Hua Hin residents! What is there to do there? (Dance classes, cinemas and entertainment, parks?)

RiaKova · July 29, 2014

I keep browsing through the net but only seem to find things about nightlife, clubbing, drinking, and various tourist traps.

For a local living in Thailand for 6 years, and merely a teenager (17), what's in there for me? My choice of University (Webster) is bringing me there, as I get quite some health issues in Bangkok. Not my type of city.

But I hope I won't move from the middle of nowhere (Pattaya) into another middle of nowhere (Hua Hin / Cha Am).

So, things I want to know:

- Dance classes?! (This is crucial to me. Not just fitness that looks like dancing, no zumba or rumba, specifically street dancing, hip hop, jazz and that stuff)

- Nice places for a stroll / jog / picnic? (Hows the shoreline? Is the ocean clean? Are there actual parks for skating / outdoor games?)

- Cinemas and shopping centers? (I know they have a bowling and cinema, and there's a really good Outlet store... But is there, like, just one bowling and one cinema, or they have proper shopping malls? I'm not expecting BKK level, but still...)

- Hangouts? (Do they even have Starbucks! They gotta have one, right?)

- Public fitness / gym? (Pretty self explanatory)

- Anything you'd recommend to do? Sports? Kite-surfing? Hiking? I don't know, hobby classes? Music lessons?

Many, many thanks in advance.

Bernard Flint · July 29, 2014

Pole dancing is good for fitness

Sorry, only joking

krisb · July 29, 2014

Hangouts....Thai Visa Bar.

Just go for a ...or even

Ps, is Pattaya really the middle of nowhere?

Bernard Flint · July 29, 2014

Pattaya and Bangkok are tops for all your requirements,but as you say, Bangkok does create health issues, far worse than Pattaya.Hua Hin is a ghost town compared to the above ones.However i realy like the place,especialy not being a daily drinker.

Bernard Flint · July 29, 2014

Hangouts....Thai Visa Bar.

Just go for a ...or even

Ps, is Pattaya really the middle of nowhere?

sir

I thought Pattaya was the middle of everything

krisb · July 29, 2014

Hangouts....Thai Visa Bar.

Just go for a ...or even

Ps, is Pattaya really the middle of nowhere?

sir

I thought Pattaya was the middle of everything

Tolkein called it middle Earth I thought.

Thaiberius · July 29, 2014

Pattaya in the middle of nowhere?

I like Hua Hin but I think our requirements may be quite different.

Pro's

Girlie bar scene but in an area bounded by about 4 or 5 little soi's so not in your face.

Small town feel but with some wonderful restaurants.

Served by rail - 3 or 4 trains a day to Bangkok, about 4 or 5 hours.

Taxi, 3 or 4 hours to Bangkok - can't remember how much but will guess at about 3,000 baht or thereabouts.

Plenty of shopping opportunities.

Clean beaches within walking distance - Main beach tends to be crowded with concessions.

A number of gyms both in the main town and a couple out of town.

A big shopping centre called Market Village about a mile out of the town centre selling farang food if that's what you want.

A couple of really good night markets.

Not many Russians.

Very cheap condo rentals.

Con's

In the floods it took me about 7 or 8 hours to get to Suvarnabhumi in a taxi. If the expressway is crowded then that's you done.

Don't get a minibus from Bangkok unless you have a deathwish.

Getting more and more expensive. Thai's use it as a weekend getaway.

There are some periods where hotels are utterly ridiculously high in their pricing.

Don't know in your case whether it's a pro or a con but backpackers tend to stay near the railway station and out of sight.

Can get quite cold at night with the wind coming off the sea at certain times of the year.

Can't help you with dance classes but there is a large northern European population who will point you in the right direction.

Don't know too much about franchises but I do know there is a MacD's. I avoid them like the plague.

Good luck and have a good time!

Michaelaway · July 29, 2014

Pattaya in the middle of nowhere?

I like Hua Hin but I think our requirements may be quite different.

Pro's

Girlie bar scene but in an area bounded by about 4 or 5 little soi's so not in your face.

Small town feel but with some wonderful restaurants.

