The coast

Hua Hin

Hua Hin is a coastal town in Prachuap Khiri Khan province, south of Bangkok. Many Bangkok residents use it for weekends. Some people live there year-round and travel back to the city when they need to. It is a town with a beach, a night market, a railway station and a growing number of condominiums, not a quiet village.

Trains on the State Railway of Thailand southern line stop at Hua Hin. The journey from Bangkok often takes around four hours, sometimes a little less, and longer if the train is delayed. Driving can be faster when the highway is clear and slower when it is not, particularly on Friday evenings heading south and Sunday evenings heading north. If you plan to keep a job or a school place in Bangkok and a home in Hua Hin, time that trip on the day you would actually make it.

The beach is the town's main public space. Rents and the visitor crowd both rise during Thai public holidays and in the cooler months, roughly November to February. Some streets near the centre are noisy late into the evening. Quieter housing tends to sit a short ride inland or further along the coast, at the cost of a less casual walk to the market or the station.

Services are those of a large town: hospitals, schools, shops, and a smaller labour market than Bangkok. If your work is remote and you only need to be in the capital now and then, that can be enough. If you need a specialist or a same-day supply, you will still go to Bangkok for some things.