Why Hua Hin?

[jagfx]

The OP's original post had me a little concerned as the wife and I are heading to HH in early Feb to begin our long term travel throughout SE Asia. Looking to use Thailand as a base and take it from there. I qualify as a Retiree there, so that was one of the main reasons. We picked HH as our first port of call based on some research and recommendations from friends. We have previously holidayed in BKK and Phuket only. It was refreshing to then read the replies to the OP's post from people that have actually lived there longer term, giving their perspective of the place. Sounds like just what we are after.

But I do have one question with regards to HH. As an Expat, which part of town would you suggest we look for longer term rentals. We both like the beach but don't have to be right on it. We don't particularly want to live right in town but would like a fairly simple commute of no more than 10-15 mins. Any suggestions would be appreciated. The plan is to just book in a hotel for a week or so on arrival then explore and ask around, getting a feel for the place. Obviously any suggestions here would at least point us in the right direction. Thanks for the assist in advance.

[Noi657]

Travel bloggers are <deleted> packers in disguise in my opinion!

If you really want to know what a place is like, ask the people that have been here the longest!

Been here 5 months myself, wasn't sure after the first month but have grown to really enjoy it.

Better beaches elsewhere, better shopping elsewhere etc etc, but.......

If you take Hua Hin as the whole package and don't knit pick, in my opinion it's a great place to live.

There's a great sense of community where we live which is further out of town, kids playing in the streets, families getting on, a really nice feel. Kind of like the UK all those years ago.

Enjoy HUa Hin for what it is! Back in the UK we were paying a 5 star service and getting 3 star in return, at least here you get what you pay for, can be as cheap or as expensive as you want it to be.

The last thing to say is to any potential expats or tourists thinking of coming to Hua Hin, listen to the people that live here and not some nob jockey that's spent five weeks here without scratching the surface.

[Guitar God]

Why would someone who spends five weeks exploring an area need to copy and paste and plagerise ?

OP- We spent a few days there and I had a similar impression. No matter what time of day , the traffic was terrible. I don't see how anyone living there could do their shopping and avoid it.

It struck me as a mini Pattaya without the walking street. We didn't go to any hooker bars but there were advertisements all over.

In plain speaking English, what TF does this actually mean, We're travel bloggers

Have you ever spent any time in HH?

Have you ever been in Thailand?

Or you one of these new Digital Nomads we keep hearing about?

The same ones who plaigiarise, copy and paste, and knock out a review from some place like Cambo?

[MDS]

Did you actually speak to any residents in the 5 weeks while you were here ?

If you did then you would have had answers to your questions already without posting anything on TV.

I'm not sure if you get paid a salary/expenses for what you do, or just a commission on what is printed, but either way asking other people to give you info now, when you were supposed to be here in Hua Hin collecting the info yourself, is wrong.

Hope your boss, if you have one, sees what your doing then you will be out on your ear.

[Noi657]

Did you actually speak to any residents in the 5 weeks while you were here ?

If you did then you would have had answers to your questions already without posting anything on TV.

I'm not sure if you get paid a salary/expenses for what you do, or just a commission on what is printed, but either way asking other people to give you info now, when you were supposed to be here in Hua Hin collecting the info yourself, is wrong.

Hope your boss, if you have one, sees what your doing then you will be out on your ear.

Hit the nail on the head there my friend!

[mikosan]

So you didn't like Hua Hin, of course everyone is entitled to their opinion and I'm happy to read yours, but I was much more impressed with the comments from Chris and Angela, of (DELETED) which you were good enough to highlight.

I've lived here, happily retired, for the past 2.5 years and looking forward to spending as many more years here as I'm allowed. I play golf, pool and ride motorcycles and Hua Hin is ideal for all of these. If I want to go to the beach I go south and you don't have to go very far, where there are plenty of lovely beaches with very few people on them. Why would I want to lie on a beach surrounded by red and blistered tourists anyway. I very rarely visit the areas you have highlighted, they're mainly for the tourists and I certainly don't want to be considered one of them! Maybe Hua Hin isn't quite the tourist destination it could be, that's fine by me, but as a place to retire for a person with my interests it's perfect.

