Why Hua Hin - Your Story

[kje889]

I am wondering if anyone would be willing to share the details as to why you moved from your home country to Hua Hin, what you do in Hua Hin, and how your life has changed to due relocating to Hua Hin.

I am moving to Hin from America this Spring with my Thai girlfriend. She is growing tried of American and missed Thailand. I'm just wondering how other people started out and what to expect from a life in Hua Hin.

Thank you

[PeaceBlondie]

First, I visited Thailand from Texas, and fell in love with Chiang Mai. Lived there for two years, and made one holiday run to Hua Hin with the boyfriend. Then I visited HHin alone, found a place to live, and moved within five weeks. No regrets. I'm right at the beach, a ways out of town, but can run there any time of daylight, by songtaew or private transport. The winter's been fun, with longterm expats from N. America, the UK, and Scandanavia staying here for four to six months. It's going to be lonely by April 15, but the boyfriend's back with me, so that's good.

Clean air, fresh breezes, warm water in the winter, cheap prices, adequate food choices (Thai or Western), traffic that's only maddening on the weekends or in the tourist area in the evening.....that's enough for me. Oh, and did I say, the cheap prices?

[BKK90210]

Hmm....you're both from the US......me too! I'm in Seattle.

Actually we're looking for the place to live in thailand and along the beach. Hua Hin's one of those places we're thinking of, but I'm worry a bit about the sunrise. I and my better half like seeing the sunset over the water better. So any of you have any problem with the sunrise, since the beach is facing east?...Is it still as beautiful even without seeing the sunset over the water?

In addition, I'm not so hot about living in the center of tourist area anyway and don't mind a bit distance from the spot because I can fairly speak and write thai at the level of any thai high school kids.

[PeaceBlondie]

I lived on the Pacific coast for five months, and got bored watching the sun set. Now I face east, and sunrises can get boring, too. I like to watch the moon rise over the black sea, though. Not a big factor.

You don't have to live in the city center.

[taxexile]

I'm worry a bit about the sunrise. I and my better half like seeing the sunset over the water better. So any of you have any problem with the sunrise, since the beach is facing east?...Is it still as beautiful even without seeing the sunset over the water?

we all feel for you at this time in your life , it cant be easy for you , you have reached a crossroad in your development , you must either grow up and get on with your life , or remain forever a fussy westerner spoilt beyond belief.

perhaps you should go into therapy to help you resolve this terrible and obviously debilitating conflict in your life. you must be tearing your hair out with anxiety.

people here in hua hin are throwing themselves off hi rise balconies regularly as the terrible hardship of having to watch yet another traumatic eastern sunrise causes deep feelings of depression , insecurity and neglect . having to live with the painful deprivation of never having over the water sunsets is truly one of the biggest causes of stress , heart disease and inane postings on expat forums in western society today.

people starving in africa and people living amongst the bombs of baghdad have it easy compared

with the daily torture that the unfortunates , the untouchables , and the forgotten long suffering martyrs of hua hin have to endure day after day.

from the US......me too!

i'd never have guessed.

In addition, I'm not so hot about living in the center of tourist area anyway and don't mind a bit distance from the spot

have you considered the malarial swamplands of western borneo ? sounds just the place for you.

Edited March 17, 2006 by taxexile

[Thaipwriter]

I'm worry a bit about the sunrise. I and my better half like seeing the sunset over the water better. So any of you have any problem with the sunrise, since the beach is facing east?...Is it still as beautiful even without seeing the sunset over the water?

we all feel for you at this time in your life , it cant be easy for you , you have reached a crossroad in your development , you must either grow up and get on with your life , or remain forever a fussy westerner spoilt beyond belief.

perhaps you should go into therapy to help you resolve this terrible and obviously debilitating conflict in your life. you must be tearing your hair out with anxiety.

people here in hua hin are throwing themselves off hi rise balconies regularly as the terrible hardship of having to watch yet another traumatic eastern sunrise causes deep feelings of depression , insecurity and neglect . having to live with the painful deprivation of never having over the water sunsets is truly one of the biggest causes of stress , heart disease and inane postings on expat forums in western society today.

people starving in africa and people living amongst the bombs of baghdad have it easy compared

with the daily torture that the unfortunates , the untouchables , and the forgotten long suffering martyrs of hua hin have to endure day after day.

from the US......me too!

i'd never have guessed.

