My girlfriend and I are going to Thailand in May for a seminar. We booked the flight to leave four or five days after the seminar’s over so that we can run to the beach before we go back to Taiwan. My girlfriend wants to go to Hua Hin. Has anyone been there? Is it worth going to? If so, where should we stay? Where should we go?
Also, if there are other places fairly near Bangkok that you think would be better, I’m open to suggestions.
Siam Sam is a Doper who lives in Thailand, and he will hopefully be along shortly with some great advice for you. I always love his stories and anecdotes about Thailand.
Everything I’ve read suggests that Bangkok = congestion at 35-to-40C and 98% humidity, which is one of my ideas of hell (I’m a Canadian, for Pete’s sake). If you don’t like heat and humidity, you may want to get out of the city as soon as possible. No doubt ThailandDopers will be along to offer the straight dope.
If you’re going near the forests or jungles, I’d suggest getting your shots. Bring some stomach meds like Pepto, and antacids.
Never, EVER drink tap water. Use bottled water for drinking, and if you want to be doubly sure, for brushing your teeth as well.
Be weary of foods on the streets. If you’re not used to being in third world countries, I’d be careful about buying the fruit that’s been cut by a walking vendor. Oh, and be careful about iced drinks on the streets as well.
If you’re going shopping and you’re not used to being out in hot, humid areas with lots of people, I’d suggest going to MBK. It’s an air conditioned shopping malls where you can bargain. If you want to just look around and spend time in a really expensive, but nice mall, go to Siam Square. There’s another one that’s new but I forget its name.
If you like fruit, try to buy it and cut it up yourself in your hotel or wherever you’re staying. The fruit in Thailand is AMAZING! I believe mankut or mangosteen will be in season when you get there. It’s my favorite fruit and unfortunately they don’t have it here in the U.S.
What else…get a massage in Thailand if you can. There are tons of non-hanky panky ones. Not sure how you can look, maybe ask the concierge at your hotel? I’m so used to having my relatives taking me that I don’t know how or where to look for a good masseuse.
If you’re a guy, my SO suggests getting a suit made there. He bought two fully tailored suits for around $150. It’s been a year since we went so I forget the exact number, but it was really cheap and the suits came out really nice. We had the suits made on the first floor of MBK.
That’s all I can think of. Are you looking for just beachy areas?
Since you’re staying for a few days, if you want to reduce your food costs, go to a local store and buy a knife (if you don’t have one), a cutting board, two bowls or mugs, a bucket, a dishcloth, and a small bottle of bleach. You’re now equipped to prepare and eat fruits and vegetables without fear.
It’s an awesome country, just don’t fall for this infamous jewelry scam.
Years ago, there was a small shop in Boston, that sold various articles of clothing, made from Thai silk. Beautiful stuff! I wanted to buy a bathrobe-but it was big $$-even a man’s tie was >$100. Anyway, can yu buy silk clothing reasonably in Thailand? Any idea what you should pay for this ?
Back in 2002 in Bangkok I got a custom tailored dragon silk suit with shirt and tie for $100. I only bust it out for the occasional wedding, but lots of people are in awe of it.
Near Bangkok huh? I’d take the bus north for a day trip to Ayutthaya (temples) or Lopburi (monkeys and temples). If you and the girlfriend like history I’d go the the ‘Bridge on the River Kwai’ inspired by Hell Fire Pass near Kanchanaburi. But yeah, Siam Sam will be here any minute to give much more indepth and current knowledge.
I am somewhat familiar with Thailand. 
The wife and I enjoy Hua Hin very much and can recommend it. For years, we would go two or three times a year until we finally started to get tired of the place, but we still hit it occasionally. Last August was the last time we were there. A pleasant town. Pattaya is closer to Bangkok, in the other direction, but Pattaya I cannot stand; Pattaya is sleaze central. Since I do hang out in bars a bit, a place has to be REALLY sleazy before I mind it; I mind Pattaya. I don’t mind the red-light areas in Bangkok and most places at all, I whiled away the other night in Bangkok’s Soi Cowboy area, but I mind Pattaya. Hua Hin is cleaner – especially the water. There is a small bar area, but it’s not in your face like Pattaya, although I noticed last August that it IS spreading out some. There’s no real snorkeling or diving in the area; you’d have to go farther south for that. We like hanging out on the beach. Tip: When you walk onto the beach from the main beach road, Damnoen Kasem Road, don’t pick a spot right there. Instead, turn right when you get onto the beach and walk about a quarter or half of a kilometer, until shortly after you pass the Railway Hotel. There’s a nice area there with umbrellas and lounge chairs, something like a buck per chair for all day. You order food and drink and pay up in one bill at the end of the day, and it’s very cheap. Not as godawful crowded as that area you’ll first see right off the main entrance. The same people have run this little spot for years.
Where to stay. Lots of hotels and guesthouses in Hua Hin. We generally don’t go for the expensive places, as we think of a hotel room as just a place to flop at night. Still, a certain level of security is desirable. We almost always stay at the Suphamit Hotel. Nice family-run place; see the same staff there year after year. I believe it was about 850 baht a night for an air-con room; that’s about US$27 now. When we were there last August, renovations were going on, and they were adding balconies to some of the rooms in front. So many new places opening in Hua Hin these days that they felt an upgrade was in order. Prices everywhere in Thailand have been rising lately, and with that and the renovations, their prices may have gone up, but they’ll still be a good deal. They have a pool, too, and this is about the cheapest you can pay and still have a pool. The Suphamit (various spellings; sometimes you see it as Subhamitra) does not have a website, but their phone number is (032) 511-208. It’s just around the corner from where the bus drops you off, too, so if you can see it on a map and get an idea about where it is, you can just trot over to it without taking some sort of taxi.