As for stray dogs, big rats and lots of cockroaches, show me another place that doesn't have them, I've seen plenty of the latter two in some of the major cities of the world. They don't bother me, I don't bother them.

[spidermike007]

The OP's original post had me a little concerned as the wife and I are heading to HH in early Feb to begin our long term travel throughout SE Asia. Looking to use Thailand as a base and take it from there. I qualify as a Retiree there, so that was one of the main reasons. We picked HH as our first port of call based on some research and recommendations from friends. We have previously holidayed in BKK and Phuket only. It was refreshing to then read the replies to the OP's post from people that have actually lived there longer term, giving their perspective of the place. Sounds like just what we are after.

But I do have one question with regards to HH. As an Expat, which part of town would you suggest we look for longer term rentals. We both like the beach but don't have to be right on it. We don't particularly want to live right in town but would like a fairly simple commute of no more than 10-15 mins. Any suggestions would be appreciated. The plan is to just book in a hotel for a week or so on arrival then explore and ask around, getting a feel for the place. Obviously any suggestions here would at least point us in the right direction. Thanks for the assist in advance.

The beaches in HH are not impressive. They get cleaner and the water gets better south of Pranburi, in my opinion. The town is much nicer than the beaches. So, no real need to base your rental preference on closeness to the beach. Most of the restaurants on the beach are overpriced and not as good as the ones on walking street, and elsewhere. My guess is the apartments near the beach are not as good a value. If you go south of town the condos are nice, and the beaches a tad better.

[tezzainthailand]

I have been living in Hua Hin for 6 months now, and it was a far more enjoyable town ten or more years ago. Yes, you have to accept heavy traffic in Thailand but the local planners don't seem too interested in pedestrians both locals and tourists. One walk over bridge and one pedestrian crossing (with lights) between the clock tower and southern flyover, a distance of 4 kms is very ordinary. A crossing with lights at the Market Village is urgently needed (1 minute wait for walkers, 30 seconds to cross over)and another walk over bridge near the new bus station would be a good start.

Hua Hin lacks the friendliness of say Issan, I guess the locals are getting weary of tourists. The beach is in decline but Sai Noi and other beaches further south and not too far away are still lovely locations. Eating out in Hua Hin is still pretty good value, Ruam Sap Yokkhok near Market Village, MumSabaii in the centre of town have great meals and good service, so it's not all doom and gloom in HH.

[bbqboy]

Yikes, so many comments don't know where to start.

Like so many said, everything is comparative and whether or not you like a place depends on many factors. When we were in Bangkok we met people who loved living there. We gave it 3 weeks and were happy to leave. We liked Hua Hin much more but, for us, wouldn't be a place we would want to live in long term. Chiang Mai - mom's lived there 10 years and over the last few she complains endlessly of traffic and pollution. We've been in Nong Khai for a month now and actually really enjoy it - beautiful location, just enough of a tourist infrastructure, and the cleanest Thai town we've come across yet. We could easily settle here for a while. A lot of people wouldn't agree but (for us) really perfect as far as Thailand goes.

A lot of people getting upset but really was just an opinion piece (no boss by the way, no one paying for this). Appreciate the people who took the time to write the good about the town, I'll edit the post down the line and include some of the more helpful extracts as a counter-argument.

Mikosan - Angela and Chris were there 3 days. So if I get criticism for not getting a feel of the place after 5 weeks...

Jagfx - that was our goal as well, to find a base while travelling around SE Asia.
Nielsk - Thanks, appreciate it. Lots of the usual suspects on forums and not worth getting into it. I previously wrote about them in this post: (DELETED). Best to just let them vent and wish them a happy new year.

[bbqboy]

Tezzainthailand - bang, you just hit the jackpot. Exactly what we went through being on the other side of Phetkasem and having to cross towards the beach. You can easily wait 5 minutes trying to cross that highway and it can be pretty scary!

