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Sawadeeka(p)! We just came back from the ‘Land of Smiles’ and it turned out to be one of the most amazing holiday ever! Bangkok is bustling and busy, as usual. We also took a 3D2N trip to Hua Hin, Thailand’s royal beach resort which is 2.5 hours drive away from Bangkok.
Thailand never cease to amaze us. Thais are extremely friendly and soft spoken (with the exception of tuk tuk drivers), shopping is VERY good and cheap, authentic thai food are aplenty. Let me tempt you with the following pictures!
Our Hua Hin, Bangkok Itinerary as follows:
Day 1
Our flight from KUL to BKK took approximately 2 hours. Do note that Thailand is one hour behind Malaysia, so yay as we earned an extra hour to shop. From Suvarnabhumi Airport, there are three ways to get to Bangkok City Centre – AOT Limousine (~1000-1500 baht), Public Taxi (~450-500 baht) and Airport Rail Link (from 15 baht).
Since there were only the two of us, we chose to take the Airport Rail Link, City Line. The City Line will make eight stops across the capital, ending at Phaya Thai (45 baht). One can choose to take the Express Line, which is a 15-minute non-stop journey between Makkasan and Suvarnabhumi Airport and the fare is 150 baht per trip. I will elaborate more on our coming detailed posts, so stay tune!
Checked into Hansar Bangkok, 2 minutes walk from Ratchadamri BTS Station.
Got upgraded from Studio Suite to Urban Suite! *squeals*
They are running a low season promotion from 4500 baht in September and October. Including breakfast, nightly cocktails, free minibar and wifi. Our stay was excellent! No wonder they are voted as the No. 1 Hotel in Bangkok by Trip Advisor!
Hansar Bangkok
3 Soi Mahadlekluang 2,
Rajdamri Road,
Bangkok 10330
Tel : +66 2209 1234
Website: http://www.hansarbangkok.com/
Getting Here: exit the BTS Ratchadamri BTS Station at Exit #4 and turn right on 3 Soi Mahadlekluang 2
From Hansar Bangkok, we took a 5 minutes stroll to Erawan Shrine to offer prayers. We wished for good weather throughout our trip and our prayers have been answered. It never rained (ok, only slight drizzle in one evening) and all our pictures turned out nice.
Erawan Shrine
Next to Grand Hyatt Erawan
Getting Here: Chitlom BTS exit 6
Shopping @ Siam Square
Siam Square is definitely my favourite shopping spot in Bangkok (Platinum Mall comes second). It is the place where youngsters meet and all chic and hip things happen.
Siam Square
Getting here: Directly opposite MBK or Siam BTS (exit 2,3,4)
Dinner at Som Tam Nua, Soi 5. They serve one of the best Isaan food in town but please be there early to avoid the notorious long queue during peak hours.
Som Tam Nua
392/14 Siam Square Soi 5
Tel : +66 2251 4880
Open: 10.45am-9.30pm daily.
Getting Here: Siam BTS exit 4, look for soi (alley) 5 and walk in all the way.
Day 2
After a fulfilling breakfast at Hansar Bangkok, we proceeded to Century Shopping Mall (Victory Monument BTS) and boarded a minivan to Hua Hin. The fare is 180 baht per person, and the journey took approximately 2.5 hours. The mini van departs every 30 minutes, or when the van is full (~15 pax). One can also take train from Hua Lamphong train station or bus from Southern Bus Terminal. Will elaborate more on that in our subsequent posts.
Checked into Rest Detail Hotel Hua Hin. Their tagline: You Rest and Leave the Details to Us. I likey!
Such gorgeous view from our Rest Horizon room. It comes equipped with a private jacuzzi tub overlooking the sea!
I really like their amazing attention to details – bracelet as souvenirs for guests, Ipod equipped with lounge and jazzy tunes for loan, amazing dvd collection, free evening snacks sent to our room everyday, kaftan dress and fisherman pants for guests going to beach, etc.
I wish I can stay here forever…
Rest Detail Hotel
19/119 Soi Hua Hin 19
Tambol Hua Hin, Amphur Hua Hin
Prachuabkhirikhan 77110 THAILAND
Tel: +66 3254 7733
Website: http://www.restdetailhotel.com/
Afternoon tea at The Museum, Sofitel Hua Hin. The colonial style afternoon tea room resembles a small museum of artifacts from the long history of the Sofitel, which was originally the Railway Hotel.
