Spending some time in HuaHin

[Chinaman]

After 2 weeks in Pattaya which, this time around, I managed to tailor exactly to my likes and needs, I was off to HuaHin for the first time.

I took a minibus from Pattaya Tai which was near the Mosaik where I had stayed and had really liked the privacy and comfort of my room there. Pigdogg had shown me a small desk where they sold tickets for the bus. 100 Baht from Pattaya to Bangkok, near Victory Monument. As I had a large and a small bag and the bus does not have any luggage space, I had to pay another 100 for my bag, but I thought that was fair as it occupied an entire seat. The bus left around 1 p.m. and arrived in BKK at around 3 p.m. The trip was ok.

As I had no idea where I would catch the next minibus to HH, a ticket lady showed me and it was more or less right outside the bus station. There one finds different counters for different destinations (see pic). It was 180 Baht to HH, this time there was a small luggage compartment, so no luggage fee.

[Bumpa STIKKA]

I'd be interested in your thoughts on Hua Hin. It's been a favourite destination of mine for a long time now.

In fact Olay and I were just discussing our next trip there in a couple of weeks.

It's great for dining out and the bar scene is more sedate than all the other tourist destinations in Thailand... but you would be better off bringing a partner with you as the pickings are slim in the LB department... although they are better than they have been in the past.

A few regulars on this message-board are fans of Hua Hin and it'd be good to hear from another board member how they find things.

Most people will probably find it pretty dull!  

[Chinaman]

A few impressions from a quick pit-stop on the way ...

[Chinaman]

a bit dull would be fine with me and even if I didn't score, the trip would not be a waste but ...

[Chinaman]

problem was that I had been rather busy in Pattaya and therefore came a bit unprepared to HH ... no hotel reservation, not even an idea which part of town I would stay in ...

[Chinaman]

After being dropped off in HH, I took one of the waiting cabs as the driver had told me that for 100 Baht he would take me to a few hotels - well, we arrived at a Soi which was full of quite neat hotels and guest houses, most of them in the 1000 and up range. I thought I could do a bit better and also wasn't sure how far that would be from the bar area ... as it turned out afterwards, it was a bit far.

I picked up my luggage and decided to explore the neighborhood a bit. I was actually near the Village Market shopping complex.

After a few more hotels which I gave a miss, I decided to call Bumblebee and he pointed me the right direction - Thanks, pal!

It was getting dark and following his instructions I eventually ended up at a place called Lord Nelson in this Soi which is also the one the Caddy Shack is on.

[Chinaman]

The Lord Nelson wasn't BB's recommendation but it was getting late and my luggage was getting heavier and heavier. The owner seems to be a Brit and he offered me a suite for 700 Baht and it had WiFi.

I decided to stay for a night and then head out in the morning to find sth more suitable.

Here are some pics of the venue. It first felt like I had booked some Karaoke room but the owner said he had converted 2 rooms into one. There was definitely enough space - the rest, pls decide for yourself.

[Chinaman]

The Caddy Shack was actually just across the street and after dinner I had a coffee there - I was the only guest there at about 10 p.m.

Some pics from the bathroom at the LN ...

[Chinaman]

I have to admit that I was in for a bit of culture shock after having stayed at the Mosaik but home sweet home, one gets used to whatever environment and in the morning I almost considered staying at the LN - almost, that was ...

[Chinaman]

I called it an early night after some 5-6 hours on the bus but had some Thai meal at a nearby restaurant. I was the only customer but the food was good.

[Chinaman]

I liked the modest setting and having plenty of space to myself. It was also fairly quiet there and just a stone throw from the hotel ...

[Chinaman]

At the Caddy Shack a very cute LB called Kip (?) caught my eye. She sat with me when I had my coffee and I think I will go back later to get to know her a bit better.

If anyone knows more about her, I would appreciate any comments. But she seemed quite sweet, told me that she was 24 and from HH. In general the atmosphere at the CS was very relaxed and even made me, a person who doesn't like bars at all, feel quite comfortable ...

Then it was back to my suite at the LN and despite the chatter from the bargirls in the street below and the music, I must have fallen asleep quite quickly.

Well, in the morning I discovered that I probably had been protected by some small Buddha shrine right outside my bedroom.

[Chinaman]

One thing I have to say about my room at the LN - it was very spacious and in the morning light flooded the room - mmh, some might not care for that too much after a long night out ...

[Chinaman]

The room had 2 TVs, even a DVD-player and a large sofa, but it didn't create any atmosphere and even 700 Baht a night was not such a steal. So, I decided to check the guest houses in the neighborhood. Kip had told me that the MOD guesthouse was quite nice, but their a/c room for 800 Baht didn't tickle my fancy either.

There were fan rooms for 400 and most a/c rooms were at least 650. I found one quite nice room in a nearby hotel for 950 but it was on the 5th or 6th floor - of course no elevator - and no internet, but I was close to taking it. The interior was just a bit flowery and seemed more suitable for a woman - reminded me of these Laura Ashley patterns.

A quick last look at the Lord Nelson from the outside.

[Chinaman]

On the sofa there would have been enough space for all lbs from the CS ... ;-)