D
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I thought the boats photo was very good as well.
An extended weekend in Thailand
- Thread starter munitalP
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JohnK
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Very nice trip report munitalP!
Glad you enjoyed it. I see you managed to find your way to Soi Bintabaht in Hua Hin!
Not sure if you managed to find Mai Tai but that is a great spot to have a drink and people watch. It is ~200-300 metres from Hilton.
I have got 2 trips before you go back.
Next year I am going to see if I can fit in 5 trips. Means I will have to find some bargain Qantas economy airfares.
Glad you enjoyed it. I see you managed to find your way to Soi Bintabaht in Hua Hin!
Not sure if you managed to find Mai Tai but that is a great spot to have a drink and people watch. It is ~200-300 metres from Hilton.That is a long time Hvr!
I have got 2 trips before you go back. Next year I am going to see if I can fit in 5 trips. Means I will have to find some bargain Qantas economy airfares.
drron
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It's not only JohnK.We go at least twice a year.Something about the place just has you on autopilot.And we love the people.
Great TR.
amaroo
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Why?...........
D
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I would go back to Bangkok any time. Great spot
munitalP
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Thought I better post the final installment...
Outside the Hilton, the taxis – small trucks with open sided canopies – I struggle to call them Tuk Tuks line up and unlike Australia, it’s up to you to negotiate the best price for what you want and where you want to go to. The trip from the Hilton to Monkey Mountain (Khao Takiab) is about 20 minutes (approx 7km), so with that in mind, the negotiations start and we agree on a price which includes the driver waiting for us. We were going to get a ride there and walk back, and in hindsight, if I do this again, that’s what I will do as the walk along the beach would have been beautiful.
After a bumpy ride to the mountain, we were taken to the base of a steep set of stairs that lead up to a temple. There were also the usual stalls selling “stuff” at the car park area and an annoying repeating message regarding sponsoring a temple (I assume as it was in Thai) and being a good moral citizen – I think you could buy a brick or something, none the less, I wasn’t interested.
I have never been anywhere with monkeys in the wild – I have been to places where allegedly there are monkeys in the wild, but to see them on the side of the road and in the public area was quite awesome. We walked around the base of the temple taking photos of monkeys – I was really happy to see a lady looking after a baby monkey possibly abandoned or orphaned and she was showing so much humanity, it bought a lump to my throat.
After ascending the stairs, we had some absolutely awesome views of Hua Hin and the surrounding areas as well as endless views out to sea – a beautiful blue sky day – what more could you do to achieve perfection I thought.
Half way back to the Hilton, I banged on the drivers window and we alighted the cab in a retail area where we meandered in and out of shops, took in a bite to eat and slowly found our way back to the Hilton. It was getting toward mid afternoon and I wanted to try and get some good photos while it was raining – assuming that the monsoonal storms would once again hit HUa Hin late afternoon, so with that in mind, tripod in hand, we headed off to the famous Hua Hin railway station with no real plan in mind other than some photos. The predicted monsoonal downpour didn’t happen but the humidity kept up its end of the bargain and hovered in the high 90’s.
By the time we were back into town, we needed some liquid, so beer being liquid, and no shortage of bars around, we went into a random bar which turned out to be an English bar with an Englishman owner who greeted everyone coming through the door. I was in 2 minds whether to stay or not, I don’t like English pubs in England, so why would I like one in Thailand? A beer later and we were on our way back to the hotel.
After a shower and tidy up, it was heading toward 6pm and canapé time. The offerings were the same (as expected) as the previous night but the weather was far better, so I set my camera up from dusk till dark taking an image of the same spot every minute or so with the idea of stitching together a time-lapse movie when I had time. If interested, you can see it on my Facebook timeline.
We headed down to the main restaurant for dinner where we sat outdoors and enjoyed some fantastic Pad Thai and a few other treats – the meals were excellent but the service a little shabby. With dinner complete around 9pm, we walked over to Hua Hin for a wander through the back streets where the Thai Massage businesses were in full swing, bars open with again a huge ratio of European and Chinese men with Thai girls. I understand the reason many of these girls choose to befriend and form relationships with these men – I have friends who have married Thai ladies and have very stable and loving relationships, but where you see the guys – to con a phrase “punching way above their weight” hooked up with some drop dead beautiful woman, you have the feeling that the relationship may not last longer than citizenship takes to get... quite sad really.