In addition, I'm not so hot about living in the center of tourist area anyway and don't mind a bit distance from the spot

have you considered the malarial swamplands of western borneo ? sounds just the place for you.

It's Classic tax!

[BKK90210]

Hey taxexile

I think you must be suffering from….What We Call It- a typical PSYCHOLOGICAL DISORDER.

This type of person is having some kind of Disorder of Thought and Language - They do not think or speak like others. You could say it is weird. They often create their own words and they are hard to understand because their communication may consist of a bunch of seemingly unrelated statements. They also frequently have delusions which are firmly held beliefs that have no basis in reality.

They include deviant behaviors and thoughts or DISTURBANCE of PERCEPTION - They may not perceive the world in the same way as others. Most common is hallucinations where they have sensory experiences that have no basis in reality. They may also have visual hallucination where they see things that are not there.

Or You are the product of your environment? It can sure lead to a total loss of identity you know?

[taxexile]

taxexile.............

- (you) may not perceive the world in the same way as others.

cant argue with that , thats one of my more redeeming features.

as for you , you should try limbo dancing , everything just seems to go right over your head.

[dukkha]

After 4 years teaching in Chiengmai the call of the sea drew me to Hua Hin, have had a wonderful year and a half here but now health problems necessitate moving to Bangkok, a place I vowed I would never live in..the San Paolo hospital is not to my liking and with my problem they often say go to Bangkok so rather than monthly check ups in Bangkok will now make it my new home as there is a plethora of decent medical care at numerous hospitals..have also found that there is little stimulation after the beach...restaurants and bars are not enough to keep me occupied although retired and the days just blend into one another...I do not dislike Hua Hin but the changes I have witnessed since first visit in 1999 are accelerating and it now seems like one big real estate venture, no use to me as I cannot buy and only rent...I guess different strokes for different folks and hey, can always make visits when I need the sound and sight of the ocean...Dukkha

[pbrane]

we all feel for you at this time in your life , it cant be easy for you , you have reached a crossroad in your development , you must either grow up and get on with your life , or remain forever a fussy westerner spoilt beyond belief.

perhaps you should go into therapy to help you resolve this terrible and obviously debilitating conflict in your life. you must be tearing your hair out with anxiety.

people here in hua hin are throwing themselves off hi rise balconies regularly as the terrible hardship of having to watch yet another traumatic eastern sunrise causes deep feelings of depression , insecurity and neglect . having to live with the painful deprivation of never having over the water sunsets is truly one of the biggest causes of stress , heart disease and inane postings on expat forums in western society today.

people starving in africa and people living amongst the bombs of baghdad have it easy compared

with the daily torture that the unfortunates , the untouchables , and the forgotten long suffering martyrs of hua hin have to endure day after day.

from the US......me too!

i'd never have guessed.

In addition, I'm not so hot about living in the center of tourist area anyway and don't mind a bit distance from the spot

have you considered the malarial swamplands of western borneo ? sounds just the place for you.

...truly masterful sarcasm. Best laugh I've had in some time. Thanks (and I'm not being sarcastic-ha)

[Gary A]

Why is Hua Hin more popular than Cha Am? I found Cha Am to be much more to my liking and Pra Chuap much better than either. I really don't care a lot about the night life.

[RAMPAGE]

First, I visited Thailand from Texas, and fell in love with Chiang Mai. Lived there for two years, and made one holiday run to Hua Hin with the boyfriend. Then I visited HHin alone, found a place to live, and moved within five weeks. No regrets. I'm right at the beach, a ways out of town, but can run there any time of daylight, by songtaew or private transport. The winter's been fun, with longterm expats from N. America, the UK, and Scandanavia staying here for four to six months. It's going to be lonely by April 15, but the boyfriend's back with me, so that's good.

