Need some advice on moving to Hua Hin

[thaimout]

We hope you can help us by sharing Your opinions regarding life in Hua Hin.
We are a familiy with children, witch is considering a year in Thailand.
Our criteria is;
Great Beach, Close to most Things, children friendly, Close to Int. Airport (though we'd like to visit other Asian contreys), international or Scandinavian School.

Maybe we have to many criterias, but anyway, we'd like to kno from you that are living in Hua Hin, is HH the Place for us?
If you think HH is the wrong Place, please advice us wich Place you recomand.
If you think HH is the right Place, where in HH is the best Place to look for a house? And why?

We really hope you can help us with advice :9

[Frank La Rue]

Great Beach: Cha Am, 20 minutes North of Hua Hin or South of Hua Hin
Cloe to most things: How close is close, either Cha Am central or CLose to HUa Hin, HH North
Close to International Airport - Bangna close to Suwanabu has some nice housing developments but far from Beach
Hua Hin North is close to the local airport which takes you to Suwanabum in 30 minutes
No Scandinanvian school but Hua Hin Int'l School is in North Hua Hin (also another one at Black Mountain

This comes from someone who does not live there, but goes there often. You may want to do a search on Chonburi and find similar.
However, if you have to ask rather simple questions which are easily found on internet, it begs the question whether you have ever been to Thailand?

If not, I wouldn't rush into locating there on impulse but go there for a few weeks holiday with family and see how you feel WHilst there you find the answers to your questions.

[Big Boy]

Hua Hin North is close to the local airport which takes you to Suwanabum in 30 minutes

No airlines operate this service anymore.

[oakdale160]

Good advive, I have neighbours who moved here after just one multi country tour of SE Asia with only 5 days in Thai.
Luckily they rented while looking to buy and in 10 weeks decided it was a big mistake. They didnt even unpack their container shipped it right back--expensive lesson.
Come fora visit at least 6 weeks

[hhfarang]

Oh my, I have to keep my fingers away from the keyboard on this one...

[oakdale160]

Let it rip hhf, your opinion is as valid as anybody elses.

[seveneleven]

Hua Hin to Don Muang is daily.
If I was raising white kids, I'd definitely consider Hua Hin as a fine place to raise a western family.

[Frank La Rue]

Oh my, I have to keep my fingers away from the keyboard on this one...

Mind you, they are only looking to stay a year.

[Big Boy]

Hua Hin to Don Muang is daily.

What is daily please?

[JamesWest]

We hope you can help us by sharing Your opinions regarding life in Hua Hin.
We are a familiy with children, witch is considering a year in Thailand.
Our criteria is;
Great Beach, Close to most Things, children friendly, Close to Int. Airport (though we'd like to visit other Asian contreys), international or Scandinavian School.

Maybe we have to many criterias, but anyway, we'd like to kno from you that are living in Hua Hin, is HH the Place for us?
If you think HH is the wrong Place, please advice us wich Place you recomand.
If you think HH is the right Place, where in HH is the best Place to look for a house? And why?

We really hope you can help us with advice :9

Living anywhere in Thailand the number one consideration should be the safety of your children. As I am sure it is with you in your home country.

Thailand's roads and highways are extremely dangerous. Even crossing the road can be a highly dangerous experience.

So, you would try to minimize the distance they have to travel to school.

And please don't think there are professional drivers here that you can trust your children's lives to.

As a single adult I accept responsibly for myself and understand the risks. But everyday, my Thai girlfriend gets on her scooter and goes to her business, and I worry about her. It is my biggest concern. Back in the USA, I would never think, "I hope my wife or girlfriend does not get killed today driving to work." But everyday in Thailand, I have that thought.

I don't know how old your children are, but whatever they have learned about crossing the street, playing on the street in the neighborhood, riding their bikes or walking anywhere is of little value here. They will need time to learn about Thailand and you will have to watch them like a hawk.

There is no magic day where you overcome the dangers of the roads here, it is 24/7 365 days a year.

As for beaches, if you are coming from a cold place without beaches, I guess the beaches in Thailand seem "great". Cha Am beaches are good for families, and as you start to explore more, the beaches to the south of Hua Hin are very nice. Large open areas without many tourists where your kids can run around. Some jellyfish here and there.

You will most likely have to take a taxi, bus or the train to Bangkok to fly anywhere outside the country. There are some domestic flights out of Hua Hin airport. It takes longer, but your kids might love riding the train.

Bangkok hospital and Hua Hin hospital are great. Their locations are good for both north and south Hua Hin.

as for other places to live in Thailand, I think Hua Hin is very safe by Thailand standards. Good weather, less rain. The ocean breeze here can make the air less polluted compared to up north. And a better class of Farangs, meaning maybe less child molesters and for sure less criminals like in Pattaya.

Good luck with your trip to Thailand.

[oakdale160]

If you are coming fora year you can be sure that your children will fall behind in their education. The International Schools are te best but are of course expensive and cannot rival the best of British schools, so some home schooling might be necessary. One of my best friends here, in Thai on a 3 year contract has sent his 2 boys to boarding School in England for the last 2 years of his contract

[Blacky]

I have been living here for two years with my wife and three kids - and I can say we absolutely love it! Concerning the schools, it really depends how old your kids are. I would not recommend Hua Hin for secondary aged school kids, but if they are nursery or primary level Hua Hin has some fantastic choices.

We have lived in many, many places already and so far HH is our absolute favorite. Lots of things to do, peaceful town, close to Bangkok, the healthcare sector is well taken care of and your hard earned money gets you quite far...

Of course HH is not perfect, but tell me a place that is....

Cheers,
B.

[laser]

Hua Hin is fine and may fit the bill but has some issues (traffic/road crossing and occasional overcrowding in the central area, BKK airports reached in ~2.5-5 hours time, so-so beaches, living costs/prices). Apart of HH North/Cha Am (mentioned above) Pranburi/Huay Yang beach (South of HH) has a Sanuk school and scores better on those aspects, except the increased distance from BKK. In your place I also would consider Krabi and Koh Lanta. It depends on your ranking/weights of the pro & contra factors. Caveat emptor... do your research and visit a few candidate places before making a decision.

[seveneleven]

Hua Hin to Don Muang is daily.

What is daily please?

Sorry I though I spotted a flight status at Don Muang when I was there recently but it seems to not exist.
There is however a daily minibus that stops at Don Muang from Hua Hin but would need to purchase extra seat if have sizable luggage.
There is also a return service Don Muang-Hua Hin that originates at Rangsit, but needs to be booked in advance with pickup time.

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[hhfarang]

Oh my, I have to keep my fingers away from the keyboard on this one...

Mind you, they are only looking to stay a year.

Let it rip hhf, your opinion is as valid as anybody elses.

Actually now that I read again, I mostly agree with the other posters. For only a year it will be a great experience. The only two requirements to consider or explore further are: Distance and travel time to the international airport, and the children's schooling if they are teenagers (secondary schools).

When we moved there the only good secondary schools in the country were the private British and American boarding schools in Bangkok which are very expensive. I think that is still the case so you may be doing your children a disservice if they are ages 13 to 18. We had a 15 year old and after my research, we left her with another family (close friends) to finish high school in the U.S. and spend summers with us.