We headed into a massage business and Kim and I had a wonderful Thai massage which rounded out our stay at Hua Hin like the star atop a Xmas tree – it wouldn’t have been right without it. Out on our balcony we were enjoying a night cap watching the lightening on the horizon and both decided that we would come back to Hua Hin again – soon, for much longer than just a couple of nights.
The following day, we made the decision to take the shuttle back to Bangkok which lasted for all of 30 minutes while actually trying to find where the heck it left from. In the end, and honest looking well dressed man offered his private cab – so negotiating a price – 500 Baht less than the taxi ride here, we climbed aboard for a slow drive back to Bangkok and ultimately the Bangkok Conrad.
In summary, I found Hua Hin to be one of the most relaxing places I have ever been to with friendly people and a “special feeling” around the place – perhaps because the King has residence here and the locals act accordingly – who knows. I will be back! The only negative comment I can pass regarding the Hua Hin portion of this brief holiday is the lack of transport options available from the Hilton – something that could trip up weary travellers.
Outside the Hilton, the taxis – small trucks with open sided canopies – I struggle to call them Tuk Tuks line up and unlike Australia, it’s up to you to negotiate the best price for what you want and where you want to go to. The trip from the Hilton to Monkey Mountain (Khao Takiab) is about 20 minutes (approx 7km), so with that in mind, the negotiations start and we agree on a price which includes the driver waiting for us. We were going to get a ride there and walk back, and in hindsight, if I do this again, that’s what I will do as the walk along the beach would have been beautiful.
After a bumpy ride to the mountain, we were taken to the base of a steep set of stairs that lead up to a temple. There were also the usual stalls selling “stuff” at the car park area and an annoying repeating message regarding sponsoring a temple (I assume as it was in Thai) and being a good moral citizen – I think you could buy a brick or something, none the less, I wasn’t interested.
I have never been anywhere with monkeys in the wild – I have been to places where allegedly there are monkeys in the wild, but to see them on the side of the road and in the public area was quite awesome. We walked around the base of the temple taking photos of monkeys – I was really happy to see a lady looking after a baby monkey possibly abandoned or orphaned and she was showing so much humanity, it bought a lump to my throat.
After ascending the stairs, we had some absolutely awesome views of Hua Hin and the surrounding areas as well as endless views out to sea – a beautiful blue sky day – what more could you do to achieve perfection I thought.
Half way back to the Hilton, I banged on the drivers window and we alighted the cab in a retail area where we meandered in and out of shops, took in a bite to eat and slowly found our way back to the Hilton. It was getting toward mid afternoon and I wanted to try and get some good photos while it was raining – assuming that the monsoonal storms would once again hit HUa Hin late afternoon, so with that in mind, tripod in hand, we headed off to the famous Hua Hin railway station with no real plan in mind other than some photos. The predicted monsoonal downpour didn’t happen but the humidity kept up its end of the bargain and hovered in the high 90’s.
By the time we were back into town, we needed some liquid, so beer being liquid, and no shortage of bars around, we went into a random bar which turned out to be an English bar with an Englishman owner who greeted everyone coming through the door. I was in 2 minds whether to stay or not, I don’t like English pubs in England, so why would I like one in Thailand? A beer later and we were on our way back to the hotel.
After a shower and tidy up, it was heading toward 6pm and canapé time. The offerings were the same (as expected) as the previous night but the weather was far better, so I set my camera up from dusk till dark taking an image of the same spot every minute or so with the idea of stitching together a time-lapse movie when I had time. If interested, you can see it on my Facebook timeline.