Clean air, fresh breezes, warm water in the winter, cheap prices, adequate food choices (Thai or Western), traffic that's only maddening on the weekends or in the tourist area in the evening.....that's enough for me. Oh, and did I say, the cheap prices?

Nice to see someone from Texas move to Hua Hin. We cremated my last Texas friend in November and the town hasn't seemed the same since....in my case, the boyfriend's in Bangkok but otherwise, I can attest that after 13 years in Hua Hin....there's nothing like it....absolutely the best air quality in Thailand, the best seafood and now we have joined the rest of the civilized world with a proper supermarket and even a movie theatre (4 in fact). We only lack a first-class hospital and that's under construction, due to open in 18 months. Chiang Mai and Bangkok have their attractions but for a permanent residence you can't beat Hua Hin.

[taxexile]

We only lack a first-class hospital and that's under construction, due to open in 18 months.

thats good news , i wasnt aware that they were building one.

where will it be and do you know who is running it ?

the san paulo has a very poor reputation , with all specialists having to be brought down from bangkok when needed , thus giving the accounts department there even more opportunities for bill padding and extortion.

the hospital with the best reputation in the area seems to be petcharaat hospital near big C.

[RAMPAGE]

We only lack a first-class hospital and that's under construction, due to open in 18 months.

thats good news , i wasnt aware that they were building one.

where will it be and do you know who is running it ?

the san paulo has a very poor reputation , with all specialists having to be brought down from bangkok when needed , thus giving the accounts department there even more opportunities for bill padding and extortion.

the hospital with the best reputation in the area seems to be petcharaat hospital near big C.

The hospital is being built on the grounds of the old Hua Hin Hospital which has moved to temporary quarters across the street. The hospital is being built for the King and the top floor is reserved for the Royal Family. The remaining floors will be open to the public and the doctors will be the best in the Kingdom. Doctors will spell each other off for a month at a time, coming from Siriraj, Chulalongkorn...all the best hospitals in Thailand will send doctors to Hua Hin. It will be a world-class medical facility.

[Viking]

I am wondering if anyone would be willing to share the details as to why you moved from your home country to Hua Hin, what you do in Hua Hin, and how your life has changed to due relocating to Hua Hin.

I am moving to Hin from America this Spring with my Thai girlfriend. She is growing tried of American and missed Thailand. I'm just wondering how other people started out and what to expect from a life in Hua Hin.

Thank you

I have very much the same concern about the location as I just love to se the sun settles in the sea. I think it will be “hard” to live on a “sun rise beach” but I intend to go there and find out so why don’t you do the same and then we will share our experience?

By the way don’t be discouraged by the idi@ts in this forum, there are plenty of them in exile in Thailand but they are easily avoided in real life! Thank god!

Viking

[EVO]

how can it be that your main concern in moving to another town/coty/country is the placement of the sun? i find that seriously strange.

shouldnt your main concern be the fact that hua hin is/has become a giant construction area with probably more projects on the go than the whole of phuket! (a wild estimation, but i bet im not far off the mark).

tha major attraction to hua hin in the first place was that it still retained the feel of an old fishing village in parts, but that is being lost faster than the panties of a bintabaht bar girl.

hua hin doesnt actually have much to offer people. it has a mediocre beach, traffic congestion is building, the infrastructure is lacking and with real estate prices rising so quickly it cannot be long before people realise that it really isnt such a good deal.

[johnnyk]

how can it be that your main concern in moving to another town/coty/country is the placement of the sun? i find that seriously strange.

shouldnt your main concern be the fact that hua hin is/has become a giant construction area with probably more projects on the go than the whole of phuket! (a wild estimation, but i bet im not far off the mark).

tha major attraction to hua hin in the first place was that it still retained the feel of an old fishing village in parts, but that is being lost faster than the panties of a bintabaht bar girl.

hua hin doesnt actually have much to offer people. it has a mediocre beach, traffic congestion is building, the infrastructure is lacking and with real estate prices rising so quickly it cannot be long before people realise that it really isnt such a good deal.

