Prachuap khiri khan Capitol CIty

[jingjai9]

I want to learn about  Prachuap Khiri Khan Capitol City. I do not hear much about it. I have visited some travel sites as well as Wikipedia, but have not really been able to answer all of my questions such as:

 

Is there an expat Community?
 

Are home or condo rentals expensive?

 

What is the lifestyle like for residents? I read one comment where it is said the Prachuap Khiri Khan capitol city is small and you have to entertain yourself if you stay there for any period of time.

Any information about this area would be appreciated from anyone who has visited there for a long period of time or lives there permanently. I know about Hua Hin. I am interested in the the Capitol city area. What are the pros and cons of the Capitol City. I know there is no shortage of monkeys.

Thank you I have gained much useful information from the ASEANOW forums.

[SoilSpoil]

One of the nicest towns in Thailand with beautiful promenade and Ao Manau around the corner. Very quiet at night, but quaint town with small expat community. I always felt Prachuap is totally underestimated. 

[jvs]

My favorite get away place!

In the past few years a few new hotels have been build and

there are enough places to buy western food but i find that very expensive over there.

There are lots of places for rent,even beach front.

Yes you will have to have some hobbies there because the place is

 mostly geared for local(Thai) residents.

There are NO bars there but there are a few places to drink.

After nine at night nothing to do which is great imo.

You will just have to go and visit the place if you want to learn

more about it,not far from Hua-hin.

[MrJ2U]

1 hour ago, jingjai9 said:

I want to learn about  Prachuap Khiri Khan Capitol City. I do not hear much about it. I have visited some travel sites as well as Wikipedia, but have not really been able to answer all of my questions such as:

 

Is there an expat Community?
 

Are home or condo rentals expensive?

 

What is the lifestyle like for residents? I read one comment where it is said the Prachuap Khiri Khan capitol city is small and you have to entertain yourself if you stay there for any period of time.

Any information about this area would be appreciated from anyone who has visited there for a long period of time or lives there permanently. I know about Hua Hin. I am interested in the the Capitol city area. What are the pros and cons of the Capitol City. I know there is no shortage of monkeys.

Thank you I have gained much useful information from the ASEANOW forums.

"Side Trip Life"

 

An entertaining YouTuber recently posted some videos.

 

He's got some hotels and condos he visited.

 

Looks like a nice place to see 

 

 

[Don Chance]

Lots of sand flies, beaches are not great, mud. Usual  hot and sticky climate, little wind. Smog problem in the winter, i think they burn trash near by.

Military zone so you have sign into to go to the beach.  Right wing conservative town. Hardly any English spoken by anyone. Boring and dreary place. Some half dead expats hobbling around might turn you crank though.  If you are looking for the "last resort.' This might be it.

[bignok]

29 minutes ago, Don Chance said:

Lots of sand flies, beaches are not great, mud. Usual  hot and sticky climate, little wind. Smog problem in the winter, i think they burn trash near by.

Military zone so you have sign into to go to the beach.  Right wing conservative town. Hardly any English spoken by anyone. Boring and dreary place. Some half dead expats hobbling around might turn you crank though.  If you are looking for the "last resort.' This might be it.

Didnt notice sandflies. Good food. No lefties is a plus, they must be in Hua Hin.

 

Climate is typical Thai.

 

Nice town. No chavs, no lefties.

[watthong]

And what's the situation with renting motosai in-town. especially post-covid. We plan to get there by train, and for transportation (to Ao Manao for example) we would need our own I guess? Thanks for any suggestion.

[Middle Aged Grouch]

4 hours ago, jingjai9 said:

I want to learn about  Prachuap Khiri Khan Capitol City. I do not hear much about it. I have visited some travel sites as well as Wikipedia, but have not really been able to answer all of my questions such as:

 

Is there an expat Community?
 

Are home or condo rentals expensive?

 

What is the lifestyle like for residents? I read one comment where it is said the Prachuap Khiri Khan capitol city is small and you have to entertain yourself if you stay there for any period of time.

Any information about this area would be appreciated from anyone who has visited there for a long period of time or lives there permanently. I know about Hua Hin. I am interested in the the Capitol city area. What are the pros and cons of the Capitol City. I know there is no shortage of monkeys.

