Hua Hin – Thailand’s Secluded Seaside Retreat
The narrow strip of coastline between Cha Am and Hua Hin on the western side of the Gulf of Thailand just three-hour’s drive south of Bangkok is something the Thais have tried to keep to themselves. While Thai seaside locations like Phuket, Pattaya and Koh Samui are well known to international tourists, Hua Hin has been somewhat of a late developer.
Ironically, Hua Hin pioneered domestic tourism in the 1920’s when the railway from Singapore to Bangkok opened up and made several coastal destinations accessible to wealthy Thais. In the days before planes enabled the masses to travel internationally, travelling to places like Hua Hin was considered the height of luxury by those Thais who could afford to take holidays.
The Cha Am to Hua Hin strip is now one of Thailand’s booming seaside resort destinations. A royal resort at that too, as it has been a favourite with the Thai royal family for several decades.
In recent years the international hotel and resort chains have arrived in Hua Hun but fortunately the strip of coast still remains a peaceful and relaxing seaside location that is ideal for family holidays. There is still a sense of timeless graciousness about the Cha Am to Hua Hin coastline.
Perhaps one of the reasons the area has been a late developer is that it’s not as easily accessible as most other Thai seaside resorts. While there is a domestic airport with direct flights to Bangkok, it only accommodates very small planes. The presence of the royal residence nearby will most likely ensure that this situation will remain for a long time to come. Therefore, rail and road are the best approaches with the rail journey from Bangkok taking just under four hours.
The good news for those travelling from destinations in the south such as Malaysia and Singapore is that the international train connections are good and that Hua Hin is a stop for these trains.
A Summer Refuge
Hua Hin was a sleepy little fishing village until 1926, when King Rama V11 built a palace here as a retreat during the hotter months of the year. He named it Klai Kangwon, meaning “far from worries”, an indication of Hua Hin’s relaxed and peaceful ambience.
With the same idea in mind, King Vajiravudh built Muruk Khatayawan Palace in Cha Am around the same time. This beautiful golden teak palace with its airy walkways and buildings is now open to the public for inspection.
These were the first steps in establishing the area as Thailand’s first seaside resort, and even today, Klai Kangwol Summer Palace is still used by the royal family.
A golf course was also laid out for the royal family and invited guests. The Royal Hua Hin Golf Course remains as one of the country’s more exclusive places for a round of golf.
Hua Hin’s Heritage Hotel
When the railway first arrived in Hua Hin it wasn’t long before the need was established for the opening of a hotel befitting the seaside location. The railway played an instrumental role in opening up the coast to a steady stream of well-heeled local tourists keen to escape Bangkok’s monsoonal down pours.
Work on the original Railway Hotel started in 1923 and the first guests were welcomed to the completed property a few years later. The original hotel was built by the German railway engineers who laid the train tracks to Hua Hin.
The historic Railway Hotel in Hua Hin has been restored and is now branded as the Sofitel Central Resort and Spa Hua Hin. The elegance of a bygone era pervades the hotel that has remained intact with sympathetic renovations completed along the way. If nothing else, visitors to the area should drop by and soak up the ambience over a cup of tea in the Museum Coffee and Tea Corner. Guests can look over the gardens and admire plants that have been sculptured into a myriad of animal shapes.
Springfield Village Golf and Spa Retreat
Newer courses like that at Springfield Village Golf and Spa add another dimension for golfing holidaymakers. The 18-hole, Jack Nicklaus designed golf course is the star attraction with the recently opened, Schmidt-Curley mountain nine providing an exciting new course to play. More multi-storey accommodation and a huge swimming pool has also just opened to compliment the existing hillside chalets.
The course is well developed and surrounded by forest and, in the distance, rolling hills head off to the border with Myanmar. The signature, par 3, sixth hole, has an extensive series of bunkers just below the hole. The forested rough and low hills in the background provide a pleasant distraction for those waiting to tee off.
At game’s end, the best place to relax is in the resort spa, which offers a variety of treatments to rest, refresh and rejuvenate. The staff provides a range of massages and a complete selection of treatments for golfers and their partners. Relax at the top of the open-air pavilion at the end of the massage treatment and take in the pleasant breeze blowing in from the coast and across the fairways.
