More about Hua Hin – a Thailand destination we dig

By / April 30, 2025 / budget slow travel, travel experts

We’ve been to Hua Hin, Thailand many times. We keep coming back here because we think it’s a gem. It’s a 3.5 hour drive from Bangkok, it has fantastic beaches, lots of cheap rental options, kind Thai people, good community of retirees and expats, western-style amenities like malls and supermarkets and movie theaters.

Hua Hin is not like Pattaya and Phuket or Chiang Mai. That’s the biggest reason why we return. It’s large enough that it’s a city, small enough to feel like a town, and while there are many tourists, there aren’t nearly as many as those other Thai destinations.

Hua Hin’s beach is eight miles long.

Most tourists prefer those other places. But we aren’t traditional tourists – we’re budget slow travelers.

Pattaya is choked with prostitutes and tourists who patron them. Sure – there are expats who call it home, but it really wasn’t for me. Spouse Tedly wasn’t too keen on it either. Also, it smelled like … well, parts of India. The sewerage set up leaves much to be desired. Sometimes the smell was so pungent on the beach I felt like it might water my eyes.

Phuket is like a fantasy land — all tourists all the time. Sure – again – there are expats who call it home, and authentic neighborhoods outside the beach areas, but overall it wasn’t for me. Everything felt artificial – although the natural geographic beauty is stunning.

Chiang Mai is also loaded with tourists — and there’s no beach! It’s a landlocked destination with many, many expats who call it home. Good for them! But not for me. Plus, Chiang Mai is plagued with poor air quality each ‘burning season’ when farmers burn the land before planting season. (Burning season also affects other cities, including Hua Hin, but it’s not as bad as Chiang Mai because the sea breeze helps a lot.)

More about Hua Hin

To be clear: Hua Hin has a huge expat community and tourists like the places above. But Hua Hin is more spread out up and down the coast. Plain old regular authentic neighborhoods aren’t far from the main drag. In fact, the vibe here is more family based. The ‘red light’ district does exist, but it’s small.

Thailand’s first casino will not be in Hua Hin, which was previously in the running. Hua Hin doesn’t have the infrastructure to support it, unlike bigger places still in the running including Pattaya. (Some Thai lawmakers want the casino idea to be sidelined until they deal with the U.S. reciprocal tariffs.)

Though more of a ‘family’ destination, Hua Hin is not an uptight place. Bars are ubiquitous and there are cannabis shops everywhere. Pot is legal in Thailand, with some rules about using it.

Fun facts: alcohol is not served in convenience or grocery stores from 2:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m.; you cannot smoke weed in public.

The real estate market caters to retiree expats with new developments both oceanfront and inland. Prices range under $100,000 to several million dollars.

For us budget slow travelers who don’t ‘settle down’, renting is easy – if you go through an official channel that obeys the laws, such as Airbnb. Our current place is a small studio apartment a five minute walk to the beach with a kick-ass pool, washing machine, WiFi, big smart TV, AC, a kitchen with all necessary appliances, for $387 a month total. We also have to pay the electric bill, which we expect to be about $2 a day with heavy AC use. (We are here in low season, which is April through June. Prices might be higher at other times.)

Tourist visas

Tourist visas are a little more relaxed now than our previous visits.

  • U.S. citizens can stay 60 days for tourism. The tourism visa now can be extended for another 30 days.
  • The extension now be done online.
  • Thailand streamlined its entry process with a new e-Visa entry form that must be filled out before arrival as of May 1, 2025.
  • A new Destination Thailand Visa (DTV) is available for foreign remote workers, digital nomads, and freelancers that allows U.S citizens to stay for up to 180 days per visit.

Visit the official e-visa site at http://www.Thaievisa.go.th. The official Immigration Bureau site is https://www.immigration.go.th.

Getting around

A songthaew in Hua Hin is like a public bus. Wave one down to get on, ring the buzzer to get off. Stand on the back rack to catch a breeze, like Theo.

The green line is on the road that runs parallel to the beach. It’s 15 or 30 baht (45 or 90 USD cents), depending on how far you go.

Grab is another option if you don’t want to walk between songthaew lines or if you are too sweltering and need AC.

Motor scooter rentals are common, too.

Hua Hin news & events

I was in a dental office waiting room and picked up a copy of the English language monthly ‘newspaper’ Hua Hin Today. It that had a ton of information, including that Hua Hin won’t get the country’s first casino, and more:

  • There’s a new direct bus service that goes from Bangkok’s DMK airport to Hua Hin and vice versa a few times daily. The bus company’s website doesn’t translate well to English; get info the “New” Hua Hin Bus Station, near Soi (road) 91.
  • Traffic safety is the number one concern among retiree expats polled by the newspaper. (I get that – I was hit by a car in Hua Hin while riding a bicycle in 2022.)
  • In that same poll, 96.5 percent said Hua Hin met or exceeded expectations as a retirement destination.
  • The March 28, 2025 Burma earthquake was felt in Hua Hin; high rises were inspected as a precaution. (Earthquakes in Hua Hin are extremely rare.)
  • I learned a little bit about the mayoral and city council candidates up for election during our stay.
  • Special events listings, new shop and restaurant openings, tourism trends, road construction, and more are updated.

There is also a digital version that appears to be updated almost daily. The Hua Hin Today site is here.

An estimated 59 percent of expat retirees in Hua Hin come from Western Europe, 13 percent from the U.S., and the rest from other countries.

While we still have much more of Thailand to explore, we have a soft spot for Hua Hin – so we’ll definitely be back here!

Travel now, my friends. Because Life is Now.

Thanks for reading, “More about Hua Hin – a Thailand destination we dig.”

taj mahal trip cost includes a minimum three-hour visit

Ellen’s sobriety date is April 13, 2010. She left the news business in 2015.

During budget slow travel in early retirement with husband Theo, she was diagnosed with breast cancer.

She had a double mastectomy without reconstruction in Croatia in 2018.

Today she travels the world as a ‘flattie’.

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