It's kinda funny to see how defensive some BM's get about the Pattaya/Patong comparison. It's like a regular Fatwa - no wonder Tiger never returned to post again.
Phuket is the place I've chosen to live and, while Pattaya also has "lazing by the pool, swimming (be sure you've had your shots), diving, jetskiing, canoeing, elephant trekking, golfing, karting, shooting, fishing, massaging, bungy jumping, bowling, eating, drinking, fcuking", plus a few other things like sliding down a cable from a giant tower, it can't compare to Phuket in terms of natural beauty.
However, when I moved here from Bangkok, Patong was definitely a let-down for me in terms of girls. Dismal daytime action and, in the evenings the proportion of stunners to punters is pretty dire compared with Pattaya. There is a relatively limited choice of gogos, where the stunners can afford to wait for punters who are rich, handsome and young.
My advice to discerning mongers: Taking a Bangkok girl to Pattaya is like packing a cupcake to a bake-sale. But if you're heading to Phuket and you've found a Bangkok stunner (one that you can stand to be with for a week), pack the cupcake. You'll avoid a lot of potentially fruitless hunting, and she'll appreciate the vacation from Bangkok (and hopefully demonstrate her apprecation nightly).
Of course it goes without saying, for those who need more than just an Asian Vegas, Phuket is the obvious choice.