This is actually an extract from a Trip Report that starts off in Pattaya, then I arrive into Hua Hin (which is the section posted here) for 5 nights before moving on to Samui then Phuket.
Day 6 - Friday 9th December (part 1)
I had hope to get the Lomprayah ferry from Pattaya to Hua Hin as the service was supposed to be resuming on the 9th, twice a week, for the high season but I got an eMail from Barry Stone saying the ferry company had delayed the start a week. I learnt on my return to blighty that the operators have cancelled the plans to recommence it altogether.
Fortunately I had researched a back-up plan, and quite fortuitously I had noticed a shop on Second Road just 50 yards past Soi Klang that offered a mini-bus service to Victory Monument in Bangkok. Having woke early I decided to get packed up and get the 8am bus. I had a 10 minute walk from Queen Victoria on Soi 6 almost to the top of Soi Klang getting to the shop for around 07:40, but I was told that the 8am bus was full and I'd have to wait until 9am. I guess it would have been prudent to book in advance, however I did not want to tie myself down to a specific time. I was in luck though as 8am arrived and it transpired that there was a spare seat after all, I guess someone had not turned up, so I managed to squeeze my backpack in and wedged myself between two young Thai girls on the back seat.
n.b. There wasn't much room for baggage on this mini-bus, something to bear in mind if you're not travelling light, perhaps a coach would be more suitable.
A couple of hours and a few drop-offs later we arrived at Victory Monument; I'd read that I could get a mini-bus to Hua Hin from here but was a little concerned about the process. A short wander around the food stalls etc and I found a row on mini-buses and roadside vendors selling tickets to various places but to my dismay it was all in Thai. I asked someone for Hua Hin and was pointed further down the line, then a hundred yards later repeated the process until I arrived at the right desk that did have sign for Hua Hin written in English.
Victory Monument in Bangkok
Stall for tickets to Hua Hin etc
I'm guessing these mini-buses depart when one is full rather than to a schedule, and I was first on however it soon filled up. This mini-bus had a little space at the back for luggage and judging by the boxes that were loaded was also acting as a delivery service. This bus stopped about 45 minutes outside Hua Hin at a service station giving me enough time to relieve myself (I was glad I'd purposely not had any food or drink this this morning as this had been the first opportunity since leaving Pattaya) and grab a much needed Gatorade. A few minutes later we were on our way, soon approaching Cha-am and the first people were dropped off. I'd not given a specific destination when buying my ticket, maybe it's possible to ask for a specific drop-off, but thankfully I'd got my hotel location programmed in to my phone and as we got close the GPS kept me informed of our position so when the bus made a stop nearby I jumped off. I was in Hua Hin for 1pm, not bad for 300Bt in total.
I'd not got 200 yards down the road when my mate Charlie called me advising he'd arrived in Hua Hin also, so I arranged to meet him just as soon as I'd checked in. Unfortunately I'd not got an entirely accurate location for the hotel and struggled to find it, asking in a few shops nearby all of whom were keen to help but most hadn't heard of the hotel. I was starting to get a little worried until I asked the Thai owner of a nearby restaurant called I Rice and was told it was the orange building just 200m down the road. I'd walked right past it but being so close to the building I didn't notice the sign.
No problems checking in, though there was a bit of building work going on in reception. The hotel is pretty new, or recently refurbished, so everything is in good condition and it was a decent price and location. The room was nice enough, though the bathroom was just a wet room (not seperate shower and toilet), there was no safe in the room, and there wasn't daily maid service but I was able to get clean towels from reception when I requested and as I'm pretty tidy it was no big deal.
It was a decent hotel, especially for the money though it was quite close to the railway line so light sleeper may find it too noisy.
Having checked in I met up with Charlie who was staying just down the road at Baan Manthana, paying a bit more than me because the hotel had a pool which he didn't use. Unsure of what to do with our day we had an orientation walk taking in the Bintabaht area, the Railway station, and Market Village - I'd picked my hotel based on it's central location and was pleased it was all within walking distance. Charlie had been to Hua Hin previously so knew is way round but for me it was good to get a feel for the place. I was surprised how much of the area is quite undeveloped without even pavements, yet there was also big shopping malls. What also was amusing was that similar shops were all grouped together, there's a be a street with loads of opticians, another with all the phone shops, and another with car hire, etc.
After a few hours we decided we arranged to go for dinner at I Rice later that evening, the menu looked decent and it seems a nice way to thank they lady who directed me to my hotel.
Some nice pics Shane and hopefully a good first impression of HuaHin? Yes it must seem a bit strange after Pattaya - but is still much quieter despite what some people say! Room wise you get what you pay for, but to be fair it is rare to get a separate shower room and toilet anywhere in Thailand. Wet rooms are the norm even in much more expensive hotels.
