Lonely Planet mentioned that we could get there by train in a matter of hours, so once we had landed in Bangkok we headed for the train station. Tickets in hand we found ourselves in 3rd class alongside chickens and all sorts; I still today wonder why we got the cheapest tickets available or perhaps that's all that was available, but we made do. We got to know the chickens quite well on the journey but, luckily, after a few hours the train halted in Hua Hin: ‘bye bye chickens, let our adventure begin.’
Our next trip to Hua Hin came on the way back from Australia just over a year later in January 1999. This time we got a taxi from Bangkok and found a hotel with a nice swimming pool. So this was slightly more upmarket than our first trip. Things had changed in Hua Hin, lots more upmarket restaurants had appeared, things must be on the up. The atmosphere, though, was still the same. The restaurants were still on the piers we were pleased to see, but a local told us that the local authorities were trying to have them all removed including the guest houses over the water. Two years later in January 2001 we were back and in for a treat, this time we had booked three nights at the Chiva Som Resort, down the beach in the direction of Monkey Mountain. What a treat it was. Picked up at the gates in golf buggies (no fumes allowed), were shown to our villa and straightaway introduced to our fitness therapist: it all felt like heaven on earth. This trip was the turning point as I look back for my love then dislike for Hua Hin this trip was magical and the one after this was also good but our last visit in 2014 things had changed. |