Aleenta Hua Hin

A stylish beachside retreat with beautiful suites and spa, 3 hours south of Bangkok

After a few days in Bangkok, chances are you’ll want to head to the coast for some S&S on the beach. (R&R is so last year, don’t you know). But the question is, where’s the best place?

Well, it all depends what you think S&S stands for. If it’s sleaze and sex-shows, then jump on a bus to Pattaya and begone with you. But if it’s sand and sea, or swimming and sunbathing, or spa and style, then you should head south, past the charmless resorts and golf courses of Cha-Am and Hua Hin, to the little market town of Pranburi. The beach here is one long sandy strip, with barely a soul, where you will find a resort so cool that it is a pleasure just to sit and stare. It’s called Aleenta, it’s Sanskrit for ‘a rewarding life’, and it’s the original - and best - boutique resort on this stretch. Its 20 rooms are set among green lawns right beside that empty beach. Sleek looks, superior cuisine and an open-air spa make it the perfect seaside hangout for romance- or fashion-seekers, or anyone who can’t make it to Thailand’s far south.

Highs

• The endless sandy beach on your doorstep
• Raised infinity pool with sleek sunloungers
• Open-air spa with Thai & Swedish treatments
• Little-known national park on your doorstep (beaches, caves, birdlife)
• Beautifully-designed rooms with wraparound windows, jacuzzi plunge pools, sunken bathtubs

Lows

• Not the prettiest beach: straight & featureless
• Shelves very gently - not ideal for swimming
• Some development going on nearby
• It’s not very easy to get to, or link to other places on our site, so best as an excursion from Bangkok