Pavements - as you have reaiised - are not the norm. I guess you went along the road by the railway track, which is one of the few roads now in HuaHin which lacks pavements. Poolsuk Road in parts is another. But that is Thailand. Nothing can prepare you for the reality. But i guess you will be back?
margaretcarnes wrote:Some nice pics Shane and hopefully a good first impression of HuaHin? Yes it must seem a bit strange after Pattaya - but is still much quieter despite what some people say! Room wise you get what you pay for, but to be fair it is rare to get a separate shower room and toilet anywhere in Thailand. Wet rooms are the norm even in much more expensive hotels.
Pavements - as you have reaiised - are not the norm. I guess you went along the road by the railway track, which is one of the few roads now in HuaHin which lacks pavements. Poolsuk Road in parts is another. But that is Thailand. Nothing can prepare you for the reality. But i guess you will be back?
Yeah I enjoyed Hua Hin, enough to come back for a couple of days my next trip. It was quite a contrast to Pattaya though, but it's what you make of it. :]
Big Boy wrote:How long for the other 4.5 days? Or are you teasing us?
Gonna try to do a section a day, the uploading of photo's is the pain.
Loved the pic with the musical sheet above the bed. Does she hum the lyrics whilst going rodeo style
RICHARD OF LOXLEY
It’s none of my business what people say and think of me. I am what I am and do what I do. I expect nothing and accept everything. It makes life so much easier.
Like I did before visiting Pattaya I also did a lot of research on Hua Hin, and for the nightlife in particular this forum and the map of main bar area below was pretty good :
...so after a decent meal at I Rice we headed down to Soi Bintabaht and the surrounding bar area, taking 5-10mins to walk round and check out the bars before settling on one.
Our choice was London Bar as they had a band playing and Charlie enjoys the live music. They also had a pool table (that was free to use) so the bar girls took it in turns to play against me. There was an attractive girl who I'd estimate to be in her late 20's that had about 3 games with me and expressed an interest in being barfined but I wasn't bothered. Charlie decided that he wanted a game at the same time the mamasan stepped up to the plate wanting to play for money; she was a pretty decent player and took 20 Baht off him. I then had a very close game where I won it back. After a few drinks and lot's of games of pool it was time to move on; so I left a tip for the drinks; gave the mamasan (or senior bargirl) her 20Bt back she'd won off Charlie with the explanation I wasn't going to take money from a bargirl; then made a point of finding the aforementioned girl who'd had the 3 pool against me to tip her 40Baht for the games. She was disproportionately effusive in her thanks, and it even earned my big smackeroo on the lips from a young hottie I hadn't tipped or played pool against! :]
Charlie about to lose his money.
Next we had a beer in Lucky Lukes, where the DJ was playing some eclectic tracks and doing a pretty decent job of beat-mixing, but nothing much more to report on the place. After that Charlie wanted to go to El Murphy's to watch the live band and we caught the last few songs of their set. It must have been about midnight by now and the bars were starting to look a little empty
As we approached Suky Bar where there was a gang of bar girls enthusiastically shouting us over to join them so I took the lead and in we went. As we walk in a very cute & petite little spinner latched on to me. She looked young but confirmed that she's 20, she'd got very soft skin and the jean shorts and crop-top reveal a stomach free from stretch marks. I bought her a ladydrink along with my own drink and soon we're making out, the tongue stud I've got really seems to have piqued her interest. It doesn't take long before I decide to leave with my new companion leaving Charlie to continue on his own.
5 minutes later we walk past Suky Bar again in the other direction, I've lost my bearings and not sure where my hotel is so after another 5 minutes walking (in the wrong direction it transpires) we jump on a bike taxi to the station then from there walk to my hotel. We're greeted by a security guard who seemed to approve of my choice in companion and a soi dog who didn't seem to approve of me at all.
Loved the pic with the musical sheet above the bed. Does she hum the lyrics whilst going rodeo style
That'd be telling!
Gus wrote:Nice one Shane,good to see that the Thais gave you a warm welcome.
Yeah, it was really nice how some complete strangers were so helpful in helping me find my hotel, even going so far as to phone someone from the post office.
Lung Per wrote:Very nice report and good photos of HuaHin landmarks. Thank you.
Thanx. There's much more to come in a couple of days!
Lev wrote:Providing this stays clean it can stay in the main section, else we may have to move it back to NCs.
I'll try to keep it clean whilst remaining honest. As there's some good photo's coming up in a couple of days let me know if anything becomes too risque and we'll look at editting.
Last edited by Shane on Sat Mar 10, 2012 6:27 pm, edited 1 time in total.
