Living in Hua Hin

Hua Hin was a well kept secret from foreign tourists and residents until a few years ago. Most of the big tour operators concentrated on the livelier resorts on the South and East Coast, leaving Hua Hin relatively unspoilt by tourism and a popular weekend getaway for Thais.

Known as the “Royal” resort due to Hua Hin being home to the Thai Royal family, the town is refreshing for what it lacks as a tourist resort, rather than what it has got. Certainly the nightlife is tame in comparison to most other seaside destinations, and Hua Hin offers no more than a good selection of international and seafood restaurants and some discreet bars. Whilst there are one or two disco/night clubs (the most popular of which is at the Hilton hotel) the majority of tourists and residents are likely to spend their time browsing through the evening markets and eating and drinking at the many good quality restaurants to be found along the beach front or near the Hilton.

Boasting only a Burger King and a Starbuck’s, Hua Hin has so far escaped the multitude of fast food and international chains that proliferate so much of the country. There is no large supermarket chain, with Hua Hin residents relying on “The Shopping Mall”, a privately owned department type store right in the centre of town, with a small but adequate supermarket at the back.

Owing much to the presence of the Thai Royal Family, Hua Hin is a safe, peaceful destination, with beautiful beaches, and national parks close by. It is proving a popular retirement resort with educators, bank managers and the like and the number of real estate developments has increased ten fold in the last couple of years. Just one look at the free monthly magazine “The Observer” will give you an idea as to how popular Hua Hin has become.

The main tourist town is centred around the Shopping Mall, Satukarn Square and the Post Office and “beach road”. There is a lively day market (Chatchai) which is undercover and is to be found just before the second set of traffic lights going towards the airport. Here you can buy fish, meat, vegetables and clothing. The array of seafood available is amazing, as Hua Hin still is essentially a fishing village!

For book lovers, Bookazine opposite the Sofitel Hotel is the main English Language bookshop and will happily order books, magazines and newspapers for you. If it’s second hand books you are after then Book Lovers, in Dechanuchit Road (opposite night market street) has a large selection of new and used books.

Visit the Hua Hin Dog Rescue Center (HHRC) Charity shop on the 3rd floor of the Shopping Mall and if you’re lucky you’ll find some great book bargains at around 50 baht. They stock a variety of fiction and non fiction and even some English Language Teaching resources.

In the evenings there is a choice of markets, the nightly tourist market is situated in “night market street” right in the centre of town. If you are after some bargains then try the “Grand Market” open from Wednesday to Sunday 6pm – 10pm or Pai Mai on a Tuesday night, out towards the golf driving range.

In golfing circles, Hua Hin is best known as the golfing capital of Thailand, boasting 5 international standard golf courses in close proximity. The oldest golf course in Thailand, “The Royal” is right in the centre of town behind the railway station. Even if you are not a golfer, their excellent value open air restaurant and terrace is worth a visit.

There were no language schools in Hua Hin, until WECI opened its doors in 2002. Between Hua Hin and Cha-am you will also find Stamford Schiller University and Webster University, offering International degree programs to Thais and foreigners. Many of the International hotels employ their own English teachers, and the main schools for foreigners in the area are Somtawin School, which offers a full English program for 4 to 13 year olds with native speaker teachers (all subjects in English) and Salasian Catholic School which also offers English classes with native English speakers, but other lessons are in Thai. Hua Hin School, the town’s main high school runs a Mini English Program, where Math, Science and Computing are also taught in English, but this is only currently open to 12 and 13 years old, and like Salasian, students should also have a grasp of the Thai language.