Daily Shopping
Supermarkets
There are three main supermarkets catering to foreign customers in Hua Hin, plus a `cash-&-carry` place near Pranburi.
The biggest one is Tesco Lotus, located in the Market Village Shopping Mall in south Hua Hin (Map C8). This store, which only opened in February 2006, is very popular and so a midweek visit might be more comfortable.
Further afield, there is the large Makro cash-&-carry outlet, located on southern end of Bypass road, about 20~30km south of Hua Hin. This opened in November 2007 and is pretty similar to other Makro`s back in the West. If you have a good deep freeze or prefer shopping in bulk, this might worth checking out — no pun intended!
The most recent addition to Hua Hin shopping is “Villa Supermarket” on Phetchakasem Road just 500 meter south of main cross road. This is a very popular supermarket among foreign expats in Bangkok area having good selection of foreign food such as sausage, pie, cheese and wine.
The two other supermarkets are both much smaller than Tesco but might also prove less crowded and possibly more convenient. The first is the Hua Hin Shopping Mall (Map C6) located next to the Satukarn Square restaurant and next to our office.
The other, known as Gee`s (Map A1), is located just west of the railway track, not far from the Pae Mai golf range at the southern end of Kang Klong Road.
Local Markets
Hua Hin`s main market is Chat Chai (Map - B4), adjoining the night market. Recently renovated to make it more hygienic and accessible, this place has a wide selection of meat, vegetables, fruit, fish, and a whole lot more, and is worth a visit even if you don`t plan to buy anything. Looking like a typical Asian market, you can find stalls selling everything meat and groceries to clothing, toys and household items. Admittedly, few of the vendors know much English, but it`s amazing what one can convey with a smile and some basic hand gestures!
Another popular market can be visited every evening except Monday and Tuesday in the car park of the Hua Hin Grand Hotel (Map - C7). Here, one can mix with both locals and visitors and stroll amongst stalls and food vendors selling almost everything imaginable. Located within walking distance of the town centre, this market is colourful and entertaining, and also offers some interesting eating experiences. Prices here are usually somewhere between the Night Market (which is slightly oriented towards tourists) and the more local Chat Chai Market, and many of the vendors do speak some English, making this an interesting evening out.
These are just a few examples of the markets available here but there are many more. For those willing to venture away from downtown, you can often stumble upon a large and bustling street market in the most unlikely of places (usually opens around 5 pm), and being less well known to foreigners, these other markets are often considerably cheaper!
Furniture & Household Goods
In October 2005, a new household shopping plaza opened on the north side of Hua Hin, selling indoor and outdoor furniture, kitchen items, bathroom fittings, household electrical good, etc. Known as the Index Living Mall (Map - B2), this complex might be well worth a visit if you are furnishing your new home in Hua Hin.
You can also find Home Pro (Household goods and DIY shop) inside Market Village Shopping Mall where TESCO is located. It has everything you need for building and decorating house, but furniture collection is rather tasteless and pretty expensive, so I would recommend the following shops for furniture.
Beautiful World has opened a few years ago little further north of Index (Map - B2), to respond needs for luxury and tasteful furniture by Farang home owners. They have variety selection of Asian style furniture and ornaments, including teak wood, parawood, waterhyasynth, etc.. It is worth a visit. Download coupon and get 10% discount.
For daily neccessity prices, please refer to <Hua Hin Living Costs> page