I kind of get the impression that my new friend would like to stay with me that day, but with a little regret we have to part ways as my friends Lucy & Schroeder are arriving today and Charlie and I had agreed to meet them.
The day is pretty much wasted, the four of us wander around Hua Hin, Charlie and I showing our newly arrived friends all the sights we'd seen the previous day. Mid afternoon we go for a couple of beers at an open air bar on Naresdamri Road (near where it joins Damnoen Kasam Road) and before we know it the day is gone. We arrange to meet at Retrophilia Bar on Soi 72 (the Night Market street) around 9pm before going for dinner.
As I'm getting ready for the evening I decide to see my companion for the night before so at 8pm I go back to Suky's. She's trying some new clothes on when I arrive but seems very excited to see me again and all the other girls are cooing about it. I only have time for 1 beer before meeting my friends but arrange to come back to see her later around 23:30 and we exchange mobile numbers.
I'm a little late in meeting my mates Retrophilia but it's a pretty cool bar, suitable for couples and my Schroeder and Charlie are enjoying a few games of pool. Schroeder is unbeaten when I arrive but I manage to put an end to his run contrary to the our usual trend.
The last two are of the Night Market taken from upstaits of Retrophilia
The games of pool and drinks finished we agree to go to Margarita's, which is almost next door, for dinner. It's an authentic Mexican restaurant that's only been open a year but it had been getting nothing but positive reviews on this forum so we decided to take a break from the Eurasian cuisine as give it a try. I recommend it, cheap prices, decent sized portions, attentive staff and some wicked Margaritas for the ladies!
After dinner we all went to a few bars in the Bintabaht area. Around 10pm my "date" starts calling and texting, though her texts are in Thai so I can't understand them. I take a couple of the calls despite being unable to hear her properly and explain I'll be there around 23:30, eventually I have to switch my phone off as she keeps calling every 10 mins. Around 23:30 I feign tiredness and leave my friends. When I get to Suky's she's not there and when I call her she says she's at another bar. I can't work out where she is but after another 15 minutes of confused phone calls she turns up and we have a drink together. She's doesn't want to stay though and before we've hardly had chance to finish our drinks we're leaving, this time in the right direction and we jump on a bike-taxi and direct him to my hotel.
When we get there so asks if we can go to a karaoke bar down the road where her friend works and as it's still early and I'm feeling inquisitive I agree. As she stumbles down the road in some ridiculous shoes I get the first hints that she's "mao mak mak". As I try to enjoy my beer in the steakhouse come karaoke bar I have to put up with the broken record of "I like you so much", "you come udan thani?", "I be your girlfriend" etc that soon becomes tiring. When it finally gets around to her turn to sing I'm a little surprised she's capable, but somehow she pulls herself together and in the end I'm really impressed by her sweet singing voice.
A Steak House at the end of the street on which Sunny House Hotel is located doubles as a Karaoke Joint after hours for the locals.
As soon as we get back to the hotel she passes out for about 12 hours and I'm unable to rouse her from her coma.
It's early afternoon by the time my companion wakes up but she makes it up to me before I send her on her way. I'd arranged to meet my friends at the beach but by the time I get down there the small strip of beach is nearly all in shade and it's actually quite chilly.
So we all go to a bar on Naresdami Road again (just a few 100m up the road from Hilton Hotel) after 1 beer I decide to leave as I know a second will turn in to an afternoon session that I could do without. On the way back to my hotel I spotted a massage shop, it was free from customers and I woke the 4 masseuses when I entered. I was only going to have a hour but they sold me on a 2hr massage for 300Bt, and somehow I managed to fall in and out of consciousness as my body was manipulated by the masseuse.
Again I met my friends for dinner, feeling much refreshed after my massage. This time we went to Moon Smile & Platoo on Poon Suk Road and had a great Thai meal at a very reasonable price - I think Charlie had eaten here on a previous visit which is why we chose this restaurant. Afterwards we went to a few bars again including U-Turn bar where the 4 of us had a few games of doubles. Around 23:00 I make my excuses and leave, genuinely intending to get an early night so I can do a bit of sightseeing in the morning.
(Edited by mod. No links to competitive websites, please
I head back via Naresdamri Road, which isn't the most direct route to my hotel but the most straightforward, and discover that this is where the freelance lb's hang out. I spot a group of them propositioning or being propositioned by a group of golfers (judging by their tasteless attire I assumed they're golfers) but walk on.
A couple of minutes later a freelancer turns up on a scooter, I was in two minds whether to take her back but I couldn't be bothered walking back to my hotel so the scooter ride tipped the balance in her favour. I try directing her back but I guess that's not working for her so she get's off and tells me to drive, not really a good idea as I didn't have a helmet and had been drinking but we arrived back safely.
