We stayed last time when it was the Sofitel, this time we stayed in a Club room. It was huge and had a walk in wardrobe (well, you could stand in it!!), and a dressing area. Beautifully decorated.
The grounds and swimming pools have not changed. I almost feel that the hotel is in the middle of a huge park. Stunning grounds.

Don't worry about not getting a sunbed. They don't allow you to book beds. You may at first glance think all the sunbeds are booked but they put towels on all of them. Then when you choose a bed, they will add a second towel as a headrest. No matter what time you go to one of the pools, you will find a sunbed.
They come round with cold towels and with watermelon- nice touch. The garden pool has a happy hour from 3.30 to 4.30 which is buy one, get one free.

If you wanted to, you could spend just about all day eating and drinking at the Club. It starts with breakfast which has buffet and hot dishes to order. I loved the eggs benedict. You can have soft drinks all day. At lunchtime they have some finger food. We only tried that once but it could certainly be enough for lunchtime. Mid afternoon and they do a luxurious afternoon tea which wouldn't have been out of place in Victorian days (as befits the hotel).
Again- we only did this once as we used the time by the pool.
From 5.30-7pm you have the cocktail hour with a selection of hot and cold food. And from 8.30- 9.30pm they had a cordial hour, which I am reliably informed meant a fairly wide selection of liquors.
I love the peace of the hotel and the grounds. Even better it is minutes to the bars and restaurants.

Like in the previous review, I can recommend Orchids. We never had anything but great meals out for the nine days we were there. Other places we loved are Bam Bams, Moonsmile and Platoo,Na Nas( fab fish dishes)and Sawasdee. Opposite Moonsmile is Willy's station. Go in there a bit later on as they have a really good group- lots of fun.

A personal opinion based on 7 nights November 2012

This was our third visit to this hotel in 18 months, so it can’t be too bad in our opinion.

We were, again, not disappointed at returning to this hotel, which is now fully owned and managed by the Centara group.

We requested and were allocated the same club room that we enjoyed so much on out last two visits. The decor was still excellent, 12 months on from our last stay, as were all services from check-in through housekeeping to poolside.

We thought that there were fewer staff on duty in the Club, although this may have been that there were more guests using the facilities due to some unseasonal inclement weather during our visit.

Please see our previous reviews for more details of the facilities.

A true oasis of tranquility, yet only a short, easy stroll to the bars, restaurants and night life of Hua Hin.

A restaurant recommendation must go to Orchids, a 5 minute stroll away, past the Hilton. This restaurant, which we have always liked, always produces tip-top food (Thai and Western) with great, friendly service at a good price.

We will certainly not hesitate to return, to both the hotel and to Orchids, on our next Hua Hin trip.

A personal opinion, based on a visit in November 2012.

Peter

A personal opinion based on 9 nights November 2011

This was our second visit to this hotel during 2011. On this visit we used Bangkok as a gateway for a trip to Laos and, as it was our wedding anniversary, we decided to spend several days relaxing in Hua Hin prior to returning to the UK. We were not disappointed at returning to this hotel.

We requested and were allocated the same club room that we enjoyed so much on out last visit. To our surprise, the room had been tastefully re-decorated and what was already a well furnished and tasteful room had become even more elegant in perfect keeping with the style of this historic building.

All services from check-in through housekeeping to poolside and club lounge were excellent. Please see our March review for more details of the facilities.
A true oasis of tranquillity, yet only a short, easy stroll to the bars, restaurants and night life of Hua Hin.

We will certainly not hesitate to return on our next Hua Hin trip.

We have stayed in Hua Hin before and vowed we would give this hotel a go if we returned. I'm glad we did.

Beautiful hotel in a great position. The best part of the hotel is the outside space. There are four pools and plenty of sunbeds. Each pool is on its own grounds and can't be seen from other pools- it’s a huge area.

There is a breath-taking garden which I'm sure some never see as its not visible from any pool area. It is a colonial style hotel and rooms reflect this. Nice bathroom, reasonable minibar and laundry prices.

However, restaurant and bar prices are extortionate. We like to stay in 5 star hotels in Thailand (because we can't normally afford it anywhere else) and usually have a couple of drinks during the day by the pool but not here. An iced tea in this hotel- £4.50. A large beer and a Bacardi and coke outside the hotel- £3. The only ones with a drink round the pool were probably paying for club. Can't understand why they can't lower their prices- they would make so much more profit.

Walk out of this peaceful hotel and you are right in the middle of it all. Lovely restaurants and more bars than there were the last time we stayed. 8 nights were enough as I think I would get a bit fed up with much longer. I did love the 8 nights though!

Best restaurant- Bam Bams. Little place with one cook and the most beautiful food.

Average price for one starter, two mains and a large beer, and samsong and coke- about £14.

Try the seafood restaurants within the night market- fantastic and great value.

Hua Hin is a popular Thai destination and the low prices reflect this.