relatively undiscovered when compared to Phuket & Koh Samui
Disadvantages:
long journey from Bangkok
Recommend to potential buyers:
yes
Full review
How the trip came about
My girlfriend and myself had agreed to get married and, bless her, she had taken on the task of arranging everything and anything to do with the wedding with one proviso “You arrange the Honeymoon”. That’s easy, thought I, there are eight months to go and the world’s my oyster.
Well, with three weeks to go I had done absolutely nothing other than to think dreamily of some unknown tropical paradise without the smallest clue as to where we would end up and beginning to worry slightly that I had left it too late when I got home from work one day and there was a mailshot on my doormat from a travel company I had used before.
This company concentrated on Asia and after ripping through the brochure for inspiration only to see destinations we had either been to or had no intention of going to, came across a page that was advertising Hui Hin, Thailand.
Booking
This company was called Travelmood and it saved me!! (www.travelmood.com). I have used them before to arrange a trip to Australia and they are very helpful, friendly staff and excellent value for money and go out of their way to assist (I should do a review on them!). They will also tailor bespoke holidays.
One very quick phone call later and we were booked on a ten night holiday to Hua Hin, staying at the Anantara Resort & Spa (http://huahin.anantara.com/default.aspx). Flights were via Emirates from Manchester to Dubai then on to Bangkok. We were then picked up in Bangkok via mini bus for the journey down to Hua Hin. Cost was £795 each for flight, ten nights accomodation and airport transfers.
I must confess that I had never heard of Hua Hin at the time but the brochure promised a largely un-spoilt but popular resort that typifies Thailand and so I thought “why not?”
History of Hua Hin
A little bit of history on Hua Hin would not go amiss at this stage. This has been a famous, popular holiday resort for over 70 years, largely for the Thai royal family and also with other Thais. It has been around as a destination well before the likes of Phuket or Koh Samui, both of which are recent discoveries with have grown rapidly and been over-developed. As such it seems to be off the radar of the backpackers and retains it’s charm as a large fishing village.
In 1928 King Rama VII built a palace there named Klai Kangwon (Far From Worries) which is still an official residence, frequently used by the royal family and open to tourists for visits. What was a peaceful fishing village therefore became popular with the upper classes.
It is based on the Gulf of Thailand (East coast of Thailand) approximately 180 miles south of Bangkok.
Getting There
After a near six hour flight from Manchester to Dubai (during which the Emirates staff had given us a huge cake and free bottles of champagne and other goodies as a wedding present and I couldn’t even remember telling the travel agent it was our Honeymoon which was a very nice touch), 90 minute stopover and circa seven hour flight to Thailand we arrived at Bangkok around 7pm. This is when the confusion started!
We were greeted, before picking up our bags, by airport personnel bearing a placard with our names on and using pigeon English (by me, not the staff member!!) were told to follow them for onward transportation.
I began to get a little worried at this stage given we had gone through immigration but not collected our bags but were told don’t worry, you can do all this on arrival in Koh Samui !! They were taking us to a different departure gate for a connecting flight to a destination we certainly hadn’t booked!! One of the staff members who were trying to check us in on this flight was getting annoyed because we did not have a ticket for the flight yet they had a booking and they couldn’t understand my request that we were going to Hua Hin and not Koh Samui and that there was some mistake. This was getting increasingly difficult to communicate as there was nobody there who could speak English and they then pointed us down a corridor and promptly legged it in the other direction.
I was getting increasingly concerned at this point as to whether it was me who had made the mistake and thinking more of the wrath of my new wife that was coming my way and the first argument of the marriage was very close to coming to fruition (“I leave you with one simple thing to do and look what happens”.)
At the end of this corridor was a door into the arrivals hall and my spirits lifted immediately as we had entered the hall right next to the carousel that had the luggage from our flight on it. Needless to say, our luggage was not on it and was no doubt on the way to Koh Samui by now. We therefore tried to find someone to assist but it was pointless. The lost luggage department was shut and the only staff about were beady eyed customs officers who looked as though they wanted to jump down my throat to do a full body search before appearing at the other end. Mild panic sets in at this stage so I came up with just about the only idea left. I therefore went through customs to bemused looks from the officers given I had no luggage and left my wife inside to try and find some assistance. My plan was to meet the rep on the other side to see if he/she could help as surely they would have some small amount of English speaking ability.