The chalets are very well appointed with impressive touches such as an open-roofed shower with rainforest showerheads, in-room DVD’s (with an extensive lobby library from which to choose) and a spacious veranda that includes an open-air jacuzzi and swinging lounge.
More Dash than Cash
Perhaps another big attraction in the area is that there are many other options if the five –star properties don’t match your budget. As a general rule, the further from the beachfront, the cheaper the hotel tariff. Distances only equate to about a kilometre or so and if you find your budget is more akin to the backlots near the markets, take comfort in that samlors (trishaws) and songthaews (small trucks converted for transporting groups of ten or so) are cheap and readily available.
Check into Hua Hin King’s Home near the Fishermen’s Pier to discover good value for money and centrally located accommodation. This locally family-run guesthouse includes a small tropical garden, swimming pool and cable television.
Relax to the Max
Relaxation is the main reason people travel to the area and the beach is the obvious place. Enterprising operators set up deckchairs and umbrellas early in the morning and hire them out to bathers.
The water is relatively clean for this part of the Gulf of Thailand. Horses can be hired for rides and the beachfront is ideal for a relaxing walk in the cooler parts of the day
For a break from the rigours of sun, surf and sand, the other main attraction in Hua Hin is the market place, which comes to life in the early morning and later in the evening. Many open-air food stalls line the streets here and the seafood is just as delicious as that along the beachfront but without the ambience or expense.
With increasing numbers of international tourists, there has been a plethora of restaurant openings. While Thai food here is exceptional, as it is throughout the whole country, diners can choose to eat from what appears to be a United Nations of culinary styles– Italian, Indian, German, Chinese, Japanese and British pub food. Starbucks and a range of quick service outlets suggest there’s no turning back for the Hua Hin tourist industry.
Cha Am is an easy journey to make from Hua Hin. Situated just 25 kilometres away it is smaller than its royal neighbour. It too has a long, sweeping expanse of beach and some pleasant resorts, a good selection of budget accommodation and excellent restaurants.
What was once Thailand’s secret seaside destination has now opened its doors to the world. Visit it for a relaxing holiday escape from Bangkok and you won’t be disappointed.
Getting There
There are many airlines flying from all over the world to the Thai capital Bangkok. From Malaysia, these include full-service carriers like Thai Airways and budget carriers like Thai Sky and AirAsia. It’s possible to fly from Bangkok Airport directly to Hua Hin on SGA’s (www.sga.aero) four return flights per day with the journey taking just 45 minutes.
Cha Am - Hua Hin is not the easiest Thai seaside resort area to access but that is one of its biggest attractions as only the dedicated make the effort. The resort town is approximately 200 kilometres or just under four hours by train from the Thai capital, Bangkok. Several trains from the south and north pass through here each day.
Buses from Bangkok’s Southern Bus Terminal do the trip more quickly than the train and departures are more frequent. Buses also connect to all major towns to the south. Alternatively, drive to the beaches in about three hours depending on the Bangkok traffic.
Where to Stay
There are many options in and around Hua Hin. Prices range from RM30/room/night for simple rooms in guesthouses away from the beach to RM600 for hotels like the Sofitel Central Hua Hin.
Note that many resorts, especially those of international standard, place a surcharge on the peak season from late December to mid January.
Contact
Sofitel Central Hua Hin (Tel: +6632 512 021, www.sofitel.com)
Springfield Village Golf and Spa (Tel: +662 231 2244 or +6632 593 222, www.springfieldresort.com), Hua Hin King’s Home (Tel: +6632 530 581, huahinkingshome@yahoo.com).
For all information on holidays to Cha Am, Hua Hin and specialised tours to Thailand contact El Sol Travel and Tours in Kuala Lumpur, (Tel: 03 7984 4560 or log onto www.elsoltravel.com).
When to Go
The simple answer is, whenever you can. Who needs an invitation to take a vacation. November to March is the best period climatically but the worst if you don’t like crowds and paying premium prices. March to May is rain free but hot due to the build up to the rainy monsoon season (from June to November).
What to Take
As this is a seaside destination, it goes without saying that protection from the sun is essential for your holiday enjoyment.
