Hua Hin Nice Place To Live?

[hhfarang]

if you want less farangy try Cha-am, close to Hua hin shopping and restaurants, etc but has a real thai town feel.

farangs in HH are very different to everywhere else i've been in Thailand, much older and more farang couples. its like Florida basically.

I use to explain to people back home that HH is the Thai answer for Florida Old folks, quiet on the main street at 11PM and so on.

Yes, and I moved here from Florida and that's the way I like it. Now if only the golf was a cheap as it was in Florida!

[HuaHin2010]

Here is my take on HH:

I have been in Thailand for years..... I started in Koh Samui for a couple of years (brilliant, bags of fun) moved onto Bangkok for a year (mixed feelings about that) and did a few years in kanchanaburi (real nice place, lush, mountains, waterfalls... Lovely little place with nice people but completley underwelming, very limiting)

Now I am here in HH.

Everything is subjective guys. There is no 'nice place' or 'bad place' it all depends on your own perspective. Thousands - litteraly thousands - of ex pats rave about Pattays like it is the mother of all places tolive. I would rather donate a lung than live there - and thats why its all subjective. We all want different things.

HH works for me, I think its ace. The people seem nice, the food is great, there is a decent enough choice of places to go in an evening and its generaly just a chilled place to live.

The only area that I struggle with is finding buddies in a new town. I remember moving to Samui years ago and within a month I had an army of top class pals who would be up for anything, anytime. Here in HH, it does seem to be mainly older dudes, which is fine by me.... But Im in my mid 30's so kicking around with a group of blokes twice my age isnt realy gpoing to work on a weekly level. I guess heading down to Soi Bintaban and knocking around that area will unearth some new guys to knock about with but to be honest, I cant be arsed with the beer bar scene any more. I have done that to death and have no interest in it any more.

Moving on to another great point about this place - I seem to be having a fair amount of luck with the local birds. I mean real birds - shop workers, hotel staff, real locals.... I have only been here for 6 weeks but on that front, it is happenening in a nice way. I have taken a few chicks out for dinner just by meeting them in random places. That didnt realy happen for me elsewhere in LOS.

Its sound down here in my opinion. I have no complaints.

[somtampet]

Though not a resident there, and only a frequent visitor. My impression of Hua Hin is a place far different from Pataya where expats and Thai gfs are almost everywhere. In Hua Hin, few are there and certainly not predominant. However there is a rising trend. Hua Hin is still a preferred place to the locals to take their families for holidays. Pataya has lost its glamour for family Thais. But in term of infrastructure, Hua Hin is far inferior to Pataya where one's need starting from health care is always met and best of all it is near to Bangkok, one and a half hour drive. If one can close one's eyes from seeing the dislikes or be selective on one's contacts, then Pataya is preferred. Pataya is more strategic for infrastructure improvement than Hua Hin. More improvements can be expected in the long run.

Suggest you go on the Pattaya and especialy Jomtien beaches at the week end,also drive from Sukhumvit north and enter the enormous traffic jams from thais coming to visit.

As for the op if he doesnt want to mingle with anyone but thais i assume he speaks good thai.

[somtampet]

Here is my take on HH:

I have been in Thailand for years..... I started in Koh Samui for a couple of years (brilliant, bags of fun) moved onto Bangkok for a year (mixed feelings about that) and did a few years in kanchanaburi (real nice place, lush, mountains, waterfalls... Lovely little place with nice people but completley underwelming, very limiting)

Now I am here in HH.

Everything is subjective guys. There is no 'nice place' or 'bad place' it all depends on your own perspective. Thousands - litteraly thousands - of ex pats rave about Pattays like it is the mother of all places tolive. I would rather donate a lung than live there - and thats why its all subjective. We all want different things.

HH works for me, I think its ace. The people seem nice, the food is great, there is a decent enough choice of places to go in an evening and its generaly just a chilled place to live.

