A Beach Resort that’s quiet enough for a king

[LaoPo]

A Beach Resort That’s Quiet Enough for a King

AS the late afternoon sun bathes the horizon in purple and crimson, I wander slowly down the long, curving beach. Though rocks mar part of the five-mile-long stretch, most of the waterfront is covered with white sand. On the southern end of the beachfront, a towering, slim golden Buddha statue peers out over the sea, and I can see small white and yellow shrines cut into the rocks of a nearby mountain fringed with low mist.

When I sit in the surf, I notice young Thai men riding black-and-white spotted horses up and down the beach, offering rides to tourists. Thai families doggy paddle near me, luxuriating in the bath-warm water and searing sunlight. Not one Jet Ski, tour group or powerboat in sight.

There aren't many places left in Thailand where travelers can sit in the surf undisturbed. Over the past decade, it seems that clusters of hotels and condominiums have colonized nearly every strip of beach. So I was surprised, on a trip in March, to find that Hua Hin, the country's oldest beach resort, just a three-hour train ride from Bangkok, had not yet fallen to the wave of building and water sports.

Rest of the article here:

http://travel.nytimes.com/2007/05/06/trave...&ei=5087%0A

LaoPo

[November Rain]

Yet another review of Hua Hin written by somebody who has either never been here at all, or not been here in the last ten years. I wish journalists would stop relying on the internet for their research.

[PETERTHEEATER]

A Beach Resort That’s Quiet Enough for a King

AS the late afternoon sun bathes the horizon in purple and crimson, I wander slowly down the long, curving beach. Though rocks mar part of the five-mile-long stretch, most of the waterfront is covered with white sand. On the southern end of the beachfront, a towering, slim golden Buddha statue peers out over the sea, and I can see small white and yellow shrines cut into the rocks of a nearby mountain fringed with low mist.

When I sit in the surf, I notice young Thai men riding black-and-white spotted horses up and down the beach, offering rides to tourists. Thai families doggy paddle near me, luxuriating in the bath-warm water and searing sunlight. Not one Jet Ski, tour group or powerboat in sight.

There aren't many places left in Thailand where travelers can sit in the surf undisturbed. Over the past decade, it seems that clusters of hotels and condominiums have colonized nearly every strip of beach. So I was surprised, on a trip in March, to find that Hua Hin, the country's oldest beach resort, just a three-hour train ride from Bangkok, had not yet fallen to the wave of building and water sports.

Rest of the article here:

http://travel.nytimes.com/2007/05/06/trave...&ei=5087%0A

LaoPo

[johnnyk]

Same predictable stuff, all about hotels that cost 3-5000 baht a night, over-priced meals and nothing of the real flavour of HH.

[keebone]

White sand ? has always looked more like a drab grey colour to me !

Maybe all the nitrogen from the horses piss has turned it grey.

[kratindaeng]

AS the late afternoon sun bathes the horizon in purple and crimson, I wander slowly down the long, curving beach. Though rocks mar part of the five-mile-long stretch, most of the waterfront is covered with white sand. On the southern end of the beachfront, a towering, slim golden Buddha statue peers out over the sea...........

Crikey I thought my descriptive travel writing was bad! Actually it is, but this guy is associated with the New York Times?! Sounds like an entry from my travel diary when I was 21...Note to self: Must try harder....?

KD

[johnnyk]

I gave him a C, not too bad for a freshman...

[astral]

The research is very limited.

Hua Hin means Head Rock and the sea is full of rocks, which is why there are no watersports scooters buzzing around.

However the rock do provide pools where children can explore to crabs and other marine life.

It is indeed a seaside resort for a King.

His Majesty has a palace there.

[samtam]

The NYT article is a load of drivel. The Aleenta must have been giving the writer a free room. It was one of the saddest places I've ever visited, and it backs onto a road, so the noise of traffic isn't exactly welcome....well unless you come from NYC. The Evason is equally uninspiring, with the most unusual choise of "style" for a resort group, and furniture designed for the set of The Flintstones. Added to that there's a road that intersects the hotel with the sea, and has large lorries and trucks trundling along it; not my idea of fun, at any price. Anantara seems to me to be the only resort worth visiting, and indeed it is adjacent to the palace.

[November Rain]

The research is very limited.

Hua Hin means Head Rock and the sea is full of rocks, which is why there are no watersports scooters buzzing around.

However the rock do provide pools where children can explore to crabs and other marine life.

It is indeed a seaside resort for a King.

His Majesty has a palace there.

Oh, yes there are, Astral. Both at the mid to Southern section of the main Hua Hin beach, and around the rock on Khao Takiab beach. Agree with you 100% that the research is woefully limited.

[PeaceBlondie]

My second knuckle on my right hand confirms the presence of jet-skis in Hua Hin, two years ago. Another six centimeters to the left and the jet-ski would have sliced off part of my head. Closer to Khao Takiab, however, about the only power-boats were pulling the banana boats.

Sometimes I miss the beach. But tourist central, around the Hilton, was wall to wall with overly broad Scandanavians during high season, so at that time, "Quiet Enough" depends on whether you're wearing earplugs.