A Hua Hin weekend works best as two nights out of Bangkok: drive down on Friday, eat at the night market and work your way along Soi Bintabaht, then spend Saturday on the beach or a golf course before a rooftop sunset, the weekend markets and the Soi 80 beer bars. Hua Hin is three to four hours by road, the bars close around 1am and there are no late clubs. Treat it as a slower break from the big city, not a bigger night.
Getting from Bangkok to Hua Hin
You have three choices. A private car or taxi is the quickest and the most comfortable, usually three to four hours depending on traffic, and it drops you at your hotel door. Buses and minivans run the same road for less, at the cost of legroom and a stop or two. The train is the slowest but the most scenic, and it arrives in the middle of town.
Leave Bangkok by early afternoon on Friday and you are checked in, showered and hungry by the time the night market gets going. Leave later and you hit the Friday rush out of the city. If you are flying in, spend your first nights in Bangkok and do Hua Hin at the end of the trip, when a quieter weekend is exactly what you need.
Where to Base Yourself for the Weekend
Stay in the town center, near Soi Bintabaht. The bar streets, the Hilton's brewpub and the Hua Hin Night Market are all within about 300 meters of each other there, so a full night stays on foot. Staying further south puts you nearer Cicada, Tamarind and Vana Nava Sky, but means a ride back to the bars every night.
If you plan to bring someone back, check the hotel's guest policy and ask about a joiner fee before you book. My guest-friendly hotels guide covers what to ask, and Where to Stay compares areas and hotels for each city.
Friday Night: The Night Market, Then Soi Bintabaht
Friday is the easy night: everything is on foot, the soi is busy with weekenders and you get the measure of the town before Saturday. The bars close around 1am, so the earlier you start, the more of the night you get.
Saturday Daytime: Beach, Golf or Nothing at All
Hua Hin is a beach town first, and the town beach is a short walk from the center. Golf is the other big draw: Hua Hin is popular with golfers, and plenty of long-stay expats came for the courses and stayed for the pace. If neither appeals, sleep late, eat well and save your energy. Saturday night starts early.
Saturday Night: A Rooftop, the Weekend Markets and Soi 80
Saturday is the bigger night. Vana Nava Sky opens from about 5pm and sits a couple of hundred meters from Cicada and Tamarind, so the first half of the evening is a short walk. Ride back north to the Soi 80 beer bars, then finish in the center before the bars wind down. Agree any bar fine and what comes after it up front, make sure she is 18 or over and always use a condom.
Sunday: Back to Bangkok
Sleep in, have a long lunch and leave by early afternoon to beat the Sunday traffic back into the city, with a generous buffer if you are flying out the same day. Or add a third night: Hua Hin rewards a slower pace, and Monday's roads are quieter.
What a Hua Hin Weekend Costs
The transport down and back, the room and the rooftop are the big variables, so price those before you go. The bars themselves charge beer-bar prices. The Trip Planner can turn this weekend into a plan for your dates, and the rest of the town is in my Hua Hin guide.