Thank you I have gained much useful information from the ASEANOW forums.

I find Hua Hin far more costly then Bangkok or Pattaya, with limited choice (food, shopping, sights, transport, services,  clean beaches etc).

Edited August 26, 2023 by Middle Aged Grouch

[KhunLA]

6 hours ago, Middle Aged Grouch said:

I find Hua Hin far more costly then Bangkok or Pattaya, with limited choice (food, shopping, sights, transport, services,  clean beaches etc).

Very little quality food, shopping, sights except the bay (karst/island) itself, which smells of sewage along the South promenade, broken in many spots. 

 

North side is getting major revamp at the moment.  Lovely 6+ kms of bay to 'look' at. 

 

The beaches, Ao Prachuap (fronts the city), polluted w/fishing boats, & Ao Manao (swimmer's beach), both nice to look at, but I won't swim in it, as last 2 times my ears were underwater at Ao Manao, they got infected ...

... nuff said.

 

Half the beach area is covered with chairs & umbrellas, charging silly price to sit, even if you order food.

 

Notice in the posted vid, coming out of hotel to check out, very early Sunday, as stated, and yea, little traffic, but at end of vid, night, from far south end, northward, the road is nothing but parked cars in bicycle lane, as far as the eye can see.

 

So when sitting at street level restaurant, all are except 1 at Hathong Hotel, then the view is of parked cars with scooter going by all night, and cars attempting to drive down the now 1 lane available.

 

We don't go down there much as the restaurants, are nothing special and overpriced.  Restaurant, The View (@ Hathong hotel) is nice for an afternoon munch, once the sun is on the other side of noon.  The only restaurant we'll dine at, along that stretch of surf.  Most times, the only customer there.

 

One other, Rap Lom on N side, most tourist without transport won't venture to.  Gets packed with Thai domestic tourist & locals.  

 

For sunset, Bay Camp Cafe, (gets packed), decent coffee & pastries, very far N side of bay, loops around facing W. 

 

Most of the farangs, living here & tourist seem to visit the 2 restaurants in the vid, serving mostly western food.

 

Love living here, but not in town, and you do have to self entertain.  Ban Krut, another hour south of Hua Hin, a much better choice for a 'beach' holiday.  A beach you can actually walk on & swim in.

 

Weekend night market along surfside road is quite nice, as is sitting surfside, along the wall, hopefully upwind, and at a space in between the storm/sewer drains.  Choose wisely or endure the smell of sewage.

 

We only go down there, surfside, at early evening, when shaded by couple hotels and leave at sunset.  If living here, nothing really to do except sit & sip a beverage, which is fine.  

 

If tourist, the same from your balcony, from the few hotels that have, putting you about street level and away from the smell.

 

Not to scare anyone from visiting, as good for 2 day R&R, but so you're not surprised or disappointed, and know what to expect. 

 

Easy access by train <1km stroll (station to surfside), but better if you self drive, as no real taxis/public transport, except renting a scooter.  A few scooters with side carts, but they hang around the train station. 

 

Saying that, if arrive by van, you need to probably walk (3 kms) to surfside from Phetkasem road van depot.  Ok stroll as long as not traveling heavy.

 

Only 2 other places we dine at, not surfside:

Krua Chaiwat

ร้านกินเส้นประจวบ - only AC place, good Khao  Soi (pork ????), call first though, iffy hrs, lots of unannounced closings.

Edited August 26, 2023 by KhunLA

[Hummin]

52 minutes ago, KhunLA said:

Very little quality food, shopping, sights except the bay (karst/island) itself, which smells of sewage along the South promenade, broken in many spots. 

 

North side is getting major revamp at the moment.  Lovely 6+ kms of bay to 'look' at. 

 

The beaches, Ao Prachuap (fronts the city), polluted w/fishing boats, & Ao Manao (swimmer's beach), both nice to look at, but I won't swim in it, as last 2 times my ears were underwater at Ao Manao, they got infected ...

... nuff said.

 

Half the beach area is covered with chairs & umbrellas, charging silly price to sit, even if you order food.

 

Notice in the posted vid, coming out of hotel to check out, very early Sunday, as stated, and yea, little traffic, but at end of vid, night, from far south end, northward, the road is nothing but parked cars in bicycle lane, as far as the eye can see.

