TWIN CENTRE THAILAND - Bangkok & Hua Hin
We found it really easy to get around the city by local taxi and this proved to be very cost effective for the 4 of us. If you enjoy shopping then look no further than Bangkok. From the massive shopping malls such as Siam Paragon near Siam Square where you can buy a Rolls Royce, down to the night time street markets where fake designer goods are plentiful, every shopper is catered for in Bangkok. Dining out in Bangkok is fantastic, there’s such an array of choice and the value for money is amazing.
For the second part of our trip we had a two and a half hour transfer to the beachside town of Hua Hin, the former summer residence of the king and Queen of Thailand. This town caters mainly for local and foreign tourists but is still very much a working port. We were lucky enough to be staying in a beautiful colonial style hotel, which was formerly the Hua Hin Railway Hotel, one of the classic hotels of the East. Our hotel was really well positioned right on the beach, had great access to shops, bars and restaurants. It was quiet and a tropical oasis.
We found Hua Hin very laid back, shorts, t shirts and flip flops were the order of the day. Most evenings we ventured out into the town to sample the many restaurants in the resort, mainly choosing local Thai food. We found the meals extremely good value - never spending more than £30 for the 4 of us with drinks included. The food was always served fresh, and the atmosphere in these street side restaurants was buzzing!
A highlight for us all was visiting the Hutsadin Elephant Sanctuary, where for a small donation we were able to feed and wash the baby elephants. For an extra few Thai Bahts we were able to take an elephant ride into the surrounding countryside. This was a super way to spend a full morning and the kids absolutely loved it. We did not need to pre-book and it was about a 15 minutes 400 Baht return tuk tuk journey from the resort.
If you enjoy eating fish then you’d love it here. The resort has a host of fish restaurants that line the beach, extending out into the sea on wooden stilts. Most types of fish and shellfish was served fresh from the ocean. We were also lucky to experience the hotels own traditional Sunday afternoon tea. This was served looking out over the well-manicured gardens. We had an endless list of tea varieties to choose from and an even greater choice of cakes, scones, dainty sandwiches and pastries. It was a lovely afternoon!!!
Overall we saw a tiny snippet of Thailand, we would certainly go back to visit other lesser known parts or the Islands. We found the Thai people extremely friendly and accommodating, and we also found that our spending money went a lot further than we expected. A fantastic holiday enjoyed by all.
