In Soi Bintabaht, you will find the famous Hua Hin walking street, also known as Hua Hin’s Khao San Road, which everyone is talking about. The tales, sensation, and overall hype surrounding this travel destination are responsible for the most common questions at the back of the minds of people who haven’t been there before, questions as – what happens in Hua Hin walking street? And is it worth visiting? Stick around for a while as we shed more light on this subject.
Like every other walking street, there are no cars, motorcycles, or other forms of transportation except for walking through the streets of Soi Bintabaht, Hua Hin, Thailand. However, it is lively and preferred among tourists for excellent reasons.
From restaurants serving different Thai cuisines to shows and nightclubs are all part of the activities in the ever-buzzing walking street of Hua Hin. Thai locals and tourists from other parts of the world mingle in a beer bar at sundown or enjoy the Muay Thai show, including the cabaret and fencing shows. Also, the street is entirely safe as there is well-trained security personnel at almost every corner, so you can walk the streets of Soi Bintabaht. Rest assured you and your belongings are secured.
There is a night market with lots of stalls selling smoothies, snacks, clothes, souvenirs, and art to locals and tourists. At the end of the street towards the railway, tourists can find a handful of restaurants selling seafood and other yummy delicacies.
Generally, The Hua Hin walking street is a hub for tourism, offering affordable accommodation and fantastic nightlife guaranteed to leave tourists yearning for more of Hua Hin. However, compared to Pattaya’s walking street with spectacular nightclubs, soapy massage parlors, and everything exotic it offers, Hua Hin is considered a small-scale version. The nightlife in Hua Hin walking street is like that of other exciting parts of Thailand, with restaurants, beer and cocktail bars, and dancing clubs (Polo Club and Panama Club). Here, most gentlemen are approached by beautiful Thai ladies who try to talk them into visiting their beer bars.
What Are The Best Hotels Near Hua Hin Walking Street?
Because accommodation is an essential factor when traveling, a handful of hotels offer affordable accommodations with good facilities and proximity to Hua Hin Walking Street.
New Horton Hotel
The New Horton Hotel in Hua Hin is 0.38km from Sio Bintabaht, and it is connected to the Hua Hin Colonnade Mall with proximity to the Hua Hin beach and Bazaar bar. It was first launched in 2011 and renovated in 2018 with over 40 rooms with a price range starting from 14 USD per night.
This hotel has an outdoor pool, free Wi-Fi, and on-site parking lots. The guest rooms here are air-conditioned and fitted with safety features, a television set, and a minibar. All en suites are pretty comfortable and come with good shower facilities.
The hotel staff are friendly, available 24/7, and can even assist you with setting up travel and tour arrangements. The restaurants serve a variety of local Thai cuisines and even western dishes.
City Beach Resort
Accommodation at the City Beach Resort is superb. Established in 1992 and renovated in 2010, it has 162 rooms, all of which have private balconies. Located in Damnoenkasem Road, Hua Hin, it is 0.24km away from Soi Bintabaht Walking Street, and as the name implies, it is just a five-minute walk from Hua Hin Beach. The cost of rooms per night starts from 18 USD. The City Beach Resort has a coffee shop, restaurants, an outdoor pool, and shops. Just like the New Horton Hotel, it has proximity to the Hua Hin night market, which is less than 10 minutes away if you choose to walk; it also has air-conditioned rooms with a TV, a writing desk, and a minibar, and a private bathroom.
The coffee shop also serves both local and international dishes. There’s also a recreational center where guests can opt-in for a fun time and could either play a game of snooker or swim in the outdoor pool. However, the Wi-Fi isn’t accessible in public sections. There are also good parking lots.
Baan Nilrath Hotel
Like the city beach resort, the Baan Nilrath Hotel has balconies attached to every private room. This ecologically friendly hotel was established in 1999 and renovated in 2012 with 35 rooms. It has an outdoor restaurant and pool, free Wi-Fi, and on-site customer parking, starting from 26 USD. This hotel is 300 meters away from Hua Hin Beach and the night market. However, the Market Village of Hua Hin can be located just 1 km away from this property, and the Hua Hin Airport is 10 km away.
