Last month saw the introduction of a couple of new sections on the Hua Hin forum, the first of which being a family and lifestyle section that offers a place to discuss family life, schools, children and household issues in Hua Hin. We also now have the “Entertainment Zone” where you can discuss books, movies and music. On the same subject there has been quite a bit of demand for some kind of book exchange here in Hua Hin, a couple of the bars and guesthouses have small book corners but it maybe time for something bigger.

More new accommodation options are cropping up as old houses are being converted into new boutique hotels, Naebkehardt Road has seen many of these new arrivals over the past year. The latest being Baan Talay Chine which offers luxury suites with private pools, finely decorated in oriental style. You can find more details and book it online now through HHAD.

There also seems to be demand for more recreational facilities in Hua Hin, especially for children. Public parks would be ideal but considering the inflated costs of land and the cost of construction they still remain a pipe dream. As mentioned last month there are now organized events and workshops for kids offering a range of activities from beach parties to art and crafts. Take a look at events.wt-thailand.com for more details.

A topic on business ethics between farangs sparked a multi-page debate on doing business in the Hua Hin of today compared to that of yesteryear. There is concern that the popularity of the town is attracting more undesirable foreigners looking to make money here. Business practices in general seem to have deteriorated as more people are turning up looking for a slice of the “boom town pie” and competition is high. Even HHAD itself had to take action against another online “Hua Hin website” that plagiarized its content, a sad occurrence that is becoming ominously more commonplace these days. Coupled with an unusually quiet tourist season this now makes Hua Hin a cutthroat environment for foreign owned businesses.

All quiet on the real estate front last month following the recent lull in the market. Things are expected to pick up and return to normal following the elections planned for later this year. As stated in previous articles condominiums are now becoming popular, at least until the land ownership issues are cleared up.

A busy events month with discussion on the Pranburi Triathlon, Oktoberfest and HHAD’s own beach party. We also now have exclusive updated news and events from Market Village and are working in conjunction with the Tourism Authority of Thailand’s Central Region Office which is located in Cha-am. Latest news and events will be posted on the website.

A busy month in the expats section with all manner of questions on topics ranging from sun loungers to termites, however bizarre your question you’re sure to find an answer there. There was also a topic on what to do about noise polluters, namely late night bars in residential areas. Since making noise seems to be a way of life in Thailand very few locals will actually complain, additionally many of these late karaoke bars are run by members of the local constabulary so there isn’t a lot that one can do – get some ear plugs!

In the run up to the elections the political pundits debate the demise of TRT and the efforts of the next competitors for the hot seat. It seems that little has changed over the past year and the rural majority in the Northeast will again be a crucial factor to the outcome at the polls on December 23^rd.

We also ran our third photo competition for members, these are proving to be quite popular and we’re getting some great entries. If you’re handy with a camera or are just interested take a look online.

All this and much more can be found on the Hua Hin Forum

This entry was posted on Friday, October 19th, 2007 at 1:15 pm and is filed under Hua Hin. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.