The woman on her own has to contend with paying the full whack for a double room. Then there is the safety aspect. You really do not want to travel across the world to find you are a tempting treat for an unscrupulous fortune hunter.This is why Thailand is ideal.
Take Pattaya. This is a town which is making great efforts to lose its reputation as a place where boys often have the prefix "lady" and the girls have a penchant for older European men with enough money to buy them homes. So if you are worried about being accosted by a stranger on the look out for a bit of romance, unless you are a size ten, young and beautiful woman with your own teeth, that just ain't gonna happen.
What will appeal is the fact that you, a retired lady on her pension, can actually afford to have a weekly manicure, pedicure and shampoo and blow dry and get change from a ten pounds (British) note or the Thai baht equivalent.
It is adviseabie, if your hotel is a little out of the main town, to take a baht bus, or covered truck where seatbelts are not obligatory, because there are none. In the main, the drivers are very trusting. You simply hail one of these, jump aboard and then ring a bell when you want to get off. You then walk round to the driver who sits in a separate glassed in area, and pay him. There seems to be nothing to stop you dismounting and running away without paying but people are honourable here, and this simply is not done.
Watch out for the fact that good hotels add costs to the amount you see on the menu in their restaurants, In addition to the ten per cent service charge, they also add a 7.5 per cent VAT charge, so do not feel you also need add a handsome tip.
Be aware that it is nice to tip the bell boy who brings up your luggage to your room but do ensure you have an idea of the amount expected. Tip 30 baht and that is acceptable. Although in British currency that would amount to an insult, do not feel it necessary to top 200 baht as many a solo woman might do because you will learn that same amount would pay the hire of a limo from your hotel to town.
Be aware that the cost of a baht bus back can be half that amount,
Well worth considering is paying the extra for a private, chauffeur driven Mercedes Benz to meet you at the airport in Bangkok. It is a luxury touch you will not regret especially if this is your first visit to Thailand. The second time, when you return, you may be brave enough to catch a bus direct to Pattaya. The cost will be very reasonable and believe it or not, once your ticket is purchased, your seat is automatically reserved.
As the day turns into night quite quickly, if you have ventured on to the famous Walking Street, what is a perfectly normal street filled with tourist tat and great ice cream parlours, becomes totally different in character and if you are on your own, best not to remain and head back to the hotel.
Do visit a Wat or golden temple, if only to pay your 20 baht and release a couple of little birds from a cage, a custom which is said to release two souls. But maybe one which the RSPB might not think all that kind to the poor little captive creatures.
Do treat yourself to freshly cut pineapple and you may never want to eat your local supermarket produce again.
