Things to do in Hua Hin
And where to stay, the best time to visit, what a day costs, and the traps to skip.
Best time to visit Hua Hin
• a note or something on ✦ an occasion worth the trip
Best months, peak season. Dry, calm sea, best golf and kite conditions, highest prices.
Hot season. Dawn only for golf and climbs, softer prices except Songkran in April.
Rainy season value window. Short heavy showers, quiet discounted courses and cheapest hotels.
Worst window. Heaviest rain, roughest sea, boat trips cancelled and waterfall paths slippery.
What's on
- Loy Krathong Full moon, usually November
Float krathongs on the sea and at hotel events.
- Hua Hin Food Festival November
Prominent restaurants and hotels showcase dishes with seafood stalls and cooking demos.
- Vintage Car Parade New Year period
Vintage car parade in the town's busiest week around New Year.
- Songkran 12-13 April in Hua Hin, Wan Lai in Cha-Am 16-17 April
Buddha bathing, procession, water tunnel and foam zones, joyful and family scale.
- Hua Hin Marathon Typically May
Marathon held typically in May in recent editions, check the current year.
- Hua Hin Jazz Festival June in some years
Beach stages and international acts, but it has moved and skipped years so verify the edition.
Best things to do in Hua Hin
Cicada Market
Curated weekend market for handmade craft, Thai designer clothing, live music and a large coupon food court.
Tamarind Market
Looser and cheaper food-led sibling of Cicada, with locals eating, live bands, barbecue and seafood.
Hua Hin Night Market
Working nightly market for cheap seafood dinners, stalls and people watching in the centre of town.
Hua Hin Railway Station
Historic red and white station with the Royal Waiting Room, best photographed in early morning light.
Royal Waiting Room
The separate Royal Waiting Room built for King Rama VI's visits, beside the historic red and white station.
Maruekhathaiyawan Palace
Golden teak stilted summer palace by the sea, airy and quiet, linked by covered boardwalks.
Wat Huay Mongkol
Living pilgrimage temple with an enormous statue of Luang Pho Thuat, visited by Thai families.
Monsoon Valley Vineyard
Large hillside vineyard for tastings, tours and a good lunch, with mountain views from the terrace.
Where to stay in Hua Hin
Central Hua Hin / Naresdamri Road
first trip, no car
Walkable core with beach, Night Market, station and pier seafood all close together.
Khao Takiab / Nong Kae
resort stays, families, market lovers
Quieter wider beach with Monkey Mountain and Cicada and Tamarind markets walkable, centre a short hop away.
North beach / Bo Fai
quiet luxury and long stays
Affluent residential area with large garden resorts, quieter beaches and resort bound evenings.
Soi 94
budget, expat and long stays
Cheap condos, guesthouses, bars and restaurants inland from Market Village, lively and good value.
Think twice about
- Soi Bintabaht and Soi 80 bar strips
Noisy until late with bar trade on the pavement. Stay a street or two away and walk in if bars are wanted.
- Far Cha-Am sold as Hua Hin
A different town far north with no walkable Hua Hin beach, restaurants or markets. Check the map pin, not the title.
- Highway frontage motels on Phetkasem Road, Bo Fai and Soi 102+
Safe and cheap but bleak, with heavy traffic and nothing walkable. Fine only for golfers with a car.
Best restaurants in Hua Hin
Praça
Refined shareable Thai fine dining on a sea view terrace at The Standard, the current top table.
McFarland House
Modern seafood in a heritage beach house in the Hyatt gardens, known for brunch and sunset dinners.
Amber Kitchen
Hotel all rounder from breakfast to themed seafood buffet nights, with strong quality control.
Chao Lay Seafood
Pier classic with live tanks and a deck over the Gulf, for scallops, crab curry and tom yam seafood.
Baan Itsara
North end garden house seafood, spicier and more Thai in taste, best ordered communally with a group.
Koti Restaurant
Historic restaurant facing the Night Market, worth one visit for history and people watching.
Lung Ja
Night market seafood stall for crab curry and grilled lobster, priced by weight and cooked to order.
Ken's Kitchen
Tiny family run cheap gem where reviewers single out the mango curry and unbeatable prices.
