"Liquor Laws" in Hua Hin.....

[pharvey]

Could someone just clarify for me what they are when buying boose from say Tesco Lotus? Last time I was there, we could buy spirits before 5pm, but not beer or wine...... yet we could get anything at the 7-11 at anytime.

[richard]

PH

Laws are made to be broken

Thailand is good at making them, not too good at enforcing them for longer than a month and as is always said here 'for every problem there are 5 solutions'

Any Thai taxi driver will direct and take you to whatver you want

[Super Joe]

Hi Pete,

Sorry can't give you the times in Tesco's, gave up with them ages ago, wouldn't even let a bottle of wine through at 30 seconds before 5pm.

But can tell you that Villa Market has no restrictions and open until 10pm and HALEX's (equivalent of an off-licence) which is next to Grand Market has a great stock of wine, beer and spirits with no restrictions close about 9pm I think??. They also deliver to your home free of charge 7 days, HHAD sponsor link: http://huahinmedia.com/halex.php

After those times 7/11 and Family Mart etc always sell until at least 5am, good beer selection, poor spirits and wine.


SJ

[Spitfire]

Depends where you are in Thailand, if you leave HH you may not find it so lax as SJ's post says.

Many places it's 11am-2pm then 5pm-12pm and will probably find that that is the case in Tesco Lotus. I think "technically" these are the general rules, but as said, there is an enforcement problem.

Thai "Mom and Pop" shops are never a problem, will sell anything anytime they are open.

Slightly surprised that 7-11 and Family Mart sell till 5am, they are usually towing the line on that sort of stuff.

Maybe HH has some sort of "special administrative rights/laws".

[pharvey]

Cheers Guys - spot on info. This along with the "where to find cider" tips I gained from another thread will undoubtedly ensure that I will both enjoy my time in Hua Hin and struggle to explain to my dear wife (who will be staying in China) why I need a detox upon my return home......

Seriously, not into "drinking" home alone, just nice to know that if I do get off my arse to get a bottle, the shop will actually let me buy it!

Appreciated.

Pete.

[pharvey]

Hi Pete,

Sorry can't give you the times in Tesco's, gave up with them ages ago, wouldn't even let a bottle of wine through at 30 seconds before 5pm.

But can tell you that Villa Market has no restrictions and open until 10pm and HALEX's (equivalent of an off-licence) which is next to Grand Market has a great stock of wine, beer and spirits with no restrictions close about 9pm I think??. They also deliver to your home free of charge 7 days, HHAD sponsor

After those times 7/11 and Family Mart etc always sell until at least 5am, good beer selection, poor spirits and wine.


SJ

SJ,

Thanks for the above. Talking wine, I myself find the Thai tax a little too high to buy wine in Thailad, and I'm quite happy to stick to beer and spirits. However, my old man and old dear come over to Asia form the UK to meet up with myself and the Mrs now and again, and they do LOVE their wine. We had big problems when they came to Hua Hin last Setember basically due to price and the simple fact that we didn't hav a clue where to go. For a semi-decent wine, what price are you talking in HALEX's? And for that matter, what wine......?

[pharvey]

Just to clarify, it's not the paying 10 quid a bottle,it's the fact that t's a 3 quid bottle in the UK........

[dtaai-maai]

For Lotus and most of the big supermarkets (Macro, Big C, etc) you can buy alcohol (no exceptions) from 11 am - 2 pm, then 5 pm - (not sure) 10 pm.

As far as the cost of wine is concerned (and we've done this before), a 5-litre box of Mont Clair South African red/white (very drinkable for us plebs) is 900-950 baht at several places around town. That works out at about 130 baht per 70cl bottle.

[hhfarang]

As far as the cost of wine is concerned (and we've done this before), a 5-litre box of Mont Clair South African red/white (very drinkable for us plebs) is 900-950 baht at several places around town. That works out at about 130 baht per 70cl bottle.

I agree that this wine (Mont Clair South African red/white) is very drinkable, even for a long time wino like me, and this is by far the cheapest wine available here when you buy it in volume (5 litre box). Anything in a bottle is three times the price you would pay in the U.S. for the same or a comparable wine... don't know about other countries. Wine is expensive here!

[pharvey]

As far as the cost of wine is concerned (and we've done this before), a 5-litre box of Mont Clair South African red/white (very drinkable for us plebs) is 900-950 baht at several places around town. That works out at about 130 baht per 70cl bottle.

I agree that this wine (Mont Clair South African red/white) is very drinkable, even for a long time wino like me, and this is by far the cheapest wine available here when you buy it in volume (5 litre box). Anything in a bottle is three times the price you would pay in the U.S. for the same or a comparable wine... don't know about other countries. Wine is expensive here!

Again guys - thanks for the info........ I swear I'm going to ask a non alcohol related question soon.

[pitsch]

If you buy more than 10 liters of alcoholic beverages, you get it in any supermarket all the time. I was several times refused in Tesco Lotus and Makro to buy 12 big bottles of beer, but no problem if I went to get another 12 bottles.
Very logical law to prevent alcohol misuse!

[pharvey]

If you buy more than 10 liters of alcoholic beverages, you get it in any supermarket all the time. I was several times refused in Tesco Lotus and Makro to buy 12 big bottles of beer, but no problem if I went to get another 12 bottles.
Very logical law to prevent alcohol misuse!

Strangely enough, this now makes sense! My father and I were trying to by a case of beer but were told.... not before 5pm. The young lady struggling with English and my Thai translation seemed to be saying if we bought more it's OK...... as both my father and I understood that my Thai was cr@p and the statement simply made no sense, we left. MY GOD, could it be that I understand Thai? Or more likely buying beer in Tesco Lotus is complicated.

[pharvey]

As far as the cost of wine is concerned (and we've done this before), a 5-litre box of Mont Clair South African red/white (very drinkable for us plebs) is 900-950 baht at several places around town. That works out at about 130 baht per 70cl bottle.

Has to be said, 130 baht per 70cl is good - what we were finding (aka not knowingwhere to go), was 400-600 per 70cl in a supermarket. In China I can get a "drinkable" bottle for say 180 Baht - there is a great deal of cheaper local cr@p of course, but "top" wines can be expensive. I think however that the Thai tax on wine (classed as luxury goods?) is way too heavy.

Bizzarely, I can buy a bottle of "good" Gin in HH way cheaper than I can in the UK and at a similar price to China........ How's the "luxury" bit calculated/decided?

[barrys]

The apparent logic is (as far as Makro is concerned, anyway) that if you only buy a small quantity, you're going to consume it yourself (God/Buddha forbid), but if you buy a large quantity it's evidently for resale so you can have as much as you want!!

Great logic that - so if you're a modest drinker there's no way you can have a tipple during the forbidden hours, but if you're a raging alcoholic you can fill up as many trolleys as you want - TIT

[STEVE G]

The 7/11 near me not far from Hua Hin hospital is strict on the 11.00-14.00 and 17.00-24.00 rule but if I need a beer out of those hours I just get them from a local restaurant or corner shop.
For another quirk of the law, the one down the road can't sell alchohol at all because it's at a service station, but the one nearby which is right on Petchakasem road can.