Yes, you should stay away EVO. Clearly, its not for you.

[EVO]

how can it be that your main concern in moving to another town/coty/country is the placement of the sun? i find that seriously strange.

shouldnt your main concern be the fact that hua hin is/has become a giant construction area with probably more projects on the go than the whole of phuket! (a wild estimation, but i bet im not far off the mark).

tha major attraction to hua hin in the first place was that it still retained the feel of an old fishing village in parts, but that is being lost faster than the panties of a bintabaht bar girl.

hua hin doesnt actually have much to offer people. it has a mediocre beach, traffic congestion is building, the infrastructure is lacking and with real estate prices rising so quickly it cannot be long before people realise that it really isnt such a good deal.

Yes, you should stay away EVO. Clearly, its not for you.

Johnny, im afraid you are seriously mistaken. I wont stay away because i am one of those who love Hua Hin. What i say cannot really be disputed. is the beach first class? Is the infrastructure first class? Is the legality of owning land and house straight forward? Is the political situation such that it encourages foreign investment? If you can HONESTLY answer YES to any of the above questions, then i will retract my statement and eat my shorts!!

Bottom line is that holiday home owners will more than likely realise soon enough that the value just isnt there, and that Corpus Christie or any of the eurpoean destinations, (especially Croatia at this time) represent much more value for money.

[taxexile]

What i say cannot really be disputed. is the beach first class? Is the infrastructure first class? Is the legality of owning land and house straight forward? Is the political situation such that it encourages foreign investment? If you can HONESTLY answer YES to any of the above questions, then i will retract my statement and eat my shorts!!

i live here and love it too .

nothing to do ? .......absolutely right .........

apart from golf , swimming , cycling , the historical town of phetchburi just up the road , a beautiful national park 40 minutes down the road , we are only two hours from bangkok , and the beaches , apart from the mess outside the hilton , are pretty good .

i live 4km north of the centre on the beach near the anantara resort , wide clean and empty beach when the tide is out , good for swimming and cycling and walking , i can buy fresh fish and seafood every day from the fishermans encampment on the beach near the airport.

four fresh food and vegetable outdoor markets most days of the week , no end of good restaurants , thai and western.

i own a condo , so the house and land purchase doesnt affect me , thats all straightforward , but i agree that the house and land laws for falangs is a mess and open to abuse by the authorities should they choose.

as for construction , i dont see it as that bad , its regulated down near the beach and you cant get away from construction anywhere in the world these days. most of the commercial construction is along the main road.

as for the old fishing village thing , well in a perfect world it would be nice to retain that charm , but then you end up with uk style preserved villages that become static communities of outsiders , jam packed with gawkers at the weekends.

the days of the old traditional fishing villages with old sea salts mending their nets in the streets and toothless crones selling their wares from baskets in the streets are long gone , its progress for better or for worse.

last time i looked though , there seemed to be a pretty big and fully functional fishing village down alongside the inlet at khow takiap , thats only about 5 minutes on a bike from the town centre.

fishing village and sea food restaurants.

in the hills behind the town , and over in the valley towards the bypass , there are a lot of falang township developments going up , or advertised as about to go up , but thats way out of town , where falang ghettos should be. no thai with any sense would buy one of those overpriced houses. thais are poor swimmers and i hear some of those flatlands hold a lot of water come the rains.

i hated tescos when it opened last month , but i will live with it ,

the biggest eyesore in this town is soi bintabaht with its low rent shacks and minimal investment poverty bars. its fcking awful .

a decent bar or pub in town would be good , i havent found one yet.

no , its not perfect here , but for me its as good as it gets. not too much to whings about (yet)

one of those awful eastern sunrises.

the awful beach

Bottom line is that holiday home owners will more than likely realise soon enough that the value just isnt there, and that Corpus Christie or any of the eurpoean destinations, (especially Croatia at this time) represent much more value for money.

which can only be good news for hua hin.

will you be having wine with your shorts , sir ?

