Hua Hin
Thailand may have been a gap year hotspot some years back for full-moon parties, dodgy cocktails and super-strong Singha beer, but it’s also a hub for parents wanting luxury family holidays, smashing cuisine and buckets of culture with which to introduce children to the magic of the East. Hua Hin, located approximately three hours drive south of Bangkok, is a bustling town on the sea, surrounded by a national park, the Thai Royal Family's summer home and Black Mountain, location of the immaculate Southeast Asian PGA tour championship golf course. Due to its protected location there is only so much change that the area can experience. Hua Hin is well worth the journey.
Hyatt Regency Hua Hin
The Hyatt Regency Hua Hin is a beachfront beauty that will thrill both parents and children, alike. Between its diverse culinary offerings, enormous outdoor pool and beachfront, one of the most spectacular spas we have ever seen and stunning rooms, you'll want to move in permenantly.
The Hyatt Regency in Hua Hin is one of those hotels you simply never want to check out of. And, while there is so much to do in Hua Hin itself, book in to this supreme Hyatt and you'll find very little that seriously tempts you outside its stunning environ. It's seemingly off the beaten track as you drive down a small...
Baby-friendly / Family-friendly Spa / Pre-Teen friendly / See this Hotel & Book »
Centara Grand Beach Resort and Villas Hua Hin
Centara Grand Beach Resort and Villas Hua Hin is a stunning blend of old Siam architecture, relaxing family-friendly facilities and lashings of luxury along the sea edge.
With 13 hectares of private landscaped gardens, Centara Grand Beach Resort and Villas Hua Hin is a veritable playground for children and adults alike. The atmosphere is incredibly welcoming from the moment you enter the gorgeous doors of this "Old Siam" classic hotel. This luxurious resort dates back to 1923 and was...
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Dusit Thani Hua Hin
Dusit Thani Hua Hin is a beautifully traditional beachfront hotel complete with a lily pond and tropical gardens.
Though a hotel, Dusit Thani Hua Hin has all the offerings of a resort so, if you get comfortable, you won’t need to go anywhere unless you want to. It has a massive range of activities and water sports, and even has a horse-riding track. The ever popular water sports such a kayaking, banana boating and jet skiing,...
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Hilton Hua Hin
A towering, luxury family-friendly hotel on the edge of Hua Hin's port, the Hilton Hua Hin has a fantastic rooftop bar and unrivalled spa facilities.
Located right on the edge of the water by Hua Hin’s port area, the Hilton Hua Hin Resort and Spa isn’t in the most aesthetically stunning part of town, but it does offer everything one could want and is perfect for ease of access to restaurants, endless massage spas and nail bars and buzzing local town life. It...
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Six Senses Evason Hua Hin
Super luxurious, the Six Senses Evason boasts with pool villas along the seafront.
Hua Hin is synonymous with luxurious hotels and resorts and the Six Senses Evason Hua Hin is a leader of the pack (along with Chiva Som, but that doesn’t allow children). Every villa has lovely touches, such as a private balcony and 24-hour room service, while the hotel itself can arrange a car with a driver or a...
Baby-friendly / Family-friendly Spa / Pre-Teen friendly / See this Hotel & Book »
The Bubble
207 Moo7 Nong Hieng, Hin Lek fai, Hua Hin
The restaurant for a stunning residential area at the base of Black Mountain called Baan Ing Phu, The Bubble is a small but utterly delightful restaurant open to non-residents a short 15 minute drive outside of Hua Hin town. Well worth the journey for the chicken sandwich alone, this charming restaurant located opposite tennis courts and with a pool table at its rear is a family-friendly as they come. It is open air but covered so no need to worry if you visit during the rainy season. There are no steep steps, no areas where toddlers and children need watching. Should they wander behind the bar, the lovely staff simply scoop them up and entertain them while you eat. The menu is created using fresh ingredients found each morning by the resident chef and offers a wonderful mixture of immaculate Thai food (the crab curry is absolutely heavenly) and Western favourites, such as the aforementioned chicken sandwich which, handmade using oyster sauce amongst other local, fresh ingredients is memorable, to say the least.
