hi there and happy new year..

i'm at it again....we need a beach type place for the two of us for 4 or 5 days in late november...we like a nice beach and pool if possible...decent restaurant availability at moderate prices, on or off property...prefer easy access from bkk, like hua hin or pattaya areas--no flights if possible...

comfortable beds and full a/c

just like barali or peace that you treated us to in the past...

where is it that you now stay south of HH?

bob

ttt

For Hua hin you still have your favorite the Marriott but there are some new Hua Hin ones too.

The place we were down the coast ( Banito Resort Bang Saphan ) - Bob I don't think would suit you both as it is very rural and remote ( but still a good place for those who want to beach hop down the coast ).
The boutique B&B we stay at ( Takiab Bay just over the hill from la Mer ) is the "Ocean Breeze" although very nice it is just a small B&B so does not have the facilities of a hotel/resort.

The places that come to mind are the new Wora Bura ( as I mentioned before it is very much Sofitel meets Hyatt ), very very Sofitel in style but modern and up to date but amazing rooms, the pool is quite nice, it's just beyond the Hyatt. You might want to dig out those mileage awads/points as that of course is the advantage of somewhere like the Marriott or Hyatt.

Now if you wanted somewhere more in the mid-range pricewise a place that might suit you could be Kaban Tamor / S'Mor Spa, now the only downer on this place is that some people view a somewhat 'laid back' approach, but that only bothers some, it is not a top class place nor sold as such, the rooms are quite pleasant, only perhaps 30 in total, the pool though is very small, it's beyond the Wora Bura / Hyatt / Chiva Som area about 1 km before you head up towards La Mer.
It is a relaxing friendly sort of place, just a small cafe restaurant, but quiet pleasant for the price, but, the pool is small andit is somewhat 'laid back'.

Opposite the Marriott a huge mega mall is being completed and will be very large with malls, eateries etc. In the center of town up from Hilton/Sofitel is a new small mall that has a NY deli, plus a large American Steak & Ribs place plus other eateries.
Let's Sea restaurant near the Hyatt and Wora Bura is superb, great service, lovely setting on the beach ( well about 2 m above along a wall ) but great menu, good wines and very good service. Sasi restaurant and Thai dance near the Hyatt is nice and they have a blues/jazz band at the "Sasi Bar' which is quite nice, both near the Hyatt.
The Sheraton is due to open August.
The Anantara although nice is a 'bit far' from town, I think a look at the Wora Bura or the Kaban Tamor ( photos actualy not so good, just dull and dark but some of the more colorful photos give a better idea ).

There are now 2 Evasons south at pranburi and about 5 or 6 other new pranburi resorts but the restaurants etc have yet to follow, so it's a good 35-40 minutes each way.

I will have some more thought but the Kaban Tamor might well suit you or if you can go higher then the Wora Bura is worth being there on the list.

http://www.r24.org/huahin.20m.com/hu...amor/pictures/

http://www.r24.org/huahin.20m.com/hu...bura/pictures/

http://www.worabura.com/htm/about.php

There's always the Sheraton Pattaya or the Royal Cliff which is a total resort within itself with huge range of rooms, countless restaurants, you need never venture into Pattaya itself! But its quite expensive.

The Anantara HH again is nice but the beach gets just 'so narrow' at high tide, really narrow. Marriott HH rates until end Oct are still $85/86 for normal or garden view or $95 seaview. Hyatt Regency is about 110 until end Oct.

thanks james so much....you always come through...we will review them all very carefully....

i have scouted out the sheraton in pattaya as i had a friend stay there last fall....it does not have beach access, is that correct??

we saw the sign for it just before it opened when we were coming down off the hill with the big buddah in june....

are you moving??

bob

what is the location of the new sheraton in HH??

James -- could you comment on Supatra as a place to stay or eat? Same with Anantasila.

Bob, the Sheraton pattaya is 'hilltop' location so maybe on that side of it not that appealing, if you want the beach then I guess HH would be better. I am still having some thoughts of others.
If you see the reviews of Kaban tamor you will see the laid back style mentioned, but that doesn't really worry me and I don't think it would you, through again the pool is small.

Vedette - Different folk like different things, let me say that I went to Supatra once, just once.
"Let's Sea" ( unfortunately/strangely no website ) is a very nicely done restaurant, it is reached by taking the turn after the Hyatt turn if heading south of the turn 'before' the Hyatt if heading north, around the bend towards Chom View Suites and then left before the Wor Bura, this place is right on the waterfront, dining is either covered ( open sided ) or on the terrace, the menu is excellent, very good choice of wines if pricey, but served well and the staff very plesant. It is an ideal place for a great meal but best to avoid Fri & Sat nights as gets packed with the rich and famous from Bangkok, it is highly though of!!
The washrooms too a quite amazing, 'facilities' have an open view over ponds, quite unique!!
"Let's Sea" I would highly recommend, mostly seafood but lots of other dishes, lovely in the evening with the lights of fishing boats out to sea.
The Supatra-by-the-Sea restaurant has superb atmosphere with garden setting on the beach and marvelous close view of the illumated Golden Buddha looking out to sea and the lights of la mer at Khao Takiab, very pleasant, though we found it very high priced both food and drink.