[johnnyk]

Everything EVO says can be disputed.

Beach is good enough for me, it has sand and warm water.

Infrastructure compared to where?

Please tell me where in Thailand it is significantly better?

Oh, you mean its better in Europe and America. I should hope so, but TiT. Apples and oranges.

Ins and outs of owning/renting property is a decision for an individual to make based on comfort level. You aren't comfortable with it? No pompem, don't do it. I'm sure buying property in Croatia is a treat. Hasn't been a nasty war in Thailand for quite some time though. Can't say that about Croatia.

BTW, Croatian "cuisine" doesn't really threaten Thai cuisine in the flavour sweepstakes, does it?

Let me know when it does.

Corpus Christie (sic)? You mean USA? Prices not same same at all. Enjoy your BigMac. Apples and oranges for dessert.

HH a giant contruction site? Really? Is the sky full of huge cranes? Building activity is on the outskirts, invisible from the centre of town and not high rise like Costa del Sol or Pattaya.

You claim to love HH but it doesn't sound that way.

[Pattayatony]

Hmm....you're both from the US......me too! I'm in Seattle.

Actually we're looking for the place to live in thailand and along the beach. Hua Hin's one of those places we're thinking of, but I'm worry a bit about the sunrise. I and my better half like seeing the sunset over the water better. So any of you have any problem with the sunrise, since the beach is facing east?...Is it still as beautiful even without seeing the sunset over the water?

In addition, I'm not so hot about living in the center of tourist area anyway and don't mind a bit distance from the spot because I can fairly speak and write thai at the level of any thai high school kids.

Is this guy for REAL, we all know the sun sets in the east in Thailand, oh I see your trying to keep it a secret!!!!!!!!!

Edited April 2, 2006 by Pattayatony

[BKK90210]

What is your problem!...Geezz stop bashing just a simple question!

If you have nothing else to contribute then go back to your sleep!

[ratchabuild]

[.

The smart money at the moment is all going to swaziland, sure its got health, travel, infrastrucure and safety issues but where else can you get a mud hut for 100 baht? Upcountry you can live like a king if you can find anything you want to buy.

Edited April 4, 2006 by ratchabuild

[johnnyk]

[.

The smart money at the moment is all going to swaziland, sure its got health, travel, infrastrucure and safety issues but where else can you get a mud hut for 100 baht? Upcountry you can live like a king if you can find anything you want to buy.

I heard the beach isn't that good

[RAMPAGE]

Everything EVO says can be disputed.

Beach is good enough for me, it has sand and warm water.

Infrastructure compared to where?

Please tell me where in Thailand it is significantly better?

Oh, you mean its better in Europe and America. I should hope so, but TiT. Apples and oranges.

Ins and outs of owning/renting property is a decision for an individual to make based on comfort level. You aren't comfortable with it? No pompem, don't do it. I'm sure buying property in Croatia is a treat. Hasn't been a nasty war in Thailand for quite some time though. Can't say that about Croatia.

BTW, Croatian "cuisine" doesn't really threaten Thai cuisine in the flavour sweepstakes, does it?

Let me know when it does.

Corpus Christie (sic)? You mean USA? Prices not same same at all. Enjoy your BigMac. Apples and oranges for dessert.

HH a giant contruction site? Really? Is the sky full of huge cranes? Building activity is on the outskirts, invisible from the centre of town and not high rise like Costa del Sol or Pattaya.

You claim to love HH but it doesn't sound that way.

I have lived in Hua Hin for fourteen years...I also maintain homes in Bangkok and Chiang Mai. I can assure anyone that Hua Hin has the best air quality of anywhere in Thailand. Creaking infrastructure? Have you visited Pattaya or Samui lately? Construction boom? Yes, but it is mostly out of sight. The good side of the construction boom is that we have now a proper shopping complex...If you didn't live here ten years ago you won't appreciate the fact that you can now buy packaged meat just like the folks in Bangkok without tiptoeing through a fresh market in the centre of town, competing with the rats.