Article by David Bowden, TRAVERAMA, 0506
This article and accompanying photographs are automatically copywritten to the author/photographer and they cannot be reproduced in any format without the written permission of the author/photographer. Legal action will be taken against anyone who contravenes these conditions.
Ironically, Hua Hin pioneered domestic tourism in the 1920’s when the railway from Singapore to Bangkok opened up and made several coastal destinations accessible to wealthy Thais. In the days before planes enabled the masses to travel internationally, travelling to places like Hua Hin was considered the height of luxury by those Thais who could afford to take holidays.
The Cha Am to Hua Hin strip is now one of Thailand’s booming seaside resort destinations. A royal resort at that too, as it has been a favourite with the Thai royal family for several decades.
In recent years the international hotel and resort chains have arrived in Hua Hun but fortunately the strip of coast still remains a peaceful and relaxing seaside location that is ideal for family holidays. There is still a sense of timeless graciousness about the Cha Am to Hua Hin coastline.
Perhaps one of the reasons the area has been a late developer is that it’s not as easily accessible as most other Thai seaside resorts. While there is a domestic airport with direct flights to Bangkok, it only accommodates very small planes. The presence of the royal residence nearby will most likely ensure that this situation will remain for a long time to come. Therefore, rail and road are the best approaches with the rail journey from Bangkok taking just under four hours.
The good news for those travelling from destinations in the south such as Malaysia and Singapore is that the international train connections are good and that Hua Hin is a stop for these trains.
A Summer Refuge
Hua Hin was a sleepy little fishing village until 1926, when King Rama V11 built a palace here as a retreat during the hotter months of the year. He named it Klai Kangwon, meaning “far from worries”, an indication of Hua Hin’s relaxed and peaceful ambience.
With the same idea in mind, King Vajiravudh built Muruk Khatayawan Palace in Cha Am around the same time. This beautiful golden teak palace with its airy walkways and buildings is now open to the public for inspection.
These were the first steps in establishing the area as Thailand’s first seaside resort, and even today, Klai Kangwol Summer Palace is still used by the royal family.
A golf course was also laid out for the royal family and invited guests. The Royal Hua Hin Golf Course remains as one of the country’s more exclusive places for a round of golf.
Hua Hin’s Heritage Hotel
When the railway first arrived in Hua Hin it wasn’t long before the need was established for the opening of a hotel befitting the seaside location. The railway played an instrumental role in opening up the coast to a steady stream of well-heeled local tourists keen to escape Bangkok’s monsoonal down pours.
Work on the original Railway Hotel started in 1923 and the first guests were welcomed to the completed property a few years later. The original hotel was built by the German railway engineers who laid the train tracks to Hua Hin.
The historic Railway Hotel in Hua Hin has been restored and is now branded as the Sofitel Central Resort and Spa Hua Hin. The elegance of a bygone era pervades the hotel that has remained intact with sympathetic renovations completed along the way. If nothing else, visitors to the area should drop by and soak up the ambience over a cup of tea in the Museum Coffee and Tea Corner. Guests can look over the gardens and admire plants that have been sculptured into a myriad of animal shapes.
Springfield Village Golf and Spa Retreat
Newer courses like that at Springfield Village Golf and Spa add another dimension for golfing holidaymakers. The 18-hole, Jack Nicklaus designed golf course is the star attraction with the recently opened, Schmidt-Curley mountain nine providing an exciting new course to play. More multi-storey accommodation and a huge swimming pool has also just opened to compliment the existing hillside chalets.
The course is well developed and surrounded by forest and, in the distance, rolling hills head off to the border with Myanmar. The signature, par 3, sixth hole, has an extensive series of bunkers just below the hole. The forested rough and low hills in the background provide a pleasant distraction for those waiting to tee off.
At game’s end, the best place to relax is in the resort spa, which offers a variety of treatments to rest, refresh and rejuvenate. The staff provides a range of massages and a complete selection of treatments for golfers and their partners. Relax at the top of the open-air pavilion at the end of the massage treatment and take in the pleasant breeze blowing in from the coast and across the fairways.
The chalets are very well appointed with impressive touches such as an open-roofed shower with rainforest showerheads, in-room DVD’s (with an extensive lobby library from which to choose) and a spacious veranda that includes an open-air jacuzzi and swinging lounge.
