Hotel Accommodation During Off-Season

[ladylazarus]

Hi all! I will be arriving in Hua Hin on 28 August for a stay of about 5 days. I was wondering if I should go ahead and book a hotel through Agoda or another site before arriving, or if there would be plenty available during this time for me to just walk into. I'm also having a hard time deciding if I should just get a place closer to the bus station (since I will be arriving after 30 hours of flight and 3 hours of bus travel) or further up toward the city center. However, I feel like I will be spending a good amount of time at the beaches further south like Khao Takiab and Khao Tao. Any opinions of the area/hotels around the bus station on Hua Hin 96/1? Some hotels I have looked at, including those closer to the city center, are Citin Loft, Amara Resort, Thipurai Beach Hotel and Nicha Suite Hotel. I would appreciate any advice!

[hhfarang]

August is low season here so I suspect there will be plenty of empty rooms, however, from my own personal experience in Bangkok I've found that the walk in room rate is frequently much higher than Agoda's or some of the other booking sites like Asia Rooms. So you may save some baht by booking in advance even though it may not be necessary.

[Qman]

A couple of comments. There is a new Ibis hotel on the southern end of town by the flyover (south of Village Market) so somewhat convenient to your area of interest. You can check them directly or through Accor which is their hotel group. The hotel is new and nicer than Citin Loft but Citin is closer to the main part of town. Prices are about the same as I recall but have not stayed at Citin since 2010. Note Hua Hin area has their golf festival in August and September and there are a number of hotels with special pricing. In 2012 they were grouped by 990 and 1,990 baht so can get some good deals with good selection. You might Google the 2012 flyers for info and see if any are of interest. Also, weekend prices tend to go up as the Bangkok crowd comes and it can be congested all over town at that time.

[ladylazarus]

Thanks you guys!

Qman, I took a look at the new Ibis through Agoda and it seems perfect! Thanks!

[Quackers]

Thanks you guys!

Qman, I took a look at the new Ibis through Agoda and it seems perfect! Thanks!

Ibis hotels are good (I usually stay in Ibis BKK) but the location in Hua Hin is poor. There is nothing close (walking distance) to the HH Ibis. I would recommend staying in the center as you can walk to restaurants/bars and always tour operators for day trips

[ladylazarus]

Quackers, I appreciate that note but we actually see this as a positive feature. The hotel has a "shuttle service" that takes guests to the night market/city center. Since the hotel is where we are going to sleep & relax, we would rather this be further from the center and closer to the nicer beaches. We are also considering visiting the Pala-U Waterfall and Khao Tao, and this may be possible through the hotel's "tours service" they have listed. Is the area around HH Ibis otherwise bad in your opinion?

[Quackers]

Quackers, I appreciate that note but we actually see this as a positive feature. The hotel has a "shuttle service" that takes guests to the night market/city center. Since the hotel is where we are going to sleep & relax, we would rather this be further from the center and closer to the nicer beaches. We are also considering visiting the Pala-U Waterfall and Khao Tao, and this may be possible through the hotel's "tours service" they have listed. Is the area around HH Ibis otherwise bad in your opinion?

The Ibis hotels are only good for sleep and not for spending any further time in. The location of Ibis HH is between the Centre and koh Takiab. If you are happy waiting for the shuttle service every time you want to go somewhere then OK. If you go to the bars/restaurants in the centre each night then you have a 200 baht Tuk Tuk drive home, Hua Hin centre is busy with people walking around and going to restaurants at night but it is gets quiet around 11/12 and only the soi bintabaht area has noise (not too loud) up to 2am.

Koh Takiab is not a nicer beach then Hua Hin but it has more restaurants on the beach front and the Anantasila Hotel is a nice place for lunch/dinner.

There are many tour shops which will do trips to Pala-U (nice waterfalls and about 1 hour from centre) and koh tao (nothing much there).

There is a small shopping mall near the centre (Market Village) and there is a wine shop at the entrance. The wine shop can arrange trips to their vineyard (that's if you like wine)

If you want an English Sunday roast then the best place is Palm Bistro (usually need to book)

ps. August is during rain season so the beaches are empty

[ladylazarus]

Thank you for the additional information!