The Museum
Sofitel Hua Hin
1 Damnernkasem Road
77110 HUA HIN
Tel: (+66) 32512021
Email: reservation@sofitel.co.th
Hua Hin Railway Station, one of the oldest railway station in Thailand that comes with a Royal Waiting Room.
The train station was built in the same architecture style as Marukhathaiyawan Palace and this is an attraction that one should never miss.
Dinner at this famous Thai seafood and sukiyaki restaurant.
A sukiyaki set for two is only 120 baht and our order of crabs with tang hoon is only 150 baht. Fried rice or pad thai is only 30 baht each, Thai Ice Tea is 10 baht and pork satay is only 3 baht each! A very satisfying and affordable dinner!
Thai Seafood & Sukiyaki Restaurant
Getting Here: At the intersection of Naeb Kehad Rd. & Dechanuchit Rd., the first alley opposite the night market entrance.
We took a stroll along Hua Hin night market after dinner. Bought some knick knacks and souvenirs here too.
Day 3
Hua Hin Hills Vineyard is one of the highlight of our trip to Hua Hin. We took their shuttle bus to HHH (30 baht per person, one way) and the journey took about 40 minutes. The bus departs from Market Village Mall, Hua Hin at 10am and 2pm daily. Reservation is a must as the maximum capacity per trip is only 10 pax.
What a sight to behold! This particular place with the right soil condition and right climate is suitable for grape growing.
Had a light lunch here, with wine pairing (450 baht per person). There are a lot of ala carte activities for visitors such as elephant riding, jeep tour, bicycle renting, etc.
Hua Hin Hills Vineyard
1 Moo 9, Baan Khork Chang Patana,
Nong Plup, Hua Hin.
Email: info@huahinhillsvineyard.com
Website: http://huahinhillsvineyard.com
HHH’s shuttle bus sent us back to town by 2pm. We took a tuk tuk to Plearn Wan, the first eco vintage village in Thailand. It is extremely popular among the locals; and it seems tourists never knew about this place. Everything from the signboard to the menu is in Thai, so we have to make use of our limbs and facial expressions.
Such a cutesy place to camwhore! And entrance is FOC!
Plearn Wan (Hua Hin Eco Vintage Village)
located between Hua Hin soi 38 and 40, directly opposite Klai Klangwon Village.
Dinner at Rest Scene, a pool side restaurant in our hotel. I miss the rack of lamb already!
Day 4
We chartered a cab to Marukhathaiyawan Palace (Palace of Love and Hope (600 baht two way), 20 minutes away from Hua Hin.
The summer seaside palace, often referred to as “the palace of love and hope” is located midway between Cha-am and Hua Hin. It was built in 1923 under the royal command of King Rama VI using golden teakwood from the demolished Hat Chao Samran Palace. An Italian architect designed the palace with a dazzling composition of verandahs and latticework in regal proportions.
It is rated as one of the must visit attraction in Hua Hin. Entrance is 60 baht per person and rental of cover cloth is FOC for those who wear shorts, mini skirt and sleeveless.
Marukhathaiyawan Palace
Open daily from 8am to 4pm, closes on Wednesday.
Took a mini van back to Bangkok and alighted near the Victory Monument Station. We walked over to the Victory Monument Market for some ‘down to earth’ shopping. Sunglasses for only 39 baht? OMG! And our fish ball noodles lunch costs only 70 bath! It is a local market, so be prepared to use sign languages like what we did.
Checked into Hansar Bangkok again, and registered ourselves for a Thai Cooking Class.
We had so much fun cooking and eating our own masterpiece – padthai, green curry and tom yum goong.
Shopping at MBK mall, the only thing worth buying are ladies handbags @ 199 baht each. Had dinner at the famous MBK food court (6th floor). Food was nothing to shout except for the unassuming looking mango sticky rice (80 baht). It was really really good!
MBK
444 Phayathai Rd., Patumwan, Bangkok.
Getting Here: BTS national stadium station
Round 2 shopping at Central World, bought a lot of Thai brand lingeries such as Sabina, Ann Bra and BSC. VAT refund is eligible here too. Supper at Coffee Beans by Dao, a very famous cake house with 5 branches across Bangkok.
Coffee Bean by Dao
Level 2 Central World Bangkok
Day 5
Full day of shopping at Platinum Fashion Mall! They now have a new wing (zone 3) with focuses on bags, shoes and leather wear.
