Home > Accommodation > HUA HIN Welcomes

The provincial capital is a fishing port with a superb location beside beautiful curving bays and amongst steep mountain outcrops. About 100 kilometres to the north of Prachuap Khiri Khan is Hua Hin, Thailand's first beach resort which is renowned for golf and spa. Between Hua Hin and Prachuap Khiri Khan are Pran Buri with many boutique resorts and Khao Sam Roi Yot National Park with soaring peaks, numerous caves and exotic bird life.

Hua Hin

281 kilometers south of Bangkok, Hua Hin, which literally means stone head in Thai, is the
oldest beach resort of the country and is still very popular. Clean white sand, crystal
clear water and a tranquil atmosphere has continued to attract tourists in search of peacefuland relaxing holidays.

The town was originally known as Ban Samoe Rieng, or Ban Laem Hin (Stony Point Village)
The construction of a railway station in the city as part of the Southern Railroad in the
reign of King Rama VI resulted in making Hua Hin stand out from many quite fishing villages.
In addition, the construction of a Summer Palace of King Rama VII totally transformed the
village into a high-society resort town for royalty. Even today, the Royal Family continues
to reside at the Palace for part of the year.

Hua Hin's consequence came with the opening of the Railway Hotel (known today as the
Sofitel Central Hotel), an elegant Victorian-style resort hotel, and also the countrys first
standard golf course. A cluster of royal and high-society residences gradually became more
visible resulting in the transformation of the whole village into the first seaside resort of the
country, where visitors could enjoy swimming, fishing, and golfing in the country's first
standard golf course.Today, Hua Hin is a well-established beach destination with word-class
facilities coupled with a true sense of Thai hospitality. Despite its expansive growth and
development as a luxurious destination, the splendor of Hua Hin remains intact. Remaining
content in itself, Thailand's oldest seaside resort has never sought international recognition.
It has continued to provide a peaceful and relaxed sanctuary in a picturesque environment
that comes with a true sense of historical identity.


Thailand is one of the best places in Asia for shopping and visitors will be spoilt for choice with the huge, glitzy shopping malls, department stores, small shops and bustling street markets. Both Bangkok and Chiang Mai have excellent night markets.
 
Good buys include Thai silks and cottons, leather goods, batiks, silver and gold, pottery
with celandine green glaze, precious and semiprecious stones (in particular rubies and sapphires are indigenous to Thailand), pearls, dolls, masks, painted umbrellas, lacquer
ware, pewter ware, bamboo and wood artifacts and bronze ware.
 
The weekend market at Chatuchuk in Bangkok is a regular cornucopia with hundreds of
stalls stocking items ranging from genuine antiques to fighting fish. Tailor-made clothes
are also good value and can be made in a matter of days, yet the standard is very high.

Duty free shops are located throughout the country and items can be purchased there
and delivered to the airport in time for the departure flight. Value Added Tax ( 7% ) can
be refunded on goods bought in shops labeled 'VAT Refund for Tourists', where there
is a minimum transaction of ฿2,000 including VAT.VAT Refund Application for Tourists
forms are completed at the time of purchase and it is necessary to show one's passport.
Copyright 2010 PKRAASIA.COM All Rights Reserved. l Designed By Emedia