Why did you settle in Hua Hin?

Hua Hin general discussion, observations and chat. Hua Hin topics that don't really fit anywhere else.
golferstu
Member
Member
Posts: 54
Joined: Sun Feb 05, 2017 7:39 pm

Why did you settle in Hua Hin?

Post by golferstu »

You know, coming to Hua Hin was a pretty hard decision for me to make.
But i did it, and i am proud of it.

Hua Hin made a pretty strong and lasting impression on me. Not so much for its beaches yet the whole town is full of atmosphere.

The place lives up to its name. Let me tell you that!
I just fell in love immediately and knew this is what i wanted to do. This is were i would rest my weary bones.

Already I had been to Koh Lan before travelling to Hua Hin. And i knew some Thai language, thus i knew somewhat what to expect.

But what i did not now is how dynamic city life could be in contrast to the more easy tourist life.
Its relaxing and somewhat bothersome at the same time.

I like to keep busy.

Now how about you. Why did you come here and what made you stay?
handdrummer
Addict
Addict
Posts: 5389
Joined: Mon Mar 03, 2014 11:58 am

Re: Why did you settle in Hua Hin?

Post by handdrummer »

after 6 months in Bangkok and getting sick every month, I told my thai wife that I can't here. she'd been to hua hin many times and said that she liked it there. we came for a weekend, found a house to rent and have been here for 3 years.
User avatar
hhfarang
Hero
Hero
Posts: 11060
Joined: Fri Mar 12, 2004 1:27 am
Location: North Carolina

Re: Why did you settle in Hua Hin?

Post by hhfarang »

We travelled all over Thailand to find the best place to retire. We liked Chiang Mai but we didn't really want to live in a big city. Also, I always liked living near the ocean so we checked out southern beach towns like Koh Samui, Krabi, Phuket, and the area around Pattaya. Those were all too big or too touristy. At the very last we went to Hua Hin. It was the perfect mix of quiet small town with a few expats, restaurants and bars, good golf, a small smattering of regular European tourists and snowbirds and much lower prices for nearly everything than the more touristy places. It seemed perfect... but that description only lasted about a year after we moved there. Then the rapid growth, development, and inflation started. :cry:
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?
User avatar
Nereus
Hero
Hero
Posts: 11020
Joined: Tue Jan 02, 2007 3:01 pm
Location: Camped by a Billabong

Re: Why did you settle in Hua Hin?

Post by Nereus »

hhfarang wrote: It seemed perfect... but that description only lasted about a year after we moved there
So, now we know who caused the place to deteriorate! :rasta:
May you be in heaven half an hour before the devil know`s you`re dead!
Ralfredo
Professional
Professional
Posts: 429
Joined: Mon Jan 23, 2012 10:28 pm

Re: Why did you settle in Hua Hin?

Post by Ralfredo »

Nereus wrote: Sat Mar 04, 2017 10:01 pm
hhfarang wrote: It seemed perfect... but that description only lasted about a year after we moved there
So, now we know who caused the place to deteriorate! :rasta:
200w.gif
200w.gif (8.5 KiB) Viewed 5480 times
Norseman
Rock Star
Rock Star
Posts: 4665
Joined: Tue May 10, 2005 12:13 pm
Location: Hua Hin

Re: Why did you settle in Hua Hin?

Post by Norseman »

I love your good comment Nererus but just as hhfarang wrote; a year after we moved there something happened!
What happened was the tragic Tsunami / earthquake outside Indonesia in December 2004.
In 2005, when Phuket was down in ruins, suddenly Hua Hin was invaded by tourists.
That is what happened and that's when all the changes started.
A rather small, sleepy, friendly fisher town changed suddenly within a time-frame of only two years and it's just not the place I where I want to live. So I moved.
And so did hhfarang.
HHTel
Hero
Hero
Posts: 10939
Joined: Mon Feb 12, 2007 7:44 pm

Re: Why did you settle in Hua Hin?

Post by HHTel »

I was having a house built on the Sukumvit Road outside of Pattaya. We were living in Nong Kaam and a friend in the UK told us about Hua Hin. We came here for the weekend and fell in love with the place. That was 15 years ago and now it's nothing like the place we fell for. However, we've adjusted and still enjoying life.
User avatar
crazy88
Deceased
Deceased
Posts: 1709
Joined: Thu Jun 21, 2007 7:39 am

Re: Why did you settle in Hua Hin?

Post by crazy88 »

I spent the first 10 years in Thailand living on Koh Tao working in and around the diving industry. Great times but business was taking me more and more to Bangkok. A few days was fine but when the trips were 2 weeks I decided that I needed an alternative so started basing in Hua Hin whilst waiting for the print runs. I have friends here whom I would stay with in Tubtai. Liked the place and was offered a job for a year contract. 6 months later I purchased land as an investment and designed a house. A year later I built it. For the first few months I lived a single life and had a good look around. The town is not the same with many new, welcome IMO features such as shopping centres, decent restaurants, activities. 2-3 hours from Bangkok and the same for decent beaches, although there are many much closer but I like to snorkel and fish, made it an ideal choice for me. I considered Kanchanaburi but found it too quiet. Pattaya was never on the menu.

