editorial

The Standard has planted its flag on Thailand’s eastern seaboard, with the retro-forward brand’s first beach club setting the pace.
<figure id="attachment_151839" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-151839" style="width: 1200px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="wp-image-151839 size-full" src="https://staging.destinasian.com/wp-content/uploads/DA-Images-S-Pattaya-duo-web-1200x800px-1.jpg" alt="Left to right: A guest room at The Standard, Pattaya Na Jomtien; staff uniforms were designed by Thai fashion house Vickteerut. (All photos by Christopher P. Hill)" width="1200" height="800" srcset="https://staging.destinasian.com/wp-content/uploads/DA-Images-S-Pattaya-duo-web-1200x800px-1.jpg 1200w, https://staging.destinasian.com/wp-content/uploads/DA-Images-S-Pattaya-duo-web-1200x800px-1-300x200.jpg 300w, https://staging.destinasian.com/wp-content/uploads/DA-Images-S-Pattaya-duo-web-1200x800px-1-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https://staging.destinasian.com/wp-content/uploads/DA-Images-S-Pattaya-duo-web-1200x800px-1-768x512.jpg 768w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 1200px) 100vw, 1200px" /><figcaption id="caption-attachment-151839" class="wp-caption-text">Left to right: A guest room at The Standard, Pattaya Na Jomtien; staff uniforms were designed by Thai fashion house Vickteerut. (All photos by Christopher P. Hill)</figcaption></figure>
Pattaya might not be everyone’s cup of tea, but the city’s newest resort, in the up-and-coming enclave of Na Jomtien, is set to win over even the most skeptical travelers with its refreshing blend of playful modernism and laid-back luxury.
Just two hours from <a href="https://destinasian.com/category/thailand/bangkok" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Bangkok</a> along an expressway that bypasses the bustle of central Pattaya, <a href="https://www.standardhotels.com/pattaya/properties/pattaya?DestinAsian" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The Standard, Pattaya Na Jomtien</a> (from US$210 a night) is the brand’s second Thai beach resort, lying, as it happens, almost directly across the Gulf of Thailand from its <a href="https://www.standardhotels.com/hua-hin/properties/hua-hin?DestinAsian" target="_blank" rel="noopener">sister property in Hua Hin</a>. Like the latter, this 161-room newcomer comprises a cluster of low, blocky white buildings—here softened by undulating facades—that nod to the mid-century modern style of The Standard’s original Los Angeles outpost. The retro flair continues inside, where mellow-toned furnishings and playful shapes are punctuated with potted greenery and statement art pieces, such as the stacked stone sculptures by French artist Chloé Kelly Miller installed in the grassy lobby courtyard.
The rooms are likewise sassy and fun, full of curving edges and quirks—think lip-shaped night lights and fabric headboards depicting skinny-dipping swimmers. They range in size from 42 square meters to a sprawling penthouse, though only a handful offer a glimpse of the sea. For that, book one of the ocean-view one-bedroom suites, which also feature freestanding tubs and their own pools.
Not that most guests—mainly savvy Bangkok scenesters—come here to stay holed up in their rooms. The social hub of the resort is its Slim Aarons–worthy main pool, flanked by muted-orange sun umbrellas and lounge chairs. Next door is <a href="https://www.esmebeachclub.com/?DestinAsian" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Esme</a>, The Standard’s first-ever beach club, with more loungers and daybeds on the sand, a thatched bar-cum–DJ booth, and a breezy open-air dining space serving up Thai-inflected Mexican food and drinks. But where the resort truly hits its culinary stride is at nearby <a href="https://www.standardhotels.com/thailand/features/standard-pattaya-sereia-thai-coastal-grill?DestinAsian" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Sereia</a>, which celebrates the nostalgic coastal flavors of Chonburi province—soft-shell crab in yellow curry with wild betel leaves, say, or skewers of grilled fish cakes served on a mini brazier.
There is no spa, but a rooftop wellness area called Mmhmmm will open by the end of December, complete with hydrotherapy pools and mud baths. And while the beach itself is no great beauty, a boat can be booked for excursions to offshore islands, adding yet another layer of fun to the experience.
<figure id="attachment_151838" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-151838" style="width: 1200px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="wp-image-151838 size-full" src="https://staging.destinasian.com/wp-content/uploads/DA-Images-S-Pattaya-duo-web-1200x800px-2.jpg" alt="Skewered fish cakes at Thai coastal grill Sereia; sun loungers flank the resort’s pool." width="1200" height="800" srcset="https://staging.destinasian.com/wp-content/uploads/DA-Images-S-Pattaya-duo-web-1200x800px-2.jpg 1200w, https://staging.destinasian.com/wp-content/uploads/DA-Images-S-Pattaya-duo-web-1200x800px-2-300x200.jpg 300w, https://staging.destinasian.com/wp-content/uploads/DA-Images-S-Pattaya-duo-web-1200x800px-2-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https://staging.destinasian.com/wp-content/uploads/DA-Images-S-Pattaya-duo-web-1200x800px-2-768x512.jpg 768w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 1200px) 100vw, 1200px" /><figcaption id="caption-attachment-151838" class="wp-caption-text">Skewered fish cakes at Thai coastal grill Sereia; sun loungers flank the resort’s pool.</figcaption></figure>
<figure id="attachment_151628" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-151628" style="width: 1800px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="wp-image-151628 size-full" src="https://staging.destinasian.com/wp-content/uploads/The-Standard-Pattaya-Thailand-Print-Review-Resort-Entrance.webp" alt="The entrance at recently opened beach resort The Standard, Pattaya Na Jomtien in Thailand." width="1800" height="1200" srcset="https://staging.destinasian.com/wp-content/uploads/The-Standard-Pattaya-Thailand-Print-Review-Resort-Entrance.webp 1800w, https://staging.destinasian.com/wp-content/uploads/The-Standard-Pattaya-Thailand-Print-Review-Resort-Entrance-300x200.webp 300w, https://staging.destinasian.com/wp-content/uploads/The-Standard-Pattaya-Thailand-Print-Review-Resort-Entrance-1024x683.webp 1024w, https://staging.destinasian.com/wp-content/uploads/The-Standard-Pattaya-Thailand-Print-Review-Resort-Entrance-768x512.webp 768w, https://staging.destinasian.com/wp-content/uploads/The-Standard-Pattaya-Thailand-Print-Review-Resort-Entrance-1536x1024.webp 1536w, https://staging.destinasian.com/wp-content/uploads/The-Standard-Pattaya-Thailand-Print-Review-Resort-Entrance-1568x1045.webp 1568w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 1800px) 100vw, 1800px" /><figcaption id="caption-attachment-151628" class="wp-caption-text">The resort entrance at The Standard, Pattaya Na Jomtien.</figcaption></figure>
This article originally appeared in the <a href="https://subscription.destinasian.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">December 2025/February 2026</a> print issue of DestinAsian magazine (“Pop Goes Pattaya”). Buy a single issue or subscribe <a href="https://subscription.destinasian.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">here</a>.

The entrance at recently opened beach resort The Standard, Pattaya Na Jomtien in Thailand.

Checking In: The Standard, Pattaya Na Jomtien