10 best things to do in Hua Hin

Hua Hin was Thailand’s first ever seaside holiday destination, with the country’s first resort, the Railway Hotel, built here over 90 years and it remains a favourite for Thai locals and international tourists alike. Here are our 10 best things to do in Hua Hin.

1.Visit Wat Hua Hin, light some incense and pray for good fortune. Hua Hin’s most important temple was built during the reign of King Chulalongkorn (King Rama V)

2.Take in the sights, sounds and smells of Chat Chai market which sells everything from fresh vegetables, all manner of seafood to local handicrafts and school uniforms. Be sure to quench your thirst with a fresh coconut, usually around 20 Baht ($1).

Hua Hin Chat Chai market

3.Take a selfie outside the old Royal Waiting Room at Hua Hin Train Station which opened in 1911 and still holds its colonial charm. This grand-looking building that was used to welcome the King and his court when they visited the town.

Hua Hin Train Station

4.Go for a horse ride along the beach. At the entrance to the main beach area you’ll find ponies and horses of all sizes, available for hire for a walk or a trot along the white sandy beach.

Hua Hin Horse riding

5.Get your adrenalin pumping at Vana Nava Water Jungle, one of the largest water parks in Thailand, which also boasts the largest and longest water slides. As well as the thrills, there are water play areas for littlies and a unique ‘Aquacourse’, a course of ropes and challenging obstacles, combined with water guns.

Hua Hin Royal Summer Palace

6.Step back in time with a visit to Mrigadayavan Palace, the Summer Palace of King Rama VI. The Palace is currently being restored to its former glory, and there are lots of interesting artefacts on display throughout the sprawling complex. NB: Wear clothes that cover your shoulders and knees.

Hua Hin Cicada Market

7.Taste food from all over Thailand, browse through stalls selling arts and crafts and take in some live music at Cicada Market. This upscale market opens at 4pm on Friday and Saturday nights, and it’s very family friendly.

8.Get an ice cream at Plearn Wan – a two-storey wooden ‘vintage village’ that is a bit like Thailand’s answer to Coney Island or Brighton Pier. There’s plenty of stands upstairs selling ice cream and pancakes, and souvenir shops downstairs, as well as a Ferris wheel.

Hua Hin Plearn Wan

9.Have lunch on the beach at one of the many cafes and restaurants on Hua Hin Beach, have a swim while you’re waiting for your meal to arrive and wriggle your toes in the sand as you eat. Most cafés serve the same thing (Thai favourites such as Pad Thai, BBQ seafood, pasta, burgers or fries).

Hua Hin beach restaurants

10.Visit the Hua Hin night markets, taste some giant BBQ prawns and pick up a few souvenirs. The night markets stretch over two blocks, a few blocks down from Hua Hin Railway Station, and they’re a blast to the senses, a kaleidoscope of colour and cacophony of noises.

Hua Hin Night Market

Where to Stay: The Railway Hotel is now the Centara Grand Beach Resort & Villas Hua Hin, and while the hotel has grown significantly over the years, the original building still stands. At the centre of town, it’s a great place to stay.

Thailand’s Ten Best Beaches

Guest blogger John Borthwick gets plenty of sand between his toes in researching the best of the Kingdom’s shoreline.

The beach at Ao Manao (Lime Bay).

Ao Manao, Prachuap Khiri Khan. The postcard-perfect arc of Ao Manao, or “Lime Bay” — aptly named for its pale-green waters — sits just south of Prachuap Khiri Khantown. The sands are wide, the waters clear and small beachfront eateries dish up fresh soft-shell crabs and tom yam soup.

Rock-climbing at Railay Beach
Railay Beach, Krabi

Rai Leh Beach, Krabi. Rai Leh (aka Railay) sits on isolated Phra Nang peninsula, a longtail boat ride from Ao Nang. Towering limestone heights and turquoise depths attract spider-persons who climb Rai Leh’s vertical cliffs. Meanwhile other visitors just want to wallow in the general, Andaman Sea beauty.

Aow Yai beach and Andaman Sea, Ko Phayam island, Ranong.

Ao Yai Beach, Koh Phayam, Ranong. Little Phayam Island floats off Thailand’s west coast, seemingly in the Sea of Amnesia. Its gem, Ao Yai Beach offers three km of wide, sands, an easy shorebreak and monsoon season surf. Late afternoon gets gorgeous when the cicadas and the sunset crank up their volumes.

