Hua Hin was a quiet fishing village that rose to popularity during 1920s. Hua Hin became known, when the Royal Family decided to build a summer residence there. The reason for choosing Hua Hin is simple. Conveniently located on the sea side, only 200 kilometers from Bangkok and has the best weather in Thailand. Hua Hin’s very pleasant average annual temperature is making it a perfect beach getaway or a retirement destination. You can read more about it in our article: The Weather in Hua Hin – Made To Enjoy All Year Round! In comparison to other popular beach resort towns, Hua Hin has a very laidback feel to it, with all the modern conveniences. This makes Hua Hin a very desirable location for not only holidays, but also as a second home. Read more below about the advantages of living in Hua Hin, Thailand.
Retirement in Hua Hin
There are several reasons why Hua Hin is an ideal retirement destination. Even though it is a small city, Hua Hin has a lot to offer. Here you will find world-class golf courses, modern shopping malls and well-maintained infrastructure. Not to mention the sandy beaches, which are great for relaxation under the sun.
Furthermore, international grocery shops offer a large selection of products from all over the world. There are also plenty of dining options with large variety of different cuisines. In other words, there is something for everyone’s taste. Fresh local produce is available daily at the local markets, with extremely affordable prices.
Healthcare facilities in Hua Hin are excellent, with many doctors being fluent in English, making it easier for expats to communicate. Even though there are quite many expats residing in Hua Hin, it is still a lovely mixture of traditional Thai lifestyle with conveniences of the Western world.
Lifestyle in Hua Hin
As mentioned earlier, Hua Hin is very suitable for retirement. However, that doesn’t mean that living in Hua Hin would be uneventful. Large expat population, contributed to the variety of sporting and social activities available to Hua Hin’s residents. The most popular sports include tennis, pickleball, squash, golf, kitesurfing, badminton, Muay Thai and more. Meditation and yoga retreats are great for relaxation, while visiting many of the Hua Hin’s gyms and fitness centers is a good way to lead a healthy lifestyle. For those who enjoy cycling, there are hundreds of kilometers of bicycle lanes. Additionally, there are plenty of forest parks, national parks and viewpoints for those who are more into hiking and trekking. Hua Hin also hosts numerous cultural and sporting events across the whole calendar year, as well as festivals. Most notable events include Loy Krathong, Songkran (Thai New Year), International Kite Festival, Jazz Festival on the beach, international tennis tournaments, Kite Surfing competitions, marathons and triathlons, grand opera in the park, food festivals, Harvest at the Vineyard and much more.
Getting Around Hua Hin
Hua Hin is located about 200 kilometres from Bangkok, and can be easily reached by car, bus or a train. Currently, there are plans to improve Hua Hin’s connectivity to Bangkok and southern part of Thailand. The projects include airport expansion with plans to offer more local and international flights in the near future, expansion of the railway and improved, faster trains. At the moment, Hua Hin has an international airport with Air Asia offering direct flights between Hua Hin and Kuala Lumpur (KL), and from there, to the rest of the world. To get around town is relatively simple with abundance of local busses (songthaew), taxis and famous tuk-tuk’s. Car and motorcycle rentals are most commonly used for holiday makers, while expats who stay long-term prefer to have their own vehicle.
Climate in Hua Hin
Hua Hin has an average yearly temperature of 27.1 °C or 80.7 ° F, averaging in the daytime between 29 °C to 34 °C, with refreshing cool breezes. Most pleasant is the dry season, starting from December until March, followed by very hot, monsoon season that arrives in April. Rainy season begins around June and lasts until August, with more heavier rainfalls from September until November. However, don’t let the rainy season scare you as, Hua Hin is one of the driest places in Thailand. In other words, most of the days are nice and pleasant, with occasional rain shower that cools things down a bit.