All the rooms here are air-conditioned and well-furnished with flat-screen TVs, cables, a safety deposit box, and bathrooms having complimentary toiletries and slippers. What separates the Baan Nilrath Hotel from the rest is that they also offer car rental services to guests and luggage storage services. Guests have access to a restaurant that serves local Thai and European cuisines and 24/7 room service.
Baan Busarin Hotel
The Baan Busarin Hotel is located at Poonsuk Road, just 0.16 km from Soi Bintabaht Walking Street. With just ten rooms, this establishment is an ideal location for relaxation and fun. Its location being the center of Hua Hin / Cha-am makes it easy for guests to access and experience other cities. The features of this hotel include daily housekeeping, well-furnished rooms with free Wi-Fi with a cost ranging from 33 USD, access to 24hr front desk services, and free Wi-Fi in public areas.
The Thipurai City Hotel (SHA +)
This list won’t be complete without the Thipurai City hotel in it. It is widespread and preferred amongst tourists who come to Hua Hin to explore or just pass through. This hotel is designed to make its guests feel comfortable in whichever space they find themselves in, as a range of amenities and services are set in place to ensure this.
The Thipurai City Hotel offers top-notch room service, restaurants, laundry services, and shops like the hotels mentioned above. They also have meeting facilities, a minibar, and well-regulated air-conditioning. They also have many recreational areas where guests can comfortably relax and reboot.
Hyatt Regency
This exotic hotel offers a full-service spa alongside other main amenities such as daily housekeeping, gym, free Wi-Fi, free parking, three outdoor pools with a pool bar, and three restaurants. It has a pet-friendly environment and was stylishly built to accommodate families. There are even free infant beds and cots, a children’s pool, a playground for kids on-site, babysitting services, and a children’s club, which is free. Their housekeeping and safety game is top notch as they provide hand sanitizers, personal protective gear, and social distancing.
The Hyatt Regency hotel is connected to an underground railway system, making transportation easy for its guests. It also has proximity to the Hua Hin Walking Street (3.8 km) and nearby locations such as the Cicada Market (4 min walk), Vana Nava Water Park (30 min walk), BluPort Resort Mall (3 min drive), Sea Pines Golf Course (8 min drive), Tamarind Night Market (1 min drive), True Arena (5 min drive), etc.
Furthermore, who wouldn’t stay in a hotel like this with all the goodies it offers? Take a walk to the nearest beach, where you can enjoy the complimentary cabanas, beach massages, and umbrellas, or indulge in intense massages, aromatherapy, and body wraps at the in-house spa whenever you are in the mood for pampering. One of the three exotic restaurants serves Italian dishes and offers breakfast, lunch, and dinner.
What Are the Best Food and Drinks In Hua Hin Walking Street?
While in Hua Hin walking street, you may want to try out the different Thai cuisines and drinks as the road is made up of bars and restaurants. Below are some of the best Thai cuisines, desserts, and beverages.
The Spicy Blue Crab Papaya Salad (Som Tam Pu Ma)
This is an all-time favorite dish that should not be missed at all costs. The Papaya salad, native to the Northeast (Isan), is served side by side with the fresh blue crab of Hua Hin. The taste of the well-pounded som tam and the refreshing blend of sour and spicy makes it irresistible – not to mention the crunchy blue crab you can feast on.
Steamed Crab Wing (Kan Chiang Pu Nueng)
In Hua Hin Walking Street, steamed crab is quite famous and is the highlight on most food menus, even though it is a messy business cracking the crab on the dining table. Because of its bite-sized nature, it is a hassle-free meal that is meaty and always ready on request. It usually comes with a spicy seafood sauce, all for the taking. This is a delicious dish.
Spicy Shrimp Soup (Tom Yam Goong)
The spicy shrimp soup is a bold and refreshing meal made of chilies, lime leaves, galangal, lime juice, fish sauce, and lemongrass. This is one of those dishes that goes with almost any meal in Thailand.
Fried Babylon Snails (Hoi Wan Pad Cha)
The Hoi Wan Pad Cha are rare, as finding them on the menu is challenging. However, this dish is one of a kind in terms of taste, as it goes with roasted chili oil. These Babylon snails are prepared with garlic, fresh peppercorns, sweet basil, roasted chili oil, bird’s eye chilies, and wild ginger. This is a timesaver dish as it is easy and can be prepared in no time. However, it can be very spicy.