[Robert24]

The OP's original post had me a little concerned as the wife and I are heading to HH in early Feb to begin our long term travel throughout SE Asia. Looking to use Thailand as a base and take it from there. I qualify as a Retiree there, so that was one of the main reasons. We picked HH as our first port of call based on some research and recommendations from friends. We have previously holidayed in BKK and Phuket only. It was refreshing to then read the replies to the OP's post from people that have actually lived there longer term, giving their perspective of the place. Sounds like just what we are after.

But I do have one question with regards to HH. As an Expat, which part of town would you suggest we look for longer term rentals. We both like the beach but don't have to be right on it. We don't particularly want to live right in town but would like a fairly simple commute of no more than 10-15 mins. Any suggestions would be appreciated. The plan is to just book in a hotel for a week or so on arrival then explore and ask around, getting a feel for the place. Obviously any suggestions here would at least point us in the right direction. Thanks for the assist in advance.

I don't live in Hua Hin but I frequently visit a friend of mine who stays in Pranburi (about 25-30km from Hua Hin) very close to the beach. In my opinion, if you like the beach and enjoy it a bit quieter with sort of normal Thai lifestyle, Pranburi is much nicer to stay than Hua Hin, it's a lot cheaper and not so much catered to all the tourists that come every weekend from Bangkok. And if for whatever reason you'd like to go to Hua Hin, it's only a 30 min drive.

just my view, obviously people who stay in Hua Hin can provide more insight than I can.

[davidmann]

i felt the same

[CapeThai]

Here we go again...... the usual TV crowd pulling the OP apart... The blogger is definitely not all that clued up and has only seen the downtown beach areas and not the "local" areas we all know...... but please guys don't sentence the man to death here.......

It's actually strange none of you have Send him to Koh Tao to start his journey there........

[tezzainthailand]

Tezzainthailand - bang, you just hit the jackpot. Exactly what we went through being on the other side of Phetkasem and having to cross towards the beach. You can easily wait 5 minutes trying to cross that highway and it can be pretty scary!

Exactly BBQBOY, although I am turning this negative into a positive... my ducking, weaving and peripheral vision skills as I cross Thanon Petchkasem have improved greatly. It's the visitors and older locals that need to be shown some consideration.

[mikosan]

The OP's original post had me a little concerned as the wife and I are heading to HH in early Feb to begin our long term travel throughout SE Asia. Looking to use Thailand as a base and take it from there. I qualify as a Retiree there, so that was one of the main reasons. We picked HH as our first port of call based on some research and recommendations from friends. We have previously holidayed in BKK and Phuket only. It was refreshing to then read the replies to the OP's post from people that have actually lived there longer term, giving their perspective of the place. Sounds like just what we are after.

But I do have one question with regards to HH. As an Expat, which part of town would you suggest we look for longer term rentals. We both like the beach but don't have to be right on it. We don't particularly want to live right in town but would like a fairly simple commute of no more than 10-15 mins. Any suggestions would be appreciated. The plan is to just book in a hotel for a week or so on arrival then explore and ask around, getting a feel for the place. Obviously any suggestions here would at least point us in the right direction. Thanks for the assist in advance.

Between Soi's 88 and 102, on the west side of town, over the railway line. Plenty of good and reasonably priced houses to rent on any number of estates. Lots going on, but traffic manageable and still no more than 10 minutes or so from the hustle and bustle of the downtown tourist area. Market Village shopping centre and the new shopping centre being built just up the road both very accessible. Soi 94 is definitely up and coming with lots of restaurants and bars, but not the more 'girlie' type bars you find downtown.

[mikosan]

Yikes, so many comments don't know where to start.

Like so many said, everything is comparative and whether or not you like a place depends on many factors. When we were in Bangkok we met people who loved living there. We gave it 3 weeks and were happy to leave. We liked Hua Hin much more but, for us, wouldn't be a place we would want to live in long term. Chiang Mai - mom's lived there 10 years and over the last few she complains endlessly of traffic and pollution. We've been in Nong Khai for a month now and actually really enjoy it - beautiful location, just enough of a tourist infrastructure, and the cleanest Thai town we've come across yet. We could easily settle here for a while. A lot of people wouldn't agree but (for us) really perfect as far as Thailand goes.

