Just a thought for @ChiFlyer:
Once you have your pool villa;
Why not also pick up a cheap place for example a place like @CampariOhas for rent, in Nirun at the centre of Pattaya as well.
You can pick up a small place for the 0.5M ish mark in Nirun.
You can then chill at the pool villa most of the time, then when coming into town, have a comfortable place to stay, returning to the villa when the traffic is not so bad, some time the next day or 2.
This is what a couple of my friends do.