[Ciocco]

Quackers, I appreciate that note but we actually see this as a positive feature. The hotel has a "shuttle service" that takes guests to the night market/city center. Since the hotel is where we are going to sleep & relax, we would rather this be further from the center and closer to the nicer beaches. We are also considering visiting the Pala-U Waterfall and Khao Tao, and this may be possible through the hotel's "tours service" they have listed. Is the area around HH Ibis otherwise bad in your opinion?

The Ibis hotels are only good for sleep and not for spending any further time in. The location of Ibis HH is between the Centre and koh Takiab. If you are happy waiting for the shuttle service every time you want to go somewhere then OK. If you go to the bars/restaurants in the centre each night then you have a 200 baht Tuk Tuk drive home, Hua Hin centre is busy with people walking around and going to restaurants at night but it is gets quiet around 11/12 and only the soi bintabaht area has noise (not too loud) up to 2am.

Koh Takiab is not a nicer beach then Hua Hin but it has more restaurants on the beach front and the Anantasila Hotel is a nice place for lunch/dinner.

There are many tour shops which will do trips to Pala-U (nice waterfalls and about 1 hour from centre) and koh tao (nothing much there).

There is a small shopping mall near the centre (Market Village) and there is a wine shop at the entrance. The wine shop can arrange trips to their vineyard (that's if you like wine)

If you want an English Sunday roast then the best place is Palm Bistro (usually need to book)

ps. August is during rain season so the beaches are empty

Just to add to your good description a few tips

Walking 2 minutes in Kao Takiab direction you'll find Hyatt Hotel, in front of it (on the same land) they make a not-too-bad night market weekly (Cikada Market) with food street and so on.

Crossing the street from Hyatt, and walking 3 more minutes in Kao Takiab direction you'll find Wilawain, a very nice (for us) place for greakfast/snacks/bakery/cafè...

[ladylazarus]

Thanks again for more suggestions! It's funny, though, to hear people suggest Sunday roast and cafe's rather than good local food. Does anyone have any suggestions for where their favorite Thai food is around this area? (Other than the markets for street food).

[Quackers]

Thanks again for more suggestions! It's funny, though, to hear people suggest Sunday roast and cafe's rather than good local food. Does anyone have any suggestions for where their favorite Thai food is around this area? (Other than the markets for street food).

The best Thai food I've had (and I'm fussy) is Pad kpow nua with kow pad (stir fried beef with chili/basil and fried rice) at All Seasons restaurant opposite the Hilton. I've not found another place that does it as good.

I never eat the street food any more after too many bad stomachs

There is a thread on here about places to eat in Hua Hin

[hh2sale]

My comment may difference than another people. For my opinion if you are comming for a nice and quiet beaches, not for the bars. I would like to recomend you to go 91 Km. south of Hua Hin, there is a capital of the province called Prachuap Kirikhan. You can search on google to see the location. Most of everthing are a lot cheaper than Hua Hin. It takes about 1 and a half on a mini bus from Hua Hin.

But if you are comming for night life, Hua Hin is the right place.

[ladylazarus]

My comment may difference than another people. For my opinion if you are comming for a nice and quiet beaches, not for the bars. I would like to recomend you to go 91 Km. south of Hua Hin, there is a capital of the province called Prachuap Kirikhan. You can search on google to see the location. Most of everthing are a lot cheaper than Hua Hin. It takes about 1 and a half on a mini bus from Hua Hin.

But if you are comming for night life, Hua Hin is the right place.

You are right, I am not coming for the nightlife. However, there is a lot that I would enjoy around Hua Hin like Takiab, Khao Tao, and Pala-U Waterfall. We have already booked our hotel in Hua Hin/Takiab, but I will surely take a look at Prachuap Kirikhan for a visit. Thanks!

[Ace of Pop]

Cha Am, just before Hua Hin has a brilliant Fish Restaurants far end of South Beach, plenty of good Hotels, beach clean, but dead at night. Worth a short stay.