Exploring the Resort Town of Hua Hin

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Northern side of Hua Hin beach

Brilliant, white sand beaches under a burning sun. Thai-style resorts interspersed with high-end luxury hotels near sleepy towns. An authentic seaside vacation in the tropics. Hua Hin is all these things and more- a look back to what Thailand’s coastal resorts may have been like twenty or thirty years ago, but with the addition of modern conveniences, if desired. Lesser known than its nightlife-crazed sister city of Pattaya across the Gulf of Thailand, Hua Hin is often the preferred destination for a quiet weekend away from Bangkok for long-term expats and Thai locals.

South of Hua Hin: Beaches and National Parks

Playing in the surf on Khao Kalok beach

Bangkok is situated around 20 miles (32km) from the tip of the Gulf of Thailand, if one were to follow the Chao Phraya river to the point where it meets the sea. However, the most famous beaches near the capitol are often cited as being found in either Pattaya to the southeast or in the sleepy town of Hua Hin to the southwest. The experiences are like night and day. Pattaya is a fully developed miniature city, replete with a strong expat community and numerous first-world amenities like luxury hotels, shopping complexes, and touristy excursions. Hua Hin is more of a quiet place; oh, it also has luxury hotels and plenty of white-sand beaches, but it feels more untouched and more authentic than its sister city across the gulf.

Anyone who visits Bangkok will hear of both Hua Hin and Pattaya. Today, however, Tiger and Bird would like to talk neither of these places and look to another region, more local, and less known, immediately to the south of Hua Hin. Where, you ask? Why, we are talking about the region of Pranburi.