Imperial Hua Hin Beach Resort Reviews by Renaldo

Stay at Hua Hin
by Renaldo, Taiwan - Feb 13, 2010

We got off to a bad start because after the long drive to Hua Hin from Bangkok the woman at the desk informed us that she'd switched us to double beds because no kings were available. I replied that our reservation was about a month old for a king and that twins weren't acceptable. She said it was the fault of the online booking service. Anyway, we spent one night in twins and then they switched us to an upgrade with a king for the remaining four nights. They didn't move our things, however, or make-up our room the afternoon of the move, so we moved ourselves. They have a billiards room, but it costs 150 baht per hour. The food isn't bad at the restaurant. Mostly Dutch and German people staying it seemed, older. There's a park down the street that has a lot of food vendors at night, but no one from the hotel seems aware. A large Singha at the hotel is 150 B. The fitness room is free. The pool isn't bad, though not exactly sparkling clean. The ocean is a big plus, and I was able to swim down to the park and back. The ocean comes right up to the seawall, really ideal for a morning swim, and at low tide maybe 40 yards of beach is exposed. There may be a ventilation problem with the plumbing because sewer odor came into our bathroom in both rooms. I mentioned this when we chacked out and she said she'd inform housekeeping, oh well. Also we were charged 100 B for rice soup in the morning that they had for free the rest of the mornings. Never stayed in Hua Hin before, and as usual found a better place for the money to stay next time. In nearby Khao Ta Kiap, Supatra's http://www.supatraresort.com/ has gorgeous bungalo-style garden rooms, very large, and an excellent restaurant right on the beach. Cheaper restaurants are right next to the hotel, directly on the beach, but not the same quality. Ta Kiap is much less commercialized than Hua Hin and if I had it to do over I'd stay there. Hua Hin is much bigger than I'd thought and seems mostly centered on the older crowd, with a few shopping malls and thankfully very little of the bargirl scene, if that's what you're into. All in all, the stay wasn't bad, if you're looking for a no frills place to relax for a few days on the ocean. The price is good, but most things are extra.