Hua Hin Beach Guide – Everything to Know

Here are some insights on what to expect along this 7km or so of tropical beach……

While Hua Hin does not match the more southern beaches of Thailand on the Andaman seaside for beauty and turquoise waters it’s a charming place that has its advantages over the south and the islands.

As a beach destination in Thailand for a certain type of traveller who wants a slower-paced vacation that’s not so far from the big city, Hua Hin is perfect and still offers various attractions and things to do.

Town Center Beach Area

The road leading to the main beach entrance is named Dumnern Kasem Rd. You’ll find taxi and tuk-tuk drivers waiting for customers, stalls selling clothes, beach stuff, and other bits and bobs. Centara Grand Beach Resort is a good landmark to use for this beach entrance.

This entrance has pop-up restaurants to order seafood and Thai food with beach chairs, and it’s not a bad place to sit in the evening. They do inflate the prices because of the location. Turning right and walking further up the beach where it’s less crowded, is much better for spending time and chilling out.

North of the Center Beach

Just after the fishing pier in the center of town is a long stretch of beach that offers wide open space. It’s pretty good for walking or jogging here with less touristic stuff going on. Further along, there are some cool beach resorts for those seeking somewhere a little quieter.

Town Center to Khao Takieb Beach

Hua Hin beach continues for a few kilometres until Khao Takiab. The Phet Kasem road goes all the way from the centre to Khao Takiab, and there are many small lanes leading to the beach, which is great if you’re renting a motorbike or car and can stop off at various beach locations. You can also get the 10 – 20 THB Songthaews (covered pick-up trucks with 2 benches) that stop along this route.

Khao Takieb & Suan Son Pradipat Beach

Khao Takieb and beyond the hill (Chopsticks Hill) along the Suan Son Pradipat beach are beautiful and well worth checking out, although they’re not technically Hua Hin beaches. You can absorb the panoramic views of Hua Hin Beach from the top of the hill and visit the temple, then see what’s happening on the other side of the hill, ‘Suan Son beach’.

Do watch out for the monkeys at Khao Takiab. They will go after you and might snatch your drink bottles or snacks, which are worth putting inside your bag. They are fun to watch when they’re catching crabs and running around though.

Suan Son Beach is another long stretch of sand with some beach resorts, much less touristic than Hua Hin and very quiet. During the weekends and Thai holidays, this beach becomes crowded with Thai people holidaying with more Thai and seafood restaurants opening up and more activities going on. I love coming here early in the morning while staying in Khao Takiab to swim and walk.

Activities at the Beaches

Hua Hin offers some of the usual water sport activities along its seafront and stretches of sand where there’s nothing but relaxing and soaking up the rays going on.

Jet Skis

You can hire jet skis along the beach. However, there are not as many operators here compared with Phuket and other places, which most people are happy about. These should cost around 1500 THB ($50) for 30 minutes. I never hire them because of all the scam reports of tourists getting charged for damage when no damage has occurred while they used the jet ski. I have not seen any troubling reports about operators scamming in Hua Hin as I have seen for Pattaya or Phuket; however, I ain’t risking getting caught up with it anyway (2019 news article about operators following strict rules). Most people I have seen coming in from using the jet skis at Hua Hin look happy enough.

Banana Boats

Banana boat rides should cost around 300 THB a person for two rounds before getting flung off. These are found a little further up from the main centre part of the beach.

Horse Riding on the Beach

Horse riding on Hua Hin beach has gotta beat donkey riding at Western Super Mare (UK okayish beach). You’ll have a guide while riding, which costs around 300 THB for 30 minutes.

Kiteboarding

Kiteboarding and surfing have become very popular at Hua Hin’s beach. This is because of the ideal kitesurfing winds found, especially during the main kite season, which runs from October to May. There are a small number of kiteboarding schools, including KBA, if you are interested in learning the sport or need to hire gear.

Restaurants, Bars, and Snacks

You’ll find quite a few (not lots) pop-up style places to eat and drink along the beach during the day, and vendors selling their snacks. At night a few pop-up bars and seafood places are set up and offer sea-view eating and boozing.

You’ll also find fine dining and seafood-type restaurants with ocean views, such as Let’s Sea Pub & Restaurant, Oceanside Beach Club, La Terrasse, and others worth checking out.

Final Thoughts

Yes, Hua Hin does not offer the finest of Thailand’s beaches and only hits OK in the pollution ratings; however, many people (including me) have found much more to like than dislike about the 7km or so of near-white sands and the easy pace of holidaying here.

The surrounding areas of Hua Hin Beach offer great places to eat and restaurants, a fairly easy-going bar scene, cool night markets, and great sightseeing stuff that’s not so many kilometres out of town –all 3 – 4 hours from Bangkok.

If finding the best beach was on my itinerary, I would go further along the Gulf…..well I would be heading to the Andaman coast.