Ba Kan Tiang Beach, Koh Lanta, Krabi. Sit below a fire-and-brimstone sunset, looking west from Ba Kan Tiang’s swoop of pure sand and water music, and you know why you came to Koh Lanta. “The island of long beaches” has many but this one also offers good accommodation plus views of the uninhabited Koh Haa islets.

Chaweng Noi Beach

Chaweng Beach, Koh Samui, Surat Thani. Samui has plenty of beaches, with long, broad Chaweng and next door, the smaller Lamai being the most popular ones. The Gulf waters are clear and calm, the sands are well stocked with trinket peddlers and there are bars, restaurants and shops galore if that’s what you’ve come for.

Hat Sai Khao, Koh Chang, Trat. Also known as White Sand Beach (“Off-White Sand Beach” might be a more accurate), Hat Sai Khao is a sweeping shoreline on the country’s second largest island. With ample accommodation and commerce it is made for a seafood-eating, novel-reading, do-little sort of holiday.

Jomtien Beach, Pattaya, Thailand.

Jomtien Beach, Chonburi. Jomtien is your retreat when the partying at nearby Pattaya becomes too much, or you just want more space on the sand. Five-km long Jomtien has cleaner water, whiter sands and fewer motorised aquatic dangers than its neighbour. And when the sun goes down there is much good dining at the beachfront row eateries.

Mai Khao Beach
Mai Khao Beach

Mai Khao Beach, Phuket. Stretching along the northwest coast of Phuket, and far from the clamorous Patong-Karon-Kata strip, you’ll find Mai Khao (“White Wood”) Beach. This 17-km skein of dreams is the sort of shore where beachcombing careers are made. More importantly, it is also a national park and sea turtle-nesting zone.

Aava Resort & Spa, Khanom, Surat Thani.

Na Dan Beach, Khanom, Nakhon Si Thammarat. Remember when a beach was a beach and not a shopping mall with sand? Na Dan is stilllike that — no hawkers, looning power craft or hectares of rental chairs. Remote and dreamy, it remains palm-fringed with nine km of shoreline and vast blue skies above.

Natai Beach, Phang Nga. Cross Saladan Bridge at the northern tip of Phuket and you enter another world, mainland Phang Nga province, a place of long, casuarina-shaded beaches and small rural towns. Here the empty, snoozy Andaman shore of Natai Beach is home to a turtle sanctuary, seafood stalls and tranquility.

Beach Survival Tips

— Rips. Andaman waters can appear deceptively calm but there are often currents and undertows. Fatalities happen. Almost no beaches have lifeguards.

— Jetskis. Unsuspecting tourists are frequently forced to pay for mythical “damages” by unscrupulous jet-ski hirers, notably in Pattaya and Phuket. Simply do not hire or use one.

— Speedboats. Popular beaches in Pattaya, Phuket and elsewhere are alive with transfer speedboats, parasailer tow craft, banana boats and jetskis. Injuries happen. Use a swimming enclosure with pontoons if there is one.

Words and photographs © John Borthwick 2020

Islands in the Dream

Thailand has hundreds of islands. Guest blogger John Borthwick focuses on those in the beautiful Gulf of Thailand and goes island-hopping.

Koh Chang (Elephant Island) is the Kingdom’s second largest island and while increasingly popular, still has plenty of jungle and sandy coves. Its White Sand Beach (Hat Sai Khao) is the main place for a seafood-eating, novel-reading, hair-braiding sort of holiday, while other places like Bang Bao and Klong Prao offer a more local flavour.

Much of the west coast was rapidly and unsympathetically developed so, if you’re looking for peace and quiet, there are 47 islands in the Koh Chang National Park group, although most do not offer accommodation. Koh Chang has good restaurants, cheap shopping and massages galore.

Koh Kood in thefar easternKoh Chang Archipelago is Thailand’s fourth-largest island. Its range of resorts is limited but the quality is good, including at Cham’s House, Peter Pan and Soneva Kiri (about as far up-market as one can go without needing oxygen). Koh Kood’s sands haven’t been hived off to beach umbrellas or its taxis to extortionists. There’s great diving offshore and snorkeling, plus some river kayaking. In general, on untrammeled, jungle-clad Koh Kood there’s not that much to do for visitors who love to do not that much.