 

So when sitting at street level restaurant, all are except 1 at Hathong Hotel, then the view is of parked cars with scooter going by all night, and cars attempting to drive down the now 1 lane available.

 

We don't go down there much as the restaurants, are nothing special and overpriced.  Restaurant, The View (@ Hathong hotel) is nice for an afternoon munch, once the sun is on the other side of noon.  The only restaurant we'll dine at, along that stretch of surf.  Most times, the only customer there.

 

One other, Rap Lom on N side, most tourist without transport won't venture to.  Gets packed with Thai domestic tourist & locals.  

 

For sunset, Bay Camp Cafe, (gets packed), decent coffee & pastries, very far N side of bay, loops around facing W. 

 

Most of the farangs, living here & tourist seem to visit the 2 restaurants in the vid, serving mostly western food.

 

Love living here, but not in town, and you do have to self entertain.  Ban Krut, another hour south of Hua Hin, a much better choice for a 'beach' holiday.  A beach you can actually walk on & swim in.

 

Weekend night market along surfside road is quite nice, as is sitting surfside, along the wall, hopefully upwind, and at a space in between the storm/sewer drains.  Choose wisely or endure the smell of sewage.

 

We only go down there, surfside, at early evening, when shaded by couple hotels and leave at sunset.  If living here, nothing really to do except sit & sip a beverage, which is fine.  

 

If tourist, the same from your balcony, from the few hotels that have, putting you about street level and away from the smell.

 

Not to scare anyone from visiting, as good for 2 day R&R, but so you're not surprised or disappointed, and know what to expect. 

 

Easy access by train <1km stroll (station to surfside), but better if you self drive, as no real taxis/public transport, except renting a scooter.  A few scooters with side carts, but they hang around the train station. 

 

Saying that, if arrive by van, you need to probably walk (3 kms) to surfside from Phetkasem road van depot.  Ok stroll as long as not traveling heavy.

 

Only 2 other places we dine at, not surfside:

Krua Chaiwat

ร้านกินเส้นประจวบ - only AC place, good Khao  Soi (pork ????), call first though, iffy hrs, lots of unannounced closings.

You get inspired to participate at this forum, when you see a confused emotion to this post! Christ sake

[BE88]

This city is a disaster after Covid many hotels and resort and restaurants are closed and it is not known if they will reopen, almost no tourists, the southernmost beach of the city is subject to great pollution due to not having purification plant.

City without interest, very few expat, if you want to meet an expat community I recommend Hua Hin.

No airport nearby with too long journey to Bangkok by road while, Hua Hin have to very practical Buses that go directly to Suvarnabhumi airport and may one day the airport Hua Hin reopen.

Edited August 27, 2023 by BE88

[KhunLA]

26 minutes ago, BE88 said:

This city is a disaster after Covid many hotels and restaurants are closed and it is not known if they will reopen, almost no tourists, the southernmost beach of the city is subject to great pollution due to not having purification plant.

City without interest, if you want to meet an expat community I recommend Hua Hin

The very few that did close because of covid, along surfside road only, have reopened, original or under new management (w/price increases), with few exceptions. 

 

Covid did not effect PKK city as other destinations, as not reliant on Int'l tourist.  Getting few Chinese ? tourist buses, and they have yet to really return.

 

Off surfside road, and nothing has changed due to covid, as it was all fairly normal & unaffected with exception of the 1st month of forced closure, with many ignoring the order.

 

One other restaurant we did enjoy (AC'd) did close after covid, but was empty most times prior to covid, so didn't really affect it, I don't think.  I was actually surprised they stayed in business at all.

 

The 'town' appears dead on a daily basis, and only livens up on the weekend, due to domestic tourist.

 

Who travels to 'meet expats' ? ????  I've yet to meet any, by choice, and avoid those 2 restaurants that cater to them, just for that reason.

 

Agree, southern part of S side of bay is terribly polluted, from the pier southward, and where the tourist area/vendors are.  Even the locals complained of the sewage / stench

 

Edited August 27, 2023 by KhunLA

[BE88]

18 minutes ago, KhunLA said:

The very few that did close because of covid, along surfside road only, have reopened, original or under new management (w/price increases), with few exceptions. 