And then a little diamond appeared in my life by the name of Porn (I kid you not). She was our rep and in her basic, but very good English she explained she had been getting worried as we had not shown up for the mini bus and so was on her way into the arrivals lounge to look for us. Porn was a star (does that make her a porn star?) and she immediately got onto the case (or cases) and within 30 minutes they had been located and returned to us and we were then able to go through customs (who by this time I was sure were going to drag me in as I had gone through them three times already and come back in through a side door!). They must have realised we had had luggage problems as they welcomed us through and finally we were in “The Land of Smiles”.
We boarded the mini bus for a three hour journey to the resort but saw little because it was dark and we were both asleep! The transfer by mini bus was part of the package but you can fly from Bangkok (4 flights daily but price unknown) or book a limo service from the hotel ($155-$180 US$ dependent on the vehicle).
The Hotel
We arrived at an absolutely stunning location and even though it was night time the hotel and grounds looked very special. Huge sweeping driveway from the security guards at the entrance up to the hotel which had very mature gardens, subtle lighting and seemingly endless lakes, streams and ponds. Upon checking in which was a very quick, simple process we found out that due to it being our Honeymoon then we had been upgraded free to a deluxe premium suite (from an apartment) and still giddy with excitement we went to our suite which was absolutely stunning. It was situated in a very quiet area of the hotel grounds (which we later realized covered a substantial area) and was located in a detached block of four suites (two up/two down) and we were on the ground floor. We had our own balcony backing on to one of the many ponds that were teeming with Koi Carp and other assorted fish. Other than that we couldn’t see a single other building.
The suite itself was all open plan and done in very dark wood throughout but very tasteful. We had a free fruit basket and champagne and a recently run, marble whirlpool bath of massive proportions filled to the brim with orchids (on top of the water of course). The TV had access to numerous satellite channels and there was also a stereo for playing CDs. There was also a king size bed. There was even a chocolate on the pillow. This and fresh orchids in the bath were a daily occurrence.
After nearly 24 hours travelling and the time now past midnight we were exhausted and retired to bed.
The next day was a lazy one and having missed breakfast due to jet lag we went and explored the hotel which was situated right on the beach, approximately 4 miles from Hua Hin Town Centre. It had extensive grounds with manicured lawns and exotic plants everywhere with ponds and streams interspersed. It is a very peaceful, relaxing location.
We spent most of the day sat around the main pool which can only be described as huge of an irregular shape and caters for young kids to seasoned swimmers. There is also at least one other major pool that we used but we tended to occupy the main pool as there was a swim up bar.
Note at this point that mosquito repellent is a must from the moment you leave your room. Any exposed skin is swarmed upon immediately and whilst there is little danger in becoming ill from the bites they are itchy and annoying.
We had lunch at the swim up bar which was a basic menu of freshly cooked Thai food and was absolutely delicious. Throughout our stay we tried everything on the menu and it was all excellent and cost between £3-£4 per person and was a decent sized meal.
The Town
The town centre is approximately 4 miles away down the coast and can be accessed via a hotel shuttle that ran hourly ($1 per person) or by taking a tuk-tuk which was the popular and more flexible option. Tuk-tuks are motorized rickshaws, a bit like a small, electric milk float but faster and are basically the taxis for getting around. They are very cheap, convenient and plentiful. Approx $1 for the ride into town and seats 4 comfortably (depending on how mad a driver the driver is!)
The town itself is more like a large village rather than a small town with the usual collection of tourist shops selling trinkets to lots of bars & restaurants. All the people are friendly and very welcoming with a big smile on their faces. You do not at any time feel intimated and you are not harassed to any extent although you are sometimes asked in a very friendly way if you want something to eat/drink/come to my bar etc. However, if you are not interested they do not take offense and if you are interested they will take you although you do not feel obliged. It’s such a small place that you will probably end up going most places anyway.
Things to do
Visit the Klai Kangwon Palace which is close by and can be accessed via tuk-tuk for 50p. Unfortunately it was not open to the public at the time so I cannot comment on it although have heard it is well worth a visit.
The local area has a large number of golf courses although I did not play so cannot comment on how good they are.
