THE PANORAMA REVOLVING RESTAURANT
In a new series of articles
we look at what is here, or literally on our doorstep, that we have yet to do or see. Last month we decided that a visit to Angkor Wat was an absolute must. If you didn’t read this in our February magazine then it’s still available to view online at pattayatrader.com.
This month we decided to go somewhere closer to home and visit the Pattaya Park Tower. Which although certainly no Eiffel Tower,has served as an iconic landmark for Pattaya since its opening in 1994. Back then, the tower was conceived as part of a larger entertainment complex and was a real feather in Pattaya’s cap for, at that time, its unparalleled height of 55 floors. Be honest when heading out of town from the car, from a boat heading out across the bay, or simply looking out over Pattaya from a high rise vista, how often have you pointed out the tower? Using this tall marker as an indicator of where Pratumnak is, the rest of the sub districts in relation to it, and perhaps even our own homes it’s something we all do.
However, for those expecting to see us reinstating the joys of the zip wire with the Discover Pattaya team hurtling down from its summit, I have to tell you that’s not going to happen. No, we were there, in a much more sedate capacity to visit the Panorama Revolving Restaurant. This is the restaurant perched atop of the Pattaya Park Tower and despite natural disasters and economic fluctuations, it has stood the test of time as one of Pattaya’s enduring tourist destinations.
The Panorama Revolving
Restaurant offers a unique dining experience unlike any other. With its breathtaking 360-degree views of the cityscape, beaches, and the Gulf of Thailand, it’s fun to look out while you eat as the restaurant slowly rotates providing ever changing vistas. The dinner session we attended starts from 4:30pm and we arrived about an hour later so we could enjoy seeing the sun set and the views transform from day to night.
The cost of the buffet is 700 baht per head and this includes soft drinks – water, orange juice and lemon tea on the evening we were there, plus freshly brewed tea and coffee. To be honest I wasn’t expecting too much from the buffet, believing the experience would be more of a feast for the eyes rather than the palate. However, we were pleasantly surprised by the quality of the salads, sushi, sashimi prawns and dim sum. My recommendation would be to fill up on these because the following selection was a little less inspiring. It included only 1 Thai curry, an OK beef option, although everything improved again with the fruits,desserts and 5 different flavours of ice cream.
So get yourself up to the tower. The lift takes you to the 52 floor of the restaurant so quickly that you will forget how high up you are until you look down and see the tiny little “ant people” in the Russian market and the twinkling headlights of the “toy cars”. A unique dining experience that the whole family will enjoy.