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Published: November 27th 2011
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The children were supposed to have a long week-end holidays but since they had three weeks off from school due to the floodings...this week-end has been cancelled a week ago. Well, I'm the kind of guy who planned ahead, way ahead, and to get a good deal, I have no problem to pre-pay my accomodation. So here is the dilemna...paid hotel nights...no more long week-end...you guess it, on the road we went.
Hua Hin will be the place for some holiday makers, but not for all I have to admit. This is one of the reason for my blog title. There is not much in terms of "visiting" here once you came few times. Markets..we have better in Bangkok. Beaches...the beach here is simply ugly, or not even existent anymore. Temples...well, nothing great to my knowledge. Culture...maybe, but not the thai one for sure.
So why come to Hua Hin. The answer are simple and multiple, but will not tempt everybody. First point, due to the fact that the King used to live here for years, the town is pretty clean...clean of the not so nice side of Thailand. You will not find a late
nightlife here, no prostitutes around, no buckets of alcool and full moon parties. This is a place where you come to enjoy some nice food (not always thai food though!), some nice golf, maybe a spa if you wish...and the tranquility of your hotel pool.
Hua Hin is ultra popular with Thais from Bangkok and with expat families on week-end. Just around three hours drive south of Bangkok. You could come here by train, but it's way too long...by bus, the bus station is way outside of Bangkok. We simply drove. I rented a car for three days (40usd per day fully insured, not that bad).
Hua Hin is also ultra popular from October to April with the 50++ something scandinavians and germans...why...for the sun, for the golf. This public is rather in the "quiet and discret" market...nobody is speaking too loud here, nobody is pushing you. Russians and Chineses haven't made their way here....but Chineses will in the future with all these golf courses.
Hua Hin has also become a "pension" place for many europeans, a lot of them spending not a week, not two weeks a year here, but the full
6 months of the "european winter". It may not be my cup of tea, but the appeal of quality and reasonable prices does make sense. Ok, you do see also a lot of 60++ gentlemen with young thai ladies who are clearly younger than their own children...who say they cannot enjoy their time!?!
Over the last few years, only two golf courses have opened around here, but they put the level seriously up in term of quality. On one of our last visits, we played Black Mountain, nice and not easy. This time, Mari and I went to play Sea Pine, five km South of Hua Hin. This is the only "links" course in Hua Hin, with 6 holes next to the sea.
Why the Thai Army doesn't want to go to war much...because they play golf! This is indeed a military course...open to the paying public that we are. Most impressive, the course was designed by a General from the Thai Army. I have no idea how he does on the battle field, but I have to admit, this is a beautiful course and a job well done. We had a lot of
sun...some serious wind...and way too much water around the fairways not to lose few balls on the way.
So if you play golf, if you like nice food, including seafood....if you like spas, but don't see yourself spending too much time on the beach, Hua Hin may be for you. If you look for a hut on the beach with a low budget...go somewhere else, this place will disappoint you.
Our next entry is coming soon, from a place I've never been after leaving 15 years in Asia...I'm kind of curious of what is coming next week-end...we'll see...
Till there, don't worry, floods haven't done any damage in Central Bangkok, and the good news, water is resceding slowly all over the country. After the SRAS, the closure of the airport...after the unrest in 2010...what is coming next for the Thais...not really fun for them...
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Bonne Mamy
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Les éléphants...
Dites-moi que quand on viendra en juin vous nous preparez un lit comme ca.... J'adore ces éléphants !!!!