Luxury holidays in Hua Hin

Of course, the rest of society followed suit. Enchanted by the feather-soft, white-powder beach, successive monarchs built summer palaces in and around what was once a small village on the Gulf of Thailand’s north-west coast. Since then, Hua Hin has grown into a peaceful paradise of seaside chic, with manicured golf courses, world-class spas, sleek hotels and a smattering of appetising seafood restaurants both here and in smaller neighbour Cha-Am. After enduring the frenetic urban hum of Bangkok, it’s the perfect escape for some lazy beach-based bliss.

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When to go

Although it’s drier than much of the country during monsoon season (June–October), this region is best visited from November to March, when it’s sunny by day and often cool at night. Hua Hin, like Bangkok, gets horribly hot between April and May. Even worse than the heat, though, are the traffic jams on Fridays and Saturdays; head to Hua Hin on a weekday and you’ll have the whole place to yourself.

Getting there

  • Planes

    Fly into Bangkok’s International Suvarnabhumi Airport (www.bangkokairportonline.com), 25km east of the capital. Hua Hin airport only has flights to and from Chiang Mai, so Bangkok’s is effectively the closest airport to town, and you’ll have to complete the rest of the journey overland.
  • Trains

    Rail travel is one of the easiest, albeit slowest, ways to get to Hua Hin. Trains leave from Bangkok’s Hualamphong station several times a day, and express trains can cut the journey time to three-and-a-quarter hours (www.railway.co.th).
  • Automobiles

    Hua Hin Limousine Services (www.huahin-limousine.com) ferry folk from Bangkok airport or the city centre to Hua Hin and back, and can also arrange day trips around the region. The drive takes two to three hours, but be warned: at times the traffic between Bangkok and Hua Hin gets thundercloud-thick.