After a few nights in Bangkok it’s time to go tropical. That’s why we move 300 km down and visit the favourite spot of the late king Rama IX of Bhumibol – may he rest in peace. This place is called Hua Hin and its basically a long stretch of land along the coast. The first hotel we check out up close and personal is called Wora Bura Hua Hin and it’s located somewhat in the middle of Hua Hin city (practically next to the famous Cicada Night Market where you can eat deliciously and score some superb souvenirs).

Things we liked

Wora Bura Hua Hin from the outside is a beautiful resort with a lot of eye for detail. Little statues of elephants are popping up everywhere and this gives it a real authentic Thai feel to it. The floor plan of the resort is layed out nicely. It’s obvious, but it works just fine. The center of the resort is either garden or swimming pool and all the buildings surrounding are either rooms, suites or villas.

The pool is the center piece of the resort and it’s good place to hang out (we spend there 2 full days). The food and drinks are good and the staff, though their English is not really on point, is super friendly.

The fact that they are located on the beach gives it a cool nudge (and a well needed breeze because it sometimes is scorching hot in Hua Hin during this time of the year (May/June).

We took the liberty to make use of their gym and spa and both of them are pretty ok. About the spa we do need to talk a little longer. One of us had a full body massage (siganture) one and he has had a lot of them in his lifetime. This time however was different. Better. This ‘betterness’ was all about the technique that was used. Since this massage we truly understand the difference between a good massage and a really good one. We can’t remember her name exactly, but we want to point out specifically that the resort should be really glad to have this woman and be careful not to loose her to a bigger resort.

Another thing we liked very much was the room. We were staying in a (Grand Deluxe Twin Room) It was spacious and colonial style decorated, just like the rest of the resort. This made it feel like we were experiencing a time centuries ago. Put in the fact that every room had a little memorabilia of a famous Thai city from the past and you’re having the perfect place to stay.

Things we didn’t like

But, there were also things we didn’t like about the resort. The room we just talked about? The bed was really hard. One might enjoy a hard mattress, but we don’t. And we’ve been asking around, and most of the people we know prefer a soft mattress over a hard one.

Though the food was decent, the restaurant was not. Because of the mosquitos at night in this country we mostly enjoy our dinner inside. No worries about insects and no worries about the heat. The Wora Bura Hua Hin restaurant didn’t have this option. It was designed to be always open and though it was ventilated heavily we couldn’t really enjoy (though again, the food was good) it because we were sweating all over the place. Breakfast was at another place which did had the option to eat inside, but because we were visiting in the low season, this was not open at night.

Another thing we didn’t really like was the lack of English language at the staff. We understand that probably most of the visitors are Thai, but there are a lot of moments staff members aren’t doing that much (especially during low season). Make them learn at least a few words English and your international guests are a lot more happy at the end of the day. I am not saying this to be unfriendly or anything but we notices we weren’t the only ones struggling to communicate with staff members.

Conclusion

We loved the colonial feel the place gives. The pool is really nice to spend time and the food is pretty good. But, at the end of the line we wouldn’t recommend the place. The bad English, the fact that the evening restaurant doesn’t have an inside option and the renovation the place needs makes us have to pass on this one. There are better resorts in the same price range.

Price range: Around € 130,- a night
More information: Wora Bura Hua Hin website
TripAdvisor: link
Google: maps
Rating: 7,5