3 Floating Markets, Venezia & Plearnwan Needed or overkill

[Papaya]

Personally, I'm not a great fan of 'plastic' attractions i.e. attractions built to resemble what they aren't. The odd one, we can get away with, but Hua Hin has built at least 5 such attractions in recent years. A lot of what they each sell is the same.

IMHO there is very little that actually floats at the floating markets. At the first 2, there seem to be more and more shops closing up, and at the latest, very little has ever opened.

Plearnwan does very little for me than pose a traffic hazard on Petchkasem Road when the hooded men try to steer you into the car park.

Venezia has been build with a lot more imagination and money, but does not really offer anything new. Built on a busy corner, it is an accident waiting to happen as speeding cars encounter standing traffic waiting to get into the inadequate parking area.

These places can be very busy at weekends with the influx of visitors from Bangkok, but resemble ghost towns during the week.

Does a small town like Hua Hin need so many?

[MrPlum]

You have noted 2 of the floating markets are dying. The market has voted with its feet.

Plearn Wan has been swamped since it was open. The Thais obviously like it. It has seen its best days, though, since almost everyone has seen it. The shops do not do much trade. It's mainly a photo-op.

The influx of big developers with huge projects says they have confidence in the future. HH will continue to expand. It is great that we have too much rather than too little.

What would you like to see?

[zeitgeist]

I would like to see a theme park, with old fashioned roller coasters and those fairground games (coconut shy type games) like Boardwalk and Baseball in Florida, closed now unfortunately.

[Pleng]

Venezia has been build with a lot more imagination and money, but does not really offer anything new. Built on a busy corner, it is an accident waiting to happen as speeding cars encounter standing traffic waiting to get into the inadequate parking area.

The car park is massive!

[Papaya]

The car park is massive!

Yes, I agree there is a large area at the back. However, Thais being Thai want to park at the front, and will wait for half a space. This Thai'ism causes a massive queue that stretches back onto Petchkasem Road. It is definitely an accident waiting to happen.

What would you like to see?

I'd like to see something more authentic. A proper museum for instance. Attractions such as the Maruekhathaiyawan Palace are really impressive, and take you back in time - this is a must see place to take friends who visit us. I accept that you can't just create something like the Maruekhathaiyawan Palace, but there must be other currently hidden attractions about.

[Chromeman]

I know it is not in Hua Hin, but I visited the Sanctuary of Truth in Pattaya in August, and was quite impressed with the woodwork and carving being done there. So not everything newly built in Thailand is plastic fantastic...

If anyone wants to see the pictures I took, here is my album from that visit.

[hhfarang]

I would like to see a theme park, with old fashioned roller coasters

With the lack of safety standards and inspections here, that would be a death hazard. I love roller coasters and have ridden over 50 of them but I would not dare to get on one in this country.

[Frank Hovis]

those fairground games (coconut shy type games)

Last time (only time) I was at the Swiss Sheep Farm just North of Cha-Am they had an area with these types of games - shoot a tower of cans, throw darts at balloons, hoopla, throw ping pongs into bottles sort of games, if was the most interesting part of the whole place.

[richard]

those fairground games (coconut shy type games)

Last time (only time) I was at the Swiss Sheep Farm just North of Cha-Am they had an area with these types of games - shoot a tower of cans, throw darts at balloons, hoopla, throw ping pongs into bottles sort of games, if was the most interesting part of the whole place.

They used to have that sort of thing at the Red Cross fair when it was located up Nebkehard near soi 50 along with a wall of death ride too. Good old fashioned fairground stuff

[fabman]

we went to the floating market in pattaya , and i hate to say it but it was so much much better than any of the 3 floating markets in Hua Hin ..

the 2 here south of the city was never going to work long term , as they were supposed to be one big market originally ... until the people building it fell out ! so you end up with 2 floating markets near each other offering not a lot ..

its a shame for the people who lease the small shops etc in these places as they are clearly going to go out of bussiness eventually

[zeitgeist]

its a shame for the people who lease the small shops etc in these places as they are clearly going to go out of bussiness eventually

Hua Hin Floating Market has recently had a change of ownership, someone has more confidence!

[MrPlum]

Hua Hin Floating Market has recently had a change of ownership, someone has more confidence!

Which one? There are three.

[zeitgeist]

That would be the floating market named 'Hua Hin Floating Market' or the first one going up 112

[Big Boy]

To help you distinguish between them, there are albums of the 3 floating markets on our Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/huahinforum

[Chromeman]

Are any of them worth a visit for a first timer to Hua Hin?