Hua Hin: Overview

BACKGROUND AND HISTORY Hua Hin is Thailand’s oldest and most traditional beach resorts, since it was made popular in the early 1920s by King Rama VII who built the Klai Kang Won (Far from Worries) palace as the ideal escape from the heat of Bangkok. Many of the Thai nobility and upper classes built their own beachfront summer houses along the curving sandy bay and, with the construction of the railway line from Bangkok, Hua Hin became the preferred holiday destination with the wider population. Over the years, Hua Hin has managed to retain its original charm as a fishing village, while developing a unique identity as a modern family holiday resort and weekend retreat. Today both Thais and foreigners visit Hua Hin’s hotels and resorts, with increasing numbers choosing to buy villas and condominiums to settle down in the area or to use for holidays or as investment properties. It is this demand which has driven Hua Hin’s real estate as one of Thailand’s most active property markets and with some of the highest potential for further growth.

GEOGRAPHY Hua Hin is located 230 km south of Bangkok on Thailand’s gulf coast. The area near the gently curving beach is largely flat, with a range of small forest-covered hills just inland and extending north-south. Hua Hin’s sandy beach stretches for approximately five miles, linking with Cha-Am in the north and the beaches of Khao Takiab and Khao Tao further south. In the centre of Hua Hin, the beach features a distinctive cluster of rocks, which give the town its name (Stone Head). Khao Takiab itself has a small peninsula with a temple on top, while the smaller Khao Tao bay is framed by two small islands just offshore. INFRASTRUCTURE/ LIFESTYLE/ LEISURE While Hua Hin has its own airport with 35-minute daily flights to Bangkok, most visitors choose the three-hour drive from the capital. The railway line is a more leisurely alternative. The Hua Hin area offers all the usual leisure activities for the whole family, from water sports to world-class golf courses. There are also many natural attractions nearby, including the Khao Sam Roi Yot national park in Pranburi. The lanes of central Hua Hin are home to a variety of modern shops and dining venues, with some of the best sea food being served in the restaurants built on stilts nearby the small fishing port. There are also new shopping malls, winery, and cinema, as well as a very popular night market. Hua Hin has three high-quality hospitals: the Hua Hin Hospital, the San Paolo International Hospital and the Bangkok Hospital Hua Hin.