A lot of people getting upset but really was just an opinion piece (no boss by the way, no one paying for this). Appreciate the people who took the time to write the good about the town, I'll edit the post down the line and include some of the more helpful extracts as a counter-argument.

Mikosan - Angela and Chris were there 3 days. So if I get criticism for not getting a feel of the place after 5 weeks...

Jagfx - that was our goal as well, to find a base while travelling around SE Asia.

Nielsk - Thanks, appreciate it. Lots of the usual suspects on forums and not worth getting into it. I previously wrote about them in this post: http://bbqboy.net/travel-forums-101-dealing-trolls-haters-expats-uglies/. Best to just let them vent and wish them a happy new year.

I wasn't criticising you. I simply stated that you were entitled to your opinion and I was happy to read it, but preferred Angela and Chris', even if they were only here for 3 days.

[jagfx]

Thanks for the replies. I'll check them out. Looking forward to just getting over there and really having a good look around, both HH and other parts of he country. Cheers.

[Travel Dude]

I am surprised by some very aggressive replies. Jeee guys, get a life! OP was sharing hos experience and asked for some feedback. Here is mine, living for 10 years in Thailand and often going to Hua Hin:

+ too many coach roaches

+ too many mosquitos

+ too much dog poo

+ garbage collection is poor. Yes it looks very dirty for a tourist town.

+ the traffic on the "beach road" should be closed for all motorised traffic in the week end evenings.

+ Suggest to municipality to create a similar atmosphere on the beach road as created on the market in Khao Takiab.

+ Reduce traffic jam by synchronising red lights.

[HerbalEd]

The OP's original post had me a little concerned as the wife and I are heading to HH in early Feb to begin our long term travel throughout SE Asia. Looking to use Thailand as a base and take it from there. I qualify as a Retiree there, so that was one of the main reasons. We picked HH as our first port of call based on some research and recommendations from friends. We have previously holidayed in BKK and Phuket only. It was refreshing to then read the replies to the OP's post from people that have actually lived there longer term, giving their perspective of the place. Sounds like just what we are after.

But I do have one question with regards to HH. As an Expat, which part of town would you suggest we look for longer term rentals. We both like the beach but don't have to be right on it. We don't particularly want to live right in town but would like a fairly simple commute of no more than 10-15 mins. Any suggestions would be appreciated. The plan is to just book in a hotel for a week or so on arrival then explore and ask around, getting a feel for the place. Obviously any suggestions here would at least point us in the right direction. Thanks for the assist in advance.

I suggest you book a hotel and stay there for at least a week ... or two. Then read the local English-language paper/magazine, talk to local expats, and explore the areas south of HH ... the beaches, beach towns, national parks, etc. You will eventually find your niche.

I also suggest not buying anything too soon. Find a rental in the area you at first think works for you, stay there for at least six month to a year, and then make the big decision of the house and area you want to buy in to. The key is not to lock into something too soon. Be patient and it will come.

[SiSePuede419]

Hua Hin sounds like every big city in Mexico and perhaps every 3rd World country.

The beaches in the city are polluted from untreated sewage and trash/litter.

The farther away you go from the city, the nicer the beaches.

Jesus, have you traveled much before?

I'm guessing you've only visited and lived in "big cities", not quiet fishing villages with unpolluted beaches?

[Nielsk]

I don't know why people are so nasty to the OP.

He tell and ask about HH. What's the problem.

As I never myself have been to HH, it is good for me reading what other people have of experience.

Have a nice day.

[bbqboy]

Nice, trash talk from Mexicans who hasn't even been to Hua Hin (big fan of Mexico by the way).

Time to unfollow this thread.

Thanks to everyone who submitted helpful feedback

[HerbalEd]

I don't know why people are so nasty to the OP.

He tell and ask about HH. What's the problem.

As I never myself have been to HH, it is good for me reading what other people have of experience.

Have a nice day.

The rudeness you're seeing here is pretty much routine on TV.com. Unfortunately a large proportion of the commenters are cynical old men who enjoy being contrary and rude. Evidently they don't have much of a life otherwise.

[Nielsk]

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I don't know why people are so nasty to the OP.