 

Covid did not effect PKK city as other destinations, as not reliant on Int'l tourist.  Getting few Chinese ? tourist buses, and they have yet to really return.

 

Off surfside road, and nothing has changed due to covid, as it was all fairly normal & unaffected with exception of the 1st month of forced closure, with many ignoring the order.

 

One other restaurant we did enjoy (AC'd) did close after covid, but was empty most times prior to covid, so didn't really affect it, I don't think.  I was actually surprised they stayed in business at all.

 

The 'town' appears dead on a daily basis, and only livens up on the weekend, due to domestic tourist.

 

Who travels to 'meet expats' ? ????  I've yet to meet any, by choice, and avoid those 2 restaurants that cater to them, just for that reason.

 

Agree, southern part of S side of bay is terribly polluted, from the pier southward, and where the tourist area/vendors are.  Even the locals complained of the sewage / stench

 

Thank you for your comment that brings more information, regarding expats or just answering the PO question.

There is only one decent beach but that is in the military base and to enter you have to fill in a form because you are a farang.

Therefore not very inviting for international tourists.

 

[stratocaster]

12 hours ago, jingjai9 said:

I want to learn about  Prachuap Khiri Khan Capitol City. I do not hear much about it. I have visited some travel sites as well as Wikipedia, but have not really been able to answer all of my questions such as:

 

Is there an expat Community?
 

Are home or condo rentals expensive?

 

What is the lifestyle like for residents? I read one comment where it is said the Prachuap Khiri Khan capitol city is small and you have to entertain yourself if you stay there for any period of time.

Any information about this area would be appreciated from anyone who has visited there for a long period of time or lives there permanently. I know about Hua Hin. I am interested in the the Capitol city area. What are the pros and cons of the Capitol City. I know there is no shortage of monkeys.

Thank you I have gained much useful information from the ASEANOW forums.

My only experience of PKK comes from watching a series of you tube videos made by an American who dumped his 70 year old mother there after living her entire life in the US. First thing you notice she does not or cannot drive. There are no taxis so she basically became house bound. He bought her a three wheel electric trike which on Thai roads is a disaster waiting to happen. He rented a cheap, totally inappropriate house, but it was next door to his American friend so I assume the you tuber thought his friend would look after his mother. You can see on the videos she goes to the same two restaurants everyday. After almost one year they have discovered that living in the boonies as a 70 year old with limited mobility is not practical. There is also a back packer video that shows them arriving in PKK and can not understand why their grab app is not working. They are trying to get to a resort 15 kays out of town and are stuffed.

[sammieuk1]

10 hours ago, Don Chance said:

Lots of sand flies, beaches are not great, mud. Usual  hot and sticky climate, little wind. Smog problem in the winter, i think they burn trash near by.

Military zone so you have sign into to go to the beach.  Right wing conservative town. Hardly any English spoken by anyone. Boring and dreary place. Some half dead expats hobbling around might turn you crank though.  If you are looking for the "last resort.' This might be it.

But did you like it? ???? 

[Hamus Yaigh]

32 minutes ago, stratocaster said:

After almost one year they have discovered that living in the boonies as a 70 year old with limited mobility is not practical.

That vlog came up on my PC. From what I could make of it, the elderly mother is brought over from USA by a controlling son who seems to have unlimited funds to never work again. She has an accident in PKK rolling her three wheel electric trike and her son raises over 12k USD on GoFundMe to pay the hospital fees from the adoring channel fans. Now he is planning a European Cruise next month. You cannot make it up.

[watgate]

We have spent the last several winters in Prachuap Khiri Khan and we like it there. We find more and more expats are buying property there and are building really nice  western style houses. Yes the beach at Ao Prachuap is a problem and unfortunately raw sewage does flow into the ocean which makes me sick to look at. I have never smelled any raw sewage though even with the effluent being poured into the ocean from time to time. As for Ao Manao there are chairs for rent for 20 baht and they don't take up a considerable part of the beach. We have swum from time to time at Ao Manao and never had a problem with any ear infections or irritated skin after swimming there. Ao Noi is a nice beach there and I do see quite a few folks swimming there from time to time with no problems.

