cha-am -- teak palace, tranquility, and tandem tribulations ...

This 1920s palace is the biggest drawcard in this part of the coast. And why not – it is after all the 'longest teak palace in the world', lovingly restored and maintained in a garden of several hectares featuring lush rain trees, sprawling multi-rooted Banyan trees, spiky Bismarck palms and jacarandas . Despite the tour buses disgorging their passengers every 10 minutes it makes for an enjoyable half day outing. You see, all the groups go straight into the main entrance, take the tour through the palace, and back on the bus again on to the souvenir market.

But to do that is to miss so much ...

Hire a bike at the entrance. It costs you 30 baht all day. We paid 50 for a tandem. In a scene reminiscent from The Goodies we had a few false starts which landed us in hedges and had us weaving all over the road, running tour groups and unsuspecting grandmothers off the pathway. Jing jing!

But once we’d mastered it, it became an enjoyable meander. