During our short weekend getaway to Pattaya in early June, we chose to revisit a childhood favourite hotel, Centara Grand Mirage Pattaya, a resort with a waterpark facility at the beachfront of Wong Amat Beach. We will share with you our thoughts, review, and recommendation of the Room, facilities, and the beach at one of the most well-known hotels in Pattaya.
Muang Pattaya,
Bang Lamung District,
Chon Buri 20150
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Why we chose to stay at this hotel
Dear Travellers,
As Thais, Centara is a name that has long been familiar to us, being one of the country’s largest and most recognisable hotel brands. For anyone who has visited Pattaya frequently—or lives in or around the city—there is a good chance that the name Centara Grand Mirage Pattaya will also sound familiar.
If you are interested, we have also stayed at Centara Reserve Samui, see how we spent our days on the Island.
Opened back in 2009 and recently renovated in 2024-2025, Centara Grand Mirage Pattaya was and remains one of the older and more reputable hotels in operation, for both local travellers and foreigners.
For my partner, who was raised in Chonburi province, where Pattaya is located, Centara Grand Mirage was the hotel of choice for her family’s vacations when she was younger.
A decade has gone by, and we chose to revisit her childhood favourite hotel/waterpark and relive the days as adults, in the now renovated guest rooms and waterpark facilities.
We will take you to visit Centara Grand Mirage Pattaya: A hotel that holds a part of our childhood memories, and a place we can still enjoy as adults.
At a Glance
Centara Grand Mirage Pattaya
- Direct access to the beachfront (more private)
- The water park is free for all rooms
- Free Parking
- Renovated Rooms (early 2025)
- Large hotel grounds / more secluded from the outside
Best For: Family with younger kids / younger couples
Atmosphere: Can be a little chaotic / may be overwhelming for some
Direct competitor (alternative): Grand Center Point Space Pattaya
Should you visit during the Rainy Season?
In short, yes.
We also stayed at Centara Grand Mirage Pattaya during Thailand’s rainy season. The rain poured every day during our stay, but it was not much of an inconvenience for us, as it generally does not rain for the whole day even in this season.
The likely scenario is that it rains for a few hours during the morning, afternoon, or, if you are lucky, at night, meaning that there will be time for you to enjoy the water park.
One advantage is that the water park is situated right in front of the guest buildings; it is easy to just come back down when it stops raining, as there is no travel time to be concerned about.
The Hotel’s Waterpark Experience
This is probably the highlight and the thing you are most interested in knowing more about before deciding to stay at Centara Grand Mirage: The real experience at the waterpark.
Features Overview:
- Multiple Slides
- Kids Zones
- Waterfalls
- Cave
- Pool area with small cliff jumping
The Lost World Theme Waterpark facility and pool are a good size, designed in a jungle/cliff look, which somehow reminded us of the movie Jumanji, the original one, of course. There are different slides you can go on, nothing too crazy looking, but do not let the look fool you, even adults can have fun here. The slides that look small can be built at a steeper angle, which gives us a bit of a rush sliding down.
The waterpark is one connected zone with multiple slides and a starting point to come down from; there are a variety of them when it comes to heights and speed, from the more gentle ones to higher and faster ones.
The slides are playable by young kids, all of whom seem to be enjoying them more than us, as they were seen running back up in a loop. The slide we are referring to is enough to give our heart a big enough rush when we were coming down, and we had enough after one or two rounds.
There are parts of the park that are designed for floating around, with a cave area and waterfalls. There are also other features like fountains and a big bucket that dumps water down on you. For a limited amount of space, we would say they did a good job of designing the experience.
For security, on the higher slides, there is a lifeguard on standby at the top who will give a signal when it is safe to go down. The general depth is around chest height or shallower for an adult, making it possible to stand in the water at every point. There is a big floater and a double floater available in the pool for free. We did not find the amount provided lacking, even during the peak hour when the hotel was almost fully booked. The same goes for all the slides; there is practically no waiting time for any of them, as they move very quickly.
There is also a small cliff jump at the corner of the main pool area, and the water in that area reaches a depth of around 3.8 meters. A lifeguard is on standby at the cliff. From our experience, that small cliff that looks like nothing from below felt a lot higher when you are standing at the edge, and it is enough for both kids and adults to have fun jumping down.
There is also a bar area in the pool to grab some drinks and relax.
Besides the main pool is a kids’ pool that is around ankle height; it is perfect for younger kids to hang around in.
Some games and events are also held at certain times; a few of those games we played growing up. There are also other events, like nail and body painting, available.
Additional Facilities
A few of the highlights are the dry adventure zone (The Lost World Adventure Land) and the Game room, both of which come at additional fees.
The dry adventure zone features attractions such as obstacle courses, bouncing areas, and a zipline-style ride. Geared primarily toward younger guests, it may not be worth paying the additional fee if you are visiting as a couple. For families travelling with children, however, it is certainly a worthwhile addition that can keep the little ones entertained for hours.
The game room facility is now a small room with more digital gaming experiences, like PS5, computers, and VR, each of which comes at a different time-based charge.