     As for burning,in the winter most of Thailand is affected by smoke resulting from burning but the nice thing about Prachuap is if you spend a lot of time by the ocean there is always a strong wind which keeps the air relatively smoke free. Just like in Hua Hin, which is about a 45-50 min ride from Prachuap, you can just as easily take a van to Bangkok just like you can from Hua Hin. There is also a train that goes to Bangkok from Prachuap.

     Most definitely if you are looking for bars and action filled night life Prachuap is not the place for you It is very quiet and some folks enjoy the serenity which you find in Prachuap. If one desires a night out you can go to Hua Hin or go to Bangkok and spend a few nights there.

     We don't dine out a lot but there are some good restaurants, either with western food or thai food. There are also some good places, such as Milanos, which serve up a delicious breakfast.

     All in all we like Prachuap and it suits our lifestyle. It is definitely not for everyone, especially if you are single and on the hunt for ladies or for bar hopping. 

Edited August 27, 2023 by watgate

[pomchop]

PKK is a delightful small Thai town with some nice scenery.  It is not a farang tourist mecca, it is not bkk or phuket or pattaya.  If you are looking for girlie bars, wild nightlife, western food and the like you are probably not going to like it.  If u are looking for a pleasant place to spend a few days or week or more and are capable of enertaining yourself mostly and enjoy mom and pop stores and thai food and overall nice thai people etc you may well like it a lot.

 

As for the military beach some on here make it sound like it is a big deal to get in...it is not...assuming there is even anyone there you fill out a very simple little form and nobody has ever hassled me in any way.

 

  There is a very local night market on friday and sat nights along the main seafront in town near the pier that is very thai and lots of cheap food etc,  Several pleasant and not expensive at all hotels to choose from.  Would I live there permanently ?  Probably not.  But I try to go there at least once a year for a few days and have always enjoyed it....not far from hua hin but i prefer PKK to hua hin which is way more tourists and lots of old farang couples wandering around.

 

Try it for a few days and make your own decision.

[watgate]

Hamus Yaigo- Bingo. The folks who follow the vlog you refer to need their head examined. The poor mom who was funded by Go fund me folks sold her house in Texas before coming to Thailand to be with her son. Her son and daughter both lived in the U.S and had good paying jobs while there. Before moving to Thailand to live they sold their house and travel van and other assorted things so I am sure they are not hurting for money. The son is making a good buck from his youtube channel. It floored me when, after dipping into his pocket to pay for his mom's surgery in Thailand  he then proceeded to announce that they were looking for folks to contribute to his mom's gofund me account. The son said all my mom has is around 30000 thb  accident insurance coverage and at her age she can't get proper health insurance. He found the solution, just have other folks pay for his mom's health issues. In the meantime, the son and his thai wife are always traveling allover the place. They were just in Hawaii and are headed for a European cruise. They probably travel 10 months of the year all over Thailand. I just am amazed at how folks will willingly pay for  someone else's health issues when it is quite obvious the injured person has funds. P.T. Barnum said it best.

[KhunLA]

28 minutes ago, pomchop said:

As for the military beach some on here make it sound like it is a big deal to get in...it is not...assuming there is even anyone there you fill out a very simple little form and nobody has ever hassled me in any way.

That has changed considerably.  ALL int'l tourist must park & provide ID info at the manned station.  Didn't realize their is a form to fill out as posted above.  Before, just a folder/ledger sat on a small counter, unmanned:

name

where from

time in

any ID # you want to scribble in it

time out ... which nobody really bothers with since no parking on exit side of road, unless you park in the PO

 

That's if you wrote anything on the ledger.  All changed now.

 

I actually get waved through, as I had an yellow book address on base.  Amazing amphur office didn't realize the address was on base, as surely a farang can't live on base.  Never used it for Imm, just the lease from our rental at the time.  But all the guards recognize me & dog on lap, hard not to.  Weekly visitor almost, as friends live there, on base.

 

To add, there a 'museum' area & monuments, remembrance of the Japanese invasion & battle (short lived) that took place 8 Dec 1941.  Nice to peek at, and same area, used to have large troop of Dusky Leaf Monkeys, quite cute vs their very aggressive, troublesome cousins/langurs.  Not to be seen in quite some time, past couple visits over there.

