The oldest and most traditional Thai resort combines the attractions of a modern holiday destination with the charm and fascination of a still active fishing port.
And while most other Thai holiday destinations cater mainly to foreign tourists, Hua Hin is a holiday resort for foreigners and Thais.
And while most other Thai holiday destinations cater mainly to foreign tourists, Hua Hin is a holiday resort for foreigners and Thais.
Besides it's great 5 mile long beach Hua Hin provides the highest density of world class golf courses anywhere in Thailand while it's yet virtually undiscovered as an international Golf destination. Green-fees and other costs are currently among the lowest in the world while course maintenance and services are superb.
History
While the beaches of Phuket and Samui were discovered only recently and have since undergone rapid and sometimes destructive development, Hua Hin has already been the favourite Thai resort for over 70 years.
The resort was discovered in the early 1920s by King Rama VII as an ideal getaway from the sultry metropolis of Bangkok. The tranquil fishing village was turned into the Royal resort and consequently became popular among Siam's nobility and upper-class.
The construction of a railway line from Bangkok ensured its accessibility and popularity with a wider part of the the Thai public.
But it was the resort's royal endorsement which has given Hua Hin a special character of its very own.
But it was the resort's royal endorsement which has given Hua Hin a special character of its very own.
In 1928, King Rama VII built his Klai Kangwon (Far From Worries) Palace which remains until this today an official royal residence. It is still frequently used by members of the royal family and is open to the public for visits.
Hua Hin continued to develop in its own leisurely way, both as an aristocratic resort with the added attraction of an 18-hole golf course, and as a fishing port. The Railway Hotel, today's Sofitel Central Hua Hin, was built by the State Railways of Thailand in 1923 in the architectural style of old Siam.
Many of Bangkok's rich and famous built their own beachfront summer homes to the north and south along the curving sandy bay, enjoying leisurely family weekends in a resort which has maintained its unique identity.
The railway had made Hua Hin readily accessible and other members of the Royal family joined Prince Nares in favouring the resort as a great place to get away to. In 1921 King Vajiravudh (RamaVI) built a beachside Palace and his successor Rama VII followed in this tradition and his own palace was completed in 1929. He named it Klai Kangwon (Far from worries). The present King Rama IX uses the palace to this day as a summer retreat.
The railway brought with it an influx of weekenders who were looking for somewhere to stay that was maybe a little better than the usual simple rest houses found at railway halts along the line. In 1923 the Railway Hotel was opened designed in Edwardian Colonial style with huge rooms and the lavish use of teakwood. High standards were maintained from the very first day and when the nearby 18 hole Royal Hua Hin golf course opened in1924 it set the style, atmosphere and character of Hua Hin for years to come.
Klai Kangwon palace Hua Hin
The resort declined during the second World war period but it was in the 1970's when the resort of Pattaya boomed at the other side of the Gulf of Thailand that Hua Hin lost its standing as Thailand's premier beach resort. In the 1980's a new generation rediscovered Hua Hin and several new holiday homes were built to join the old sedate beachside bungalows. A leading Bangkok architect designed and built Hua Hins first condominiums, the old Railway Hotel was given a new lease of life when it was chosen as the setting for the film The Killing Fields, and Hua Hin was reborn!
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