A walk around the town at night seeing the variety of shops and outdoor market which is on nightly selling most things.
Most water-sports are available on the beach from windsurfing to para-sailing.
In June there is a jazz festival which seemingly attracts thousands but as we went in August I cannot comment on how good it is.
October sees the annual elephant polo championship with entries from around the world.
Men can go into one of the many clothes shops and get measured up for a suit which is then hand made and you collect it a couple of days later for around £50 total and these are very good quality, made to measure suits.
The hotel concierge is also very helpful in assisting with organised trips or even fixing up bespoke trips. With another couple we met we decided that we wanted to visit the Bridge on the River Kwai which is actually in a town called Kanchanaburi (having absolutely no idea where it was). The concierge came up with some suggestions for us in terms of other things to see and the end result was a very enticing agenda.
It turns out that Kanchanaburi is a four & half hour drive from Hua Hin but the hotel had arranged an itinery for us to relieve the boredom of the trip and make sure the day was as filled as possible so we decided to go. The cost was £30pp and I can honestly say it’s the best £60 we have ever spent.
We had our own mini bus & driver who picked us up at 6am and we had an uneventful trip up to Kanchanaburi with several pit stops on the way (by the way the roads/motorways were in excellent condition and shamed some of the roads we see in England).
First stop was the JEATH war museum (entry app $1). JEATH stands for the initials of the countries which “participated in local action” namely Japan, England, Australia, Thailand & Holland. The museum is very basic and constructed in the form of a POW camp. The contents are stomach churning and the mood is somber within it but it’s a fascinating insight as to what went on.
Following this, we took a speed-boat up the river to the bridge itself for a look around the town (which is totally geared up for tourists) then the mini bus picked us up again and took us for lunch (although I have no idea where and am not even sure it was an official restaurant but the food was delicious).
We then got dropped off at the train station with another guide and got on a train which then took us along the river to see everything from a different angle. This was a great journey with large open windows/doors and the wind rushing through and everyone totally relaxed enjoying the scenery and views of the river and bridge.
The mini bus then picked us up and took us to an elephant safari place which was hidden within the rainforest and had no discernible signs on it but was absolutely enthralling. We got on an elephant and went on a trip for about 60 minutes along (and in) the river. Of course it started raining and there was no let up. The paths the elephants took were treacherous and at one point the elephant actually slipped and my heart was in my mouth.
Upon returning back to the start we were then treated to a show by the elephants doing tricks and having your photos took with them, all at no cost but they ask you to make a small donation. It was fantastic.
We then returned back to the hotel with a stop off for food on the way back and got to bed at 1am.
In total we had a 13 hour trip, over 500 miles and saw some amazing sites crammed into one day and it had cost only £30 each. I made sure the driver got a good tip and searched out the concierge the day after to tip him as well. Whilst you do not feel obliged to tip I would strongly recommend it for good service and to me this trip deserved a healthy tip.
Weather
There are three seasons in Hua Hin, dry, warm & rainy. Dry is Nov-Feb, warm is Mar-June and rainy is July-Oct. Best described as tropical with high year round temperatures of 25C + even at night and humidity at 70% +.
However, Hua Hin has one of the lowest rainfall rates in Thailand due to it’s location on the East Coast (no idea why) and we were there in August and it rained a couple of times for an hour or so and then cleared up.
Eating Out
For the first two nights we ate in the hotel trying 2 different restaurants and whilst both were excellent they were a bit pricey at around £15 pp. After that we went into town and picked somewhere randomly (or it picked us) and were never disappointed. We could eat and have a few drinks for around £10pp wherever we went to. There is lots of choice from traditional Thai to Chinese/Indian. Well worth eating out at the pier in one of the restaurants there.
Conclusion
This is a place that I loved and would have no hesitation in going back or recommending it to anyone. This is a different part of Thailand away from Bangkok and Phuket and is a very relaxed place. There is just enough things to do throughout the day to keep it interesting but you also have the option of lazing around the pool if you so desire.
The people are so friendly and go out of their way to help you. Whilst the last thing you need after a 13 hour flight to Bangkok is a 3 hour journey to the resort it is well worth the wait.
I would love to go back again but fear that by the time I get round to it travelers will have got wise and made it into the next Phuket.