Koh Phangan, 15 km north of Koh Samui, was once known mostly for its full-moon raves at Hat Rin beach. Then came half-moon and no-moon parties. In their wake a number of resorts of growing sophistication have made the island more than a backpacker haunt. There are now several hundred accommodation options, ranging from bungalows to luxury pool suites. “Try getting away from Hat Rin. It’s no more Phangan than Bangkok is Thailand,” wisely advises one blogger. Following that suggestion, other Phangan beaches like Hat Mae, Hat Yao and Hat Sadet still deliver the kicked-back, siesta’d-out stay you’ve dreamed of.

Koh Samet, only a half-day drive southeast from Bangkok could be, you might fear, somewhat over-paved and raved-up but, on the contrary, this forested national park island off Rayong still has tranquil beaches and a reasonably low-key tourist scene. Much accommodation is in bungalow-style resorts, plus select upmarket retreats. The fun include beach combing, beach dining (with fire-dancers) and swimming. Weekdays feel like a siesta while weekends are busier with Bangkok escapees. Samet (aka Ko Samed) embodies a Thai-style contradiction in being both a ”protected” National Park and intensively developed with resorts, particularly along the eastern beaches like Hat Sai Kaew.

Koh Samui saw its first tourists 50 years ago. With no accommodation they hadto sleep in the temple. Today, this tourist magnet in the western sector of the Gulf (off Surat Thani) hosts millions of visitors a year.

There are two faces to its development: the teeming pub-and-club strips at Chaweng and Lamai beaches, and a growing number of exclusive resorts. Tex-Mex restaurants, Swiss pubs and dive shops confirm that you are in modern Thailand, but a rugged jungle interior and a chain of west coast beaches (best at high tide) are your getaway zones on this 25 km long island.

Koh Si Chang, 120 km from Bangkok, was a favoured escape for Siam’s royals in the 19th century. Today you can wander the beautiful terraced parklands gardens remaining around the former Chudhadhuj Rajthan palace. Despite the closeness to Bangkok, there is no forest of glitzy resorts here. Si Chang was “saved” from becoming a tourist purgatory by its lack of spectacular beaches. There are no cars, so hire a motorbike to orbit this craggy island. Head up to the white “Buddha Footprint” temple overlooking the island and sea. Dine or have coffee in town or a sunset beer at Chong Khao Khad viewpoint.

Koh Talu in the southwestern waters of Gulf has just one resort, clean sands, plenty of palms and no neons. The 1500-ha island sits on the “the sunrise side” of the Gulf, 370 km south of Bangkok. The comfortable, Thai-style bungalows of Koh Talu Island Resort overlook the long white sands of Big Bay and the smaller, absurdly pretty Ao Muk (Pearl Bay). The “might-do’s” of your day include snorkeling, kayaking, a bushwalk and then cocktails. To get there, travel 160 km by train or road south from Hua Hin to Bang Saphan and then take the resort ferry to the island.

Hat Sai Daeng Ko Tao

Koh Tao (Turtle Island), 45 km north of Koh Samui, is said to be the largest dive-training centre in Southeast Asia. Its plentiful reefs, rich marine life and excellent visibility have ensured that this divers’ “paradise” features in both guidebooks and resort developers’ sights. Compared to larger, more sophisticated Koh Samui, most of tiny (21 sq km) Koh Tao’s accommodation is more basic and mid-market — which suits its enthusiastic backpacker clientele — but the true attraction here is below the waterline. Even launching directly from the often-crowded beach you can easily reach good coral reefs.

Words and photographs © John Borthwick 2020

Pattaya Grows up

Guest blogger John Borthwick checks-out Thailand’s self-described “Extreme City”.

Pattaya, Thailand’s fastest-growing resort town has many faces — sunny, templed, bawdy, raucous, delicious — but never shy. Basking on the Gulf of Thailand 150 km southeast of Bangkok, it has long outgrown its military R-and-R origins of Vietnam War-era apocalyptic partying. If there’s anything like a uniform these days in Fun City it is shorts, beach shirt and sunburn.

Many visitors add golfing gear to that fetching ensemble, thanks to the multiple nearby courses. Growing sophistication in its restaurants and resorts sees Pattaya now attract almost ten million visitors a year, not to mention Thai families, expats and retirees.

