Heavenly Hua Hin

I’d traveled extensively in Southeast Asia but Thailand had always been an out- of the way stop for me. The most I’d managed, over a decade ago, was one night in Bangkok …just like the song. I’d always wanted to visit longer and to try the seaside destinations in Amazing Thailand. I finally got the chance late last year, at my wife Twink’s prodding, and thoroughly enjoyed it.

Twink arranged for us to take advantage of a long weekend to visit Bangkok and a beach destination, which Thailand is richly endowed with. Most visitors would lean to well-known spots like Phuket and Koh Samui, but we targeted instead the southern city of Hua Hin, a three-hour drive from the capital.

We arrived at Bangkok’s Suvarnabhumi airport, a fantastic, modern and well-maintained facility with lush green courtyards that make our NAIA terminals look third-rate in comparison.

We were fetched by my good friend Supphat “Tom” Sirichantr. Tom was a classmate at the UP College of Architecture in the 1970s. He had retired into private business (making and distributing a famous brand of snooker cues called Tom’s Classic Cues) from a career as an architect. Tom generously offered to take us and our two boys, Wham and Juancho, to Hua Hin. He admitted it was a regular spot he visited mainly for the food and good jazz music.

Scouring reviews of the place beforehand, Twink selected two resorts for us to stay in: a small villa complex just off the urban center so we could taste various culinary offerings and the night markets, and a more secluded beach-side resort less than an hour south of the city.

We first stayed at the modest but comfortable Baan Duangkaew Resort, right beside the ritzy Hyatt Hua Hin mega-resort. We had no beachfront but the beach was a short pleasant walk on a Thai version of a barangay road. As we noted throughout, these access lanes to Thai beaches were all clean, well-maintained and free from blight unlike Boracay’s or Puerto Galera’s.

Tom stayed at his favorite hotel and joined us for dinner at Cicada, a popular night dining destination right next to our resort. The place was organized like our local Mercato Central but on a permanent site, which was mostly al fresco and well landscaped. Thai architecture and landscape architecture impressed me throughout our trip. Design values were high for everything including small structures.

Cicada is popular for locals and tourists also because of the cool jazz offered at an amphitheater on one side of the development. Unfortunately, the whole country was still in mourning for their beloved King Bhumipol, so there were no bands playing while we were there. The great food and flea market offerings were more than enough to make up for this and we dined there two nights in a row.

The next day, before Tom motored back to Bangkok, he took us on a tour of the city. We visited the old town center (he knew I was interested in the architecture) and its railroad terminal. The trains reached Hua Hin in the 1920s as the monarchy established summer estates and palaces here. The public followed to take advantage of the beaches and other recreational options, which eventually led to a good number of public parks, resorts, golf courses, and today, water parks and wellness complexes like the award-winning Chiva-som.

We said goodbye to Tom over lunch at a wonderful restaurant winery (yes, Thailand produces wine) up in the cool hills overlooking Hua Hin.

On our own, we moved south to the Pran Buri district of Hua Hin, and checked into the Aleenta Hua Hin Resort. The area is marked by a stretch of beach over two kilometers long servicing only a dozen or two resorts.

We loved the place. There were no crowds, no noise, and enough restaurants and spas to choose from without causing a strain on your wallet. Juancho’s favorite was a place that served unli-pizza and pasta. Local fare was just as good.

Twink and I walked along the beach every morning with only a few other strollers in sight for the whole stretch. The rest of the time was spent chilling and swimming at the resort pool, which serviced only a few villas.

As with the town center, all the streets leading to the resorts and the beaches were clean, well lit and maintained. The district had an extensive bike lane network. The resorts offered bikes for use by guests.

We left Hua Hin after five days, easily hiring a comfortable van, to get to Bangkok. The driver drove at a safe pace. Stops along the highway were comfortable and clean.

We have a lot to learn from Bangkok tourism. Their transportation options, terminals and rest stops are at par with Europe’s. English is not as widely spoken but good maps, way-finding signs and generally good planning of resort enclaves make up for this. We are as hospitable as the Thais but the environments that surround our resorts and beaches are not as hospitable to visitors.

The beauty of our beaches is mired by blight. Much less noise is generated by the vans used in Thai destinations compared to the unbearable drone of our tricycles. And I did not hear one karaoke session throughout our stay.

Next week we look at the Bangkok leg of our Thailand adventure.

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Feedback is welcome.  Please email the writer at paulo.alcazaren@gmail.com.

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Erratum: It was Mike de Leon’s Mangarap Ka’t Magising that used Sagada as a backdrop, not Kakabakaba Ka Ba?… I had a senior moment.