A Short Hop South

A Short Hop South The beach towns of hua hin and pranburi are within easy striking distance of Bangkok, writes Duncan Forgan, and these days offer a fresh take on weekend getaways.

Part of the geometric maze of the So Sofitel Hua Hin. opposite: Dinner on ice at Hua Hin Marriott Resort & Spa.

Photographed by Pornsak na nakorn

tr av el andleisure asia .com / june 2016

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Clockwise from top left: Aleenta

Hua Hin; So Sofitel’s Some Like It Hot cocktail; chef Mario Hoffmann precision plating at Hua Hin Marriott Resort & Spa; kitesurfing on Hua Hin beach; Beach Society bar at So Sofitel; James Noble, the Aleenta resident manager, with his vintage Vespa.

Could it be that the road to good intentions is often paved with hell?

That’s how it feels as I ascend a jungle-clad knoll at the southern end of Pak Nam Pran Beach, Pranburi, at a pace that probably would make a narcoleptic snail blush. Step after faltering step, I heave myself up the rocky path towards the coveted view until, finally—as my glasses threaten to slide off my glistening face for the umpteenth time—I reach the summit.

After reflecting on my aching calves and rocketing temperature for a self-pitying second, I take the time to look around. To the south and west, the limestone peaks of Khao Sam Roi Yot and Kui Buri national parks trail off into the distance before giving way to even wilder territory at the Burmese border.

Meanwhile, pristine sand stretches for kilometers to the north, the lapping waters of the Gulf of Thailand filled with kitesurfers, who look like oversized multihued tropical butterflies to me.

I’m only 220 kilometers from Bangkok, but it might as well be a thousand. The high-octane Thai capital is close at hand, but at this instant it couldn’t feel further away. This coastal stretch, which extends south for around 100 kilometers, starts in the town of Cha-am and runs through the royal resort of Hua Hin before meandering to a paradisiacal climax in Pranburi at the boundary of Khao Sam Roi Yot National Park. Over the years, I’ve stunk up local golf courses, gorged on crab in yellow curry at night markets and watched pachyderms battle it out at Hua Hin’s famous King’s Cup elephant polo tournament. In short, I feel like I know the place reasonably well.

However, with a clutch of hip properties and new openings, it seems like a good time to once more make the short hop south.

“I suppose you could say that the strip is to Bangkok what Long Island is to New York,” laughs James Noble, the resident manager and culinary creative force at Aleenta Hua Hin, the boutique property in Pranburi where I started my climb.

It is an easily navigated and compact area— the drive from Cha-am to Pranburi takes

under an hour unless you are extremely unlucky with traffic—but it certainly packs in a lot. In Cha-am and Hua Hin, luxurious branded properties sit cheek by jowl with rickety seafood restaurants and laid-back beach bars, while championship golf courses and state-of-the-art water parks provide diversions away from the shore.

Pranburi is less developed and more laidback. Small-scale boutiques such as Aleenta have a more intimate feel than bigger-hitters further north. As such, it makes the perfect place to unwind with a significant other.

“Pranburi is like the Hamptons,” continues Noble, running with the Long Island comparison. “Hua Hin and Cha-am are more family friendly or orientated to groups of friends who want to get out of Bangkok for the weekend. There’s plenty to do and more options for dining and drinking. There’s not as much happening down here, but it feels classier and more relaxing.”

I’m happy to let myself be persuaded of my host’s opinion at his beautiful property.

Following my arduous but rewarding recce of the area, I replenish in my beachfront villa, dividing time equally between beach, private plunge pool and king-sized bed while mellowing out to soothing melodies on the stereo. After, a signature oil massage at the resort’s bijou spa is the perfect salve to balance earlier exertions—the sound of the ocean pulsing through the windows lulling me into a highly-pleasurable state of semi-slumber.

If Pranburi is the Hamptons of the Hua Hin strip then Cha-am—or specifically the So Sofitel, the next stop on my itinerary—is its figurative Fire Island. The resort, formerly the Hotel De La Paix, has preserved the design flair that characterized its previous guise while adding other flamboyant touches that enhance the property’s strong air of fabulousness, a trait underscored by regular DJ parties on the beach.

Overseeing the new-look was French interior designer Donatien Carratier. Painting on a canvas started by award-winning Thai architect Duangrit Bunnag, who was responsible for the original bold structure, notable for its interwoven maze of open courtyards and pathways and use of geometric lines and solid shapes, Carratier has applied plenty of whimsical touches. A giant clockwielding white rabbit greets guests, coppercolored wild animals laze in the resort’s centerpiece reflecting pond, while other rabbit sculptures are scattered around the resort.

With leading Thai fashion designer Polpat Asavaprapha, the founder and creative director tr av el andleisure asia .com / june 2016

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