Hua Hin is located 200km, or approx. 3 hours drive south of Bangkok. Located on the western - or the “sun-rise” side - of the Gulf of Thailand, Hua Hin is a holiday resort popular with foreigners and Thais alike, particularly on weekends. The quaint seaside town combines the attractions of a modern holiday destination with the charm of a still active fishing port. For all its recent development, Hua Hin has maintained its small town ambiance where you can sit in a pedal-driven trishaw for a leisurely tour of the town. Or you can stroll through tiny lanes lined with small shops and restaurants and dine freshly caught seafood at restaurants built on terraces over the shore before you try a bargain at the Night Market.

The rise of the seaside fishing village as the first resort town of Siam began in the 1920s with the construction of the Southern Railway to the Malaysian Border. The railway line not only served the royal families during their journeys to the seaside resort, but ensured its accessibility and popularity with a wider part of Siam's nobility and upper-class. Hua Hin saw the opening of one of Siam’s first hotels, the “Railway Hotel” built by Prince Purachatra, the then Director of the State Railways of Thailand. It was a graceful Victorian structure built on the coast, with enormous rooms, private veranda and wickerwork chaises in the lounge. The old Railway Hotel has become the modern-day Sofitel Hua Hin and you still can lounge in its wicker chairs and breath in the atmosphere of by-gone days. 

Soon afterwards the Royal Family began congregating to Hua Hin, at first staying in the hotel and later in bungalows they built along the beach. One of them, “Klaikangwon Palace”, which translates to “Far from Worries” was constructed in 1926 by King Rama VII to be the summer dwelling of subsequent kings and royal families. Until today, the sea-side palace is still an official royal residence and a favourite retreat for the present king, His Majesty King Bhumibol Adulyadej. Hence tourism marketing people have dubbed the coastline the “Royal Coast”, due to it’s history as a royal retreat from the 1920s until today.

Most of the international hotels and resorts are located just north and south of Hua Hin. 25km to the north of Hua Hin is Cha-Am, another seaside resort town which caters mainly to the local Thai market. A number of hotels are located on the 25 km stretch of coastline between Cha-Am and Hua Hin. A further 30 kilometres south of Hua Hin, the small town of Pranburi is carving a new tourism niche for itself. Several boutique type hotels that cater mostly to the local and expatriate market have opened around Pranburi in the last few years, with the well-known Evason Resorts being the most prominent.

Hua Hin boasts 6 splendid golf courses and all are within 30 – 45 minutes driving away from the beach, inviting a round of golf followed by a cooling dip in the sea, and maybe even a beachside massage. See >>> Special Interest / Golf in Hua Hin

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