Hua Hin has experienced a wide range of phases during its development process — from small fishing village to Royal beach resort with international quality standard. This process started with the extension of the Thai railway network, connecting Hua Hin with Bangkok as far back as nearly 100 years ago. With the erection of Thailand’s first golf course and the landmark railway hotel (today’s Sofitel Centara Grand Resort & Villas), Hua Hin placed itself on the map as the country’s holiday getaway for affluent Bangkokians. However, it took another 80 or even 90 years before Hua Hin established itself on the world map of holiday beach resorts.
Royal All-Year-Round Getaway for Families and Couples
Today’s Hua Hin is renowned for its, by Thai standards, dry climate making it suitable as an all-year-round beach resort destination. Moreover, the fact that the Royal Thai family has its summer palace, Wan Klai Kangwon (‘far from worries’), some two kilometers north of downtown Hua Hin makes the city utterly attractive for the affluent Bangkok community when it comes to such aspects as prestige, cleanliness and above all safety and security as well as law and order. This has also created the foundation based on which Hua Hin has turned into one of the hottest real estate markets in the Southeast Asian region. Hua Hin is also a hotspot as far as championship golf courses go. Springfield is already ranked as one of the country’s finest, if tipped soon to be in fierce competition with Black Mountain (awarded the title as Asia’s second best new golf course) and later on also Banyan.
Hua Hin is not the ideal place for teenagers, backpackers or single men — they will find substantially more satisfaction in Pattaya, Patong Beach on Phuket or even Koh Phangan. However, it is hard to find a better or nicer holiday destination for couples and families — both for short-term stays but even more as a near-perfect winter getaway. Based around a genuine Thai society, with excellent infrastructure (including roads, electricity and telecommunications), extensive shopping opportunities, a sensationally long sandy beach (if perhaps not five-star, definitely at least four-star quality), and eight championship golf courses within less than 30 minutes reach, you probably won’t miss home at any point in time — regardless of how long you stay.
7-Bullet Best of Hua Hin Shortlist
Here is our complete seven-bullet Best of Hua Hin Shortlist for all tastes and wallets:
• Stay at a guesthouse below 1,000 baht a night ($30) — or reside in five-star luxury at one of the numerous international hotel and spa resorts.
• Dine for 30 baht (less than a dollar) in the street — or enjoy Michelin-quality seafood at beachfront luxury restaurants.
• Play golf on one or several of eight championship golf courses — or just stay lazy at the several-mile-long beach.
• Visit royal palaces and the biggest known Buddha statue — or experience the spectacular panoramic-view mountains of Khao Takiab and Khao Hin Lek Fai.
• Enjoy beautiful mangrove and pristine limestone milieus at Sam Roy Yot National Park — or experience wildlife trekking and waterfalls at Kaeng Krachan National park.
• Explore the ever-growing property market at two-million-baht second homes — ranging up to 50-million-baht-plus high-end residences.
• Use Hua Hin as your hub for exploring the lovely Country of Smiles — as well as the whole Southeast Asian region.
To learn more about Thailand’s royal beach resort, please visit our dedicated Hua Hin portal at www.iHuaHin.com. 
