Hua Hin Nightlife Guide for Men

Only as a quiet break. Hua Hin is a seaside resort popular with Thai weekenders, families and long-stay expats, and its bar scene is a few streets in the town center, led by Soi Bintabaht, rather than a district like Walking Street. Most bars close around 1am and no late-night club is pinned on our map. Come for seafood, a few beers and a rooftop drink, and save the big nights for Bangkok or Pattaya.

Soi Bintabaht is Hua Hin's main bar street, in the town center near the beach. It has beer bars and a couple of hostess bars, and Soi Selakam runs right beside it, so the two make one evening on foot. The Hilton's Hua Hin Brewing Company and the night market on Dechanuchit Road are within about 300 meters, which is why most visitors base themselves nearby.

Soi 80 is Hua Hin's cheaper bar cluster, off Phetkasem Road south of the town center. Its beer bars are popular with expats, open from about 5pm, an hour before the bar streets in the center, and run to around 1am. It is under a kilometer from Soi Bintabaht, so it makes an easy early start before you walk or ride back into town for the rest of the night.

By road or by rail. A private car or taxi is quickest, usually three to four hours depending on traffic, and buses and minivans run the same road for less. The train is slower but scenic and stops in the middle of town. Most visitors pair Hua Hin with a few nights in Bangkok, arriving at the start or the end of the trip.

November to February, when the weather is cooler and drier and the town is at its busiest. Hua Hin sits on the Gulf coast, and the wettest stretch usually runs from about September to November. Weekends are livelier than weekdays all year round, because Bangkok families and couples drive down for short breaks, so book rooms early for a Friday or Saturday night.

Two or three nights is enough for most men. That covers the bar streets in the center, an early round on Soi 80, the night market and a weekend market at Cicada or Tamarind, with a day for the beach or a round of golf. For a nightlife trip it works best as a stop before or after Bangkok, rather than the base for the whole holiday.

Pattaya, if the nightlife is the point. It has gogo bars, a walking street and far more beer bars in a smaller area. Hua Hin is the quieter choice: a few bar streets, night markets, a rooftop and the beach, with most places closed by about 1am. Plenty of men use Hua Hin as a calmer last stop after Bangkok or Pattaya, before the flight home.

No. Hua Hin's bar scene is a few streets, not a district, and there is nothing on the scale of Walking Street or Nana Plaza. You will find beer bars and a couple of hostess bars on Soi Bintabaht and Soi Selakam, the Soi 80 beer bars and a handful of pubs. For gogo bars, plan those nights in Bangkok or Pattaya and treat Hua Hin as the rest stop.

Mostly in the beer bars. Soi Bintabaht and Soi Selakam have the bar girls in the center, and the usual lady drink and bar fine rules apply, just on a smaller scale than Pattaya. The Soi 80 bars are quieter and more of an expat hangout. Agree any arrangement clearly first, make sure she is 18 or over, always use a condom and keep it discreet.

Hit the beach, play golf or browse the markets. The town beach is a short walk from the center, and our guides point to golf around Hua Hin. Later on, Cicada Market runs Friday to Sunday with arts, crafts and live performances, Tamarind Market next door does food from Thursday to Sunday, and Vana Nava Sky opens for sunset drinks from about 5pm.