Posh Weekends...

Since we've come back to Thailand our standard of accommodation when we travel has changed a lot. Gone are the £3 bamboo huts with slats for air conditioning, 2 hours of electricity, and a 5 minute scramble in the dark to a hole in the ground for a toilet (you gotta love Rock Garden). Now we seem to have developed a taste for a few more luxuries when we travel.

When I lived here before I was never interested in Hua Hin, it isn't blessed with nice beaches, and it gets overrun by Thai families. It never had the appeal of Koh Samet or Koh Tao. When we went down for a change we were pleasantly surprised to find that it was really cool. It's not like anywhere else I've been in Thailand, it's not all about girly bars and partying and there are lots of really cool bars and restaurants. It's a very relaxed place and everyone who lives there is friendly and chilled out, not like many of the areas where you get locals mixing with tourists.

Devan Dhara Resort

When we first went down there we stayed in the Devan Dhara Resort. This is a really pretty place out of town. It is made up of lots of private villas in a variety of styles ranging from garden villas, 1 bed pool villas and super sized exec villas. We stayed in a garden villa minus pool. Thought having a villa to ourselves was treat enough!! We did however get a bit of villa envy as we peered through the gate of some of the vacant pool villas.

AKA Resort

The next time we went down to Hua Hin, we decided we would treat ourselves with a stay in a place with a private pool. Seems extravagant, but we book everything through http://www.agoda.com/ and we get some really cheap deals. A private pool villa at AKA resort about 10 minutes outside of Hua Hin centre cost only £75 a night. A little pricey, but not too bad for weekend treat when you compare it to what you'd usually pay for a private pool, and you even get an outdoor tub.

Another great little beach retreat is Petchaburi. Slightly closer to Bangkok it's only a hour and half drive so can be more tempting for a weekend away than Hua Hin. It does however lack the nightlife options of Hua Hin, only having a small selection of restaurants. We stayed in the Fisherman's Village, a beautiful small resort right on the beach. Like Hua Hin, the beach is not so nice and definitely not inviting enough to go for a swim, because of this resorts in both places have had to make themselves extra special, offering budget 5 star spa style accommodation at a reasonable price. Neither Petchaburi or Hua Hin would be a place I'd choose to take a tropical holiday, but for weekends away where you're not after white sand and coconut palms, they are the perfect place.

Fisherman's Village Resort