Amari Hua Hin, a perfect location for a Thai city stay.
We have never quite worked out why the city of Hua Hin, just a 2.5-hour drive from Bangkok, doesn’t quite get the same interest as the Thai islands further to the south, yet it has plenty of great resorts, hotel brands, night markets, day markets, independent shopping and beaches that easily make it a more than worthy destination.
It also stretches across a fairly big area, meaning you can spend a decent amount of time there, and is exactly the reason Bangkokians are likely to head for a weekend escape.
One of the most established brands that has been in the area for just over 10 years is Amari Hua Hin, which also has one of the most enviable addresses in the area. Amari is just a couple of minutes walk from Tamarind and Cicada Markets – the buzzing weekend destination that sees locals and tourists enjoy street food pop-ups, live music and craft stalls, and is one of the reasons we also love to visit.
Amari also has its own beach club, ‘Shoreline’ which has just launched a once-a-month Sunday Brunch offering. Every first Sunday of the month Shoreline’s restaurant is transformed into a buffet of delicious food offerings. With sushi and sashimi, seafood, carvery meats and too-tasty not to try desserts.
The DJ plays relatively low-key in the background and you can enjoy the daybeds, loungers and pools after you have indulged.
Amari has also recently launched a great ‘Club Room’ offer. With only 35 available on the top floors of the resort buildings, they come with pool and sea views as well as access to the Executive Club Lounge – which is worth the additional upgrade alone and certainly makes Amari Hua Hin, the perfect location for a Thai city stay.
The Club Lounge, situated on the hotel’s ground floor, offers access to all-day soft and hot drinks as well as afternoon tea (with both sweet and savoury snacks) from 2-4pm, and then cocktails and canapés from 5.30-7pm. The food offer is delicious and while it isn’t meant as an all-inclusive package you will certainly feel suitably fed with their choice of Thai and European dishes (think spicy seafood salads served in cocktail glasses to mini lasagnas with garlic bread).
For breakfast, you can choose the resort’s large buffet restaurant (there’s a noodle and egg station) with a plentiful mix of international choices, or if you go for the Club Room you can have breakfast in the Lounge where there’s the a la carte selection (omelettes, frittatas or bacon, eggs, etc) as well as continental choices.
Given what the Club Rooms are offering we’re pretty sure Amari will need to extend the rooms as people enjoy the facilities.
The resort is split into different areas, which is not unusual in the area. The hotel reception is off the main road and provides easy access to the rest of the town. The hotel buildings are built around the resort’s pool, and beyond this are the Amari Residences. Just a couple of minutes’ walk, or a short buggy ride if the heat is too much, and you are at Shoreline and the beach.
The beach in Hua Hin isn’t always accessible due to the tide so it’s not relied on by the resorts in the area but the two pools at Amari offer sufficient spaces to relax and sunbathe. There’s also an area for activities like table tennis and volleyball plus a mini golf course if the sunbathing gets too much.
The rooms at Amari come in several categories with some having recent upgrades. Our Club Room is on the top (7th) floor with a balcony that has a nice view of the main pool below and the sea in the near distance. The rooms offer enough space to move around comfortably and are relatively muted in pale pastel tones. Our mirror has a cute personalised message which is just one of the really lovely ways that the famous Thai hospitality is relayed across the resort.
One of the things we didn’t get to try was the fab-sounding 2-for-1 offer on the Thai craft beers in the lobby bar. The airy colonial-styled space has high ceilings, funky prints and a blue and white colour palette that is a great spot for dodging daytime heat. The offer was on from 6.30 to 8.30pm but is a good reason for us to pop back and try what Thailand has to offer in terms of local breweries.
A must-visit if: You like to feel you are getting a great deal – but make sure you book into a Club Room to access the offers.
Book if: You love to check out live music and street food and want it on your doors step.
Try out: The new Sunday Brunch offer which takes place on the first Sunday of each month and costs 2500THB with free-flowing drinks or 1500THB for just the food.
Find out more at the website here.