More Dash than Cash
Perhaps another big attraction in the area is that there are many other options if the five –star properties don’t match your budget. As a general rule, the further from the beachfront, the cheaper the hotel tariff. Distances only equate to about a kilometre or so and if you find your budget is more akin to the backlots near the markets, take comfort in that samlors (trishaws) and songthaews (small trucks converted for transporting groups of ten or so) are cheap and readily available.
Check into Hua Hin King’s Home near the Fishermen’s Pier to discover good value for money and centrally located accommodation. This locally family-run guesthouse includes a small tropical garden, swimming pool and cable television.
Relax to the Max
Relaxation is the main reason people travel to the area and the beach is the obvious place. Enterprising operators set up deckchairs and umbrellas early in the morning and hire them out to bathers.
The water is relatively clean for this part of the Gulf of Thailand. Horses can be hired for rides and the beachfront is ideal for a relaxing walk in the cooler parts of the day
For a break from the rigours of sun, surf and sand, the other main attraction in Hua Hin is the market place, which comes to life in the early morning and later in the evening. Many open-air food stalls line the streets here and the seafood is just as delicious as that along the beachfront but without the ambience or expense.
With increasing numbers of international tourists, there has been a plethora of restaurant openings. While Thai food here is exceptional, as it is throughout the whole country, diners can choose to eat from what appears to be a United Nations of culinary styles– Italian, Indian, German, Chinese, Japanese and British pub food. Starbucks and a range of quick service outlets suggest there’s no turning back for the Hua Hin tourist industry.
Cha Am is an easy journey to make from Hua Hin. Situated just 25 kilometres away it is smaller than its royal neighbour. It too has a long, sweeping expanse of beach and some pleasant resorts, a good selection of budget accommodation and excellent restaurants.
What was once Thailand’s secret seaside destination has now opened its doors to the world. Visit it for a relaxing holiday escape from Bangkok and you won’t be disappointed.
Getting There
There are many airlines flying from all over the world to the Thai capital Bangkok. From Malaysia, these include full-service carriers like Thai Airways and budget carriers like Thai Sky and AirAsia. It’s possible to fly from Bangkok Airport directly to Hua Hin on SGA’s (www.sga.aero) four return flights per day with the journey taking just 45 minutes.
Cha Am - Hua Hin is not the easiest Thai seaside resort area to access but that is one of its biggest attractions as only the dedicated make the effort. The resort town is approximately 200 kilometres or just under four hours by train from the Thai capital, Bangkok. Several trains from the south and north pass through here each day.
Buses from Bangkok’s Southern Bus Terminal do the trip more quickly than the train and departures are more frequent. Buses also connect to all major towns to the south. Alternatively, drive to the beaches in about three hours depending on the Bangkok traffic.
Where to Stay
There are many options in and around Hua Hin. Prices range from RM30/room/night for simple rooms in guesthouses away from the beach to RM600 for hotels like the Sofitel Central Hua Hin.
Note that many resorts, especially those of international standard, place a surcharge on the peak season from late December to mid January.
Contact
Sofitel Central Hua Hin (Tel: +6632 512 021, www.sofitel.com)
Springfield Village Golf and Spa (Tel: +662 231 2244 or +6632 593 222, www.springfieldresort.com), Hua Hin King’s Home (Tel: +6632 530 581, huahinkingshome@yahoo.com).
For all information on holidays to Cha Am, Hua Hin and specialised tours to Thailand contact El Sol Travel and Tours in Kuala Lumpur, (Tel: 03 7984 4560 or log onto www.elsoltravel.com).
When to Go
The simple answer is, whenever you can. Who needs an invitation to take a vacation. November to March is the best period climatically but the worst if you don’t like crowds and paying premium prices. March to May is rain free but hot due to the build up to the rainy monsoon season (from June to November).
What to Take
As this is a seaside destination, it goes without saying that protection from the sun is essential for your holiday enjoyment.
Article by David Bowden, TRAVERAMA, 0506
This article and accompanying photographs are automatically copywritten to the author/photographer and they cannot be reproduced in any format without the written permission of the author/photographer. Legal action will be taken against anyone who contravenes these conditions.
posted by Kings Home | 1:54 PM
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