He tell and ask about HH. What's the problem.

As I never myself have been to HH, it is good for me reading what other people have of experience.

Have a nice day.

The rudeness you're seeing here is pretty much routine on TV.com. Unfortunately a large proportion of the commenters are cynical old men who enjoy being contrary and rude. Evidently they don't have much of a life otherwise.

HerbalEd You are so right.

I better get used to it and stop reacting and waste my time on people with bad manners.

[SiSePuede419]

The Mexican fisherman answered, "I sleep late, play with my children, watch ball games, and take siesta with my wife. Sometimes in the evenings I take a stroll into the village to see my friends, play the guitar, sing a few songs..."

The American businessman impatiently interrupted, "Look, I have an MBA from Harvard, and I can help you to be more profitable. You can start by fishing several hours longer every day. You can then sell the extra fish you catch. With the extra money, you can buy a bigger boat. With the additional income that larger boat will bring, before long you can buy a second boat, then a third one, and so on, until you have an entire fleet of fishing boats."

"And then what, señor?" asked the fisherman.

The businessman boasted, "Then you could happily retire with all the money you've made. You could move to a quaint coastal fishing village where you could sleep late, play with your grandchildren, watch ball games, and take siesta with your wife. You could stroll to the village in the evenings where you could play the guitar and sing with your friends all you want."

Many TVF members don't have an MBA from Harvard, but they too really don't know what's important

[ukrules]

+ garbage collection is poor. Yes it looks very dirty for a tourist town.

They collect it from outside my house every night at around 3am.

That's right, every day, not once per week or every two weeks like some places I could mention.

This might give the illusion of lots of garbage lying around for days on end (you see it every day) but this is not the case - it's placed there for overnight collection, at least where I live in Hua Hin it is anyway.

Lots of visitors = lots of garbage, every day.

[PETERTHEEATER]

We have been staying in HH 4-5 months every year for 6 years and here are the reasons:

1. We have a nice house in a lovely community of about 25 houses with different nationalities about 5 km outside of the city center.

2. The weather here is a lot better than anywhere in Thailand: dry in the winter with little rain and no floodings. Also better than in south Europe which would have been an alternative but too cold...

3. We consider the area very safe and do not experience any criminal activities

4. HH is only a 2 hours drive from Bangkok and 2.5 hours from the airport

5. Needless to say it is less touristy than Pattaya and Phuket

6. We are golfers and have a choice of 8 different beautiful golf courses nearby

7. Lots of nice small thai restaurants around and staff welcoming you with a smile

8. The roads have improved a lot the recent year

Am writing this on my terrace with a beautiful mountain view and no stray dogs around but of course they are here and there and also agree that the town should employ some people to clean up all the plastic bags flying around. I was in New York recently and thought this city was dirty...[/qu

4. HH is only a 2 hours drive from Bangkok and 2.5 hours from the airport

This is the sort of misleading statement that the travel agents use. If you mean by road then how is a time of two hours achieved unless an average speed of 120 kph is maintained. The fastest I have made the trip by road is by minibus driven by a Kamikaze survivor from WW2 andcthat took 2 hours and 10 minutes.

To the airport? Yes, Don Muang might be reached in 2.30 from Hua Hin but that too would be unlikely but to Suwanaphumi? No.

[ukrules]

The OP's original post had me a little concerned as the wife and I are heading to HH in early Feb to begin our long term travel throughout SE Asia. Looking to use Thailand as a base and take it from there. I qualify as a Retiree there, so that was one of the main reasons. We picked HH as our first port of call based on some research and recommendations from friends. We have previously holidayed in BKK and Phuket only. It was refreshing to then read the replies to the OP's post from people that have actually lived there longer term, giving their perspective of the place. Sounds like just what we are after.

But I do have one question with regards to HH. As an Expat, which part of town would you suggest we look for longer term rentals. We both like the beach but don't have to be right on it. We don't particularly want to live right in town but would like a fairly simple commute of no more than 10-15 mins. Any suggestions would be appreciated. The plan is to just book in a hotel for a week or so on arrival then explore and ask around, getting a feel for the place. Obviously any suggestions here would at least point us in the right direction. Thanks for the assist in advance.