Served by rail - 3 or 4 trains a day to Bangkok, about 4 or 5 hours.

Taxi, 3 or 4 hours to Bangkok - can't remember how much but will guess at about 3,000 baht or thereabouts.

Plenty of shopping opportunities.

Clean beaches within walking distance - Main beach tends to be crowded with concessions.

A number of gyms both in the main town and a couple out of town.

A big shopping centre called Market Village about a mile out of the town centre selling farang food if that's what you want.

A couple of really good night markets.

Not many Russians.

Very cheap condo rentals.

Con's

In the floods it took me about 7 or 8 hours to get to Suvarnabhumi in a taxi. If the expressway is crowded then that's you done.

Don't get a minibus from Bangkok unless you have a deathwish.

Getting more and more expensive. Thai's use it as a weekend getaway.

There are some periods where hotels are utterly ridiculously high in their pricing.

Don't know in your case whether it's a pro or a con but backpackers tend to stay near the railway station and out of sight.

Can get quite cold at night with the wind coming off the sea at certain times of the year.

Can't help you with dance classes but there is a large northern European population who will point you in the right direction.

Don't know too much about franchises but I do know there is a MacD's. I avoid them like the plague.

Good luck and have a good time!

Very good & informative post!

RiaKova · July 29, 2014

"I thought Pattaya was the middle of everything"

Well, haha, yes. Yeah.

But, personally, I'm not the party freak type, so there's really nothing to do for me here, really.

"Not many Russians."

Well, don't tell them about that, or else that ought to change real fast! Still thinking though whether its really a pro or con... A bit of both.

"...but there is a large northern European population"

Hell yeah! Sure hope not the kind of aging population walking hand in hand with Thai girls, but some more or less decent residents!

"...backpackers tend to stay near the railway station and out of sight"

Well I ought to go and find them then! 'Cause I LOVE backpackers and the casual any-time-any-where-travelers. Always have a few interesting stories to share!

And sounds like its not all that far from BKK if I ever feel like going there over the weekends.

So far so good, thank you all very much for your input!

Anyone else in for sharing their Hua Hin experience?

pinkpanther99 · July 29, 2014

Starbucks! We've got two, along with about 1 million other coffee shops!

Shopping - there is market village, that's the big shopping centre. With new malls and other shopping complexes being built currently.

Dance classes - I'm not sure of the exact details but I've seen signs around town advertising dance classes. There are lots of yoga places too in Hua Hin.

There are a few decent gyms in town - a very good one on Soi 102 called Powerfit.

There is a kite surfing school in Hua Hin.

The beach in HH is OK, not like the beaches in the south but not bad. 7/10 on a good day.

Lots of good Thai and Western restaurants in town.

HH is still pretty reasonable in terms of living costs too, imo.

Jonathan Fairfield · July 30, 2014

This might be useful: Hua Hin Top 10 Picks

Also, for regular updates on news, events and things to do follow Thaivisa Hua Hin on Facebook.

hhfarang · July 30, 2014

I keep browsing through the net but only seem to find things about nightlife, clubbing, drinking, and various tourist traps.

For a local living in Thailand for 6 years, and merely a teenager (17), what's in there for me? My choice of University (Webster) is bringing me there, as I get quite some health issues in Bangkok. Not my type of city.

But I hope I won't move from the middle of nowhere (Pattaya) into another middle of nowhere (Hua Hin / Cha Am).

I would say it's a bit more of "middle of nowhere" than Pattaya, smaller town, no real city with western amenities nearby except Bangkok 2.5 to 4 hours away depending on your luck and mode of transportation.

So, things I want to know:

- Dance classes?! (This is crucial to me. Not just fitness that looks like dancing, no zumba or rumba, specifically street dancing, hip hop, jazz and that stuff)

Been here ten years and never heard of any dance classes, but then again I haven't specifically looked for any.

- Nice places for a stroll / jog / picnic? (Hows the shoreline? Is the ocean clean? Are there actual parks for skating / outdoor games?)

