Hua Hin prices and rip offs

[barrys]

Khundon - I'm a red wine drinker myself and you'll be pleased to hear that there is now some reasonable wine available at a very reasonable price.

[Vital Spark]

I needed to buy a couple of bath/beach towels today, so I trotted up to the third floor of the old shopping mall where I knew there was a towel unit. The ticket price was 399 baht (a bit steep methinks, but it was a while back when I last bought one). 'Madame, I'll give you discount 10%'. Wow! That brings the price down to 360 baht, but still a tad steep. I smiled and said I'd come back...

I then went into the supermarket on the ground floor and found identical towels for 229 baht.

The moral of this story: It pays to shop around a bit - if you're not in a hurry.

VS

[Spitfire]

I suppose the main thing I have learnt about buying anything here is, "Never listen to the Thai guy/girl that is attemping to sell you something", as a general rule of thumb, it's pathetic how little they know about anything/the product that is for sale in the place you happen to be wandering around or the location of aquisition of product you are interested in, you might as well ask a tree for it's opinion. The usual MO(for sales assistants) is "blow sunshine up your arse" and hope it works.

[hhfarang]

Khundon - I'm a red wine drinker myself and you'll be pleased to hear that there is now some reasonable wine available at a very reasonable price.

Reasonable as compared to what? I have always drank a lot of wine and a really good bottle of California red or white was available in the U.S. for about the same price per ounce (or cl.) as the cheapest boxed wine from South Africa here. I can't believe I'm reduced to drinking wine from a cardboard box because I refuse to pay what would be U.S. $20 for a bottle that would cost $6 back home!

There is even one decent wine made in Thailand... Chateau de Loei (http://www.chateaudeloei.com/). I suppose it's better than the others because they have really cold (and a bit longer) winters in Loei province, but even it is priced up there with the imported wines!

[Norseman]

I couldn't agree more with you hhfarang!!
Not only does the heavy import duties and alcohol tax the wine expensive here, but wine is also subject to a 380% surcharge in Thailand if I remember correct.
I'll stick to my Sang Som and Leo.

[Khundon1975]

Khundon - I'm a red wine drinker myself and you'll be pleased to hear that there is now some reasonable wine available at a very reasonable price.

barrys
Thats good to hear Barry, can't beat a good Merlot, or rich Burgundy.

VS Just like my wife, she would have done as you did, walk away and shop elsewhere. Good for you.

Norseman

Like anything good in life, you have to pay for it, I'm sorry to say.

I drank a bottle of Australian Cabernet Shiraz Merlot here last night, £9 from Waitrose, I expect it would cost over Baht 2000 there, but I would still buy it for a treat once or twice a week.

I can only drink so much beer, then I need a glass of wine.
I still enjoy a Singa Gold, with a whole lime squeezed into it, real sour but stops me getting scurvy.

[johnnyk]

Khundon - I'm a red wine drinker myself and you'll be pleased to hear that there is now some reasonable wine available at a very reasonable price.

Reasonable as compared to what? I have always drank a lot of wine and a really good bottle of California red or white was available in the U.S. for about the same price per ounce (or cl.) as the cheapest boxed wine from South Africa here. I can't believe I'm reduced to drinking wine from a cardboard box because I refuse to pay what would be U.S. $20 for a bottle that would cost $6 back home!

Don't despair, wine in a box ("bag in box") is very popular in France these days. The French, who know about wine, like the convenience.

[chelsea]

Khundon and others that like Red Wine
I am a big convert of drinking wine with lunch/dinner, so when coming to Thailand, will normally bring the max I can duty free. More and more places are letting you bring your own wine if you are willing to pay appropriate corkage charge.

If I want to do that, I will always check with manager before, to make sure they allow it in the place.

Box or Cask wine here in Australia is in varying qualities, but you can get a reasonable 4litre cask of Cab Sav/Merlot or Chardonay for around $13.00 AUD for just over 300baht.
Better quality you would be upto about 500/600baht.