Lunch at Kaiton Kao Man Kai, the famous pink shirt chicken rice. Could not believe that our lunch costs only 62 baht!
Pink Shirt Chicken Rice
Petchburi Soi 30
Bangkok, Thailand
Tel: +66 2252 6325
Open daily from 5:30am-3pm, 6pm-3am.
Dinner at one of the random grill fish stall outside Central World.
Pratunam Grill Fish
coming out from the Isetan exit of Central World, walking towards Platinum Shopping Mall
Went to Sirocco Bar at Lebua State tower for that “top of the world experience”.
dress code is applicable here: no shorts and open toe shoes for guys.
Located 65 floors above the intersection of Silom and Charoen Krung Roads and overlooking the Chao Phraya river, Sirocco’s view of Bangkok is nothing less than spectacular.
Since they filmed the Hangover II here, hence I suggest ordering their special Hangovertini if you’re here.
Sirocco
1055 Silom Road
Bangrak, Bangkok 10500, Thailand
Tel: +66 2624 9555
Open daily from 6.00 pm – 1.00 am daily, weather permitting
Day 6
Time to pack and head home! Look at our hauls from Bangkok! Well, not exactly ours…
knick knacks from Hua Hin.
Remember to claim your VAT refund at the airport!
i loveee reading your travel post, its very informative!! thanks for sharing
.-= Augustdiners´s last blog ..Wordless Sunday =-.
thanks for ur support 😀
.-= kampungboycitygal´s last blog ..Bangkok + Hua Hin Day 1: Transportation Guide =-.
Great summary dear! And u guys are like the master chefs! Haha. Relaxing, luxurious and fun trip!
haha more like a master chef wannabe
Perfect summary. I would just follow this for my coming visit! Can’t wait for the next post. Thanks in advance!
hi Michelle, thanks for ur support. <3
The hotel promotion seems worth ya. Only for September and October? Any other promotion?
Hi Abbie, it comes with a 40% discount for spa too. too bad time doesn’t permit us to do it.
hmmm… didn’t know there were so much to do. Great review!
.-= eiling´s last blog ..Pinchos @ Changkat Bkt Bintang KL =-.
exactly! I CAN GO BACK TO BKK EVERY YEAR!
oh yeah… forgot to ask.. Roughly how much is their Urban suite @ Hansar if I’m travelling to BKK around early april? are there any lower rates rooms? they look comfy! and is the cooking class included? so interested to join!
.-= Christine´s last blog ..♥ We have MOVED ♥ =-.
hi dear i checked fr agoda its about usd 200-300 . for the low season promo now, u can get a studio suite for rm 500++. worth every single sens!!
Great summary!!! I missed out so many places of interests in hua hin. Lack of time huhu.
Am quite interested in the cooking class u attended. In hansar too?! How much ar? Only hotel guests can sign up???
.-= Ai Wei´s last blog ..Chocolate Appreciation Evening with Van Houten ♥ =-.
yeah u need at least 2-3 nights stay to enjoy the beauty of hua hin. the cooking class is only for hotel guest 🙂
Amazing photos, especially the night view ones, and very informative too. The hotel looks luxurious and relaxing, didn’t know they have been voted 1st on TripAdvisor, must’ve been a really good hotel! Will keep this hotel in mind when I visit Bangkok in the future!
thanks wen ching. yeah one of the best stay in bangkok! miss the hotel, wish my future apartment look like this.
Great! Will be on the lookout for subsequent posts in coming days/weeks.
Yeah, never got tired of Bangkok.
thanks! KEEP checking this space ya
Great itinerary! HuaHin is totally new to me. I think i would add it in my itinerary for the next visit!
ya surprisingly malaysian din know about this place, its a fav holiday destination for europeans, taiwanese, jap and korean
damn good planning, i can never plan any vacation, always just.. GO & HENTAM. lol
.-= KY´s last blog ..Manta Ray at Nusa Penida, Bali =-.
being spontaneous is quite fun too! but i can’t, feel insecure
Lex no go there make a suit ah … cheap and good! Tailored 😀
.-= email2me´s last blog ..Eco Tour By Pulai Group At Johor Bahru On Malaysia Day 2011 =-.
he bot ready made one, also cheap n good hehe
you’re pictures are amazing! what camera are you using? thanks!
hi we r using a canon eos 450d, old dslr model 🙂
Hi, would you recommend us to visit HuaHin? Is it worth travelling there? Any special tourist attractions?
hi yeah, u can refer to the summary. u can go to the train station, palace of love n hope, hua hin hills vineyard, the beach n many more
Hi Kampung Boy & City Gal,
Great post! I’m thinking to go to Hua Hin in December. I’ve made a booking to Bkk actually but looking at the situation, I want to re-route to Hua Hin instead. You mentioned that we can take a minivan to Hua Hin from Century Shopping Mall (Victory Monument BTS). Do we need any booking for that? Or we just go directly and queue?