For those travelling with younger children, the hotel also offers dedicated play areas filled with toys and age-appropriate activities, along with a wide range of family-friendly facilities.
Bonus: There is a small show at the main monument in front of the water park at 9 pm. It goes on for 5 minutes, with light, music, and steam.
The Room
The room is clean and spacious, and the furniture and decorations feel new, while still retaining the vibe that the hotel originally had.
The bathroom is spacious with a separate toilet room and a modern glass shower room, one big enough to shower with your kids. We still recommend asking for a few additional floor mats, as the area in front of the sink still gets wet from the water carried over from your feet.
The Premium Explorer Room we stayed in featured a sofa and a small work table at the end of the room, a thoughtful addition that made the space feel more comfortable and functional.
The balcony was generously sized, with two loungers and a railing that was useful for drying wet swimsuits after a day by the water.
The Breakfast
The second highlight of this stay is the Breakfast Buffet service.
The breakfast buffet offers a wide variety of choices to choose from, international cuisine, indian, Thai, etc.
The service area is large enough to accommodate big groups at the same time, with a duplicate of the station in a separate zone. The breakfast also has an outdoor zone, with Thai dishes served on order, like noodles, Thai tea, and Thai-style coffee.
We would say that the breakfast at Centara Grand Mirage Pattaya, which was included in our room rate, offered a satisfying experience overall.
Do note that for the breakfast buffet, no later than 9 am is the best time to start eating, as you can expect a mildly crowded buffet and even some waiting time to be seated at a table during peak seasons of the Hotel.
Things to know before your arrival
As a brief preamble, we are staying at the property during a long weekend in Thailand, meaning it is a time for Pattaya to see a major spike in local visitors, even early into the rainy season. At such a time, the Centara Grand Mirage is a very popular destination for many families. Upon inquiring with the staff at the check-in counter, he said that the hotel was almost at full occupancy for the weekend.
With that, we will begin with the first impression of the experience, which may also be the biggest shortcoming we can think of during our stay. With the popularity of the hotel, the check-in process became quite a lengthy one; it took around 30 minutes or more queuing and going through the check-in process, which in itself is also longer than usual. “That is actually normal for this place,” my partner said, recalling her memories of walking and running around the lobby when she was young.
In actuality, we did not feel that it was a significant shortcoming in terms of experience, even as the first impression; however, it would be recommended for people travelling with young kids or coming directly from long international flights to have someone heading for the check-in once you arrive to shorten the waiting time a little.
There is, however, a benefit to coming when the hotel is more fully booked, which is the lively atmosphere that comes with the crowd.
The hotel grounds are large enough to accommodate guests even at full capacity; places other than the lobby do not feel at all overcrowded for us. On the contrary, the people and families that gather created a more lively environment to play around, especially if you are travelling with kids, they will likely benefit from having others to play with and enough people to hold events and activities properly.
The Closing: Our Score
Review Summary: Centara Grand Mirage Pattaya
Style of review: Beach, Family Friendly
Do note that under this criterion, our evaluation will assume a car as the default form of transportation. The criteria will also be set for the beach, which will take into consideration factors like beach access, a spot for relaxation, facilities, etc.
Our scoring has also taken into account the price point: ~5,500 THB per night (similar price even with two younger children)
* Prices are subject to change according to the season, the number of guests, room type, etc. For more accurate information, check their website here.
Our recommendation: Hand-Picked*
An accommodation we hand-picked among the places we have been to, our top recommendation, and a returning stay for the experience specifically!
*Hand-Picked → 1, Preferred Choice → 2, Selective Choice → 3, Subjective Choice → 4
The hotels that fall into these ratings are all satisfactory experiences; the categories capture how exceedingly it went over our satisfaction level, and are not a ranking that implies which hotel is good or bad. The rating is highly reliant on our preferences and personal experience.
Centara Grand Mirage Pattaya
Overall atmosphere:
Room type: Premium Explorer King
- Very Clean 9/10
- Location 8/10
- Convenience of the stay 7.5/10
- Ambience 8.5/10
- Concept 9/10
Additional scoring:
- Well-designed waterpark+
- Spacious +
Centara Grand Mirage Pattaya offers a thoughtfully designed stay, making excellent use of space while creating an atmosphere that is particularly well suited to families. Its adventure-themed concept lends the resort a distinctive character and a sense of fun that carries throughout the property.
Although the hotel has been around for many years, extensive renovations across much of the property have helped it retain a fresh and well-maintained feel. Even as adults, we found plenty to enjoy during our stay.
My partner spent many family holidays here as a child, and it remains one of her fondest childhood memories. After revisiting this hotel, we are positive that the experience will also be one that your children will cherish. For this reason, we decided to give it our highest level of recommendation.
Even so, do note that it may be considered chaotic and overwhelming for some, so this place is likely not for you if you are looking for a quiet family getaway.
For another hotel that is more peaceful and also receives our highest rating, visit our experience staying at Yao Kumagawa in Fukui, Japan.
Hope you will have a great stay,
Travel Tegami