Samed or Hua Hin in august?

We%26#39;re (30-something family with 2yo daughter) going to travel from Sweden to Thailand in a month and have not yet decided where to go.

We have a flight to Bangkok and then we%26#39;re planning to go to either Hua Hin (or Cha am?) or Ko Samed for 2 weeks.

Last year we went to Ao Nang, Ko Lanta, Ko Chang and Bangkok. Bangkok and Ko Chang were the favorites.

We are aware that Hua Hin and Ko Samed are very different destinations, but our want list looks like this:

- Thai-feel and not to exploited (Therefore we don%26#39;t want to go to Samui or Pattaya)

- Not to deserted since it%26#39;s low season (last year Lanta was almost spooky in may; we felt like we were the only people on the whole island)

- Good seafood

- Nightmarket/simple and authetic food

- Good beach

- Good hotel (Sofitel in Hua Hin or Ao Prao at Ko Samed?)

We have read both that Hua Hin is authentic Thai and Western/Scandinavian. Can it really be both?

We are afraid that Samed is to ';boring'; and that 2weeks would be too long.

Anyone who have stayed on both places recently?

Samed or Hua Hin in august?

elbe stockholm

I think 2 weeks at Koh Samed is definitely too long. Koh samed is more renowned as a weekend and/or few days getaway from Bangkok and as such it becomes very crowded on weekends, particularly on the northern side of the island which has the best beaches. there are quieter spots on the island bit the beaches are not that great and the accommodation choices are limited compared to the northern end. So if you do go then 4/5 days max.

Samed is a national park, therefore each of you will have to pay 400B before you get the ferry to Samed. there are no cars allowed on Samed so you have to travel from BKK to BangPhe (3hrs) then catch a ferry to Samed. Alternately some hotels have their own water transport.

Hua hin gives you the option of a few more things to do, and most of your needs can be met.

you can maybe consider combining the 2 destinations.

bkk3

Samed or Hua Hin in august?

Thank you very much!

Hmm, if 2w at Samed is to long; you didn%26#39;t sound that excited about 2w in Hua Hin either? Which place would you recommend instead? (with reasonably good weather in august...)

elbe stockholm

your right in saying that Hua hin doesn%26#39;t really excite me. i%26#39;ve lived and worked in BKK for nearly 9 years so places like Hua Hin don%26#39;t really do it for me anymore. Having said that i do go down at least once a year because it is close to BKK (4 hrs by car) and it%26#39;s convenient i.e no airport hassles etc. plus during school holidays it fills a few days. As long as there is a decent pool and beach then my kids always have a good time. If i had to sum up then Hua Hin is a smaller version of Pattaya but without the sleeze, however with the amount of development taking place there it won%26#39;t be long before it catches up with Pattaya.

you can actually stay here for 2 weeks but it might become a bit boring by end of week 1. however if you guys are just happy to laze around the pool and/or beach then you should enjoy it. it depends what you want out of your 2 weeks.

Samed is a small island, in fact technically it%26#39;s a sandbar. it%26#39;s about 6km long and 2km wide at it%26#39;s widest point, so there isn%26#39;t really any room for parks, kids areas entertainment etc. plus there isn%26#39;t really anything of interest to look at. however you can do some nice boat trips and snorkelling.

bkk3

Super thanks for all input!

If you wouldn%26#39;t go to neither Hua Hin nor Ko Samed, where would you go instead? (if you consider the weather in august and travel with a small child)?

elbeStockholm

if you%26#39;re willing to fly out of Bangkok then i would suggest Khao Lak which is about 90 km north of Phuket. Pick up a cheap airfare with ThaiAirAsia or Nokair to Phuket then transefer by car/minivan. 2 excellent places to stay are the Ramada Khao Lak and the Merlin Resort Khao Lak.

bkk3

Bkk3, Thank you very much.

We will definitely consider Khao Lak.

Hi,

I saw your post and thought you may be able to help us. My boyfriend and I are going to thailand for 4 days. For that reason (and since we also dont want to go somewhere like pattaya) we chose ko samet. Since you guys have experience in thailand and you seem to think that ko samte can become crowded with not much to do. I was wondering if there are any places nearby that we can go, if we get bored or are seeking something new?