Thanks in advance!
hi priscilla, thanks! no you don’t have to book, just go there buy a ticket and the it will depart when the mini van is full. however, it’s not advisable to bring along a big luggage as the seating is cramp with no space for luggage. we have to put the hand carry on our lap.
a more comfortable way would be chartering a cab from bkk airport for rm 200-250 one way. both cab and mini van will take about 2.5 hours.
Thanks for your advise! Hmm, perhaps I’ll use the backpack instead.
Can’t wait to see your other post on Hua Hin!
hi priscilla. yes backpack is better 🙂
You seems to know too much of places around Bangkok and Hua Hin. Two thumbs up from a Thai 🙂
BTW how come you know about Pratunam Chicken rice!
haha thanks, that’s quite a compliment coming from a thai! do you have any other eating places to recommend? would love to try more places where only the locals to 🙂
If you’re Isaan food lover and beef lover then I recommend โคขุนโพนยางคำ (KoKhun Pon Yang Kham). They serve Thai-French beef it’s so good, juicy and tasty.
Here is location for the original branch. It’s quite a bit tricky to reach if you’re not local to that vicinity. If you’re going to the place, after getting to Nuan Chan Road, look for SCB Bank. The place is on the opposite side of the bank:
http://th.openrice.com/Bangkok/restaurant/sr2.htm?shopid=2782
It might be easier to go to this branch instead as it’s within reasonable reach from BTS/MRT. Besides, you can go for a night club around the area after finished the meal 😉
http://th.openrice.com/Bangkok/restaurant/sr2.htm?shopid=2773
For both places, look for the Bull sign as you’ll see lots of “Kokhun” places around. But even you get to “Boy Ponyangkham” it’s also a good place AFAIK.
NOTE: Always, always, ALWAYS avoid peak hour. You reach there at 7pm? Each dish will take half an hour. Plus, chances are that one of your dish will never arrive as it’s too messy for them to manage. Otherwise, food is great.
If you feel like escaping spicy food for a while, there is a couple of places that offer fine-grade sashimi around Bangkok. I’d say “Sushimasa” (a-la carte) close to BTS Ratchathewi and “Takumi” (Buffet, but the quality is really good) at Swissotel Le concorde Hotel (MRT “Huay Kwang”). For Takumi you need to reserved it in advance for a week at least else you can’t get in since every table is booked.
Bon appetit!
wow thanks for your recommendation. will definitely keep these places in mind. I’m visiting bangkok again, next June!
hi,i always visit your website and look for good food to eat. It has been a long time i did not visit your site and i found out the travel update is so informative. Making me want to visit those places. Your BKK trip is so nice. I will use this for my coming BKK trip. Thanks for sharing.
You make me surprised about your trip and you have a lot of useful information like local Thai people (I’m Thai) . I do love Som Tum Nua also and always seek a chance to take vacation at Hua Hin.
nice travel share! 1st heard of hua hin, n it’s seems to b great getaways to be my next trip.. How much budget have both of u use? N communicate with Thai will it b a problem? N is there any budget n clean hotel to b recommend got Bangkok n hua hin?
hi we spend about rm 500 for 3 days there, excluding hotel. most of them speaks english, its a very nice place.
Mind to breakdown the rm 500 for 3days?
Transport and meal only?
hi ken, transport about RM 150 (within hua hin, to and fro bangkok), hua hin hills vineyard visit (170), food + high tea at sofitel+souvenir+ entrance tic (RM 180)
Great summary dear!! I’ll be travel to BKK by next month, can’t wait for it!
Hi. How much did you guys spend for the whole trip?=)
hi wee shiuan, exclude hotel > rm 2k per person 🙂
hi there… my travel mate sent me the link of your post…
this is a very impressive sharing… so informative!
