GreenBkk Scoop | Hua Hin, for a refreshing holiday

Hua Hin, for a refreshing holiday

A rich resort that offers cool breezes, abundant food choices and fun activities in a seaside setting

But the cool weather also gets many people thinking about the seaside. They are drawn to the idea of a place that isn't too far from Bangkok, probably not more than a two-hour drive, so that a one- or two-day visit is possible, just right for a weekend. Accommodations should be available in all price ranges, from seven stars to three stars, and all kinds of food should be there for the ordering: European, Indian, Mediterranean, Chinese, Japanese, Vietnamese, seafood and Isan. Finally, expenses should vary to suit any budget. Where can all of these things be found?

ATTRACTIONS: Seashores. PHOTO: PHRAKRIT JUNTAWONG

One good answer is Hua Hin. Nowadays, this resort city doesn't only attract Thais, but it is also a favourite spot for Westerners. This is especially true at this time of year, when many Western countries are moving into the frigid winter months - and Hua Hin offers fine weather in a seaside setting. There are world class hotels, health spas famous for their excellent service, an Asian lifestyle fascinatingly unlike what they know at home, and some beautiful natural attractions in the surrounding area. Best of all, prices are not high.

Hua Hin is also a place with an interesting and unique past. It was Thailand's first resort town and dates from a time when it could not be reached by road, which meant visitors had to go there by train. It came into existence almost by accident.

A century or so ago, when railways had already been built to part of the North and Isan and there were plans to extend the railway tracks down into the South, a German company was hired to survey the route, do planning, and supervise construction. The route that was surveyed ran from Bangkok through Nakhon Pathom, Ratchaburi and Phetchaburi.

 

The Cicada Market in Hua Hin.

The work took the engineers and construction teams over canals and through jungles and rice fields for the entire distance, and the work was arduous and under very hot conditions. One camp set up by the engineers at a time when they were completely exhausted from the work and the heat was at a spot where cutting through only another 100m brought them to the sea. It was like coming to an oasis. The campsite was very near the place that would later be the Hua Hin railway station.

It became a favourite place for upper class families and for the Royal Family to relax and enjoy the sea air; many of them built palaces and holiday homes there. The Railroad Hotel was also constructed, and it was the most luxurious hotel in Thailand.

Later on, Pattaya gained fame as a new resort, but the excitement was only temporary and affected only the younger people, who like new things. Hua Hin kept its cache as the seaside resort of choice.

That is the Hua Hin of the past. Today, it is even busier and more popular than it was then. For one thing, young people from the upper class are going to Hua Hin instead of Pattaya. There are activities there that people from every level of society enjoy: jazz concerts, beaches, shopping centres, and the recently opened, open-air Cicada Market, where works of art are sold. There are specially designed products and decorative items, as well as an art gallery and an open stage for art exhibitions.

There is also a shopping centre that looks back to the past. It is called Phloen Wan, and it's made to look like an old-fashioned, wooden terrace house market from the countryside. The items for sale and the decor includes things that have practically disappeared from modern Thailand intermixed with reproductions.

PHOTOS: VANNIYA SRIANGURA

A restaurant is outfitted with booths in the style of the past, and the entire market is a kind of open museum where people can experience some aspects of Thai life as they once were.

There is also a night-time food market located near Chatchai Market. Food is only sold after dark and many kinds of dishes are available, including grilled seafood, noodles, Thai specialties cooked to order, and sweets. Offerings are not limited to food; there are other things, too. But it isn't necessary to have any specific purchase in mind when going there. It is fun to just walk around and take in the colourful surroundings.

The Chatchai Market is also well worth a visit because it offers dried foods like dried shrimp, dried fish, dried squid, as well as other foods to buy and take home. The fresh fish section is interesting, too, because many of the fish for sale there are different from the ones that can be found in Bangkok fresh markets.

There are many restaurants in Hua Hin that serve lunch and supper, especially on Naret Damri Road, and old thoroughfare that runs along Hua Hin Beach. Almost all kinds of international dishes are available, and there are several seafood restaurants that are built out over the sea. With so many restaurants set so near to each other, of course there is plenty of competition.

If you are interested in art, there is an artists' residence on the way to Pa La-U Mountain only four or five kilometres outside of Hua Hin. It houses a workshop used by a number of artists. You can talk with the artists or even purchase pictures directly from them.

So, as the rains stop and the temperature drops, Hua Hin is a good place to go to take advantage of the nice weather. There are so many good things to do and to buy, and so many good things to eat and to experience, that a memorable day or two away from the city is guaranteed.