The only area that I struggle with is finding buddies in a new town. I remember moving to Samui years ago and within a month I had an army of top class pals who would be up for anything, anytime. Here in HH, it does seem to be mainly older dudes, which is fine by me.... But Im in my mid 30's so kicking around with a group of blokes twice my age isnt realy gpoing to work on a weekly level. I guess heading down to Soi Bintaban and knocking around that area will unearth some new guys to knock about with but to be honest, I cant be arsed with the beer bar scene any more. I have done that to death and have no interest in it any more.

Moving on to another great point about this place - I seem to be having a fair amount of luck with the local birds. I mean real birds - shop workers, hotel staff, real locals.... I have only been here for 6 weeks but on that front, it is happenening in a nice way. I have taken a few chicks out for dinner just by meeting them in random places. That didnt realy happen for me elsewhere in LOS.

Its sound down here in my opinion. I have no complaints.

I know someone who wants a lung,care to donate?????

As a young sexy man you wouldnt miss one would you,and if you cant pull chicks(your term) or nice ladies at your age then there is something very wrong with you.

[somtampet]

My wife and I have been here for 4 years, one in HH Palm Hills Country Club and 3 in Cha Am. A house (rented) in Palm Hills and a condo on the beach in Cha Am, bought the condo. Cha Am wins for us hands down but then we are not into the bar scene and dislike the driving through HH.

Cha Am has a very nice undercover fresh food market that is inexpensive and good quality. It has fish, fruit, vegetables and meat plus a lot of Misc. stuff. Friendly place to shop and good quality. They also have a small super market with canned and boxed stuff, nothing fresh. Then across from the open market there is a super market with most things.

We only go into HH about twice a month, usually when we run out of bread. Can't find it in Cha Am so we buy several loafs in HH and stick it in the freezer.

It is not Cha Ams main beach you want to go to. It is crowded and has hawkers on the beach etc. Go south a bit and go down to the beach anywhere from the Springfield @ Sea too Regent Holiday Inn. The beach is much nicer, very clean and does not disappear at high tide. Some very good sea food restaurants and you can walk for miles on the beach if you choose to.

Hope you find what you are looking for. Can't be any help with school info most of my grandchildren are just finishing college.

so you like food then lol lol

[HuaHin2010]

Here is my take on HH:

I have been in Thailand for years..... I started in Koh Samui for a couple of years (brilliant, bags of fun) moved onto Bangkok for a year (mixed feelings about that) and did a few years in kanchanaburi (real nice place, lush, mountains, waterfalls... Lovely little place with nice people but completley underwelming, very limiting)

Now I am here in HH.

Everything is subjective guys. There is no 'nice place' or 'bad place' it all depends on your own perspective. Thousands - litteraly thousands - of ex pats rave about Pattays like it is the mother of all places tolive. I would rather donate a lung than live there - and thats why its all subjective. We all want different things.

HH works for me, I think its ace. The people seem nice, the food is great, there is a decent enough choice of places to go in an evening and its generaly just a chilled place to live.

The only area that I struggle with is finding buddies in a new town. I remember moving to Samui years ago and within a month I had an army of top class pals who would be up for anything, anytime. Here in HH, it does seem to be mainly older dudes, which is fine by me.... But Im in my mid 30's so kicking around with a group of blokes twice my age isnt realy gpoing to work on a weekly level. I guess heading down to Soi Bintaban and knocking around that area will unearth some new guys to knock about with but to be honest, I cant be arsed with the beer bar scene any more. I have done that to death and have no interest in it any more.

Moving on to another great point about this place - I seem to be having a fair amount of luck with the local birds. I mean real birds - shop workers, hotel staff, real locals.... I have only been here for 6 weeks but on that front, it is happenening in a nice way. I have taken a few chicks out for dinner just by meeting them in random places. That didnt realy happen for me elsewhere in LOS.

Its sound down here in my opinion. I have no complaints.

I know someone who wants a lung,care to donate?????

As a young sexy man you wouldnt miss one would you,and if you cant pull chicks(your term) or nice ladies at your age then there is something very wrong with you.

