Hua Hin

[pepi1]

There has been bad press in UK this weekend about various going ons in Hua Hin. I am thinking of living there next year with family. Any opinions on HH or anywhere else suitable for family. Really appreciate your sensible views. Cheers

[Jessy]

I have stayed in Hua Hin for about a month and I liked it. It is a much smaller more up market version of Pattaya - there's only a small bar area. There seems to be a small but thriving expat community. It's quite close to Bangkok and driveable to the south, and Cha-Am is just down the coast. Cha-Am is a very nice beach town. Also there is there National park, which if you have a car is great to explore and very beautiful. Only problem is that during bank hoilidays both places (Hua Hin and Cha Am) get packed out with Bangkok students who swarm to the place and I find them very noisey and irritating. Also, in my opinion, I think I would get bored after a while. But I would definately consider living there with my family (if I had one).

Don't be put off by the news about the murder that recently took place involving the English public schoolboy and his Thai wife. That was a very sad and unfortunate incident. Such things do occasionally occur. Thailand for all its beauty does have problems, largely related to corruption and poverty.

[jdinasia]

hmmm after the "age difference posts ....." I'll pass on this one.

[petecooper]

I've asked a few of the Thai people in my office about Hua Hin and their feeling is it's "not very nice". They also think Pattaya is awful and while Hua Hin is "better" they still didn't recommmend going there.

This is of course their view coloured by the fact that these places are fairly expat-centric and I guess for Thai people the appeal in going there is not as great as for the farang. However their point is valid, if you want to be near the beach etc, and not near lots of bar-scene type activities (esp. with family in tow) then the recommendation was to head to the islands.

[PREM-R]

If it is good enough for His Majesty.......

[petecooper]

I'm sure its got its pros and cons, like anywhere. I've never been there myself - just passing on advice from those better informed that shared their experiences with me.

[eddy-ham]

Hau Hin,

Nice place and for a family I would say that its definatly better.The fact the King has a place there will ensure that its kept tiday and nothing gets out of hand.

It is small in size and as I understand the Bangkok public flood there on holidays.

Beaches are a bit away from the roads .I would look a bit further south I am sure the beaches are better.

good golf course and more being built, but some of the building construction there was not up to a high standard .Also the get a few problems with flooding in the area since its all pretty low level.

If you have the choice then the islands south are the ideal place.

[OldAsiaHand]

I've asked a few of the Thai people in my office about Hua Hin and their feeling is it's "not very nice". They also think Pattaya is awful and while Hua Hin is "better" they still didn't recommmend going there......

That surprises me a great deal. I gather you must have been talking to working class Thais. You would have got a very differnt point of view from rather more prominent Thais.

Hua Hin's status of the resort of preference for Thais goes back more than a century. Because of Hua Hin's close association with the royal family, for generations the cream of Thai society has adjourned there on holiday weekends and in the summer to meet and great each other. While less true now than in, say, the fifties, a great many prominent Thais still maintain homes there and take their families down regularly.

The rap on Hua Hin from foreigners is usually that it is a resort for Thais, not for foreigners who visit Thailand. As for me, I can think of a higher recommendation than that.

[petecooper]

I've asked a few of the Thai people in my office about Hua Hin and their feeling is it's "not very nice". They also think Pattaya is awful and while Hua Hin is "better" they still didn't recommmend going there......

That surprises me a great deal. I gather you must have been talking to working class Thais. You would have got a very differnt point of view from rather more prominent Thais.

That's interesting. I was speaking to a couple of people who are white-collar professionals but not that high up in the ranks yet. I'll make a point of asking some of the more senior people and report back what they have to say.

[Colonel_Mustard]

I've asked a few of the Thai people in my office about Hua Hin and their feeling is it's "not very nice". They also think Pattaya is awful and while Hua Hin is "better" they still didn't recommmend going there......

As for me, I can think of a higher recommendation than that.

Me too.

[meadish_sweetball]

The foreign retirement community in Hua Hin is growing and as more foreigners flock there, other groups who enjoyed it previously will search for somewhere else that's more quiet and less geared towards foreign tourists.

I've been there three times on holiday, and I think it is an ok place, but nothing spectacular.

On the other hand, it has all amenities you need and if you look at it as a place to live for a limited time, it should be ok.

If I was planning to move somewhere with my family, I would consider Koh Lanta before Hua Hin. There are less amenities there than in Hua Hin but enough to live ok, and the place has a nicer feeling to it in general.

[Lannig]

I like Hua Hin a lot. I won't repeat the pros mentioned in other posts (close to Bangkok, all the facilities for westerners etc.).

Really, you want to avoid downtown Hua Hin: the beach isn't nice (lots of rocks, harrasment from vendors etc.), but if you move out just a little bit, the beachfront around Kao Takiep (can't recall the right phonetical spelling) is nice and quiet.

There are many hotels, bungalows and condos in that part also, that are certainly a more enjoyable place to stay than downtown.

Still, you can get downtown very quickly for dining, shopping, whatever.

I've always felt very safe there. Can't comment on the crime either. Such things can happen anywhere in Thailand (and elsewhere BTW).

If you're concerned about the 'red light' aspects, it's really discreet in Hua Hin. If you just avoid the couple of blocks where all the hot nightlife takes place, you'll ignore them completely (that's unavoidable in Pattaya).

I work hard so I don't have much time to go around in Thailand, but I've always enjoyed my stays in Hua Hin.

I've been told that there are some very nice places to stay just a few km further south, like bungalow parks. Never tried them though.

Cha Am is the popular thai version of Hua Hin. Much noisier (I hate the loudspeakers all along the beach!), busier, lots of cheap food and logding. Choosing between the two really is a matter of your own preference. They're only 25km away so it's easy to go back and forth.

Just my two satangs,

--Lannig

[justwilliam]

You haven't said whether you are looking for a place to stay permanetly, or just for next year, but you were seeking opinions, and here are mine.

If you mean permanently, the biggest question is education, and it is generally reported that Hua Hin does not curently have a reputable international school, nor are there any known plans for the establishment of such an institution.

Regarding the other aspects of expat life, Hua Hin can probably fulfil them all. It is growing and developing very rapidly indeed, and signs of prosperity are all around. There are hundreds of restaurants, and dozens of really good ones. There are numerous choices for accommodation, from small houses and condos to million-dollar mansions. All the services an expat might need are available, from the Immigration Department office to shipping agents to Tesco's. There is no need to be able speak Thai in Hua Hin (although it obviously is welcomed by the local residents).

The traffic is a problem, and once you are off the main roads, especially back towards the hills behind the city, the other roads can be in poor condition. In addition, there have been serious floods in the downtown area in the past few years. The city is addressing these problems, and signs of improvement are evident, but this being Thailand, there is much uncertainty.

The beach is very good, but certainly not the best in Thailand (look south for that). It is relatively clean and free from litter, and bathing is safe for small people (except during the jellyfish season, which roughly coincides with the rainy season).

Living in Hua Hin does not necessarily translate into living in the depths of the Thai culture, if that is what you are seeking. Being so consummately oriented towards the tourist industry, it doesn't often feel like the "real" Thailand (I have lived in both), which can be a plus or a minus.

I am trying to be helpful, but the only effective way for you to answer your question is to come here and see for yourself.

[Donz]

There has been bad press in UK this weekend about various going ons in Hua Hin. I am thinking of living there next year with family. Any opinions on HH or anywhere else suitable for family. Really appreciate your sensible views. Cheers

Bad press in the UK?? never