 

 

Edited August 27, 2023 by KhunLA

[digbeth]

If you want to be isolated in a quiet town, there are plenty of smaller town south of Prachuab all the way to Chumporn like Baan Krud or Thap Sakae and Bang Saphan that to an expat functionally similar: no night life, small community of expat, but without the busy streets of the capital town with government canters and businesses, and they all have better beaches 

[pomchop]

1 minute ago, KhunLA said:

That has changed considerably.  ALL int'l tourist must park & provide ID info the the manned station.  Didn't realize their is a form to fill out as posted above.  Before, just a fold sat on a small counter, unmanned:

name

where from

time in

any ID # you want to scribble in it

time out ... which nobody really bothers with since no parking on exit side of road, unless you park in the PO

 

That's if you wrote anything on the ledger.  All changed now.

 

I actually get waved through, as I had an yellow book address on base.  Amazing amphur office didn't realize the address was on base, as surely a farang can't live on base.  Never used it for Imm, just the lease from our rental at the time.  But all the guards recognize me & dog on lap, hard not to.  Weekly visitor almost, as friends live there.

 

To add, there a 'museum' area & monuments, remembrance of the Japanese invasion & battle (short lived) that took place 8 Dec 1941.  Nice to peek at, and same area, used to have large troop of Dusky Leaf Monkeys, quite cute vs their very aggressive, troublesome cousins/langurs.  Not to be seen in quite some time, past couple visits over there.

 

 

too bad re id check...before was no bid deal at all

[KhunLA]

Not really a big deal, just be aware it is there, and you will need your ID

 

Unmistakable yellow sign at entrance, and just past it, coned off, so DO NOT try to bypass it.

 

Edited August 27, 2023 by KhunLA

[Grumpy one]

On 8/26/2023 at 11:01 PM, Don Chance said:

Lots of sand flies, beaches are not great, mud. Usual  hot and sticky climate, little wind. Smog problem in the winter, i think they burn trash near by.

Military zone so you have sign into to go to the beach.  Right wing conservative town. Hardly any English spoken by anyone. Boring and dreary place. Some half dead expats hobbling around might turn you crank though.  If you are looking for the "last resort.' This might be it.

And the down side is ?  ????

[nickmondo]

23 hours ago, stratocaster said:

My only experience of PKK comes from watching a series of you tube videos made by an American who dumped his 70 year old mother there after living her entire life in the US. First thing you notice she does not or cannot drive. There are no taxis so she basically became house bound. He bought her a three wheel electric trike which on Thai roads is a disaster waiting to happen. He rented a cheap, totally inappropriate house, but it was next door to his American friend so I assume the you tuber thought his friend would look after his mother. You can see on the videos she goes to the same two restaurants everyday. After almost one year they have discovered that living in the boonies as a 70 year old with limited mobility is not practical. There is also a back packer video that shows them arriving in PKK and can not understand why their grab app is not working. They are trying to get to a resort 15 kays out of town and are stuffed.

fantastic comment.  best i have seen in ages.

those wannab u tubers that you refer to really get on my tits.

who gives a monkeys about their mundane lives?

and who would want to live at Rocky point?  a recluse perhaps?

i did find it funny when their boring friends dumped the boring mother, but i think they have moved on somewhere else now.

but i think you need to be a member of the obese club to get in with their crowd......certainly looks like it on their vid

 

[watgate]

Digbeth- The beaches might be a little better and I guess if one is staying in the aforementoned small towns you listed for a short time, I guess it wouldn't be a problem. For long term I'm not sure because now you are farther from Prachuap in case you need medical care and that much further from Hua Hin and Bangkok and even more isolated. At least Prachuap has a Lotus, a Makro a Global house there. I hope at some point the powers to be decide to build a mall in Prachuap which would be a welcomed addition.

[Hanuman2547]

On 8/26/2023 at 4:19 PM, KhunLA said:

Very little quality food, shopping, sights except the bay (karst/island) itself, which smells of sewage along the South promenade, broken in many spots. 

 

North side is getting major revamp at the moment.  Lovely 6+ kms of bay to 'look' at. 

 

The beaches, Ao Prachuap (fronts the city), polluted w/fishing boats, & Ao Manao (swimmer's beach), both nice to look at, but I won't swim in it, as last 2 times my ears were underwater at Ao Manao, they got infected ...

... nuff said.

 

Half the beach area is covered with chairs & umbrellas, charging silly price to sit, even if you order food.