I live 50 meters from the beach and while it isn't the best in Thailand it isn't the worst either....I do my swimming in a pool so for me the beach is purely scenic and my beach is just great in that department. Hua Hin boasts some of the best seafood in Thailand, its quiet most of the time and now if its raining and you're bored you can even take in a movie or go bowling.

[1bigeater56]

I loved Hua Hin back in the early 80s. It was a quiet town with a few large hotels. Now, I have to admit that like Samui, Hua Hin has grown. Some for the worse and some for the, well, I guess the worse.

[RAZZELL]

I'm worry a bit about the sunrise. I and my better half like seeing the sunset over the water better. So any of you have any problem with the sunrise, since the beach is facing east?...Is it still as beautiful even without seeing the sunset over the water?

we all feel for you at this time in your life , it cant be easy for you , you have reached a crossroad in your development , you must either grow up and get on with your life , or remain forever a fussy westerner spoilt beyond belief.

perhaps you should go into therapy to help you resolve this terrible and obviously debilitating conflict in your life. you must be tearing your hair out with anxiety.

people here in hua hin are throwing themselves off hi rise balconies regularly as the terrible hardship of having to watch yet another traumatic eastern sunrise causes deep feelings of depression , insecurity and neglect . having to live with the painful deprivation of never having over the water sunsets is truly one of the biggest causes of stress , heart disease and inane postings on expat forums in western society today.

people starving in africa and people living amongst the bombs of baghdad have it easy compared

with the daily torture that the unfortunates , the untouchables , and the forgotten long suffering martyrs of hua hin have to endure day after day.

from the US......me too!

i'd never have guessed.

In addition, I'm not so hot about living in the center of tourist area anyway and don't mind a bit distance from the spot

have you considered the malarial swamplands of western borneo ? sounds just the place for you.

PMSL

[jdinasia]

lived in HH and was bored out of my mind for 6 months ....

But it has a great beach in town .... The traffic aint all that bad (would be great if they repaired the bypass and kinda insisted folks heading south used it

as for Tax? ... West Yorky ... 'nuff said

[tomchaam]

Hua Hin is a fanatastic place to live. Of all the places in Thailand I chose HH because of clean, clean air, excellent seafood, and a wonderful 6 k. beach for walking and the next beach south is another great walk site where one can listen to the sea in one ear and hear the pines blowing in the wind in the other ear. Some people with idle brains and a warped sense of humor only last here for six months but a lot of quality people with intelligence and humor can be found each morning at either of our two Starbucks. I lived in CM for 14 years but each year the air became more toxic ... especially with poisons sprayed on the 50,000 rai of lamyai in neighboring Lamphun. If you visit HH don't miss the dim sum at White Lotus at the Hilton...cheap and delicious and offered on Sat. and Sun. from 11:00 to 2:30. The new mall, Market Village, is a fun place to walk around and it has several chain restaurants including K of C, S and P, MK, Fuji, Black Canyon etc. etc. etc. I've included a photo of an 'awful' sunrise.

Edited May 20, 2006 by tomchaam

[PeaceBlondie]

I went to university in Corpus Christi, back when kids could surf DOWNTOWN in the bay as Hurricane Beulah approached (1967), but now the bay is silted up completely; no swimming. The largest natural lake in Mexico, Chapala, south of Guadalajara, got sucked so dry by the big city that retirees who built boat docks were left fifty meters back on the beach. I heard that Katmandhu was not the place to be lately, with protestors in the street every day....or was that Bangkok?

Oh, and when there's a full moon in Hua Hin, you can swim in the moonlight.

Ooops, I forgot: but that was 1940, and now there are a million refugees from Timbuktu and Transylvania and Tuvalu and Bugalu; don't come; it's terrible here; vampires every night, dragons roam the street at Chinese New Year. Stay in the hovels of Prague and the favelas of Brasilia; don't come.