Deep-fried Oyster Pancake (Au Suan)
The Au Suan is also a trendy dish in Bangkok. The size and freshness of the key ingredients used during preparation are responsible for the satisfaction it brings when served. The key elements here are oysters and raw eggs. After a few stirs, it is done side by side with a quality oyster sauce and diluted tapioca starch solution.
Steamed Seafood Custard (Haw Mok Talay)
The Haw Mok Talay dish is native to the central region and famous in Hua Hin. This seafood variation is traditionally prepared with freshwater fish in place of sea bass and served with a handful of other seafood such as squid, shrimp, and mussels. Usually served in a coconut shell, it goes best with a red curry base and coconut cream.
Garlic Fried Sand Whiting (Plaa Sai Tod Kratiem)
This is also a typical dish as it can be found on the menu of almost every Thai-styled restaurant that serves seafood at Hua Hin Walking Street. It is one of the best appetizers and hits best with steamed rice. The saltwater specie is gotten from the Andaman Sea and the Gulf of Thailand. After being soaked in garlic peppercorn batter, it is then fried until it turns gold in color. Be careful of the bone when you take a bite.
The Top 5 Desserts To Try In Hua Hin Walking Street
Sweet Thai Crepe
As the name implies, this dessert is filled with thick cream made of sugar and egg whites with shredded egg yolk toppings (Foy Thong).
Mango Sticky Rice
The sticky mango rice is quite popular and is the most delicious of them all for an excellent reason. A serving has coconut-cooked sticky rice topped with freshly sliced mangoes with thick coconut milk sauce spread all over. Absolutely yummy!
Thai Roti
The Thai Roti is quite popular all over Thailand and can be found on Hua Hin Walking Street. This dessert will indeed have your thirst bud craving for more as it is a grilled dough covered in butter. Inside, you will find lots of goodies from bananas to eggs and Nutella, dipped or covered in chocolate or condensed milk.
The Mung Bean Candy
It is made of mung bean paste smashed and sweetened to perfection and then glazed to give it its looks (cute small pieces of fruit). These cute candies can be gotten as a gift for kids and friends.
Ice Cream Made Of Coconut
You can find this on almost every corner of Hua Hin Walking Street or even at the general market. Being homemade, it is ice cream with a bunch of munchies like sweet corn, peanuts, and syrups served in a coconut shell. This dessert is quite refreshing.
What Are The Best Thai Drinks To Try Out?
Below are three of the most sought-after drinks to try out in Hua Hin Walking Street.
Thai Beer
A bottle of beer will always be one of the most refreshing drinks in the world. Try out new brands such as Singha and Chang beer. Both are pretty popular, but Singha is the oldest brand with a little bit of sweetness, and you can taste fruits in it. The Singha brand comes in two types, one of which is lighter with 3.5% alcohol and the other with 5.8% alcohol which is more robust. On the other hand, the Chang brand is much stronger and preferred by many because it is cheaper. However, these two are at the top of the consumption chain, constantly battling for the number spot in the country. They both go hand in hand with local Thai dishes.
Thai Cocktails
Thai cocktails are simply irresistible to alcohol lovers, Thailand’s boozers, and barflies. Experience the taste of Thailand on your lips each time you visit Hua Hin Walking Street. Examples of these cocktails are Tom Yum Siam, Siam Mary, Passion Fruit Caipiroska, Lancastria, etc. All of which are popular and can be found on Hua Hin Walking Street.
Thai Whiskey
Mekhong and SongSam are reputably the best whisky in Thailand and will always keep the party buzzing all night long. These are easily found in clubs and bars in Hua Hin Walking street, and both taste like rum prepared with rice and served on ice. Between Mekhong and SongSam, the former is the most popular, while the latter is preferred by the elites because of its reputation and being the oldest.
Conclusion
There you have it, all the happenings in Hua Hin Walking Street, including the best food and drinks you wouldn’t want to miss out on, the bars, the restaurants, the fun, the girls, the shopping experience, etc. Although Hua Hin Walking Street is not as raunchy and seedy as the Walking Street of Pattaya, it is still recognized as a red light district in Thailand and has the things all red-light sections have in common. Most people will probably agree that it was designed to primarily accommodate adults because of the handful of bars and nightclubs present.