Next month I’m going to visit Bangkok for the fourth time and I have added in Hua Hin in my itinerary.
However, I have no idea on my planning for our stay in Hua Hin. It will be just 2D1N.
I am interested to visit the Hua Hin Hills Vineyard too as my hubby is a grape’s lover :p
I noticed from your post that reservation is a must for the bus to the vineyard. Do you mind to share more on the reservation part? It will only be 2 trips per day, 10am & 2pm?
Thanking you in advance!
Hi, this is so informative! How I wish to get there now.. i’ll be going to BKK in July for the 1st time (6d5n). But we are on tight budget, don’t think we can afford to stay at Hansar, any other recommendation?
The highest tower that you mentioned, how much does it cost? Is Baiyoke hotel located there too? Is the hotel good?
Thanks!
how much did u spend for whole trip?
Greetings from Singapore! It is indeed a very good travel report. I am planning to travel to huahin in Aug. Doing all the research now, where to go, etc… 🙂
How did u get the shuttle bus from rest details hotel to huahin vineyard?
hi snow, we took the shuttle bus from market place, a mall located in hua hin town. rmb to make a reservation for the shuttle bus ya
Thanks kampungboycitygal … Which huahin town? Would 5 days 4 nights enough for bkk & huahin?
I am looking forward to the trip.. 🙂
hi the shuttle bus departs from market village. it is a mall located in hua hin town. its a bit tight, so u might have less shopping time at bkk
How much was the Rest Horizon room in Rest Detail?
Do you normally book your hotel directly from the hotel site or sites like agoda, asiarooms?
Thank you.
hi its 800+. normally we book fr sites like agoda for 1-2 nights. but if we stay >2 nights will email hotel ask 4 discount.normally they will giv gd rate
Thanks for your reply.
Normally, under what circumstances will hotel give free upgrade to a better room?
Hi…
How far the distance from market village to vineyard by shuttle? From hotel to the market mall, and what is the distance? What exact market mall that i can take the shuttle? Thanks for the info in advance. Cheers
hi the journey from market village to vineyard is 50 min. market village is a shopping mall located in hua hin town, quite near from my hotel. there is only one market village in hua hin, it is the biggest mall there. for more infor, u can contact HHH vineyard as u need to make a reservation for the shuttle bus.
Thanks for the reply. 🙂
may i noe how much u paid per nite for rest horizon room at rest detail?
about RM800
Ah, looks like you had an amazing trip! Love plern warn in huahin for sampling a wide variety of otherwise not always easy to find traditional Thai desserts too 🙂
yes lovely place indeed 🙂
Hi, I really enjoyed your report! I just wanted to ask you about the seafood stalls outside Centralworld. Is it worth stopping there for some good seafood? How cheap was the food there?
Many thanks! 🙂
yes its worth going if ur around that area. the fish is good, but the tom yam is so-so. meal for 2 person around RM 30 🙂
Hi, been enjoying reading your blog for some times. would you kindly please let me know how much you pay for the rest horizon room?
Your blog on bangkok trip is very informative! Very useful for me since i need to gather information for a last min trip! Thank you!!
We just spend some time in Bangkok from 7 May to 11 May last weekend by referring your itinerary. My gf enjoy shopping a lot and I enjoy the accomodation a lot. It’s affordable yet so nice the enviroment. Really relaxing and you make us cut down a lot of trip planning time. We just copy and go . lol.
Thank you so much.
HI,
May i know how much u spend at Sirocco ? Thanks :))
about RM100 just for two drinks…and the view hehe
Hi Kampung Boy & City Gal,
Very informative post! I’m thinking to go to Hua Hin in February next year. You mentioned that we can a tuk tuk to Plearn Wan from HHH Vineyard,do we need any booking for that and how much it charge per person? Between how long is the journey to Plearn Wan?
Hi Janice, no you don’t have to book, just hail for a tuk tuk. depends on how you negotiate, we paid about 100 baht from the mall to plearn wan if i can remember. if HHH will be expensive, coz its another 50 min by shuttle bus
I love Bangkok. So many new Thai Brands in KL too now. Have you check out ChaTraMue: Original Thai Tea since 1945? They are almost 30 outlets in Bangkok. They just recently open third outlet in Plaza Low Yat. Currently have outlets in IOI City Mall, Putrajaya and Berjaya Times Square,KL as well. Love the aroma, strong tea flavour and the original Thai taste.