Thailand
Arriving at our hotel the Amari Hua Hin (after a journey with monsoon-like conditions at times) we were greeted with a refreshing drink and typical Thai hospitality as we checked in. We had been upgraded to a room with a pool view which was spacious enough for our needs. We set out to explore the hotel which has a choice of bars and restaurants, very good-sized pool with lots of comfortable sun loungers and headed down to the Shoreline Beach Club.
Some of the hotels are not on the beach, like the Amari, and so the majority have created a beach club. Ours had a smaller pool, sun loungers, waiter service for drinks and snacks or the restaurant and direct access onto the beach. The beach is not one of those picture postcard idyllic Thai beaches fringed with palm trees, however it had everything we needed for a couple of days chilling after the hustle bustle of Bangkok.
The first place we decided to explore was within sight of our hotel, Wat Khao Takiab or Monkey Temple as some of the locals described it, so we headed off down the beach. We first reached a giant Buddha then headed up the first of many steps wondering if the area would live up to its name! We didn’t have to wait long before the first monkey appeared then another, and a few more - there were hundreds! They are quite naughty as you might expect, one was sat on the seat of a moped whilst it’s partner in crime was trying to steal the helmet! The temple itself and surrounding area is very pretty and with intricately painted statues, however it is a little the worse for wear because of the damage caused by the monkeys.
One of our favourite days out was to the Hutsadin Elephant Foundation. There are wildlife parks around the area, but we decided on the elephant foundation due to their work to try and educate people about elephants rather than exploit them in the name of tourism. There are several elephants at the foundation, all had a different story… some had been injured and left to die, but all had been rescued. Our experience started with meeting Song Kran, a 9-year-old Asian elephant and her Mahout. We were given lots of bananas to feed her with then had lengthy talk from a volunteer. It was interesting to learn about the work of the foundation and all about the elephants. We then went for a walk with the elephant. In the wild they walk for miles a day, so exercise is an important part of the day. The elephants are allowed to roam freely at times and can easily escape if they choose to but fortunately for the neighbours this rarely happens. Back in the compound my son and I washed her down, she had a bit of fun with us showering us with water - the experience was truly memorable.
No holiday is complete without a visit to the water park! Vana Nava was a short distance from the hotel who sorted us out with discounted tickets. I have to say we have been to some great water parks in Europe and Florida but this for us was the best! Everything is so well thought out with the wristbands activating the opening and closing of lockers, but the clever thing is being able to load money on your wristband so when you wanted food or drink they scanned the wristband to pay for it! No messing around with soggy money. There were hardly any queues, so we went down just about every slide. They have a raised adventure area (you wear a harness just in case) and water is fired at you from all directions - it’s a bit like a wet version of Go Ape! The Flow Rider was all included in the entrance price which again compared to other water parks was great value, excellent fun for the whole family!