The Suphamit is also about a 10-minute walk from the beach. It is to the west of the main highway, which cuts the town in two. If you stay to the east of the highway, you’re closer to the beach, but prices jump. One place on that side we have stayed in is the Fresh Inn Hotel. We welcomed the millennium in on that trip, New Year’s 2001. (The Suphamit was all booked up then.) We paid 1000 baht back then, but I see from my Lonely Planet guide that they’re charging 1500-1800 now; that’s about $48 to $57. Small rooms, but again, we don’t travel just to stay in a fancy hotel. This is a bit nicer than the Suphamit, though. And they seem to be connected somehow with Lo Stivale Italian Restaurant next door, which has good Italian food. Not sure if it’s the same owner or not; I’ve met the owner of Lo Stivale, and he is indeed Italian.
Things to do. There are some waterfalls and such in the area, but I never seem to get away from the beach when we go there. All I want to do is vegetate and stare at/float in the sea with a cold beer in my hand, and the guys at that beach spot will keep ‘em comin’ for you, too. There IS a national park in the province, Khao Sam Roi Yot National Park, but I’ve never managed to go see it; the beach holds me in its grasp. And there’s another national park that’s even closer in neighboring Phetchaburi province, Kaeng Krachan National Park. Again, I’ve not seen that, because the beach holds me in its grasp. But I hear they’re quite nice. To the south of Hua Hin town, there’s a nice temple on a hill that forms a cape, and there are monkeys running around. Nice views up there, and you can feed the monkeys, but they CAN be mean little buggers if you’re not careful.
But I go to Hua Hin to veg on the beach. The town has a good variety of Thai and Western food. Especially fresh seafood. A great place to eat is the night market that sets up every evening on Dechanuchit Road. Wonderful fresh-seafood stalls, and cheap! Laze on the beach all day, stuff myself on cheap seafood, then crawl the bars; it’s heaven.
Bus is the best way to get there. About 3 hours from Bangkok. Buses for Hua Hin leave Bangkok every 30 minutes or so all day long from the Southern Bus Station across the river in the Thonburi area. An air-con bus costs around 170 baht (about $5) one way. The train goes there, but the times are awkward; you’d have to leave VERY early or rather late. I think you can fly down there again now, they may have reopened the airport. It’s a one-hour flight, but the expense just does not justify it. You have to get to the airport early anyway, and counting waiting time, you’ve almost done the three hours! Take the bus.
Not sure they’ve reopened the airport anyay. Funny, but the reason they closed the airport to begin with was they found a huge cache of Agent Orange buried underneath the runway some years ago! That’s right, THE Agent Orange! No one knows how it got there, but it looked to be from the Vietnam War Days as far as anyone could tell. But there was no airport back then, so no one knows how it got there. It’s a mystery that has never been solved. They shut the airport because they were afraid of what else they might find there. I think it’s open again now.
I mentioned that we welcomed in the milliennium in Hua Hin. Our very first act of this millennium was fleeing for our lives on the beach! See, we’d heard the Railway Hotel was going to stage a great fireworks display at the stroke of midnight. The Railway Hotel is this very expensive five-star place on the beach. We went down there when it was getting close to midnight to watch. Unbeknownst to us, the fireworks were being set off right on the beach where we were standing! It was a nice display, though. And I suggest you treat yourself to a nice buffet breakfast at the Railway, too, one morning; you don’t have to be a guest to eat there.
We thought about moving to Hua Hin at one point, but the logistics just would not have worked out. For a number of reasons, we really need to be in Bangkok. But we recommended going to Hua Hin to one couple, and they DID end up buying a condo unit south of town. I think you’ll enjoy the town. The beach is nice. There are nicer beaches way farther South, in Phuket and Krabi, that area, but those places are more expensive to get to, often more involved to get to and more expensive to stay in. Hua Hin is good value for the money.
That would be Siam Paragon, opened in December 2006. The largest shopping center in Southeast Asia. It IS pretty big, too. A good thing about many shopping centers, including the ones you mentioned, is they are all accessible by Skytrain, our elevated mass transit. No traffic hassles! Other ones also accessible by Skytrain are The Emporium, Central World, Siam Center and Siam Discovery Center. Great places to get out of the heat and even catch a movie.
Sorry about the triple post, but I felt I should answer this. Lots of places to buy silk, but you must be careful about poor-quality or even fake silk in the more touristy places.
The wife and I simply are not into silk, so we’re not up on prices. But one place that is known for good quality and decent prices is Naraiphand. Sometimes spelled Narai Phand and even Narayana Phand. Website here. This is where the wife bought the silk that she had made into her wedding dress when we got married. That was a LONG time ago, though, so prices are not the same. Certainly way before the 1997 economic crisis and subsequent baht devaluation, so not the same prices at all. Naraiphand has been around for I believe 75 years, but they are in the process of moving. They were on Ratchadamri Road across from what is now Central World all this time; now they’re moving around the corner to inside I think it’s the Le Meridien President Hotel just around the corner on Ploenchit Road, just past Gaysorn shopping center on the the corner.
Another place with guaranteed quality is Jim Thompson. Website here. Somewhat pricey, but guaranteed top quality. The man Jim Thompson was OSS (precursor to the CIA) during World War II. Parachuted into Thailand during the war to give support to the small resistance movement here, but nothing really ever got off the ground. He returned after the war and single-handedly built up Thailand’s worldwide reputation for silk. Disappeared mysteriously in Malaysia in 1967. His house in Bangkok is now a museum, too, and worth a look.