Hmm. I am interested.... whats the corralation between young/sexy and lung donation? I wont miss a lung if I am under 40 and good looking? (didnt realize we had met?)

It would not be a good idea to donate a lung if I was old and ugly?

What if I was young and ugly - does that tick the right boxes or is it strictly for the young and sexy demographic?

Further more is someone or something making me move to Patters? I mean... I meant it as a tongue in cheek joke..... But now you have me worried. Do I have to move there?

Now thats out of the way..... Did I mention in any of my post that I cant pull chicks? (not my term actualy, its a global saying that has been used for over 60 years). I mentioned that I personaly find it easier to meet local girls with real jobs in comparison to elswhere in LOS. So yes, I can pull *enter less iritating slang word for female here* and have no problems doing so. I hope I didnt touch a nerve with you there.... if you are struggling in this area, I will be happy to offer a few pointers. Just dont bight my head off, ok?

[cheshiremusicman]

Hua Hin will never become a "farang infested shithole" so long as the King resides there. Soi Bintabat hardly compares to Walking Street.

If you don't want to be around a lot of foreigners then Cha Am or Pran Buri are options; but the trade off is even worse amenities than Hua Hin, unless you don't mind driving to Hua Hin once a week.

May I suggest that you look at the Koa Toa, Koa Takiab areas just south of HH. Lovely, long uncrowded beach and some good properties to be had. This area is only 10 mins max from the centre of HH and Pranburi, with its own Tesco Lotus store and complex + makro + indoor market again only 10 mins the other way. I don't know if you are interested in golf as a pastime, but a brand new course that will be open in July is being completed at 'Pine Beach' this being some 8 mins south of HH. This is being constructed by the Army and thus will be a public course ( don't know if membership will be made available at this time) and from what I have seen of it up to now is going to be a very attractive one with some holes running right along the seashore. Local facilities are very good as far as restaurants etc and the 'new' private hospital that is under construction in HH will be only 10 mins away, on the 'right side ' of HH so that you avoid the centre which is always full of slow moving traffic. I live on an estate of some 40 villas in the area described which is very quiet and rural some half a kilometre from the main HH/ Pranburi road, so if any member of your family does not drive they can catch the local bus's with ease . If you wish to know more about the area etc just PM me.

[2008bangkok]

Ha ha this is so much a troll or a joke, the OP is slagging off the same people he is asking for advice.....

If you only wanna live near Thais dont pick a resort to live in,,,,,3 Cheers for the OP Hip Hip Boo, Hip Hip Boo, Hip Hip Boo

[dmax]

why then dont you go live in borneo, hau hin is beautifull !! and it will be my destination of choice for future years to come and hopefully i will buy a nice place there someday .

Edited May 5, 2010 by dmax

[love2travel]

We are now back holidaying in Hua Hin for the first time in 4 years.

The first thing we noticed was that the airport was a lot quieter and the road to Hua Hin has improved ever so much. From leaving the airport to arriving at the Hilton, it took us under 3 hours.

The Hilton doesn't seem to have changed much although double in cost but this time with huge buffet breakfast available. It is still great value in comparison to any London Hotel.

We were also amazed at the number of new buildings which have sprung up on the main road in. The traffic seemed much busier than we remember but there seems much less tourists about.

We haven't really been about much but there seems to me more opticians and less estate agents and about same amount of tailors.

We have not been to any of our old haunts but plan to go to the Irish bar on Monday night, hopefully they still have their 'happy hour', then eat at one of the wee restaurants beside the temple.

Tonight, we are going to stroll down to the pier and eat in one of the restaurants by the sea. If we can find Buffalo Bill's, we will also go in there for a drink and a look at the menu. Years ago, we used to eat in his old place beside Burger King and it was good.