So for those of you considering Hua Hin I can honestly say I am happy here with the weather, the locals and pretty much everything apart from those women who disturb a well earned cold beer by demonstrating those irritating wooden frogs and having to listen to very poor dance music at nosebleed volume levels :cuss:

Crazy 88
User avatar
margaretcarnes
Rock Star
Rock Star
Posts: 4172
Joined: Wed Jan 02, 2008 8:28 am
Location: The Rhubarb Triangle

Re: Why did you settle in Hua Hin?

Post by margaretcarnes »

By accident! We had to leave Pattaya - spent a while in Bangkok trying to decide where to go next. Considered Chiang Mai but really wanted a beach place. then an expat friend had a bank holiday off and gave us a lift as far as HH and that was it!
A sprout is for life - not just for Christmas.
User avatar
B6PTW
Specialist
Specialist
Posts: 140
Joined: Mon Jan 14, 2008 7:49 am
Location: Hua Hin and UK

Re: Why did you settle in Hua Hin?

Post by B6PTW »

Hi

We stopped in Hua Hin for a few days 11 years ago.
After travelling the world together for 20+ years I had stopped asking my wife where she wanted to live.
3 days after arrival she said she could live in Hua Hin, a year later we had a house.
She actually likes the large town/small city feel, although we live approximately half way between Hua Hin and Cha Am and that gives us peace and quiet when we want it, whilst we can easily hit either place as we see fit.

Regards to all
User avatar
migrant
Addict
Addict
Posts: 5954
Joined: Tue Aug 08, 2006 6:15 am
Location: California is now in the past hello Thailand!!

Re: Why did you settle in Hua Hin?

Post by migrant »

Came to Hua Hin first around 2006 and liked it. Originally the plan was to move there when we retired. Retirement came in 2015 but with the growth in town settled in Bang Saphan instead.

Not exactly pertinent, but thought it may be of interest
The proper function of man is to live, not to exist. I shall not waste my days in trying to prolong them. I shall use my time.
User avatar
Big Boy
Moderator
Moderator
Posts: 47071
Joined: Fri Nov 04, 2005 7:36 pm
Location: Bon Kai

Re: Why did you settle in Hua Hin?

Post by Big Boy »

Hua Hin is where my granddaughters were living. It was costing us a fortune in holidays - simple economics really. :D
Championship Plymouth Argyle 3 - 3 Preston NE :dance: :dance: (was 3-0 down after 48 minutes)

Points 12; Position 21
laphanphon
Guru
Guru
Posts: 787
Joined: Wed Jun 09, 2004 12:15 am

Re: Why did you settle in Hua Hin?

Post by laphanphon »

Same as Migrant, visited HH about 4 times a year since 2000, BUT.......since growing a bit more than wanting, living elsewhere in the province.

Though may have to pop in more than the mandatory once to renew, for a bit of shopping now and then.
User avatar
buksida
Moderator
Moderator
Posts: 23203
Joined: Tue Dec 31, 2002 12:25 pm
Location: south of sanity

Re: Why did you settle in Hua Hin?

Post by buksida »

My story is similar to HHfarang, Norseman and Migrant however the dates are a little earlier! First came to Hua Hin in 1997 and settled then after touring the rest of Thailand, approaching the millennium it was still a laid back, friendly and cheap place to live; no traffic, and no police, work or immigration hassles. There was one ATM and one internet cafe back in those days! Bars could open 24 hours and the number of permanent expats was around 200.

Things started to change after the tsunami and property/price boom from 2005-2008, from then on the place was never the same for us so we moved south. That said I still like to visit Hua Hin for a few days every couple of months.
Who is the happier man, he who has braved the storm of life and lived or he who has stayed securely on shore and merely existed? - Hunter S Thompson
User avatar
caller
Hero
Hero
Posts: 11412
Joined: Sat Jun 04, 2005 6:05 pm
Location: Hua Hin

Re: Why did you settle in Hua Hin?

Post by caller »

I first visited Hua Hin in January 2000 for a week en route back to the UK from Oz. Been visiting regularly since and have long considered it a place to retire to, although I preferred the sleepier town I first discovered 17 years ago. But having moved from London to a rural location in the UK and lived there for 5 years before early retirement, I knew I needed to be away from but near enough to a town that provides for my interests and likes, and luckily Hua Hin does that!

When I first moved to Thailand, I was based in Korat at my other half's house, because that's where she worked and lived. It was great at first for the novelty factor of living somewhere else and I knew the city from old in any case, but it soon began to lose it's attraction for various reasons. Luckily, the other half's work took her to Bangkok and based on that and her visits to Hua Hin with me, (she already knew Cha am well) it was agreed to buy a place here.

Not really fully based here yet, but the balance is gradually shifting. She keeps a small condo in Bkk, so I get my fix of town, city and the quiet life which suits me just fine.
Talk is cheap
Post Reply