Last nights encounter meant I did not get up as early as I hoped, instead it was around 10am. I walked towards the "scooter hire disctrict" around the bottum of Soi 61 but wasted a bit of time as I mis-remembered the exact location of all the scooter/car hire shops. I'd absent mindedly left my passport and drivers licence at the hotel but I was still able to hire a scooter, paying just 250Bt this time and I wasn't even asked for a deposit. I guess I must just look honest.
15km north along Phetchakasem Road and I was at at Maruekatayawan Palace, I had hoped to get there a couple of hours earlier around 9am before the heat of midday but at least I'd remember to bring plenty of liquids. Entrance is a nominal fee of about 30Bhat and for that you get to wander around the grounds at your leisure and get a ticket with a time to walker around the palace itself which is a number of rooms raised off the ground linked my a series of verandas.
I spent about 2 1/2 hours at the palace, and could have spend longer had I walked further along the promenade and went further in to the nature reserve. It's a decent halfday's outing.
[Link edited: no competing websites please]
On the way back southwards I stopped to fill-up at a cost of 100Baht and grabbed some food from the 7-11 with the intention off eating it at Khao Takiab. Here, 10km south of the center of Hua Hin and 25km from Maruekatayawan Palace, I was planning on seeing Khao Takiab temple (translates as Chopstick Mountain but is commonly reffered to as Monkey Mountain) and the nearby beach. After I arrived I soon realised that having my food here was not going to be possible, I nearly got mugged within minutes of arriving by one of the local primates when I opened my bag to get a drink.
It was quite picturesque here and the monkeys give it a unique selling point but after an hour I'd seen all I'd wanted to so checked out the nearby beach. This was much nicer than Hua Hin beach, and I had hoped to meet my friends here and enjoy the beach for a few hours but they were still on their way so I decided to do grab a bite to eat.
I'd got strong recomendations of a place just on the outskirts of Khao Takiab called Best Beans coffee so went there, but when I ordered a full english breakfast at 3pm I was told the chef was not there and he'd be 10 minutes. Knowing what 10 minutes in Thailand can really mean I decided to continue my sightseeing.
So next stop Khao Hin Lek Fai viewpoint. This is just basically a highpoint that offers a fantastic view of Hua Hin. I took the scooter up the winding road to the top, then continued the last 200m or so on foot. This seemed to be an ideal time to enjoy a picnic of crisps and sandwiches that I'd bought earlier.
On the way back I must have turned right when I meant to turn left and found that I'd take a short-cut directly back to my hotel so decided to call it a day and see Klai Kang Won Palace tomorrow instead as I was feeling hot and tired. After a shower and bit of a rest I decided to pop to Market Village with the intention of buying some Levi's, though this proved to be more difficult that I imagined as the sizes are for Thai's who are slimmer than us Farang.
On the way back to my hotel I made a point of stopping at Thanon Damnoen Kasam (soi 76) to take a few photo's of the street lights as it was quite impressive! I believe the lights may have been put up in honour of the King's birthday the week previous but it was quite appropriate for Xmas too.
I did a bit of shopping at the Night Market picking up some Pashmina's and Silk Scarves as presents. If you've been to any Thai Markets it's got all the usual stuff aimed at tourists.
That evening I arranged to meet my friends a restaurant called Bird Chilli on Night Market Street. Of course I didn't realise there was 2 restaurants of the same name on the same street so as they approach from the bottom and I approach from the top we end up in different restaurants. What follows is a phone call where we're both adamant we're in the restaurant but the other isn't until we both look next door and see each other.
After an enjoyable meal the four of us decided to go to a few "couple friendly" bars near the Hilton. Schroeder was already fed up of the bottled lager so ordered a "Del Boy Drink".
He wasn't the only one, after my day sightseeing I was feeling tired and I wanted to get up at 8am the following day to finish seeing a few places before returning the scooter. So after a couple of drinks I left my friends to return to my hotel. As they walked in one direction I set off in the other, and within 5m of parting company the girl from the night before zeroed in on me. Close call! I politely turned her down though. Then got pursued halfway home by freelance ladyboy's; at one point I was shepherded down the street by a girl on a scooter towards two waiting Amazons who tried to lead my down a small alley - but I did a quick about turn!
Great photos. You seem to be making the most of your time here. I've been here 8+ years and never been to the teak palace between Hua Hin and Cha-Am. Nice to see some photos of it.
That looks like a good mojito. Which bar is that?
My brain is like an Internet browser; 12 tabs are open and 5 of them are not responding, there's a GIF playing in an endless loop,... and where is that annoying music coming from?
