Hua Hin — An Overview
Hua Hin, Thailand`s oldest beach resort, is located on the west coast of the Gulf of Thailand, approx. 220km south of Bangkok. Having been `discovered` by King Rama VII in the 1920s, it soon became a popular holiday destination for the Thai Royal Family, Bangkok`s high society, and a few affluent foreigners.
After this impressive start, Hua Hin seemed strangely in the doldrums immediately after WWII. However, the resorts unchanging attractions and royal connection soon brought the visitors back again, leading to a gradual boom in condominium and hotel construction, funded by rich Bangkokians starting in the 1990s.
But what about today? Well, it must be said that being a Royal residence, Hua Hin does not have the same sort of exciting night life that you might find in places like Koh Samui or Phuket. Then again, that isn`t what most visitors are looking for in Hua Hin. They come here and what they find is a very compact and very friendly resort, ideally suited to families and mature travellers. So what is Hua Hin? Some hick town in the Thai jungle, a south-east Asian nowhere by the sea? Not at all. Hua Hin is a medium-size town with around 41,953 residents (according to the April 2000 census), which swells to over 100,000 at the height of the tourist season. It is the centre of an Amphoe (district) that has 85,000 residents scattered over 839 km2.
OK, enough of the facts and figures — what is that makes Hua Hin one of the most popular resorts with Thais, as well as a large number of regularly returning foreign visitors? But what`s so nice about Hua Hin ?
Well, here are just six good reasons we recommend our town.
Six reasons
1. Climate and environment
Hua Hin is one of the driest places in Thailand, but gets plenty of warmth and sunshine! (See chart below for a climate summary.) What`s more, Hua Hin is small enough to be friendly (only around 65,000 residents) but big enough to be convenient — and access to/from Bangkok is continually improving
| Hua Hin | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | All |
Morning Minimum temperature c | 21.7 | 22.9 | 24.2 | 25.5 | 25.8 | 25.6 | 25.2 | 25.2 | 24.7 | 24.3 | 23.5 | 22.0 | 24.2 |
Afternoon Maximum temperature c | 29.7 | 31.1 | 32.4 | 33.6 | 33.6 | 33.3 | 33.0 | 32.8 | 32.2 | 31.0 | 29.9 | 29.2 | 31.8 |
Mean Daily Sunshine (hours) | 8.6 | 9.0 | 8.3 | 7.9 | 6.6 | 4.5 | 4.9 | 4.6 | 5.0 | 5.7 | 5.7 | 8.1 | 6.7 |
(From the website of the Thai Meteorological Department.)
2. Safety
A few years ago, His Majesty the King moved from Bangkok to Hua Hin, turning it from a royal resort to a royal residence. He presently spends most of the year here, and this has naturally led to increased security and a consequential increase in police patrols, etc. This has attracted more and more retirees, as Hua Hin has become increasingly liveable. Flashy and over exciting it might not be, but relaxed, friendly and quiet, it certainly is.
3. Convenience
Although still far from large, Hua Hin has plenty of supermarkets and convenience stores, all selling everything you might need for daily life. “Hua Hin Market Village”, a large (90,000 sq.m.) and highly popular new shopping mall, opened in southern Hua Hin in February 2006. This mall includes a large Tesco-Lotus supermarket, a HomePro store plus boutiques, art and antique shops, and several well known restaurants. In addition, Bangkok`s supermarket chain catering expats called “Villa Market” opened its branch near Grand Hotel in 2008. Furthermore, Hua Hin has French, Italian, Japanese and other foreign restaurants all over town, plus some of the best seafood in Thailand. There is certainly no need to go hungry here!
(For more information on this, please refer to our Hua Hin daily life page.)
4. Cost of Living
Compared with Bangkok and Phuket, the cost of living here (be it daily necessities or property) is pretty low here. Admittedly, Hua Hin`s increasing popularity has led to a recent rise in property prices, but this hasn`t reached Bangkok levels, and even palatial residences are still less than a regular suburban home in most western countries!
(Please refer to our Hua Hin cost of living page
5. Golf Paradise
Hua Hin has the oldest golf course in Thailand, The Royal Hua Hin, originally designed by a Scottish railway engineer by the name of O. A. Robins in 1924. This course is hard to beat for convenience, being right behind the railway station! However, there are many golf resorts within an easy distance of the town centre, including one designed by Jack Nicklaus. What`s more, green fees and caddy costs are remarkably cheap and there is rarely any need to book or wait — just turn up and play!
(Please refer to our Golf Guide.)
6. Beaches
Hua Hin`s beautiful Shirahama beach runs for a beautiful 5 kilometres, including a stretch that is literally a few metres from the heart of town. What`s more, there are several quieter, more secluded beaches nearby, for those seeking a more restful beach experience. Some beaches have cheap but excellent restaurants and shops nearby, but for those who really want to get away from it all, there are plenty where you can expect nothing more than the sea, the sun and your own shadow!
(Please refer to our page on Hua Hin beaches.)