Jogging is difficult, mainly because of Soi dogs on back roads, and blocked side walks down town. The best two options I know of would be the Queen's park at the palace that has a jogging/walking track or the beach. The best beach for that would be the one south of Takiab mountain (south of the main Hua Hin beach) as the Hua Hin beach is crowded with vendors lounge chairs, horse crap and umbrellas and can completely disappear in places at times during high tide.

The shoreline in Hua Hin is a bit different than Pattaya or even Cha-Am as the authorities here have let it completely be built up so that the only access to the beach is down Sois between buildings. There is no road directly running adjacent to the beach as in Pattaya, in fact you could be in down town Hua Hin and not even know there is an ocean nearby. And no, the ocean is not clean here. The water is murky and there are many large submerged rocks covered in razor sharp barnacles. A Hua Hin Hospital ER doc told me that severe cuts from those was the cause of most of their foreign tourist visits. The other common injury for ocean swimmers is jellyfish stings as they are seasonally plentiful here. The water is also not clean as there is no waste water treatment plant here and as far as I know waste water is directly drained from the city into the sea just a bit north of down town; at least it used to be as I used to see it (and smell it) coming from a big pipe into the ocean (haven't been to that location lately). If you are a swimmer, I would stick to a pool.

The only thing in Hua Hin that I would call a park in is the above mentioned area for jogging at the Palace. I don't know of any place suitable for skating. There is a park on top of a mountain overlooking the city that would be suitable for walks or picnics, another one just south of Cha-Am (Cha-Am Park) and a beach/park area on a military base a few miles south of Hua Hin called Suan Son where a lot of visiting Thais seem to like to picnic. As far as outdoor games go, there is a lawn bowling place, several soccer pitches, kite boarding schools at the beach, lots of golf courses and a couple of water parks.

- Cinemas and shopping centers? (I know they have a bowling and cinema, and there's a really good Outlet store... But is there, like, just one bowling and one cinema, or they have proper shopping malls? I'm not expecting BKK level, but still...)

One cinema (multiple screens) In the only real mall at the moment (other malls are planned, but not constructed yet, unless you consider Venezia, an outdoor "tourist" mall at the north end of town), but most showings are dubbed in Thai. Lately they are beginning to have the occasional showing on one screen in original soundtrack but it doesn't seem to be advertised so you just have to go see if anything is playing at any given time in English. That "really good outlet store" is an entire outlet mall on the highway to Bangkok a few miles north of Cha-Am so not really close by. The mall in town is nothing like Bangkok malls. The anchor stores are Tesco and HomePro. There are no department stores here like Central or Emporium, just small shops selling clothing and other items.

- Hangouts? (Do they even have Starbucks! They gotta have one, right?)

Yes, as the previous poster said, there are two Starbucks (is there a city in the world without at least one?) and many other coffee shops. As far as hangouts for younger foreign people I'm not aware of them, but your fellow university students would be the best source of that information. The majority of Hua Hin foreign residents are of three types, retirees, people who live here part time while working offshore the other part, and snowbirds, mainly from Scandanavia, who live here for a few months during the winter and go back to their home country for the rest of the year. Sorry to say that it is more of a retiree town than a young person's place so other than fellow students or Thais you may have trouble finding young people to hang out with.

- Public fitness / gym? (Pretty self explanatory)

As a previous poster said, many choices north, central, and south end of town.

- Anything you'd recommend to do? Sports? Kite-surfing? Hiking? I don't know, hobby classes? Music lessons?

Being an old retiree I can't help you much there. There is lots of kite surfing, but due to the water conditions I detailed above most water sports are out, bowling both indoor and lawn, football (soccer), and the aforementioned water parks and golf courses. This is a big golfing community. I've also read on forums of organized groups playing badminton, but I don't know where or when or even if it is a regular event. There are tennis courts, but I think most, if not all, are private associated with hotels or condos but maybe you can pay to play. There is a hiking/drinking group called the Hash House Harriers that do organized back country run/walk/biking events regularly. Most, if not all f them would be much older than you and they have sort of a party with beer and games after their events. There are pool and darts leagues, but they play in bars, which I gather is not your scene at your age. I don't know of any hobby classes, but private music lessons can be arranged. I'm afraid you'll be disappointed in the social aspect of Hua Hin unless you are an avid golfer or like to hang out in bars, but maybe you'll surprise me by telling me I'm wrong after you're here for a while.

