Online community update
Another busy month all round on the forums as people login from across the globe to find out what is happening in Hua Hin. We had some interesting first impressions on Hua Hin from recent visitors and some varying angles on them from the old hands and expats. Hua Hin seems to be slowly becoming a more family orientated resort; evidence of this can be seen in high season as more families flock to the beaches of Hua Hin. The emergence of a number of luxury boutique hotels and resorts also appears to be changing the direction of the town and aiming at more affluent visitors. This can only be good news for Hua Hin and we hope the authorities will keep up with the pace.
Back to the forums again where a couple of readers had tough times getting visas in neighbouring countries such as Malaysia, we all hope that the new government won’t continue the trend of clamping down on visas but nobody is holding their breath. There has also been a lot of news discussion on the new iteration of TRT and how, if at all, they will be an improvement over the old government … only time will tell.
Accommodation and house hunters have been busy getting recommendations and scanning through our extensive guesthouse, hotel and house rental listings. As stated above there are plenty of new options for somewhere to stay in Hua Hin these days and this year’s high season seems to have been quieter than previous so there has been no shortage of rooms.
The property discussions have started to pick up again, maybe an indicator of a turn around in the market as more interest in real estate is evident. Many concerns are related to supply and demand for new housing and condo developments and whether the infrastructure can handle all of these new properties and occupants. If you already have a new place and are looking for some high quality furniture we recommend Siam Old Teak who offer environmentally friendly professionally restored teak furniture.
Plenty of pub and restaurant talk this month as a new smoking ban comes into effect, there will be a few angry bar owners, especially the aircon places that may lose a substantial amount of trade as a result. New restaurants and bars are constantly popping up around town and many of the get reviewed on the forums.
There were a few scuba diving topics also but generally disappointment all round on that front as there is no diving in Hua Hin unless you want to look at mud in low visibility. We’re also starting to get a few jazz festival enquiries but as usual there is nothing in the way of information or updates from the organizers.
In the roll up to enrolment time the schools in Hua Hin come under the spotlight especially the two offering part western curriculum, Somtawin and the newly opened Yamsaard. Prospective applicants and parents with children currently attending share their views and questions online. As usual there were plenty more questions for expats ranging from locksmiths to lanterns and even a sausage stuffing machine!
Find out more on the Hua Hin Forum