Girl in blue Pattaya hotel pool. Copyright John Borthwick
Girl in blue Pattaya hotel pool. Copyright John Borthwick

Beaches and nightlife were what it was all about some 60 years ago when a group of US Air Force men on leave discovered the balmy shore and flamboyant sunsets of snoozy Pad Tha Ya fishing village. Fast-forward six decades and the Mastercard Global Destination Cities Index for 2019 logged Pattaya as the world’s 15th most visited city, with an extraordinary 9.44 million international visitors.

Local passenger transport, known as 'songthaew' (two-seat).
Local passenger transport, known as ‘songthaew’ (two-seat).

Pattaya’s main beach is dense with deck-chairs and watercraft, so head south over the hill to Jomtien for wider, whiter sands, or north to the coves of Wong Amat. The best way (and best fun way) to move around town is on the “baht bus”, the blue pickup trucks that loop constantly along Beach and Second roads. (Their Thai name is songthaew — “two seat”.) With twin bench seats in the back, passengers hop on or off anywhere, paying a flat fare of ten Thai baht.

Pattaya Bay by dusk, looking south from Dusit Thani hotel. Copyright John Borthwick
Pattaya Bay by dusk, looking south from Dusit Thani hotel. Copyright John Borthwick

For family fun, the surrounding Chonburi province has quality theme parks such as Nong Nooch Tropical Gardens and Ramayana Water Park. Near the latter is Buddha Mountain, a 100-metre high image etched in gold on a cliff-face. Meanwhile, the most celebrated attraction is the Sanctuary of Truth at Wong Amat just north of town. This extraordinary, all-wood structure surmounted by a 105-metre spire honors an amalgam of eastern religions and mythology, and was 30 years in the making.

Copyright John Borthwick
Copyright John Borthwick

The Gulf region around Pattaya could be known as the Golf of Siam, with some 20 courses and driving ranges within an hour’s travel. Less physically exerting are the Thai-style massages available everywhere across town. The quality varies, but at under $10 an hour you can afford to sample several shops. Recommended is a skilled one at the Thai Blind Massage Institute in the Jomtien Complex shopping centre.

Neon nights, Pattaya, Thailand Copyright John Borthwick
Neon nights, Pattaya, Thailand, Copyright John Borthwick

Nightlife is still Pattaya’s middle name and parts of town don’t really get going until dusk when scores of beer bars start filling up. You’ll find industrially spiced nightlife along South Pattaya’s Walking Street, a garish strip of go-go bars, buskers and wide-eyed, flag-following tour groups. Pull up a pew here at an open-air bar, order a brew and contemplate the passing circus in its extremes of beauty and bawdiness. Keep in mind as you watch that the city’s welcome archway at Jomtien Beach declares, “Pattaya the Extreme City”, as both a boast and caution.

Tiffany Show. Copyright John Borthwick
Tiffany Show. Copyright John Borthwick

Pattaya has entertainment for all, and for all three sexes. Its most glamorous transvestite cabaret, the famous Tiffany Show stars elaborately costumed kathoey (lady boys) whose high-kicking, lip-synching routines are lots of fun and family-rated, too.

Shopping comes high on the list for many visitors and Pattaya obliges with swags of bargain beachwear, shoes and luggage. For quality, brand-name goods at fixed prices, try the beachfront malls like Central Festival or Royal Garden.

Sanctuary of Truth, teak temple, Pattaya, Copyright John Borthwick
Sanctuary of Truth, teak temple, Pattaya, Copyright John Borthwick

You’re spoiled for bed choices here with major hotel brands including Holiday Inn, Sheraton, Dusit, Marriott, Hilton and Accor. There are also scores of quality, mid-budget hotels stretching from Naklua in the north, through the party zone of central Pattaya and south to Jomtien. 

© John Borthwick 2009
© John Borthwick 2009

SURVIVAL TIPS: Swim at Jomtien or Wong Amat rather than in the dubious waters of Pattaya Bay. Never rent a jetski (scams galore) nor use a camera in a go-go bar (bouncers galore). Don’t ride in a taxi without first agreeing the price. Avoid Pattaya during Thai New Year, Songkran, in mid-April, when you’ll be drenched day and night for a week in the world’s largest watertight. Fun at first, then not.

Words and photographs © John Borthwick 2020