Outdoor things to do in Hua Hin
Black Mountain Golf Club
Top rated Hua Hin course with tour level conditioning, dramatic water and full practice facilities.
Pineapple Valley Golf Club
Former Banyan course in a valley, praised for service, clubhouse and mountain and sea views.
Springfield Royal Country Club
Jack Nicklaus design at about half the top course price, the best value championship test nearby.
Majestic Creek Country Club
Natural foothill course through streams and valleys, favoured by locals and repeat visitors.
Sea Pines Golf Club
Only true seaside links style round in Hua Hin, where Gulf wind and casuarina pines shape the day.
Palm Hills Golf Club
Undulating links flavoured course with very fast greens and an elevated back nine into the sea breeze.
Royal Hua Hin Golf Course
Thailand's first international course beside the station, walkable from central hotels, played for history.
Lake View Resort & Golf Club
Budget parkland golf with fast true greens, the smart cheap round to pair with one premium course.
Best hotels in Hua Hin
Centara Grand Beach Resort & Villas Hua Hin
The original railway hotel with colonial buildings, gardens, pools and a walk everywhere beachfront site.
InterContinental Hua Hin Resort
Contemporary Thai design resort with a big pool, sleeker and younger feeling than the heritage hotels.
V Villas Hua Hin
All pool villa resort with butler service, the honeymoon splurge in the south of town.
The Barai
Destination spa with striking architecture inside the Hyatt Regency grounds, a programme led stay.
Chiva-Som Hua Hin
World famous wellness resort, a serious and expensive programme led stay rather than a hotel spa.
Anantara Hua Hin Resort
Garden resort in the quiet north, often the best value true luxury rate in Hua Hin.
Dusit Thani Hua Hin
Large northern resort with a huge lagoon and gardens, suited to resort and golf trips.
Hyatt Regency Hua Hin
Family favourite with a big pool complex and slide, kids club and Cicada Market next door.
Is Hua Hin expensive? What a day costs
| Budget | THB 1,500 a person |
|---|---|
| Classic | THB 3,000 a person |
| Splurge | THB 8,000 a person |
A day of food, drink, sights and getting around, before the room
What to book ahead
- Monsoon Valley Vineyard: a few days ahead
- Vana Nava Water Jungle: a few days ahead
- Black Mountain Golf Club: months ahead
- Pineapple Valley Golf Club: months ahead
- Springfield Royal Country Club: weeks ahead
- Kui Buri National Park: a few days ahead
- Wildlife Friends Foundation Thailand: a few days ahead
- KBA - Kite Boarding Asia Hua Hin: a few days ahead
- Top golf courses for December and January weekend mornings need booking months ahead.
- Good mid range hotels sell out for December, January, Songkran and Thai long weekends, and weekends book before weekdays.
- Reserve Praca, McFarland House brunch and popular Cicada weekend tables, and book WFFT and Kui Buri tours days ahead in season.
Is Hua Hin safe?
- Heed jellyfish signs, avoid swimming after heavy rain or at night, and use vinegar and emergency help for serious stings.
- Do not feed monkeys at Khao Takiab, carry loose bags or show food near them.
- Wear a real helmet and carry the right licence on scooters, never ride after drinking, and dress respectfully at temples and palaces.
Hua Hin travel tips: tourist traps to skip
- Confirm the total weight price before any seafood is cooked at markets or the pier.
- Avoid tailor package deals that promise several suits in a day, and time share desks in malls.
- Skip Plearnwan, The Venezia and Santorini Park as headline days, and venues selling elephant rides as sanctuaries.
Getting around Hua Hin: public transport and more
- Green songthaews run the beach road every 15 minutes or so for a small fare, linking centre, Khao Takiab and malls.
- Grab works well and tuk tuks should agree a price before boarding.
- Rent a car and driver for national park days, and never ride a scooter back from tastings or waterfalls at night.
Who Hua Hin suits
| Solo travellers | Good |
|---|---|
| Groups of friends | Great |
| Couples | Great |
| Bachelor parties | Great |
| Families | Great |
| Bachelorette parties | OK |
Make Hua Hin your trip
Swearby drafts the days from places people swear by. Swap any stop, then invite the crew by text, even friends without the app. Vote on dates, track costs as you go, and everyone gets one number at the end.
Get Swearby on the App Store