Worth getting out of bed for
Highlights the best Hua Hin has to offer, from art and culture to fun-packed activities; we've even found the most inspiring place to enjoy the views from.
- Viewpoint
- Follow Chomsin Road to Khao Hin Lek Fai – otherwise known as Flintstone Hill. This mighty mound offers gorgeous views of Hua Hin, the beach and the nearby mountain range. Most locals like to come here at sunset, when the view is particularly camera-pleasing.
- Arts and culture
- In 1926, King Rajakhipok (Rama VII) built a summer palace in Hua Hin for his wife, Queen Rambhai Barni. He named it Wang Klai Kangwon, which means, ‘far from worries’. The seaside residence was, unusually, designed in a Spanish style by one of the Thai princes, a graduate of France’s famed Ecole des Beaux Art. When the royals are away, the palace is open for public view.
- Something for nothing
- The Sofitel Central Hua Hin Resort (+66 (0) 3251 2021) is Thailand's oldest resort hotel and it’s well worth stopping by for an ogle. Built by a Thai prince in 1923, the stunning colonial hotel single-handedly made Hua Hin into the renowned holiday destination and royal retreat it is today.
- Shopping
- No one comes to Hua Hin to shop. In fact, many probably come here to escape the mega-malls that dominate much of Bangkok. Nonetheless, there are several small boutiques spread around town. The Hua Hin Bazaar, about 100 metres west of the beach, is a good place to hunt for local handicrafts. The Night Market is also worth a visit.
- Daytripper
- Head 40 miles south of Hua Hin to Sam Roi Yot National Park – the ‘mountain of three hundred peaks’. The scenery here is breathtaking – beautiful beaches, craggy limestone cliffs, a 600-metre, picture-perfect mountain range, and a vast network ancient caves. There’s something for wildlife-lovers too – endangered animals such as serows, dusky langurs and Irrawaddy dolphins can be spotted in the park.
- Best beach
- A couple of miles south of Hua Hin, Khao Takiab is the ideal seaside picnic-spot. Fringed with palms and adorned with a 20-metre golden Buddha statue, this wide stretch of soft white sand is now dotted with a dozen small beach shack restaurants offering good, cheap, simple food.
- Activities
- The high-energy, adrenaline-heavy sport of kitesurfing is all the rage in Thailand and around the region. Essentially combining parasailing and surfing, it makes windsurfing look as high-octane as tiddlywinks. There are several reputable schools that offer courses; try Kite Thailand (www.kitethailand.com) or KiteBoardingAsia (www.kiteboardingasia.com) and take to, and over, the waves.
Diary
March Thailand International Kite Festival 13–15 April Songkran, the water-flinging Thai new year celebrations. Mid-May Visaka Bucha Day celebrates the life, enlightenment and death of Buddha and is the holiest day of the year in the Buddhist calendar. June Hua Hin Jazz Festival brings in world-class performers and visitors to the city. August Hua Hin Golf Festival – every day during August, you can play at participating courses for THB800 a round. Around the same time, around 300 yachtsmen compete in the colourful Hua Hin Regatta. December Hua Hin Vintage Car Rally: petrolheads flock to the Sofitel to show off their motors.