Many, many thanks in advance.

Finally some comments/advice you didn't directly ask for. I assume from your avatar and post that you are a 17 year old woman. While Hua Hin is generally a safe place, I would not advise you to be in uncrowded places (like the mountain overlook I mentioned), on the back roads running or biking, or even walking empty stretches of beach alone or after dark.

Your school is pretty far west of town so some form of transport will be needed to do anything. Once you get into town there are plenty of baht buses, tuk-tuks, songteaws, and motorcycle taxis to get around the main parts of Hua Hin and Takiab (another town directly adjacent to the south end of Hua Hin). Cha/Am is 20 to 30 minutes by car north of Hua Hin, so actually a separate area completely.

One parting statement is that I do not agree with the poster that said that Hua Hin is reasonable in terms of living costs. That depends on how you want to live and where you are comparing it to. Of course it is reasonable compared to most cities in Western countries, but it is one of the most expensive places to live in Thailand along with Bangkok and Phuket. In the ten years I've been here it has been discovered by foreign tourists and retirees. It was a pretty sleepy little town when I first came in 2003 that was mainly a Thai tourist destination for weekend getaways from Bangkok. Since it was discovered by Europeans, the cost of living has gone up by around 50% in the time I've been here because of very rapid growth.

Having said all the above (sometimes sounding negative), I've searched Thailand for a better place to live and have not found one that suits my needs.

Please post your experience and opinions of living here after you get settled in as we rarely get information/opinions from someone your age and I for one would be interested to know how you find life here for young people.

csabo · July 30, 2014

The beach in HH is OK, not like the beaches in the south but not bad. 7/10 on a good day.

You can't be serious. Based on your 7/10 score it is obvious you have never been to an Andaman coast beach. To imply the swampy gulf and hard dirty beach in Hua Hin could remotely compare on any scale is preposterous. If Hua Hin is a 7/10 then the "beaches in the south" are 50/10

sauvagecheri · July 30, 2014

Sounds like Khao San road in BKK would be more to your liking ,lol,plenty of backpackers and young people's activities there and no " Old people" walking hand in hand with Thai girls .. ,

Hua Hin is a great little town but not for everyone ,however there is plenty of good fun there for whomever has an open and inquisitive mind .

Once you go away from the town center there are many many great beaches to go to ,

Younger people ,they are there too ..

Bernard Flint · July 30, 2014

"I thought Pattaya was the middle of everything"

Well, haha, yes. Yeah.

But, personally, I'm not the party freak type, so there's really nothing to do for me here, really.

"Not many Russians."

Well, don't tell them about that, or else that ought to change real fast! Still thinking though whether its really a pro or con... A bit of both.

"...but there is a large northern European population"

Hell yeah! Sure hope not the kind of aging population walking hand in hand with Thai girls, but some more or less decent residents!

"...backpackers tend to stay near the railway station and out of sight"

Well I ought to go and find them then! 'Cause I LOVE backpackers and the casual any-time-any-where-travelers. Always have a few interesting stories to share!

And sounds like its not all that far from BKK if I ever feel like going there over the weekends.

So far so good, thank you all very much for your input!

Anyone else in for sharing their Hua Hin experience?

My experience is x rated, Ria, wink wink

hhfarang · July 30, 2014

One place I forgot about in my earlier post that may be of interest per your outdoor sports question. There is a large sport complex in the north end of town called Tavimook. I believe it has a golf driving range, several tennis courts, several badminton courts, as well as a gym on site. I have no idea of the costs though. Also there are some sport facilities in Palm Hills besides the golf course. I believe they also have tennis and badminton courts.

JimHuaHin · July 30, 2014

Some great responses above.

May I add that Hua Hin is a lot safer than Bangkok.

Also Webster Uni. has a free bus from campus (which is a bit out of town) to the city (Hua Hin Market Village).

A proportion of the Webster students often hang out in a bar opposite the Thia Visa bar.