Anantasila being a hotel/resort has a restaurant semi open near the beach, the food is 'ok' but I would not suggest it as a place to go simply for the restaurant, though a very nice place to stay mainly for the size of the beach and that it is very quiet weekdays, close enough to town but also semi rural so you can see elephants, horses and cattle around, gives much more of an away from it all feel, yet without being remote, under 10 minutes into town and local transport ( dirt cheap ) makes it nice( just clearing my mind to feel if it would suit Bob ).

In that area the 'finest' restaurants are "Let's Sea" and "Supatra-by-the-Sea", La Mer ( purely seafood and incredible views ), the main restaurant at the Wora Bura or their beach-bar restaurant ( though that one is quite small ).

Verandah Grill on the beach between the Marriott and the Hyatt is very nice for a meal also.

Hua Hin also has lots of local seafood restaurants near the fishing piers plus some 'trendy' seafoof places such as Fisherman's Wharf and the Oyster Pot, for general asian cuisine "Monsoon" is an old converted building house in the same fishing pier area and the decor is very Old saigon in style, great cocktails, also top French Cuisine at la Brasserie and very good Italian Restaurants, the new Japanese Restaurant on the corner by the Sofitel also very good and reasonable price-wise. "Istara" is just north of the center, on the waterfront and served Thai and seafood, packed at weekends, nice more laid back atmosphere.
If you were thinking of staying at Supatra I would perhaps lean you towards Anantasila, Kaban Tamor, or if you want a little more upmarket the Wora Bura or the Hyatt Regency.

Vedette, what time of year were you thinking about?
Bob is going high season and the rates change drasticaly after 31 Oct, so a particular price range in high season allows for a different choice compared to that same price range/budget prior to Oct 31, e.g the Hyatt Regency can be had for say $110 until Oct 31 but after Nov 1st shoots up to around $150 plus, so if say your budget was $100-120 the time of year can dictate which places are the best value for money.
If you have been elsewhere in Thailand and can say what places you liked and which you didn't it helps greatly to give good ideas.

You can see the Wora Bura websites above, for Anantasila
www.anantasila.com

Vedette, another point is if you have 'rewards/milage' or collect you might feel included towards perhaps the Hyatt Regency, Marriott or Sofitel.

James -- Thanks for such complete info! Probably looking at next January. It'll be our first time to Thailand (or Asia, for that matter). Want to have a beach experience and a chance to wind down after Bangkok, northern Thailand, and possibly Luang Prabang. Your descriptions of Hua Hin lead me to think it's a good combo of beach, activities and culture. Plus it's easy driving distance from Bangkok. All in all, seems appealing. We like nice places but don't need luxury or pampering -- wouldn't want to get used to that!

Vedette-Hua Hin is pleasant, but not as nice as Krabi. Phuket is also a better beach than HH, but it can be very touristy. The plane to either K or P is a little more than an hour and very easy.

hua hin has very little "culture" and the shopping is not great....it is a perfect relaxation type place so picking your hotel is very important...beach and good pool...

as always thanks james....

are you moving??

hope to meet up this time around...

bob

I think Hua Hin though has more natural 'culture' than any other beach area I can think of, you need to get out of the center though, Krailat ( the mountain opposite Takiab ) has countless Buddhist small temples, many dating back hundreds of years plus many other temples and relics and there is the 'history' aspect too with the Old Palaces and the old buidlings around the piers, on the adventure side the new Elephant Santuary and regular trips now into Kaen Krachan National park for jungle, gibbon and bird watching, Kui Buri which is aprotected area where Elephants roam wild and the farms, birdwatching and the wetlands, Phetchaburi, new HH Thai show in the market, ( sold yet? ), no on a Culture +Nature+Beach I can't think of anywhere for all of those in one place. Then 8 golf courses, kiteboarding, cycling, elephant rides.
Shopping, new Index Mall is huge, Lotus has arrived up by Anantara and the new mega-size mall Plaza opens near the Marriott soon.

A great deal has changed in the last few years.

These are some updated tours from Ken Diamond:
http://www.travel-huahin.com/tours/tours.htm

Bob - we have found a great new house in the hills just out of town with a distant sea view ( with a pool no less !! ) , just need a road(!!) now trying to sort out technical side for fast data connections, that is the only thing trying to get sorted but looking at perhaps May time.