Hua Hin - Hills Vineyard

The trip to the Hua Hin Hills Vineyard wasn't exactly that cheap, especially since we are considering to take a private car to go there. There is a way to get there by the public transport that are designated to that area, but I think it also cost around THB350/person. In any case, the driver quoted us THB1,800 for a round-trip with a bonus stopover at Sam Phan Nam floating market along the way. They are expensive but since we are a group of 4 with a kid, I had no choice but to accept it.

We soon reach our first stopover at the Sam Phan Nam floating market where we had the chance to shop at some of the stalls and also take the boat to tour around.

The weather was extremely hot that day and you can see my poor baby had a red cheek there almost dehydrated.

The places were huge there and there were almost more than 100 shops there that we had pass by. We bought a couple of T-shirt for our son and then proceeded to go next to the main destination since time was running out.

Soon after, we went inside the car to proceed to our next destination at the much awaited Hua Hin Hills Vineyard.

The view throughout going into the Vineyard was amazing. You can see plenty of greenery out there which was next best to everything. Before we entered the Vineyard, we could see plenty of grapes farm which they've used to plant their grapes for the wine and you can step out to take a few close snapshot.

 

When we finally arrived, the first thing we did was to grab a place for lunch. We didn't make any reservations prior to coming here, so we didn't really get the best seat we wanted. The whole place for lunch wasn't exactly that big, so it is recommended that a reservation be made.

 

We ordered their specialty wine tasting which was mostly uniquely Hua Hin. To be honest, I've drank much better wines out there so I wasn't really impressed with it. We also ordered a few local fried rice and western food to go for our lunch while enjoying the scenery.

 

After our lunch, we toured around the area for a little while more before proceeding to go back to our hotel.

 

Our Hearty Lunch @ Hills Vineyard

Mommy, I am drunk

See Ya Next Time :)

Hua Hin - Venezia

Venezia was about 10 minute drive from our hotel. We paid around THB 1,500 for a round-about trip to Venezia / Santorini / Swiss Sheep Farm and then back to the hotel. The driver would wait throughout for an almost entire day itinery so I think it's the standard price unless you are driving on your own.

We arrived at 10 in the morning, but was made to wait for another half hour as the ticket counter will only be open at 10.30. We chose package A which cost about THB 530/person which includes all the activities you will see below and they are packaged in such a way so that most tourists would choose their package A. I think it's a little expensive and given the weather in such a hot condition (37 degrees when we were there), I don't think we are able to do much activities outdoor (or so we thought). Still, we try to squeeze in as many activities as we could while we were there.

 

1.) The Venetian Gondola

 

If you've been to Macao or even the Marina Bay Sands in Singapore, I think you can skip this particular activities. The experience was great but since they are being shored outdoor, we have to bear the hot weather magnitude which can be very exhausting under the direct sun exposure. The water isn't also very clean and well maintained and throughout the boat experience we just wanted for it to end quickly since we were not really enjoying it.

2.) Mini-Europe

The Mini-Europe was fun and indoor and there was barely any visitors inside, so we took a lot of photos while we were roaming around. Rome, Holland, Greece and French alike buildings were some of those that were displayed and they are definitely good for photo-taking. 

 

 

 

 

3.) 3-D Art Gallery / Upside Down House

I think this was the most fun activities out of all, at least for our kid who enjoyed running around the gallery in amazement. Also, they are located indoor so we were again spared from the burning hot sun outside :)

4.) The Mini Zoo

Last but not least, we went the mini zoo section. There was some sheep and horses there and they were running around in herd. It's the first time my boy was seeing them so he felt somewhat terrified of it hahaha. I hope at least he learnt from it. It was a very nice atmosphere seeing these animals on the go.

Hua Hin - Cicada Night Market / Chatsila Night Market

Next, we proceeded to the cicada market by tuk tuk. The tuk tuk in Hua Hin charges almost the same price as the private car but it is so difficult to find one on the road unless you have a direct contact. Regardless, it was a very fun experience riding the vehicle, though I must say that they are really dangerous as the door was open and the driver speeds up.

Cicada Market

Cicada market is only open on the weekends, so make sure you grab the chance to go if you are there during the weekends. Luckily for us, our schedule fits right on sunday when we arrived.

 

The market is unlike any night market we've been to.

 

The market surrounds an atmosphere connection of artistique, creators, designers, culture and arts and they are represented by the activities they do over there and the items they sell.

 

The market is divided into 4 zones: Art A La Mode, Cicada Art Factory, Amphitheatre and Cicada Cuisine.

 

The first two is where the vendors are selling items of clothing, bags, accessories, crafts, cards and many more along the path of the sideways. Many of these items are unique on their own because they are mostly handcrafted so they boast individual unique identity that you cannot find in other stalls.

 

The Cicada Cuisine is the food zone area where you can get your dining. Some of the options include local thai cuisine, and a few Chinese and western food. Overall, the dining was pretty decent in a much relaxed open environment. There are also plenty of space around if you come earlier so there's really no need to worry not being able to find tables for dining.

Chatsila Market

Chatsila is a night market which runs adjacent to the Hua Hin night market.

 

They are a typical night market which sells clothes and accessories that are cheap and appeals to tourists. The market is much cleaner and more organized than the Hua Hin market though they lack scale of individuality as some of the things sold are repetitive.

 

Across the market, there are also a few seafood dining options and we managed to eat our dinner there. One of our dining options was the KO Seafood restaurant which I think was very fantastic. We ordered a lot, including an 800 gram of Lobster and Tiger Prawns which can cost near to THB 1000 baht for each. The tom yum and la la were also very delicious so I would definitely go back to the stall again if I decide to return one day.