Hua Hin is a beachside town, few hours drive from Bangkok. It is not like Phuket or Krabi, instead, it lacks the all-nights partying. It was once a small fishing village and it has been transformed into one of the tourist attractions in Thailand now.
Transportation (From Bangkok)
By Taxi is a safer option but it is very expensive, you can either book a taxi through your hotel or, often, can just flag one down by the side of the road anywhere in Bangkok and most of them will take you. But this is a very convenient and safest way to get to Hua Hin and probably preferable if you're traveling with a ton of luggage.
price: 3K – 4K Baht/ one taxi
If you opt for mini bus, you can proceed to Century Shopping Mall (Victory Monument BTS). Boarding with minibus, you will have to carry very limited baggage. Hua Hin vans board is in the alleyway next to Century Movie Plaza close to the stairs at the southern end of Victory Monument BTS station. From the skytrain station, take the walkway towards south, descend the staircase on the east side to street level. The minibus area is next to the stairs. Look for a small table with “Cha Am, Hua Hin” written in English to buy ticket.
price: 180 Baht/ pax
Transportation (Touring around Hua Hin)
It is pretty to get to those attractions in Hua Hin, all you need to do is get a taxi driver for full day in town. The driver will take you to any place you wish to visit.
price: 1,500 Baht (negotiable)
Accommodation @ Hua Hin
We had a great stay at this hotel, it is conveniently located in the town and just 5 minutes walk to night market. The room is spacious, look very comfortable with the mint pillow cases. The breakfast was excellent with a lot of variety. The only disadvantage is a bit far to Cha Am Beach and you cannot swim at the beach nearby as it is a fishing village but overall it is worth for the price we paid for.
Royal Pavillion Hotel
40/88 Phetkasem Rd, Hua Hin City Center, Hua Hin/ Cha-am, Thailand 77110
tel: 032-513-188
email: reservationbkk@siawebdirect.com
website: http://www.royalpavilionhuahin.com/
price: RM342 for a Deluxe Suite (2 nights, included breakfast)
Santorini Park
Santorini Park is located next to the highway from Bangkok to Cham-Am and Hua Hin, it takes about 40 minutes drive from Hua Hin Town. The park's architecture was designed in contrasting vibrant colors such as blue, purple and white, made it look a lot like Santorini Greece. Walk along the small alley, and you will see in almost every wall, there are pretty paintings and arts. you will also find some international and local brands within the park. Honestly, the facilities and buildings seem a bit old and lack of maintenance but it is still a good place to capture nice photos.
Santorini Park @ Cha Am
555 Moo 3, Khao Yai Sub-district, Cha-Am Districts, Petchburi 76120
opening hours: 10:00 - 21:00 (Depends)
admission fee: 50 Baht
Swiss Sheep Farm
It will be a wonderful place for kids but not adults like me. It is not exactly a farm and there is certainly nothing Swiss about this place. But, I quite enjoyed feeding the sheep and taking photos with all the manmade signposts, rusting old cars and tractors, fake British phone boxes, concrete heart shapes and others. Yet, I still love this concept and it was fun :)
Swiss Sheep Farm
Cha-Am Petchburi 76120
opening hours: 10:00 - 19:00
admission fees: 120 Baht for one person (Include sheep feeding)
website: http://swisssheepfarm.com/
Plearn Wan
It is a vintage village built with rusty tin pieces and wooden planks, made to reminisce the old days of Hua Hin and this place can bring back the childhood memories (for Thai's people). There are few restaurants, coffee shops, clothes shops and snack corners within this village. Most interesting about this place is the decoration and items are really in old school fashion. Besides that, there is nothing much about this village, it not a huge place but you can have a nice coffee and enjoy the retro feeling there.
Plearn Wan
Phetkasem Road (between Hua Hin Sois 38-40), close to Klai Kang Won Palace
opening hours: 10:00 - 22:00
admission fees: no entrance fee
website: http://www.plearnwan.com/en/home.php
Cicada Market is a weekend night market opens at 6pm. Other than arts and crafts, you can enjoy some good performance like live band, breakdance and other live performances. In Hua Hin, transportation is not as convenience like in the city. You may need to flag a tuk tuk or taxi (it could be very expensive) or maybe shuttle van is provided by hotel (Royal Pavillion Hotel does provide this service as scheduled for free). This market is full of different kind of stud but I did not find anything interesting to buy. Although the product range did not fit my type, I must say that I quite like the atmosphere there as you can sit down and enjoy the music from band, and that's pretty chill and relax but you must bear with the annoying mosquitoes' bites.
Cicada Weekend Night Market
opening hours: 18:00 - 23:00
website:http://www.cicadamarket.com/en
Hua Hin Night Market
Hua Hin is not a big town but it has few night markets, I couldn't recall the name. I went to nearest one near to Royal Pavillion Hotel. We found countless stalls selling delicious food that is freshly cooked and served to us within a matter of minutes. Another part of the market is a paradise for seafood lovers because it is full of seafood stalls crowded with people. The one we had is a restaurant designed as Hua Hin railway station, the seafood was good and price was also reasonable. Other than the food, you will discover an overwhelming variety of local handicrafts, souvenirs and clothing but the price can also be slightly more expensive than other night markets in Thailand yet they still represent good value. When I was in Thailand, I enjoyed every street food very much especially the 'roti' with banana, egg, Nutella and milk, it is popular and tasty even though it is not really a traditional Thai food.
Frankly speaking, Hua Hin is not really an interesting place, it is not like Phuket or Krabi, it is a bit quiet and boring. We only visited few places and I know this place actually has a lot more to offer, there are Vinveyard on the hills, temples, railway station, animal par, golf courses, stunning national parks, beaches and historic summer palace. Still, it was a unique experience to me despite the long journey from Bangkok. Bangkok is another city I love, I have been there twice and I have a lot to say about it in the next post.
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