Royal Cliff Beach Hotel — A Clifftop Infinity Pool Looking Over the Whole Bay
If the chaos of central Pattaya wears you down and you want the quieter side of town, people who know Pattaya well tend to point you to Royal Cliff Beach Hotel up on Pratamnak Hill. It opened back in 1974 as the flagship of the Royal Cliff Hotels Group, built on the headland facing the bay. The thing guests keep coming back to is the Beach Infini pool with its infinity edge that seems to spill straight into the sea, plus two private beaches down below — a full resort experience you simply can't get in the middle of the city.
Royal Cliff Beach Hotel opened in 1974 as one of Pattaya's pioneering hotels. The curved building sits on Pratamnak Hill so that nearly every room faces the sea, and the 474 rooms and suites span several categories — Ocean Deluxe, the Mini Suite Plus in both Sunrise and Sea View, up to the Diamond Suite and Princess Suite with separate living rooms. Almost every room has a private balcony, and the sea-facing rooms are the ones guests rave about most: you open the curtains in the morning and Pattaya Bay is just there, filling the window.
The real star here is the Beach Infini pool, an infinity-edge pool the hotel claims is among the longest in Thailand. One stretch has a clear glass wall you can look straight through, and there are whirlpool sections dotted along the rim. Across the whole resort there are six to seven pools in total — a kids' pool, a round shallow splash pool, and the Funtasea mini water park for families. Sunset is when the pool looks its best; plenty of guests post a photo and say it doesn't feel like Pattaya at all.
"Got in the pool in the evening — warm water, the sun dropping behind Koh Larn, the pool edge blending into the sea. Worth getting out for a soak every single evening."
Being a large resort, the dining choice runs deep. Maharani, the Indian restaurant, gets singled out for its food, while Panorama serves afternoon tea and weekend dim sum with a high view over the bay. The breakfast buffet runs 6:30–10:30 am with a wide spread that reviewers rate well for quality. One honest heads-up though: in high season and over long weekends the breakfast room gets genuinely crowded and can feel like a noisy crush — get down before 8 am and it's a lot calmer.
Beyond the pools and beaches, there's enough on site that you barely need to leave. Cliff Spa has several treatment rooms focused on Thai massage and body treatments, Fitz Club covers tennis and squash courts plus a gym, and for kids there's Funtasea Kids World, The Verge games zone, and a Thai cooking school. The two private beaches sit at the bottom of the headland, so you either walk down or take the hotel shuttle — the resort itself is up high on the cliff.
The score sits at 9.0/10 from 309 Trip.com reviews and 4.4/5 from nearly 1,900 TripAdvisor reviews — ranked 5th of 44 resorts in Pattaya, with a Travelers' Choice award. Guests agree on the pools, the sea views, and the attentive staff. The honest criticisms: some rooms look dated for the price given the building's age, and several reviews warn about extra charges at checkout that weren't made clear at booking — worth clarifying at check-in so there are no surprises later.
The location is both a strength and something to know. Up on Pratamnak Hill it's much quieter than the city centre, ideal if you actually want to switch off. But it's about a 10-minute drive from Walking Street and central Pattaya Beach, not a walk. If you want a night out you'll be calling a Grab or using the hotel car. Anyone here for the sea and family time will love this setting; anyone here mainly for the nightlife may find it a touch far.
The bottom line: Royal Cliff Beach Hotel works best for families or couples who want a complete beachfront resort in Pattaya without the noise of the city — good pools, private beaches, plenty for kids, at a price point below many 5-star resorts. Ocean Deluxe starts around ฿4,200/night. If you want a separate living room and the panoramic view, stepping up to a Diamond Suite is worth it for a special occasion.
Summary from Booking & Agoda
- ✓ Multiple pools with stunning sea views, especially in the evening
- ✓ Private beaches are quiet and uncrowded compared to city beaches
- ✓ Staff attentive and friendly, helpful with requests
- ✓ Great for families — kids' activities and facilities cover everything
- ! Some rooms feel dated for the rate paid
- ! About a 10-minute drive from Walking Street
- ! A few extra charges not made clear at the time of booking
- ✓ Beach Infini infinity pool with bay views — genuinely photogenic
- ✓ Pratamnak Hill setting is quiet and properly restful
- ✓ Breakfast buffet is varied with good quality
- ✓ Maharani Indian restaurant gets particular praise
- ! Breakfast room very crowded in high season
- ! Reaching the beach means a walk down or the shuttle (clifftop site)
- ! Nights out in the city need a car — not walkable
- 💡If you want the best sea view — specify a high-floor Sea View room when booking → the cheaper Sunrise-view rooms see less of the water, and some catch only a partial view
- 💡If you're travelling with young kids — ask for a building/wing near Funtasea Kids World and the kids' pool → the resort is large and the walk from a far room to the pool can tire little legs; ask for the layout at check-in
- 💡If you're wary of extra charges — confirm minibar, beach, and policy details at check-in → some reviews flag checkout charges that weren't disclosed up front