Hua Hin received a welcome boost in visitor numbers in June as the annual Jazz Festival drew crowds from across the region for the three day event. Two stages were set up on the beach at the Sofitel and Intercontinental hotels, the latter being a welcome addition to the event which usually suffers from overcrowding.
With a large area opened up for parking and plenty of space on the beach the Intercontinental stage was definitely the place to be for Saturday afternoon where the Brass Monkeys from the Philippines had the crowd on their feet into the early evening. Incognito from the UK also put on a good performance later in the evening as did Crescendo and Lee Ritenour over at the Sofitel stage. Unfortunately this venue suffered the usual rising tides, squeezing crowds and traffic chaos as the hoards inched their way onto the beach. Photos from the event can be seen on the forum and at www.huahinpictures.com
Other than during special events Hua Hin has been quiet as we are now well into the low season. The Golf Festival in August will also help to bring visitors to the area with select courses offering 800 baht green fees, which is a discount of up to 70% on some of them. Golfers will have the choice of playing at Royal Hua Hin, Springfield, Majestic Creek, Lakeview, Palm Hills, Milford (The Eagle as its now known), Kaeng Krachan or Sawang at this great rate for all of the month and into September.
Renting has also become the subject of many discussions as it is now seen as the cheaper alternative to staying in a hotel, especially for holidays of a month or more. A fully furnished pool villa sleeping an entire family can be rented for 30-40 thousand baht in Hua Hin. There are also hundreds of cheaper places for rent but finding a good deal is not as easy as it sounds as many have discovered. Plenty of advice has been given on the forums so if you’re seeking a place to rent or have one that you want to list check it out.
The visa and finances section had a lot of questions including changing from a non-immigrant O to a B visa, opening a bank account in Hua Hin, finding a good legal company to make a will, sending money out of Thailand and of course the ever present problems with the current exchange rates and weak overseas currencies.
The weird and wonderful questions came thick and fast in the ever-popular ‘ask the expats’ section, some of which were about bicycle rental, goldsmiths, couriers, chickens, animal welfare groups and a flying school. If you need an answer quick you’ll get it on HHAD.