For a long term rental (few months or more) I recommend that you look in Khao Takiab, especially down the southern end of Khao Takiab - there's a nicer beach in that part on the other side of the rock from where the golden buddha statue / temple is located. There's a lot more if you travel further out of town from what I've heard but you're moving away from the infrastructure at that point.

The beach is a lot smaller before you pass 'the rock' when the tide is in, at some times of the day it's unpassable due to walls that have been built and the sea literally comes up to the wall of whichever property is there.

There's a lot of recently built apartment buildings down that end of Khao Takiab, I know a couple of people who live down there (retirees like yourself) and they say it's much better than the part of Khao Takiab that's nearer to Hua Hin center. That's if you're looking for the beach, personally I don't care for the beach so it's really quite irrelevant where I stay. I like to be near to a 7/11 and a couple of places to eat, my needs are few.

[ukrules]

This is the sort of misleading statement that the travel agents use. If you mean by road then how is a time of two hours achieved unless an average speed of 120 kph is maintained. The fastest I have made the trip by road is by minibus driven by a Kamikaze survivor from WW2 andcthat took 2 hours and 10 minutes.

To the airport? Yes, Don Muang might be reached in 2.30 from Hua Hin but that too would be unlikely but to Suwanaphumi? No.

You're right, it generally takes about 3 hours to get from Hua Hin to downtown Bangkok.

I know one or two people who always brag about doing it in two hours every time but they drive as fast as they can all the way. It's not safe.

Getting out of Hua Hin and through the other side of Cha Am then onto to main road north towards Bangkok can take 30-40 minutes of the journey time and you've only done about 30-40 KM when you get on to that road.

Getting into and out of Bangkok can also take 30-60 minutes depending on where abouts you're heading and what time of day it is.

So based on the above about half of the supposed 2 hour journey time will be taken up in local congestion in Hua Hin and Bangkok - this doesn't leave much time for the distance driving does it...

[mikosan]

This is the sort of misleading statement that the travel agents use. If you mean by road then how is a time of two hours achieved unless an average speed of 120 kph is maintained. The fastest I have made the trip by road is by minibus driven by a Kamikaze survivor from WW2 andcthat took 2 hours and 10 minutes.

To the airport? Yes, Don Muang might be reached in 2.30 from Hua Hin but that too would be unlikely but to Suwanaphumi? No.

You're right, it generally takes about 3 hours to get from Hua Hin to downtown Bangkok.

I know one or two people who always brag about doing it in two hours every time but they drive as fast as they can all the way. It's not safe.

Getting out of Hua Hin and through the other side of Cha Am then onto to main road north towards Bangkok can take 30-40 minutes of the journey time and you've only done about 30-40 KM when you get on to that road.

Getting into and out of Bangkok can also take 30-60 minutes depending on where abouts you're heading and what time of day it is.

So based on the above about half of the supposed 2 hour journey time will be taken up in local congestion in Hua Hin and Bangkok - this doesn't leave much time for the distance driving does it...

I agree that 3 hours would be a more reasonable time allowance for getting to downtown Bangkok, but I have done it quicker, it depends on the road conditions and traffic, as all road journeys do. I have also been on the big coach from Hua Hin that has got to Suwanaphumi in exactly 3 hours and the driver certainly didn't drive like a Kamikaze survivor. And your generalisation that that driving fast is 'not safe' is just that, a presumptuous generalisation. There are many factors to be taken into consideration, training, state of mind, road and traffic conditions, road worthiness of the vehicle etc. I could continue ad nauseam. Driving slowly does not necessarily mean you drive safely, I see daily reminders of crap driving in Thailand and most of that is not done at any particularly fast speeds, just by useless, untrained, unaware drivers. I was taught to drive at speed by experts who always insisted that you should be able to anticipate anything and if you have an accident it's because you didn't anticipate something you should have. As for going through Cha Am to get from Hua Hin to Bangkok, why would I want to do that when I can avoid it by taking the highway and cutting out Cha Am completely, thereby reducing your travelling time.