Cha-am & Hua Hin
Located an easy three-hour drive from Bangkok, the resorts of Cha-am and Hua Hin are just 25 km. apart and present a choice of beach options. Characterised by the broad sweep of a casuarina-fringed shore, Cha-am is the smaller of the two but it is nearly all beach. Facing the sea is a wide choice of hotel accommodation, ranging from deluxe resorts will full recreational and entertainment amenities, to inexpensive but comfortable bungalows. Larger and more luxuriously developed, Hua Hin is similarly renowned for a magnificent beach which, separated at one end from a still active fishing village by a rocky headland, curves gently for some 3 km. to its southern point where Buddhist temples cling to the cliffs. Beyond lies another, more secluded beach, Hat Khao Tao. Hua Hin is further distinguished as Thailand's oldest beach resort, coming into vogue in the 1920s as the retreat for the elite of Bangkok society, a status that was enhanced when King Rama VII chose the site for a summer palace, which he named Klai Kangwon, meaning "Far From Worries". A fine hotel and Thailand's first 18-hole golf course, both still existience, further established Hua Hin's reputation. In spite of moving with the times to offer all modern amenities, Chaam and Hua Hin have retained their own enduring Thai identity, and thus offer an appealing sense of place. Ideal for families, the main attraction of both resorts is a peaceful time lazing on the beach soaking up the tropical sunshine. However, there is also plenty to do away from the beach, like golfing at a number of courses, shopping at Hua Hin's renowned Night Bazaar, sightseeing in the nearby historic town of Phetchaburi, and exploring Khao Sam Roi Yot ("Mountain of 300 Peaks") National Park all have their own attraction.