Mango7

Hi everyone,

I'm looking for some new places to go somewhat near to BKK (I'm going for Songkran). I heard PKK (not BKK!) is very fun. Anyone ever gone there and do you have any recomms? Thanks in advance,

Kurt

crellston

We stayed there a couple of years ago when we drove back from Hua Hin to BKK. It is a nice enough town with a couple of good night markets, one in the town centre and near the pier (great sea food & fish). I don't know what it is like @ songkran but is was a good plce tp stop on our travels. Khao Saam Roi Yot National Park is nearby and is a beautiful area and well worth a visit, lots of places to stay but is is very much frequented by Thais down from BKK at weekends & so would be v. busy around songkran. Soory but I can't recall teh name of the hotel we stayed in in PKK but it wasn't anything special.

Mango7

Thanks alot Crellston! Actually we'd be going down after Songkran, so perhaps it won't be so bad. I appreciate your advice much

Regards,

Kurt

JamesA

Prachuap Khiri Khan is a province, and the provincial town also takes the same name.
The 'province' stretches from Hua Hin in the north down past Bang Saphan in the south, so the coastline covers roughly 240-250 km.
Heading from Hua Hin in the north other beach places are Pak Nam Pran and Pranburi, Dolphin Bay and Kui Buri then to Prachuap Khiri Khan town and on to Baan Krut / Bang Saphan / Koh Talu Island.

Prachuap Khiri Khan town is a quiet sleepy provincial town, the main hotel is the Haad Thong, rather old and worn big old hotel, nothing much happens there, I saw a cat near the lobby stretch and yawn once but that was about it. There are a few budget places to stay away from the central part of town. Except for the monkeys around the temple mountain there is not much there. Quit a few people visit for a day trip from Hua Hin or Pranburi, mainly for the scenic Bay, the mountains at sea both north and south give it a sheltered bay, it's fishing mainly, there is beach but not so much.

I think when you hear about 'fun' it may be meaning the larger places like Hua hin perhaps as opposed to the 'town' of prachuap Khiri Khan.
That stretch of coastline in our opinion is one of the nicest coasts of Thailand and we have visited along that coast for years and years. As crellston says the Sam Roi Yot national Park ( between Hua Hin and prachuap town ) is a large flatland area with many limestone peaks from where it gets the name. There are deserted coastla beach areas.

In Hua Hin there are plenty of top class resorts and the town is lively, Pak Nam pran is very quiet. Around pranburi are quite a few luxury resorts like the Evason and Purimuntra, Aleenta and Praseban Resorts etc. From there is Dolphin Bay with several reasonable places like Dolphin Bay Resort.
Past the town of Prachuap Khiri Khan is Bang saphan which has a few good resorts and boats to Koh Talu island for snorkeling.
South from there you enter Chumphon and the town of Chumphon is where people take the boat to Koh Tao ( famous for diving ) and then you can island hop to Koh Phangan and Koh Samui.
www.beachsiam/sunrise_coast.html covers the coastline.

This area is not busy ( apart from Hua Hin area ) but very popular with Thai people who enjoy the scenery, coastline and the great seafood.
Songkran in places like Hua Hin are packed full with bost local visitors and overseas visitors.
The highway and rail line runs all along the coast.
If yuo are looking for a place that has lots of hotels, boutique places, guesthouses plus shopping and restaurants it is probably Hua Hin you heard about. The other areas are very very quiet.
After Songkran it won't be so busy but keeps busy all year round at weekends.

Hua Hin is by a long way the busiest place in Prachuap Khiri Khan. The rest are all very quiet.

JamesA

If yuo are meaning Hua Hin then lots from this board have stayed there and there is plenty of information, we drove thru a few weeks back and go down there frequently.

JamesA

Sorry I typed that link wrong, it should be ( I left out the .com )

http://www.beachsiam.com/sunrise_coast.html

JamesA

This is the Had Thong Hotel, has some nice pics which give you an idea of the place. There really are some great places along that coast but it does not get promoted/hyped, thankfully I guess.

http://hadthong.com/trip.html

We have lunched at the hotel and also seafood places there but never stayed overnight as we would be either stoping along the way further south around Bang Saphan beaches or further north in Hua Hin as both have more/better accommodation.

Express buses go direct from the Bangkok Southern Bus terminal and there are also plenty of trains. The train takes a long time though.
From Hua Hin to Prachuap Khiri Khan ( town ) is about 1 hr 30 by bus.

Dolphin Bay resort we know and this also gives you another idea of the area between Hua Hin and Prachuap Town.

http://www.dolphinbayresort.com/Natu...ch&Lang=EN

Sam Roi Yot National Park:
http://www.dnp.go.th/parkreserve/asp...pid=8&lg=2

There are 3 other national parks in the area but Sam Roi Yot runs along the coast and is the most popular.

Mango7

Wow. I forgot about this post! So Sorry, James! Thank you so much for your kind insight, I really appreciate your kindness. I may go here, but we will decide over the next two months. Will keep you posted!!

Kurt