[reenatinnakor]

<<Everything is subjective guys. There is no 'nice place' or 'bad place' it all depends on your own perspective. Thousands - litteraly thousands - of ex pats rave about Pattays like it is the mother of all places tolive. I would rather donate a lung than live there - and thats why its all subjective. We all want different things.>>

Well not everything is subjective. Pattaya is a shit hole is a pretty objective and agreed finding and assumption if you ask me and pretty much anyone. Doesn't matter how many nice things you can say about it (are there any??)....it has shit and hole written all over it. You could build a Buckingham Palace in the middle of Pattaya, it would only become a tacky shit hole......but my point is, no, not everything is subjective. Especially when it comes to places to live and to settle down for a long time with a family - there are just places that are nice and places to avoid :-)

Thanks for all the comments and observations about HH - it has helped me a great deal in choosing where to live in LOS (but the S should really change to a P for Protests, that's all they seem to do!) - I have still yet to visit HH since not been back to LOS/P for a while but next time for sure to make certain it is a nice place!

Or Bangkok.....but I think I probably don't want to live there.....decisions, decisions.....

CT

[sam666]

I've been in HH for a few weeks and it really is nothing compared to Phuket / Pattaya / Seedy areas of BK etc, most farangs are old and the usual young guys like me just stay in Bintabaht out of your way. Everywhere else feels very "local" and I actually miss some of the local girls / people etc and prices I can't wait to go back tommorrow (seedy shitty 2days in BK).

Only thing I hate is cost of traveil compared to BK etc, if you don't have a scooter or car.

Edited July 2, 2010 by sam666

[thaisomchai]

Cha Am wins for us hands down but then we are not into the bar scene and dislike the driving through HH.

Cha Am has a very nice undercover fresh food market that is inexpensive and good quality. It has fish, fruit, vegetables and meat plus a lot of Misc. stuff. Friendly place to shop and good quality. They also have a small super market with canned and boxed stuff, nothing fresh. Then across from the open market there is a super market with most things.

I have to agree about the fresh market in Cha-Am! Much MUCH better than the one in Hua Hin because it is better organized, looks and feels cleaner and less depressing and . . .wonder of wonders . . .you can always find a convenient place to park! Well worth the drive up. (Finding parking in Hua Hin is the biggest single problem I have found living here. Weekends, any big event and you can forget it unless you are on a motorbike . .and even then it wont be easy to park.) I kinda miss our Cha Am days . .we lived there for a couple of years.

[sambai]

Hua Hin is a lovely town in which to spend time and I'm surprised to read that your research has lead you to think that way about it. I have been visiting Hua Hin for over four years and my home is in nearby Cha-Am, which benefits from being a quieter town whilst being within easy reach of the better shops of Hua Hin. I looked at many properties for sale in Hua Hin and eventually chose Cha-Am simply because I felt it was perfect for me.

From what I often read, many foreigners seem to have a good life in Hua Hin and Cha-Am. I do not look forward to driving in Hua Hin however - it is often a bit problematic and there are frequently poor driving standards, making the journey somewhat of an ordeal. There often is little alternative to the main route through the town. Cha-Am is better from that point of view and there very rarely any traffic problems.

The Thai people you will meet in Cha-Am and Hua Hin are typically very easy going. On the whole they're a very likeable crowd of people whereas there's a different situation altogether in Pattaya. Many people locate themselves in Pattaya for the tourist industry and their outlook tends to be tourist-focussed. The feel is quite different altogether.

To compare Hua Hin with Pattaya is not a very helpful argument, since Pattaya is a vastly larger city with better amenities but does not have Hua Hin's unique character. It really depends what you are looking for in your home town. Cha-Am on the other hand is reasonably close to Bangkok and takes only two hours' drive to reach the middle of the city. I think it would be best to spend a few days in each and see what you feel then. Best of luck to you and watch yourself in Pattaya, if you go there.

[Panhandler007]

i understand Hua Hin is generally a pricey place. Real estate is higher than in the rest of the kingdom.

[Panhandler007]

Painting the town...blue

[johnnyk]

i understand Hua Hin is generally a pricey place. Real estate is higher than in the rest of the kingdom.

I'd say Samui and Phuket are more expensive.