Thailand (Hua Hin) Aug 2017 D-2 & 3

Day 2 & 3 Tuesday & Wednesday 22-23/8/2017 - 2 nights stay in Hua Hin, Southern Thailand. My 3rd visit to Hua Hin but for this 3 day visit, I was able to see a greater Hua Hin by taking public transport to Santorini Park & a 4 hr hired taxi (Bht1,000) ride to visit Hua Hin Beach Resort, Rajabhakti Park, Sam Phan Nam Floating Market, Wat Huay Mongkol & the Monsoon Vineyard. Alternately, you could take a tuk tuk to their wine cellar at Villa Market in downtown Hua Hin and take their shuttle vans which have two daily departures ie 10.30am > 2pm and 3pm > 6pm, the round trip costs Bht300 per pax inclusive of a complementary drink ! 

Day 2 Tuesday 22/8/2017 - focusing our group's visit to Santorini Park, Hua Hin.

1) Arriving at Hua Hin train station in the early morning (06.10) after a 12 hrs of rock & roll all the way by train from Hatyai to Hua Hin ! Just like going back to the good old days during the singing era of Elvis Presley !!!

3) Staying for 2 nights at Tid Tarad Hostel, 152/6 Chomsin Road (Huas Hin 70), Hua Hin City Center. Tel-66891497975 (Bht300 per pax, basic twin private shared bathroom)

3) Our group's breakfast after the hostel check in, enjoying a bowl of hot rice porridge (pig offal + egg) Bht35, at a food stall in front of a coffee shop near our hostel. For the next two morning, our group sticks to eating rice porridge ....

4) taking a public bus departing from the main road, Hua Hin Town Centre (in front of Family Mart) to Santorini Park (bus ticket 30bht). The Park opens daily from 10.00am.

5) Santorini Park (entrance fee 150bht + 1 free ride)

6) Miffy' Garden, Santorini Park - great photo opportunities for kids & families including oldies like me & my buddies !

7) Ferris Wheel, our group enjoyed this free ride & a panoramic view of the surrounding !

8) Malai Farm (opposite the Santorini Park) - entrance fee Bht100 (this site was pretty quiet may be due to competition from Swiss Sheep Farm which is located 1-2 km from the Santorini Park)

9) Swiss Sheep Farm (located about 1-2km from the Santorini Park, our group skipped this farm but KIV for future visit !)

10) My light lunch of the day - a bowl of fish maw (my favorite food) & a glass of coffee at a food stall in city center

Bht40 for this yummy fish maw

Black coffee + hot tea - Bht20

11) Evening walk in downtown Hua Hin & beach area

Shangri-La Hotel

East Square Food Court

Downtown Hua Hin Beach

12) Night Market visit in Hua Hin - for a few US$50 dollar notes, you could enjoy a yummy seafood meal in this night market ! A tourist haven ! 

A large lobster (1 kg) costs 1,500bht=Rm195=US$45 for your yummy seafood meal ! 

13) But our group had a quiet Thai dinner at a seafood restaurant near the Night Market - away from the madding crowd ! Squid, sea bass, morning glory, tom yam soup & chicken fillets prepared in authentic Thai style + hot tea + soda water costs 1,400bht=Rm182=US$42 for our group of 4 ! Delicious & tasty indeed and really rocked us to bed ! We all slept very well tonight !

Day 3 Wednesday 23/8/2017 - focusing our visit to Monsoon Vineyard & 4 other touristy places outside of Hua Hin town

Morning breakfast - another round of rice porridge & pig offal to our delight !

Our group hired a taxi (1,000bht) and picked 3 touristy places of our choice ie Rajabhakti Park, Wat Huay Mongkol & Monsoon Vineyard (formerly known as Hua Hin Hills Vineyard) but our half English speaking taxi driver took us along the way to visit the Hua Hin Beach Resort & Sam Phan Nam Floating Market - so 5 places all together !

1) Hua Hin Beach Resort

2) Rajabhakti Park

3) Hua Hin Sam Phan Nam Floating Market (entrance fee 200bht for foreigners)

4) Wat Huay Mongkol, Hua Hin

5) Monsoon Vineyard (formerly Hua Hin Hills Vineyard)

6) Wine & Dine at Monsoon Vineyard (1 hr) - 5 set menu of fried rice + 1 bottle of Shiraz wine + 1 glass of grape juice + 1 bottle of mineral water (2,400bht=Rm312=US72) for our group of 4 + a driver !

7) Enjoying our food, drinking our wine & admiring the beautiful sceneries around the Monsoon Vineyard - what a beautiful day for our group from Malaysia in the Land of Smiles !

8) Wet market visit, opposite our hostel

9) bought a kilo of big prawns (Bht650=Rm85) & salted fish from the wet market for our dinner tonight - cooking to be done by our hotel caretaker who runs a food stall in front of the hostel

tom yum soup with big prawns 

10) Morning stroll from our hostel to the beach & downtown Hua Hin area.

Royal Pavilion Hotel, Hua Hin