The Bubble restaurant, Hua Hin
Palm Seafood Pavilion
1 Damnernkasem Road
Considered one of the finest seafood restaurants in Hua Hin, Palm Seafood Pavilion has a quintessential colonial pavilion that smacks of Siamese bygone days, as captured in Margaret Langdon’s beloved novel, The King and I. The interior is charming, but those with kids may prefer the less formal beachside seating outside, where food can be enjoyed overlooking the sea and little ones can run around more freely.
Moon Terrace
17 Naresdamri Road
Jutting right out onto the sea on a jetty of sorts, Moon Terrace in Hua Hin is a clapboard-structured restaurant, complete with gentle whicker fans to keep diners cool on searing hot Thai nights. With a menu that offers Thai classics and very local seafood, it also has dishes that will appeal to children (and some adults) who don’t want hot and fiery food. It is on the ocean, but the decking is enclosed so safe with children. (Just bring mosquito repellant as the restaurant is covered and, being on the water, the biting can be bad during evening hours).
Black Mountain Golf Course
This is more for parents and those with older children and teenagers, but golf lovers musn’t miss the delights of Black Mountain Golf Club. Home to the Southeastern PGA Championships, it has immaculate greens, a fantastic driving range and stunning vista views across the countryside around Hua Hin town. Play as early in the day as you can during hot months because the heat makes a midday swing nigh on impossible.
"Monkey Mountain"
Khao Thakiab Beach isn’t actually a mountain, but there are monkeys and for that reason, it has been renamed Monkey Mountain by locals. Just a few kilomtres south of Hua Hin it serves as another delightful alternative beach, with a temple atop the hill overlooking it. Behind that hill on Blue Wave is a perfect area of beach for families travelling with small children as the water is shallow and gentle.
Wat Hua Hin
There are temples all across Hua Hin and its surrounding environs but, if you want to take the family to just one, we recommend Wat Hua Hin in the town centre. Amidst the concrete supermarkets and mobile phone shops emerges this large temple, home to many Thai monks. The gardens and catfish ponds are of endless delight to children.
Cha-am Beach
Hua Hin beach is pretty developed now so we recommend heading to Cha-am beach about 25 kilometres north of Hua Hin town. It is far calmer, far prettier and the water cleaner. The beach road that runs adjacent to the sand is flanked with street vendors selling everything from fresh cut fruit to seashells and hot food; families wanting some aquatic activity can rent jet skis or hop on a local banana ride.
Hua Hin Elephant Village
Located just a few kilometres outside of Hua HIn town centre lies the Hua Hin Elephant village, home to at least a dozen elephants at a time. Food can be bought to feed the gentle giants by hand and one-hour elephant rides are available for children wanting to get really close and personal.
About
Dial 191 in an emergency. Thai hospitals are admired the world over for their excellent standards of care and the Bankgkok Hua Hin Hospital (888 Petchakasem Road; +66 32 616 800) is no exception. The latest medical facility to open in the town, it has fantastic facilities and staff who speak excellent English. The other two notable hospitals in the town are the San Paolo hospital, (222 Petchakasem Road; +66 32 532 576) and Hua Hin Hospital (888 Petchakasem Road; +66 32 616 800). This has a helicopter pad on its roof for transporting patients to Bangkok should they need further treatment or care.
When to go
The rainy seasons runs from July to October but rains aren’t guaranteed and it does mean the area is less rife with tourists. Early November to late February is the season generally considered the best time to visit when weather is warm, sunny and not unbearably humid. Every other year during mid-March, Hua Hin hosts a Kite Festival which children will love. Aside from international kite fliers competing, there are lots of lovely food stalls and craft stands selling local artefacts. Early June sees the annual Hua Hin Jazz Festival which is a really lovely event and, aside from the Jazz which may not thrill your children, the streets are lined with amazing food stalls. New Year is a time of great celebration, nowhere more so than Hua Hin. Fireworks boom across the port, the streets are lit with decorations and lanterns, and music plays from dusk till dawn. If you’re there for the Christmas and New Year period, Hua Hin town becomes one big street party on December 31st, which both adults and children will delight in.
Currency
Thai Baht
Language
Thai