Wow. This place is amazing.
We stayed for three nights on a family vacation (2x adults and 3x kids aged 5, 10 and 11). Because we couldn’t fit inside a regular room, we had to book 2x adjoining rooms. This was pretty expensive, but still significantly cheaper than booking a suite at this hotel.
Logistically --- it is a little tricky to get to from BKK airport. We used the hotel transportation (7400THB one way between the hotel lobby and BKK airport). In hindsight, I wish I’d used the AOT transportation service, which has a counter in the arrivals area of the airport. A friend told me about it, and I’ve used it since --- it seems very reliable and cheaper than the services provided by the hotels.
But the hotel itself is sooooo worth the trek.
I visited Hua Hin as a backpacker 15 years ago, and was disappointed. I thought it was boring, expensive and pointless. But as a grown man with family, I can definitely see the appeal these days! It’s so family-friendly and the beach is truly beautiful. The Hyatt fronts right onto the beach, and it’s so luxurious to have the easy choice of pool or sea.
Speaking of pools --- they are incredible. Possibly the best swimming pools of any hotel I’ve ever stayed. The waterslide is definitely the largest of any hotel pool I’ve seen. Not much fun for me, but I’m getting too old for that. My kids must’ve slid 100x times per child per day (not an exaggeration).
The rooms were stylish and elegant, but a little small (even with the 2x adjoining rooms). The highlight of this place is the grounds, pool and public area, not the rooms themselves.
The location is both good and bad. Good for obvious reasons. Beach. But bad because you definitely cannot walk into the town area. We visited the markets and you have to take transportation --- either the hotel shuttle, public bus or tuktuk. Transportation is fairly easy and cheap, but just a little inconvenient with three tired kids.
The food in the Thai restaurant was delicious. But also very expensive. A definite splurge considering how cheap the food is just outside the hotel. We visited during mango season, and the Mango Sticky Rice was 600THB inside the hotel, but only 150THB just a few minutes’ walk down the street. A big (and hard to justify) difference. By the way --- if you haven’t tried this local dessert book a ticket to Thailand immediately and eat as much of this as you can. It’s insanely amazing.
On a side note, I actually first visited this hotel for a business conference and loved it so much I returned with my family. I can definitely recommend it for both options.