Thai food is now an international favourite and needs no introduction to most people. In addition to seafood places, greater Hua Hin has a variety of restaurants serving Thai food. These range from stalls and vendors found at Chat Chai Market in the centre of town and at the night market on Denchanuchit Road, to upmarket restaurants spread throughout the region, but most often found in hotels and resorts.
If you have never dined on 'Royal Thai' food, the most elaborate branch of Thailand's multi faceted cuisine, Hua Hin is an excellent place to try it. It can be found in numerous resort and hotel restaurants and is often accompanied by classical Thai dance and music.
Restaurants Reviews
Sunday, September 30, 2007
Thai Food
Seafood
The Thais eat fish, prawns or other items foreigners think of as 'seafood' at virtually every meal. Basic condiments like fish sauce, shrimp paste, and pla rah are all made from fermented fish or seafood. Tom yam gung, a delicious sour and hot broth brimming with shrimp, is often considered Thailand's 'national dish'. Another regular is tod man pla, an unusual melange of fried minced fish, curry paste, and sliced long beans. Hearkening back to the days before refrigeration, dried and salted fish are served in a variety of ways and are still a mainstay of the Kingdom's diet. There will also be lots of squid, catfish, 'serpent head' fish, and Nile River Tilapia. All are day to day favourites in homes and ordinary restaurants.
However, when Thais go to a restaurant specializing in seafood, the menu broadens considerably. The items previously mentioned will be present, but will take a backseat to a host of other dishes with their culinary roots in China. Crab, cockles, mussels, oysters, lobsters, will suddenly appear. Cooking methods and sauces will change and there will be items like Crab with Curry Sauce, Lobster Cooked in XO Sauce and Grilled Clams or Cockles. Fish will be steamed and served with a variety of sauces, as well as grilled and fried. Lobster and giant prawns, pricey items for the average Thai, will play a big role and will often arrive at the table after spending time on a grill.
Going out for seafood is a big event for Thais and they always seem to have a good time. Joining them will be a highlight of any holiday, particularly when the restaurant is in the area around Hua Hin. Many of the restaurants are found in Hua Hin town on Naresdamri Road, just south of the pier. Ao Takiap beach, 5km to the south has several famous places, and there are some excellent restaurants to the north as you approach Cha-am. The least expensive, and most popular with Thais, are scattered along Phetkasem Road.
Where and What to Eat In HuoHin
Leaving the cooking to someone else is always an important part of a holiday experience. The variety and quality of the restaurants in and around Hua Hin insure the experience will be a memorable one. Once an active fishing port, Hua Hin still has enough fishermen around to insure a steady supply of fresh seafood for its restaurants and those in neighbouring Cha-am and Pranburi. Traditional Thai food is, of course, served everywhere, including food stalls along the beachfront and in Hua Hin's well-known Night Market. In addition there are numerous dining spots serving Western, Indian and Japanese food. For those looking for a drink after the sun goes down, there is an ample supply of bars and pubs. In addition, all of the hotels have bars and lobby lounges, many featuring live entertainment.
Saturday, September 29, 2007
Pranburi
The beach is fronted by a small road that extends south from estuary of the Pranburi river to Khao Sam Roi Yot National Park. Today Pranburi is the home to a growing number of small, but attractive boutique resorts. For those who want to spend time in Hua Hin, several of the Pranburi resorts offer their own transport.
Thursday, September 27, 2007
Cha-am
The Thais love to snack while they play in the water and the beach is chocablok with vendors selling everything from cotton candy to grilled horseshoe crabs. There are also numerous opportunities for watersports, including the inevitable jet-skies, para-sailing and banana boats. There is an abundance of deckchairs and umbrellas for rent and numerous bathhouses where you can use the toilet or wash the sand off with fresh water.
Cha-am is not only the home of several large resorts, it is also has numerous small and reasonably priced guesthouses only a few metres from the strand. There is a lot to eat here, but you'll find much less 'foreign' food that in neighbouring Hua Hin. One thing to remember about Cha-am is that it relatively quite on weekdays, crowded on weekends and really packed on public holidays.
Hua Hin Beaches
To the south of Khao Takiap is Takiap Bay, a 5km strip of sand that includes the beaches of Hat Takiap, Suan Son and Khao Tao. These beaches are more isolated and are fronted by numerous hotels and resorts. Hat Takiap is the most popular of the three and is easily reached by songthaew from the centre of Hua Hin. It is also the site of a small fleet of fishing boats and a collection of excellent seafood restaurants that offer a choice seafood at a fraction of what it would probably cost you back home.
Wednesday, September 26, 2007
Restaurants and Dining Out
Koh Samui Nightlife
Tuesday, September 25, 2007
Koh Samui Sightseeing
Monday, September 24, 2007
Koh Samui Beaches
Koh Samui Hotels
Sunday, September 23, 2007
Krabi : Thepparat Lodge Krabi
Krabi : Maritime Park and Spa Resort
Vogue Resort & Spa Ao Nang
Pimalai Resort & SPA
Nakamanda Resort & Spa
The wonderland of Krabi Sweeping seascapes, lush jungle thickets, gold-fretted sunsets. Krabi's gorgeous palette of cerulean, heliotrope and emerald will excite your senses and soothe your soul. Bask in nature at her most dazzling, cocooned all the while in pure luxury.
Rawi Warin Resort & Spa
The resort is sheer five-star luxury in an idyllic setting As a central visual feature, Rawi warin has the main swimming pool right on the beachfront, with an infinity design that blends the edge of the pool with the blue ocean. Over half the resort is perched on the hillside, where stand-alone villas slope up a hill and the view gets more and more breathtaking every foot you ascend. With over 10,000 trees and flowers planted in the landscaped gardens, our guests are likely to spend much time foraging through the resort grounds itself.”
“Standard rooms feature polished woods and Thai silks, while the suites will awe you with their soaring ceilings. The cliff-top pool affords the best view of Lanta's dramatic sunset.