Mr & Mrs Smith

Hôtel de la Paix Cha-Am Beach

Hua Hin, Thailand

Climb the monumental entrance steps to boutique-chic Hôtel de la Paix Cha-Am Beach near Hua Hin and you can’t help but be awestruck by the audacious design and hushed atmosphere. The dramatic linear architecture by Thai talent Duangrit Bunnag may seem minimal at first pass, but beyond all that concrete and marble is a nest of stylish rooms, guest areas softened by aged timber, shimmering reflection pools and sensual lighting, plus a pristine stretch of sand beckoning you towards the ocean.

Need to know

• Rooms 79, including seven pool villas.
• Rates Double rooms from $167.85 (THB5,299), excluding tax at 17.7 per cent.
  Prices have been converted from the hotel's local currency (THB5,299), via XE.com, using today's exchange rate.
• More details Rates include à la carte breakfast.
• Facilities Free WiFi throughout, library with books, DVDs and board games, internet-linked computers, spa, gym, gardens. In rooms: flatscreen TV, Apple TV with music and films, DVD player and preloaded iPod (on request), minibar.
• Poolside Little ones in tow? Splash around in the black-tiled beachfront Active Pool, overlooking the ocean. The walled sanctuary of the Chill Pool near the spa is a child-free zone, and a sun trap in the heat of the day.
• Check-out Noon, but flexible subject to availability. Check-in, 2pm.
• Children At first this place may seem a tad trendy for smudgy fingers, but children are welcome. Baby cots and high chairs are provided free of charge, and extra beds for older kids (THB1,925) and babysitting (THB300 an hour) can be arranged. More...
• Eco-friendly For a spiritual twist on eco, the hotel delivers daily food offerings to the local monks by bike.
• Also Take your pick from activities including private early-morning yoga classes, a champagne picnic for two, culinary tours of the local market, a mountain bike ride to the nearby fishermen’s village or watersports.

Food and drink at Hôtel de la Paix Cha-Am Beach

• Hotel restaurant Motion is a relaxed, poolside retreat, with tables both on the deck and inside where concrete, glass and bamboo add to the air-conditioned comfort. Chef Joel Wilkinson has devised the menu, blending the best of local dishes with cuisine from around the world. For something more atmospheric, saunter upstairs to rooftop retreat Clouds Loft where you can sip a tropical cocktail alfresco as you gaze out to the ocean or up at the blanket of stars. The seasonal menu features fresh, Italian-style seafood, pizza and pasta.
• Dress code While you’re transferring through Bangkok, stock up on the sharp lines and simple palette of Thai design label Greyhound to fit in with the sleek surrounds.
• Top table Enjoy an intimate dinner, designed specifically for you by Joel Wilkinson, in one of the candlelit beach cabanas.
• Last orders The hotel might well attract its fair share of urbanites, but this is sleepy Cha-Am. The restaurant closes at 10pm, although the chef might be persuaded to stay a little later at weekends.
• Room service There’s an edited version of Motion's café menus served until 11pm.
• Hotel bar The Red emulates fashionable city bars with its moody lighting, red Perspex bar, ambient soundtrack and heady cocktail list. Chilled out by day, when it offers wellness-boosting elixirs, it comes to life on weekend evenings when the resort is popular with Bangkokians.

Also worth knowing

• Weddings This property is suitable for weddings. More...

Hôtel de la Paix Cha-Am Beach 115 Moo 7, Tambol Bangkao, Amphur Cha-Am, Petchaburi, Hua Hin, 76120