Hua Hin or Pattaya
 

Have to go to Bangkok to meet with some new production facilities and my poorly planned dates have me there smack in the middle of the new yaer holiday, April 15-19. So now only meetings on the 19th and would rather not spend the other 4 days in the city. Question is ,which beach area would anyone recommend of the two since both are closest to Bangkok. Thanks :)

Hua Hin and most of Thailand will be winding down from the Thai new year celebration from the 15th, officially it's from the 13 - 15th, but Pattaya will continue the celebration into the weekend due to it's more wild side or festive spirits. The festivities will be less in Hua Hin which is a good thing when compared to Pattaya as well since you might not like a "pro" to throw water on you!

Hua Hin does have fine sandy beaches and Pattaya does not have much of a beach and often the city will have to re-sand the beach area. At low tide the beach even smells and become more muddy than sandy.

IMO I think you will like the beaches in Hua Hin more and if you go there make sure you pick a hotel/resorts situated on Hua Hin beach proper and not Cha-am or Panpuri.

Oops that's Pranburi not Panpuri.

OK, done thanks Hanuman!!! Would you recommend the train or bus , I arrive at BKK airport the 15th at around 1 pm.

For the 15th, being the last official day of the holiday, you might find it hard to find train or bus tickets. Many people are on the move so I recommend a car or limo direct from the airport. I believe the cost should be about 2,500 - 3,000 Baht and for you return trip to Bangkok you can choose either an A/C tour bus or train.

la
I've not been to Hua Hin, but I have been to Pattaya. Don't go to Pattaya!! Hua Hin would be much more suitable.

thanks for the input simpson, i'm actually looking at hotels
now probably will opt for a smaller guest house type of place, long trip trying to keep the budget down

hua hin is the place for you really....if by any chance you were to stay at the hyatt they have a very reasonable van each day at 10AM from the bkk hyatt to the HH hyatt for 500 B....but you need a res now...

a taxi would be the best bet and might be about $65.. i have used AAC limo there too

Needs updating but here's my overview of Pattaya.......

http://www.fodors.com/community/asia...rally-like.cfm

Pattaya is about 1.5 to 2 hours from Bkk. bus or taxi - the fares are cheap as there are so many people going there.

Song Khran - as said above Pattaya carries on longer than anywhere with the celebrations.

This can result in mega traffic congestion on peak days.

Pattaya is much larger than Hua Hin and has much better urban facilities like shopping eating out etc.....the beaches are not good. although on the headland between Jomtien and Pattaya there are some tolerable ones.

hotels are good VFM but in both towns expect a lot of fully booked ones.

NB - wherever you go if you are there whilst SK celebrations are in full swing expect to get wet! There will be NO escape....carry money docos camera etc in a waterproof bag...at night it should stop.

hmmm interesting about the hyatt, will look into that,thanks rhk!seems i'll be there smack in the mid of festivities, feel silly i had no idea!!

Sorry Khun we posted at same time, not having a hard time finding vacancy I just don't want to spend more than like 60 a night as I'm away almost 7 weeks. And wait, what's this about water and getting wet, is that everywhere or just by the beaches?

Everywhere - the MAIN water hurling day in Pattaya is the 19th..........that means they start on about the 13th and build up to a crescendo by then.
each town has it's own "main" day and EVERYBODY gets wet!
Pump-guns, buckets and pickups with barrels of ICED water in the back...........even the police are dowsed - then there's the smearing of talcum paste on your face etc etc.....

Pattaya has more hotels than you can shake a stick at.
at about 1300 baht per night Areca lodge is well run, near the town centre.

All the big chains are there too.
Dusit, Amari and Marriott are all on the beach road - though only the Dusit has a beach of it's own.

if you want a great place but more dosh - Cabbages and Condoms is the best.

Am planning to go to The Centara in Pattaya is ten days too long with the family?

(this is an old thread)
I, personally, would not go to Pattaya for that long. Two to three days is more than enough for me. Pattaya is not a very good beach destination. Jomtien (just south of Pattaya) might be a better choice for you.

Look at Hua Hin or one of the islands, or maybe Krabi.

Do you have the option of moving from one place to another, over a period of time? Or do you have to unpack and stay put for the whole time?

queen, you might want to start your own thread to ask this question and tell us about what you are looking for - what activities do you want, what are the ages of your children, etc.

Centara Grand Mirage Resort is quite amazing :)

Very large theme styled resort with great facilities for families, the water park style pools etc are amazing and they have daily games for children and teens, all well organised with lifeguards on duty.
Depending what you like to see and do there is plenty around, you might want to add in a few days on Koh Samet island if you want to include a quite island for a couple of days ( mid week, weekends can be packed full ), but certainly for the resort there are so many facilities, good views from rooms too.

Bangkok is awesome but if you've already seen most of it ... then I'd go to Hua Hin, hands down, they have everything you need: 5 star properties, good family restaurants & adult-themed pubs, scenic vistas, historic sites, ponies to rent & ride at the beach, etc. Here are our photos: http://www.flickr.com/photos/kalboz/...7623540872334/

James A ...great to see you back looking in. We miss your comentaries. You give such good advice on hotels.

james....where have you been hiding.... we miss your sage advice...

Thanks for your replies guys. We will be with a couple of families hence why we will choose Centara so lots for them to do together. Does anybody know how far Jomtien is to the Centara? Also anybody know of top end restaurants in Pattaya say big hotel chains etc. Hilton????