We headed down to the main restaurant for dinner where we sat outdoors and enjoyed some fantastic Pad Thai and a few other treats – the meals were excellent but the service a little shabby. With dinner complete around 9pm, we walked over to Hua Hin for a wander through the back streets where the Thai Massage businesses were in full swing, bars open with again a huge ratio of European and Chinese men with Thai girls. I understand the reason many of these girls choose to befriend and form relationships with these men – I have friends who have married Thai ladies and have very stable and loving relationships, but where you see the guys – to con a phrase “punching way above their weight” hooked up with some drop dead beautiful woman, you have the feeling that the relationship may not last longer than citizenship takes to get... quite sad really.
We headed into a massage business and Kim and I had a wonderful Thai massage which rounded out our stay at Hua Hin like the star atop a Xmas tree – it wouldn’t have been right without it. Out on our balcony we were enjoying a night cap watching the lightening on the horizon and both decided that we would come back to Hua Hin again – soon, for much longer than just a couple of nights.
The following day, we made the decision to take the shuttle back to Bangkok which lasted for all of 30 minutes while actually trying to find where the heck it left from. In the end, and honest looking well dressed man offered his private cab – so negotiating a price – 500 Baht less than the taxi ride here, we climbed aboard for a slow drive back to Bangkok and ultimately the Bangkok Conrad.
In summary, I found Hua Hin to be one of the most relaxing places I have ever been to with friendly people and a “special feeling” around the place – perhaps because the King has residence here and the locals act accordingly – who knows. I will be back! The only negative comment I can pass regarding the Hua Hin portion of this brief holiday is the lack of transport options available from the Hilton – something that could trip up weary travellers.
munitalP
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Our trip back to Bangkok was uneventful, and toward the end quite funny. We were relying on good old iPhone maps to find the Conrad, and after a few false starts and wrong turns we finally made it to the hotel.
The hotel in my opinion is not in an ideal location for the vacation traveller – it is a business hotel and is a good business hotel. The reception was good and again the HH Diamond status was recognised with a room upgrade, a special welcome and an escort to our room. The room was a executive – possibly junior suite – very large corner room with beautifully appointed furnishings and a bathroom I would be happy with at home! The Conrad supplied water in an ice bucked, chocolates, fruit and a small carved wooden elephant as room gifts.
The plan for the remainder of the day was some drug shopping – Kim had hay fever and needed something then find some late lunch followed by a visit to the night markets.
The drug shopping was completed in the small shopping complex at the base of the Conrad and so was lunch. We wandered through the shops that are there to cater for the foreigners an noted how escalated the prices were compared to other places we had been. We found a staple for lunch – Burger King then headed upstairs for a rest until it was time to try the exec lounge for canapés and drinks.
I found the lounge quite underwhelming compared to Hua Hin and Millennium, however in saying that, it would be better than most offerings in Australia, everywhere I have been to in the US and as for the food choices, I was very impressed. I can’t put my finger on the exact reason I didn’t really enjoy the lounge suffice to say, we had one drink (sparkling water for me with a very “off” lemon) then left.
Downstairs we asked the concierge about the night markets and were told that Silom markets no longer existed (is this right?) and we needed to go to another market over near the river. I was in 2 minds about going, but in the end we did and enjoyed ourselves eating street vendor snacks and buying a couple of Bangkok trinkets to take home for my man room.
On returning to the Conrad quite late, we decided we did need dinner after all, so went into the Conrad’s Chinese restaurant for a meal consisting of 1 main and 2 sides (noodles & fried rice), 2 beers and 2 wines – it was nice food, but in one sitting spent more than all the other meals we had put together – wasn’t really impressed, but what the heck – we are on holiday!
Our bed was awesome, the room temperature was exactly how we like it (cool) and no outside noise interfered with our well needed rest.
Breakfast the next morning was like the exec lounge – underwhelming. The choices were poor, the service slack and we both left quite disappointed.
We caught the Sky train to the MBK shopping centre for our final few retail therapy hours – 8 floors of a fusion between normal retail and market type shops – we got some really nice stuff such as some handmade small condiment pots and a couple of other trinkets to complete our stay. We actually enjoyed walking around MBK and not having stall sellers harassing you for a sale or being conned (too much). I would have really enjoyed exploring further, but alas we needed to get back to the hotel, check out and head out to the airport.
