talk over without missing a thing.
Seasonality
Thailand may be tropical, but its rainy season, particularly in Pattaya, can see days or even weeks of non-stop rain.
That’s something to bear in mind because while this beach club doesn’t close for seasonal reasons, you may not want to be there while the monsoon comes down 24/7/
There may also be some variation in opening hours and the occasional shutdown for local holidays and for government requirements (such as voting days).
Pricing and Value for Money
We do think the prices here are a bit over the premium that the beach club really commands, but we didn’t deduct two points for that.
Our deduction comes because of the very high minimum spend for a beach club that clearly struggles to fill seats for a lot of the year.
Worse, that minimum spend is not made explicitly clear at the point of booking, which frankly, should be illegal.
A 6,000 THB charge for a bed for two on a weekend ensures that you’re going to have to do some fairly hefty drinking to use up your minimum spend.
Beach Access and Quality
You have direct access to Na Jomtien Beach at this beach club, and this is one of the most popular beaches in Phuket.
However, the beach club does keep its stretch relatively clear of other people, and you can enjoy playing or walking in the soft sands or swimming in the ocean.
The sand is kept very clean by the beach club staff, and they do provide towels for ocean swimming as well as when using their pool.
The beach is also well-positioned for a lovely sunset view, though you may have to move around in the club to get that perfect view.
However, we have to deduct some points for this beach club as the sea water here has been deemed hazardous to human health. We’d stick to swimming in the pool at this beach club.
Sustainability Practices
Alexa Beach Club does talk about the “Green Season”, whatever that’s meant to mean, but other than that, it offers not a single nod towards sustainability practices.
There’s no sustainability report, no commitment to low waste production, no commitment to local farm use, etc.
In short, this is an area that Alexa Beach Club Pataya must really pull up its boots in and show us that it cares for the environment in which it operates.
Exclusive Perks for Guests
You get a seat on a daybed if you agree to a minimum spend and the use of a towel and changing facilities.
This is very much the standard inclusions for a beach club, but we’d really like to see a bit more effort put into this by nearly every beach club.
We want VIP treatment at beach clubs, and we don’t mind paying for it, we’re on holiday! So, please, give us something to treat ourselves with.
Safety and Security
We are firm believers in staying safe at beach clubs, and we think that starts with the basics. So, we’re pleased to report that there is a bag check and a quick pat down.
This isn’t intrusive or hostile, but it is a great way to set the scene to ensure everyone’s safety for the day.
The club also has more than enough security staff on hand to ensure that you will have a good day out at Alexa Beach Club Pattaya and that it won’t be ruined by other people’s bad behaviour.
Event Hosting Capabilities
This beach club does offer private event hosting for everything from birthday parties to weddings to corporate events.
However, it’s one of those places that’s big on the sales pitch and offers little information about their events online, because they want you to call them so they can badger you into booking.
Consistency of Experience
Our team only went to this beach club once each while we were in Pattaya, and while there was some variation in our experiences, we felt that overall, this place is pretty consistent.
We also found reviews to back that up and spoke to some other guests who agreed with that conclusion.
However, we also feel that this beach club has done very little to improve its core offerings, and there’s no sense of constant evolution to delight the customer here. It is what it is, and that’s all, folks.
Additional Amenities and Facilities
This beach club has all the basic amenities that you need to have a good day out at a beach club, there’s a bar, restaurant, pool, beach, etc. and even some basic entertainment in the evenings.
However, if you want anything more than that, you’ll need to go and find it outside the club. The good news is that in Pattaya, you’re within walking distance of bars, pubs, restaurants, etc., and nearly anything you need can be found in the town.
Summary
While we enjoyed our time at Alexa Beach Club, we also felt that this beach club has plenty of room for improvement.
Minimum spend requirements should be better adjusted to suit the ebbs and flows of their business, and prices overall could do with adjusting down a little.
We’d also like to see a bit more effort in the furniture, decor and music. However, the setting is nice and the food is good, and we’d definitely come back to this beach club if we were in Pattaya again.
Though we wouldn’t travel to Pattaya just for this beach club, and we’d say that if you are travelling in Thailand for beach clubs, Phuket is a better destination, and if you have a choice of other places in Southeast Asia, Bali is a much better option.
FAQs
Can You Go Swimming At Alexa Beach Club Pattaya?
Yes, you can swim in the pool at Alexa Beach Club Pattaya, or you can go swimming in the ocean.
However, we must stress we don’t recommend swimming in the ocean here; the water quality is so poor that it’s been deemed hazardous to human health, so it’s best to stick to the pool.
As long as you have a seat with an agreed minimum spend, you will be provided with a towel, no matter where you choose to swim.
What Is There To Do At Alexa Beach Club Pattaya?
During the day, this beach club is for chilling, and you can idle by the pool on daybeds or enjoy food and drinks from the reasonably extensive menus.
At night, the vibe becomes more party-oriented, and there are DJs playing tunes on the decks.
However, there’s no other entertainment at this beach club, which is surprising when you consider how invested most of the beach clubs on the other side of Thailand are in fire shows and the like.
Is Alexa Beach Club Pattaya A Child-Friendly Venue?
Yes, Alexa Beach Club is a very family-friendly venue, and there is a children’s playground, plus regular activities for kids. Children can also use the pool and play on the beach, though once again, we’d keep them out of the seawater as it’s not good for them.
If you stay in the resort associated with this beach club, it also has a kids’ club known as PINNS. However, this facility requires room rental; you can’t use it as a day visitor to the beach club.
Who Is The Owner Of Alexa Beach Club Pattaya?
The ownership of this beach club is not in the public domain. However, it is part of the Pinnacle Grand Jomiten Resort.
Final Thoughts On The Review Of Alexa Beach Club Pattaya
Alexa Beach Club in Pattaya is nice enough, but we wouldn’t go out of our way to spend time there, either.
With a few tweaks, this place could easily rise in the ranks of the world’s best beach clubs, but for today, it’s OK, not amazing.
Of course, if we were in the area anyway, we would definitely go back; we had a nice day out here, even if it wasn’t the most memorable of occasions.