Last time I was over in Hua Hin we went to the pizza shop on the corner of the road where you walk down to the Hilton.
They had some Red called Mona Lisa, it was a bit lighter than I am normally used to, but went down well with a pizza/paste lunch.
They had it in Magnum size bottles and was much better than I have tasted before.

Have not has much of South African wines to be able to comment on that, but we get a lot of Chilean wines available in Australia. Not only are they cheap, but some can be very good at a very reasonable price. If you see any, try them, I have yet to be really disappointed.

I know what people are saying about the import tax, I was in Koh Samui on the same trip as the last time I was in HH, and saw one of my favourite Penfolds Red Wine (Penfolds Bin 389).
In Australia you would pay around $40/50 dependent of Vintage. In the shop there they wanted over 5000baht which at the time was about $170 AUD.

Wines are getting more available in Thailand, and will be curious to see what quality of wines they can produce in Thailand. From all reports there are small wineries around HH that are opening up. If the wine is half decent and promoted the right way, they could be on a good earner.

These days most people do not want to drink beer with dinners or lunch. Peoples pallets are changing the more they are educated what wines to drink with what they are eating.
It could be an exciting industry for Thailand if they can get thing right in the production and marketing.
Anyway Bon Appetite I am about to have a big bowl of Thai soup with large glass of white wine.

[caller]

These days most people do not want to drink beer with dinners or lunch. Peoples pallets are changing the more they are educated what wines to drink with what they are eating.

Not so sure I agree with that, I enjoy a drop of wine and last time I was in Hua Hin, Chilean wine was widely available (often better and cheaper than Oz wines here in the UK), but in LOS, I find a cold beer with hot, spicey food, a good combination.

[hhfarang]

Have not has much of South African wines to be able to comment on that

I only tried it because ounce for ounce it is the cheapest wine you can get here when you buy it in a box. The 5 liter box is 900 baht (Red or White). While it is passable as an every day table wine and is very drinkable (and affordable), it certainly isn't what I would call a good wine.

The danger I've found with boxed wines is that it's easy to overdo it. With normal sized bottles, when you've drunk a whole bottle you know you've already had enough (or too much), but with a 5 liter box that dispenses the nectar of the grape at the push of a button, it's easy to lose count of the glasses and wake up with one hell of a hangover the next day!

[Lung Per]

Have not has much of South African wines to be able to comment on that

I only tried it because ounce for ounce it is the cheapest wine you can get here when you buy it in a box. The 5 liter box is 900 baht (Red or White). While it is passable as an every day table wine and is very drinkable (and affordable), it certainly isn't what I would call a good wine.

The danger I've found with boxed wines is that it's easy to overdo it. With normal sized bottles, when you've drunk a whole bottle you know you've already had enough (or too much), but with a 5 liter box that dispenses the nectar of the grape at the push of a button, it's easy to lose count of the glasses and wake up with one hell of a hangover the next day!

Sorry guys, I have not had time to read all the pages on this subject, so this question may be a repeat;
Hua Hin has its own wine producer now. I will not comment on its quality but merely ask if the 380% wine surtax is applied on a non-discriminatory basis. In other words, is the local produce taxed the same as foreign?

[Khundon1975]

Have not has much of South African wines to be able to comment on that

I only tried it because ounce for ounce it is the cheapest wine you can get here when you buy it in a box. The 5 liter box is 900 baht (Red or White). While it is passable as an every day table wine and is very drinkable (and affordable), it certainly isn't what I would call a good wine.

The danger I've found with boxed wines is that it's easy to overdo it. With normal sized bottles, when you've drunk a whole bottle you know you've already had enough (or too much), but with a 5 liter box that dispenses the nectar of the grape at the push of a button, it's easy to lose count of the glasses and wake up with one hell of a hangover the next day!

HH 5 litres of vino colapso in a box.
lead me too it.

[hhfarang]

HH 5 litres of vino colapso in a box.
lead me too it. Wink

It's available in the old HH shopping mall and in the Cathay liquor store behind it.

[Arcadian]

I bought a box in Village Market for 950 baht, it`s also available in Tesco for about the same price.

[NOKYAI]

Do they also do Rose ? Which I think is a much better bet out of the fridge