Health services are good here, both the private expensive Bangkok Hospital (about 10 minutes walk south of Hua Hin Marrket Village) and the government's Hua Hin Hospital (about 10 minutes drive north of the city centre).

Good luck with your studies.

ThaiReal · July 30, 2014

- some pictures of Hua Hin http://thailand-immobilien.ch/HuaHin_Bilder.html

oztaurus · July 30, 2014

For the dancing, there is a group who hang out at Cicada Market on weekends in Khao Takiab that are specifically into street dance, go check them out.

Gandtee · July 30, 2014

I would recommend that you bugger off to wherever you came from ! Starbucks? The worst cup of coffee ever was in Starbucks, Swampy airport. Perhaps you want a KFC and McDonald's? You are seventeen. Grow up and explore.

nomad127 · July 30, 2014

I lived in HH for almost 4 years, left about 8 months ago, so I think my comment will still be accurate. HH is a pretty small place, once you are there for a few months, you will have seen and done just about everything. Weekends are a pain in the backside in HH, because of all the people from Bangkok that go there. Traffic flow can be brutal!

Dancing: No idea, I've never seen anyone doing it other than some 14 yo's at random places

Stroll, Jog: The Kings Palace has a nice asphalt like track, just make sure you dress accordingly and take an ID card. Students from SD Univ use it for their PE activity. Otherwise, along the beach, is quite nice.

Movies/Bowling: Only one of each and as I recall, most movies were dubbed in Thai.

Hangouts: Yes, they have Starbucks, Amazon and Tom and Toms Coffee Shops. Some good Western restaurants in town too, food is pretty good there no matter the cuisine.

Fitness: Gyms are a bit limited and some do not even really qualify as a gym. Yoga is available as well as Martial Arts at locations in town if you are into those things.

Hobbies; Since you are right on the ocean, look there. Wind surfing is a big attraction or just sitting on the beach or by a pool. Also, they have an excellent water park there called Black Mountain.

BusyB · July 30, 2014

Pattaya in the middle of nowhere?

I like Hua Hin but I think our requirements may be quite different.

Pro's

Girlie bar scene but in an area bounded by about 4 or 5 little soi's so not in your face.

Small town feel but with some wonderful restaurants.

Served by rail - 3 or 4 trains a day to Bangkok, about 4 or 5 hours.

Taxi, 3 or 4 hours to Bangkok - can't remember how much but will guess at about 3,000 baht or thereabouts.

Plenty of shopping opportunities.

Clean beaches within walking distance - Main beach tends to be crowded with concessions.

A number of gyms both in the main town and a couple out of town.

A big shopping centre called Market Village about a mile out of the town centre selling farang food if that's what you want.

A couple of really good night markets.

Not many Russians.

Very cheap condo rentals.

Con's

In the floods it took me about 7 or 8 hours to get to Suvarnabhumi in a taxi. If the expressway is crowded then that's you done.

Don't get a minibus from Bangkok unless you have a deathwish.

Getting more and more expensive. Thai's use it as a weekend getaway.

There are some periods where hotels are utterly ridiculously high in their pricing.

Don't know in your case whether it's a pro or a con but backpackers tend to stay near the railway station and out of sight.

Can get quite cold at night with the wind coming off the sea at certain times of the year.

Can't help you with dance classes but there is a large northern European population who will point you in the right direction.

Don't know too much about franchises but I do know there is a MacD's. I avoid them like the plague.

Good luck and have a good time!

Saw some fliers for dancing classes at the Hilton coffee bar in the lobby not too long ago. Looked professional.

Edit: And yes, the weekend traffic etc. is usually diabolical.

Richa686 · July 30, 2014

Hey! I'm studying at Webster too and although the holidays are on, I'm still in Hua Hin all alone. I'm 18 and I've been here for a year now. There is not much to do here once you spend so much time in Hua Hin but for a newbie like you, this place will be quite a treat for the first few months! I've been meeting people outside of school as of now since all the students have gone back home for the summer but once the new students trickle in, you'll be amazed by how many people you'll meet from every imaginable part of the world. Do let me know when you get here and I'll show you around :)

Richa686 · July 30, 2014

Oh! I forgot to add that I'm a dancer too and I dance professionally back in India. In Hua Hin, there is only one music/dance school by soi 6 which is pretty limited.. they have a K-pop and hip-hop scene but I take my weekly dance classes at Rumpuree Dance studio in Bangkok where I stay over with my other friends. I could help you out with that. On other days I dance in my room where I've created space to rehearse!

