This weekend we decided to take a quick trip to Hua Hin, a quiet beach resort town popular with royal and regular Thais alike. In the early 1900s, King Prajadhipok built a summer palace in Hua Hin. In the early 2000s, King Bhumibol Adulyadej had his full-time residency at the palace in Hua Hin. The beaches aren’t as beautiful as the more popular ones farther south but you won’t be inundated by tourists either. If you need a few days of peace and quiet away from bustling Bangkok, Hua Hin is a perfect choice.

Getting There

We initially had difficulty figuring out the best way to get to Hua Hin. We knew the cheapest option was a minivan for 180 baht (a little over $5) but we just couldn’t figure out exactly where it left from. A few years ago, most minivans leaving Bangkok to other locations left from a central point, Victory Monument. This would have been fairly easy for us since the BTS goes straight from our place to Victory Monument. But this point of departure is no more. Now the minivans leave from multiple bus terminals around the city, each terminal servicing a portion of Thailand: one for southern destinations, one for eastern, etc. The Eastern Bus Terminal is in walking distance of our house but reading forums on the internet, I was getting conflicting information whether a minivan left from there to Hua Hin. Finally, I decided to walk to the station and try to figure it out on my own.

I made circles around the station, carefully reading each sign. Pattaya, Trat, Chanthaburi… No Hua Hin. So I went home and waited for Halie to get back from work. We went over our other options: hour taxi ride to other bus terminal, hour taxi ride to train station for a 5 hour train ride, 45 minute taxi ride the opposite direction to the airport for a longer minivan drive to Hua Hin. None sounded fun. Halie decided we should stop by the terminal near our house one more time and try to find somebody that speaks English to ask. As soon as we walk up, a security guard comes up to us and asks if we need help. I’m assuming because Halie’s much cuter than I, she was actually asked for help. Who knows. Either way, he pointed us to a small desk for the Hua Hin minivan. Bought our ticket so we’re good to go.

Next morning, minivan ride to Hua Hin. Uneventful, so let me get to the actual vacation!

Haven Resort, Hua Hin

Let the relaxation begin.

Finally at our resort, we decided to quickly make our way to the beach area and start ordering drinks. After a bit on the beach, we moved back to sit near the infinity pool (drink ordering continued). We watched as a storm blew in but decided to stay by the pool. The drinks were tasty, the view was beautiful, the book I was reading was enjoyable. Why leave? Here’s a Snapchat video it raining on the pool. Once the rain let up a bit, Halie had to get into the pool:

Pulling ourselves away from the poolside, we went back to our room to get ready for dinner and the night market in Hua Hin. Halie made sure our resort had a bathtub because she misses taking baths (we only have a shower in Bangkok). Over the two days in Hua Hin, she took three baths! Anyway, we got ready, had the resort call a taxi and headed down to the center of Hua Hin. Halie found a nice restaurant name Orchid. After dinner we walked down to the night market. They had similar offering as Bangkok, just a third of the price. Which was nice.

Second Day

After checking out of the resort, we grab a taxi to a really unique shopping area named Plearnwan. It is a collection of shops in a collection of older Thai buildings. Meant to be a living museum, it holds on to the traditional Thai shops while offering modern access and wares. Plearnwan cares about social awareness, providing a living wage for Thais, the environment and the preservation of history. The food stands offered incredibly interesting snacks up and down the area. For lunch, I had the traditional Thai kuaitiao ruea, also known as boat noodles. So tasty.

Okay, okay. Time to head back towards the minivan for our ride to Bangkok. So taxis in Hua Hin are surprisingly expensive. You pretty much have to get them from a taxi stand and they give you a flat rate before the ride (for us it was 200-300 baht). No meters and high prices. Much higher than Bangkok. It was necessary to use a taxi to get to our resort since it was kind of away from the main part of Hua Hin. But heading back to the center of town, we decided to take the cheaper and way more fascinating option: the songthaew. In Hua Hin, these pick-up trucks converted to passenger vehicles drive up and down the main road. While we walked, the songthaews would honk at us to see if we wanted to be picked up. This time, we waved “yes.” You tell the driver where you’re going, they tell you the price. Our ride was 10 baht per person, which is about 30 cents. You jump in the back, sit on the bench if there’s a spot or stand on the lower step if there isn’t. Halie and I stood. Snapchat video of Halie on the back of the songthaew. So cheap and quick and fun. Highly recommend.

Made it back to Bangkok Sunday afternoon. Back in the traffic and city lights, back to work.