Beach or hill
The two districts meet at Dongtan Beach, where Pratumnak Hill comes down to the start of Jomtien. From there Jomtien runs south along a wide promenade to Na Jomtien: Thai families at weekends, long-stay Europeans and Russians in the cool season, seafood restaurants along the front. Pratumnak rises behind it, with the Big Buddha at Wat Phra Yai looking over both bays, Cosy Beach below the cliffs on the west side, and no large mall on the hill.
Who you will sell to
Jomtien's buyers are mainly investors, and its studios and one-bedroom units compete with each other and with new towers, so a resale seller there is up against the developer next door. Pratumnak's buyers are mostly owner-occupiers: long-stay foreign residents, retirees and Bangkok families. Its larger units and lower stock suit a buyer who means to live in the flat and sell it to someone who will do the same.
What to inspect
On Pratumnak, management varies sharply between the low-rise blocks of local developers, so read the juristic accounts and check how many units a single investor owns. In Jomtien there is still land to build on, and an open sea view from a second-row tower may not last. On either, find out what is planned next door. Pratumnak is one of Pattaya's improving pockets, and older plots near Cosy Beach are being redeveloped. Title deeds and due diligence covers the documents, and the rental yield calculator tests the numbers.