Otis · July 30, 2014

Hangouts....Thai Visa Bar.

Just go for a ...or even

Ps, is Pattaya really the middle of nowhere?

sir

I thought Pattaya was the middle of everything

Tolkein called it middle Earth I thought.

Well, there are a lot of Orcs, Trolls, Dwarves, Forest Elves, a few Hobbits, and a sprinkling of Ladyboys. You might be onto something here. Middle Earth, Thailand. Got a nice "ring" to it. oc

garyinhuahin · July 30, 2014

It's a big kite-surfing area in season.

Apart from that, it's pretty much where we all go to die....

A few good restaurants, including Thailand's one good Brazilian Churasco grill.

3 or 4 places with good British breakfasts, a couple with pan-european.

We have one shopping mall, where the theatre and bowling alley are. Usually there's one film on with an English soundtrack. Once in 3 months it's a film you actually would want to see.

Did I mention there a a good Brazilian grill?

You probably should move on. As it is, you're already disturbing our slumber and adversely affecting the rental market.

ZZZzzzzzz.......

garyinhuahin · July 30, 2014

Pattaya in the middle of nowhere?

I like Hua Hin but I think our requirements may be quite different.

Pro's

Girlie bar scene but in an area bounded by about 4 or 5 little soi's so not in your face.

Small town feel but with some wonderful restaurants.

Served by rail - 3 or 4 trains a day to Bangkok, about 4 or 5 hours.

Taxi, 3 or 4 hours to Bangkok - can't remember how much but will guess at about 3,000 baht or thereabouts.

Plenty of shopping opportunities.

Clean beaches within walking distance - Main beach tends to be crowded with concessions.

A number of gyms both in the main town and a couple out of town.

A big shopping centre called Market Village about a mile out of the town centre selling farang food if that's what you want.

A couple of really good night markets.

Not many Russians.

Very cheap condo rentals.

Con's

In the floods it took me about 7 or 8 hours to get to Suvarnabhumi in a taxi. If the expressway is crowded then that's you done.

Don't get a minibus from Bangkok unless you have a deathwish.

Getting more and more expensive. Thai's use it as a weekend getaway.

There are some periods where hotels are utterly ridiculously high in their pricing.

Don't know in your case whether it's a pro or a con but backpackers tend to stay near the railway station and out of sight.

Can get quite cold at night with the wind coming off the sea at certain times of the year.

Can't help you with dance classes but there is a large northern European population who will point you in the right direction.

Don't know too much about franchises but I do know there is a MacD's. I avoid them like the plague.

Good luck and have a good time!

Also don't know if it's a pro or a con, but backpackers then to leave within 36 hours.

2 Mickey D's now, and likewise 2 Colonel Sanders and Stabucks. Much like Noah.

The Northern Europeans can teach you some polka or Suomi courship dances.

i do not understand the comment about cold at night. I have experienced 3 slightly cool evenings in 10 years here and couple of lively wind storms.

Best stay in Kansas. It's much safer for you. Really.

Crazy chef 1 · July 31, 2014

I would recommend that you bugger off to wherever you came from ! Starbucks? The worst cup of coffee ever was in Starbucks, Swampy airport. Perhaps you want a KFC and McDonald's? You are seventeen. Grow up and explore.

very helpful and intelligent post.

Stokakrishna · August 1, 2014

learn kitesurfing

RiaKova · August 3, 2014

Oh my oh my oh my! What have I found here? And to think I left for just a couple of days.

I'd like to sincerely thank everyone for their input - I'm already looking forward to moving! Doesn't seem so bad after all - in fact, sounds perfect!

I'm sure I'll learn to love HH just as I've learnt to love Pattaya. Sounds like its way better out there!

Thanks again everyone - what a lovely lot of people you are!

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