shanek

has anyone been to the marriott with young kids? what were the facilities like? was there any extra charges for the kids club or baby sitting? did they organise any activities that a 4yo boy would be occupied by? would this be your choice for a 3 week stay in may with young kids?

rhkkmk

i stayed one week in november at the marriott hua hin....it was lovely...we did not have kids....there were, however quite a few family groups....the kids area is a nice niche near the beach....there is also a small climbing area in back of one of the buildings....there is a nice kids pool which leads into the big pool...i did not see any kids without their families however..<BR><BR>i am a bit concerned that you might find 3 weeks too long in hua hin, however...might you consider some other location as well??

JamesA

The Marriott as prebious poster said has some facilities, and other families stay, reasonable value for money. If you want dedicated Kid's Club the Hyatt has their 'Camp Hyatt', having said that, you can walk from Marriott into town but you can't from the Hyatt, my guess also would be that there would be more families staying at the Marriott than the Hyatt.<BR><BR>Do get out of town and see what is on offer, don't just abide by the hotel tour desks. Bang Saphan day or overnight trip, 3 hours by road, tropical island, snorkeling, boat rides etc. River Kwai trips, again, about 3 hours, jungle, river rafts etc.<BR><BR>Marriott rates are around the $80-90 range at the moment. Opposite the Marriott is a new Gym and Martial arts centre that has kids classes for martial arts including young age groups, might be fun.<BR><BR>I would take lots of excursions, remember that it is only about 7 hours by car to places like Krabi!

shanek

thanks for your replies. we do intend to do a bit of travel while we are there.we have already been to krabi, though we like the idea of getting down to bang saphan and the river kwai for overnight trips and we have heard that ken diamond travel are the people to speak to. we also intend to hire a car for a week.is it as inexpensive to do so as it is in phuket? we had a suzuki carribean jeep for 600baht a day last time we went that served our purpose well.

rhkkmk

i rented a pick-up truck (all they had on short notice) from budget for a couple of days...it was almost across the street at the grand hotel from the marriott...i think it was ---let me look in my diary---it was 1450 B a day...the carribe was cheaper but we wanted a/c...<BR><BR>i recently picked this driver info from this site--it may interest you...a bkk taxi driver (woman) who drives a yellow and green cab (the best ones) hires out for trips...she is rat and you can reach her at: [email protected] quoted 400 B airport to mid town and 1500 B for 7 hours touring....

shanek

1500 baht a day for a pickup sounds a bit expensive. was this in high season? did you notice if there was any locally owned or private hire companies?

rhkkmk

i did not look for others...i had originally made a car reservation, but cancelled it...it was for about the same price...this was a last minute decision ...it was in mid-november which qualifies for high season...the truck was brand new, maybe 1500 miles, and quite nice....not our choice but it served perfectly for us...a short term rental (less than a week) is always expensive in my experience...<BR>we were also interested in a reliable vehicle which the cheapest versions do not always qualify...

JamesA

B 1,500 is about US$37, that's all. I think the price of a Toyota Corolla is B 1,398 including CDW. I agree Budget are very good, have most locations. A Toyota Corolla costs about $15,000 new so that is not a bad rental price.

shanek

we really dont need to have a new corolla to do a few days touring around. does anyone know of a hire outlet with older vehicles? if we are hiring for seven days i would really like to keep it under 750baht per day.having hired the forementioned vehicle,what day trips would you recommend for someone armed with a map and a reasonable scense of direction?

rhkkmk

of course you would want to go to the floating market..<BR><BR>the elephant camp on the hill above town is nice for the kids...<BR><BR>we drove into the national park, south of town<BR><BR>an interesting journey was the pineapple paper making facotry--really a home industry...located off rt 4, south of Pranburi<BR><BR>also the pineapple factory, west of hua hin, has tours, but we got there too late...it is interesting to see the pineapples arriving in trucks all neatly packed....<BR><BR>i think you can also visit the bridge over river....??<BR><BR>make sure you go to the restaurant called La Mer...it is on a bluff overlooking the beach about 15 minutes south of hua hin...beautiful at nite with all the sparkling lites....great thai meal...fresh fish plus other things....it is just south of the hyatt hotel, through an unattractive little fishing town...take a cab or tuk-tuk..<BR><BR>do you really want to be in a cheap car with a child in a fairly sparsely inhabitted area with few repair stations and no triple A ??? i'd think about it twice ...maybe you should have a car and driver....they are very inexpensive comparatively.... there are few road signs and maps are limited....<BR><BR>

shanek

i do agree,we will get a driver for the longer trips but i would still hire a bomb for a bit of local running around. how about the train? are there any intresting places to go that you can access by rail? any other good restaraunt tips? market areas ? etc. how about mini golf go karts etc for the kids? any further tips would be appreciated.(only 8 weeks to go.cant wait)

Margoross

From Hua Hin River Kwai is a must, go-kart track with kid's machines is opposite Hua Hin Airport. Elephant rides on the mountains overlooking the town. Night market in town is a great dissapointment, best to go to the market near the Marriott at Grand Plaze, Thurdays thru Mondays. On your way walking to/from Hua Hin town is the Paradiso Restaurant which is friendly, good food, cheap and welcoming restaurant, good with kids, they are also great for local trip tips and ideas. Walk across from the Marriott towards Grand Plaza and there is a local restaurant where you fish fro prawns and then eat them, entertaining. If you've got wheels go to a place called 'Primlai' which is over the railway line, floodlit golf range, bash the balls all night for a few dollars, also you can fish for prawns and again they cook and you eat. Burger King and Pizza House in town plus Swensons Ice Cream parlour!

shanek

thanks margoross,you obviously know huahin well,it was your recommendation of the area and the marriott that led to our booking our trip rather than going back to phuket for the 4th time.on another travel forum you mentioned,i think , a pool at a local army barracks? could you remind me what that was about.