Checkout was painless, I was still reeling over the cost of last nights dinner, but soon we were in a cab heading to the airport where a mixture of sadness at leaving, excitement in knowing we will be back and anxiety of not being sure exactly when this will be – melancholy I believe! We passed through the airport security and immigration in the VIP/Express lanes with our QF boarding passes in hand and basically straight through to the QF F Lounge to relax a while longer.
There were 3 others in our cabin so service was beyond good – the CSM came and welcomed us and once in the air, meals were nice, the bubbles on offer were nice, the flight was fast and the beautiful 744 flew like a dream – oh what a shame A330’s are replacing 744s on this route.
Thanks for reading - photos to follow soon.
The hotel in my opinion is not in an ideal location for the vacation traveller – it is a business hotel and is a good business hotel. The reception was good and again the HH Diamond status was recognised with a room upgrade, a special welcome and an escort to our room. The room was a executive – possibly junior suite – very large corner room with beautifully appointed furnishings and a bathroom I would be happy with at home! The Conrad supplied water in an ice bucked, chocolates, fruit and a small carved wooden elephant as room gifts.
The plan for the remainder of the day was some drug shopping – Kim had hay fever and needed something then find some late lunch followed by a visit to the night markets.
The drug shopping was completed in the small shopping complex at the base of the Conrad and so was lunch. We wandered through the shops that are there to cater for the foreigners an noted how escalated the prices were compared to other places we had been. We found a staple for lunch – Burger King then headed upstairs for a rest until it was time to try the exec lounge for canapés and drinks.
I found the lounge quite underwhelming compared to Hua Hin and Millennium, however in saying that, it would be better than most offerings in Australia, everywhere I have been to in the US and as for the food choices, I was very impressed. I can’t put my finger on the exact reason I didn’t really enjoy the lounge suffice to say, we had one drink (sparkling water for me with a very “off” lemon) then left.
Downstairs we asked the concierge about the night markets and were told that Silom markets no longer existed (is this right?) and we needed to go to another market over near the river. I was in 2 minds about going, but in the end we did and enjoyed ourselves eating street vendor snacks and buying a couple of Bangkok trinkets to take home for my man room.
On returning to the Conrad quite late, we decided we did need dinner after all, so went into the Conrad’s Chinese restaurant for a meal consisting of 1 main and 2 sides (noodles & fried rice), 2 beers and 2 wines – it was nice food, but in one sitting spent more than all the other meals we had put together – wasn’t really impressed, but what the heck – we are on holiday!
Our bed was awesome, the room temperature was exactly how we like it (cool) and no outside noise interfered with our well needed rest.
Breakfast the next morning was like the exec lounge – underwhelming. The choices were poor, the service slack and we both left quite disappointed.
We caught the Sky train to the MBK shopping centre for our final few retail therapy hours – 8 floors of a fusion between normal retail and market type shops – we got some really nice stuff such as some handmade small condiment pots and a couple of other trinkets to complete our stay. We actually enjoyed walking around MBK and not having stall sellers harassing you for a sale or being conned (too much). I would have really enjoyed exploring further, but alas we needed to get back to the hotel, check out and head out to the airport.
Checkout was painless, I was still reeling over the cost of last nights dinner, but soon we were in a cab heading to the airport where a mixture of sadness at leaving, excitement in knowing we will be back and anxiety of not being sure exactly when this will be – melancholy I believe! We passed through the airport security and immigration in the VIP/Express lanes with our QF boarding passes in hand and basically straight through to the QF F Lounge to relax a while longer.
There were 3 others in our cabin so service was beyond good – the CSM came and welcomed us and once in the air, meals were nice, the bubbles on offer were nice, the flight was fast and the beautiful 744 flew like a dream – oh what a shame A330’s are replacing 744s on this route.
Thanks for reading - photos to follow soon.
ozmille
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Yes, they closed a couple of years ago, they were real good fun and sad they are gone now
amaroo
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We're also feeling the pain
:evil: QF loss, CX gain - we now get to enjoy a stopover in HKG
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