Centara Grand Beach Resort & Villas Hua Hin

The Centara Grand Beach Resort & Villas Hua Hin is a luxury property with an aura of grandeur and charm. The hotel was the first in Hua Hin, formerly known as the Railway Hotel, and opened in 1923 when the first rail connection between Thailand and Malaysia created the country's first beach resort. The hotel has several wings, but the main building here is a colonial gem, with white balustrades and a gleaming facade topped by a long red tiled roof. The building is surrounded on all sides by extensive grounds, with hedges manicured into elephants and other animal shapes, and the entrance resembles that of a private English manor -- one that happens to be in the tropics. The lobby here is large and open-air, with a long wooden spiral staircase leading up to the Colonial Wing, fine carpeting, couches, and hanging glass lantern lights adding to the charm. As the hotel remains dedicated to its railway past, the building is full of memorabilia and mementos from the 1920s, ranging from old radios to telephones to tea samovars to giant metal safes, which are found throughout the hotel but especially in the Museum Cafe. Classical hotel and colonial architecture buffs will love this place, and for some, it may be the prime reason to visit Hua Hin itself.

The Centara Grand Beach Resort & Villas is located in the center of Hua Hin and right on the beach. The resort is expansive, divided into several wings and sections, with the new Villa Wing actually being across the street from the old building. It's a prime location, perfect for accessing all of Hua Hin's restaurants, bars, and shops, and all of the water sports and horseback riding on the beach can be had here as well, as they are right out in front of the hotel. If you want to be smack in the center of town, this is the perfect choice, and the railway station and bus and minivan terminals are just a 10-minute ride or less up the road. The main drawback here is that there is a lot of traffic and congestion near the hotel, driving and parking on the weekends are close to impossible, and additionally, the beach here is not particularly pretty and can be extremely crowded. If you are looking for a quiet beach escape, better head elsewhere. Despite being downtown however, the resort is very green, with lush private grounds, so it is easy to escape the crowds outside.

There is an extensive choice of rooms at the Centara Grand Beach Resort. There are 207 elegant colonial-style rooms, which feature fine wooden floors, high ceilings, and period furniture, as well as 42 bright, modern villas, each with a garden setting and a private plunge pool or hot tub. All lodging options here feature modern amenities such as flat-screen TVs, large safe boxes, minibars, coffee- and tea-making facilities, and free Wi-Fi. Rooms include ceiling fans and mosquito netting over the beds, and most bathrooms have walk-in showers as well as bathtubs. 

The villas resemble private cottages and are just as elegant. They all feature white wood and ambient lighting, and are extremely bright and airy. The villas offer Club privileges (free happy hour cocktails and free refreshments among other perks), have DVD players, freestanding bathtubs, and their own private gardens. The smaller villas have hot tubs in the garden, but the Premium Deluxe Villas feature large plunge pools and 120 square meters (nearly 1,300 square feet) of living space.

The Centara Grand Beach Resort & Villas Hua Hin is packed with features. Families will find much to love, as there is a large kids' club, along with a playground and three children's pools -- in addition to the resort's four outdoor swimming pools. The main pools include: the quiet Garden pool, the main Colonial pool, and the Railway pool (all stacked with sun loungers and beach umbrellas); and the Villa Suites pool (exclusively for villa guests). Additionally, the resort has a large fitness center, a comprehensive spa, and even tennis courts and a putting green.

The dining and drinking options here are abundant. Villa guests have breakfast at Suan Bua, a traditional Thai restaurant located poolside, which serves buffet breakfasts by day and romantic candlelit Thai dinners at night. Guests in the Colonial Wing go to the Railway Restaurant, designed to commemorate the Hua Hin Railway Station in the 1920s, serving buffet breakfast and then all day international dining. Breakfast is included in most rates. The hotel also has Japanese dining at Hagi, with sushi, sashimi, and teppanyaki barbecue, and seafood lovers can head to the Palm Pavilion and Terrace, set out by the beach, where there are fresh seafood grills set up whenever the weather allows. This restaurant has an intimate indoor section as well. For a drink or coffee and pastries, the atmospheric Museum is filled with various Hua Hin memorabilia and mementos of the railway era, and even more elegant is the Elephant Bar, where polished wood floors and comfy chairs are set around a piano, and live jazz accompanies the cocktails.

The hotel also has some of the most extensive conference and meeting facilities in Hua Hin, and the giant ballroom here is a popular choice for weddings or other large celebrations. Wi-Fi throughout is free.