 

Notice in the posted vid, coming out of hotel to check out, very early Sunday, as stated, and yea, little traffic, but at end of vid, night, from far south end, northward, the road is nothing but parked cars in bicycle lane, as far as the eye can see.

 

So when sitting at street level restaurant, all are except 1 at Hathong Hotel, then the view is of parked cars with scooter going by all night, and cars attempting to drive down the now 1 lane available.

 

We don't go down there much as the restaurants, are nothing special and overpriced.  Restaurant, The View (@ Hathong hotel) is nice for an afternoon munch, once the sun is on the other side of noon.  The only restaurant we'll dine at, along that stretch of surf.  Most times, the only customer there.

 

One other, Rap Lom on N side, most tourist without transport won't venture to.  Gets packed with Thai domestic tourist & locals.  

 

For sunset, Bay Camp Cafe, (gets packed), decent coffee & pastries, very far N side of bay, loops around facing W. 

 

Most of the farangs, living here & tourist seem to visit the 2 restaurants in the vid, serving mostly western food.

 

Love living here, but not in town, and you do have to self entertain.  Ban Krut, another hour south of Hua Hin, a much better choice for a 'beach' holiday.  A beach you can actually walk on & swim in.

 

Weekend night market along surfside road is quite nice, as is sitting surfside, along the wall, hopefully upwind, and at a space in between the storm/sewer drains.  Choose wisely or endure the smell of sewage.

 

We only go down there, surfside, at early evening, when shaded by couple hotels and leave at sunset.  If living here, nothing really to do except sit & sip a beverage, which is fine.  

 

If tourist, the same from your balcony, from the few hotels that have, putting you about street level and away from the smell.

 

Not to scare anyone from visiting, as good for 2 day R&R, but so you're not surprised or disappointed, and know what to expect. 

 

Easy access by train <1km stroll (station to surfside), but better if you self drive, as no real taxis/public transport, except renting a scooter.  A few scooters with side carts, but they hang around the train station. 

 

Saying that, if arrive by van, you need to probably walk (3 kms) to surfside from Phetkasem road van depot.  Ok stroll as long as not traveling heavy.

 

Only 2 other places we dine at, not surfside:

Krua Chaiwat

ร้านกินเส้นประจวบ - only AC place, good Khao  Soi (pork ????), call first though, iffy hrs, lots of unannounced closings.

After reading your post that is not to flattering of the place, I wonder why you live there if it is so bad?

[KhunLA]

36 minutes ago, Hanuman2547 said:

After reading your post that is not to flattering of the place, I wonder why you live there if it is so bad?

I don't find it bad at all, and love living here.  I don't live on the promenade, or swim in Thai waters, except Phuket, and that was during covid, no tourist, no 1000's of flushing toilets.

 

The bays here are some of the nicest in TH to look at.  Which I do every morning almost, after my leisurely stroll in the local park with the dog.

 

As anywhere, I avoid the negatives, and enjoy the positives.  I can self entertain anywhere and prefer to do so, and happy about the lack of entertainment for others, as keeps them at bay.

 

Enjoy the restaurants we visit, and find the % of good ones, about the same country wide.  Dining out fails miserably in TH, and most would not succeed in USA.  When is dining out, at open air venue, next to smelly road, with open sewer system & diesel/scooter exhaust considered a dining experience.

 

Why we dine in 99% of the time, but would do that no matter where we live in TH, as simply are better cooks than most wanna be 'chefs'.

 

Simply posted the negatives, to counter the OMG ... it's paradise silliness.  It isn't, and nowhere is, or I haven't found it yet.  It is what we make it, and lovely in our little world.

 

Been around the whole country, and can't think of a different, better place that I'd rather be living.  Or anywhere in the USA that I've lived, or visited, there or elsewhere. 

 

Got everything we need or want, or I can simply drive to what isn't here, when the urge hits.

 

I live here 100% by choice ... nuff said

 

Popped over to Ao Manao yesterday, waved thru as usual, had my favorite som tam washed down with my favorite chocolate drink, while enjoying a great view.  What's not to love.

 

 

Edited August 28, 2023 by KhunLA

[Kinok Farang]

Stay clear,you won't like it.

[ujayujay]

Forget PKK Town, is boring as hell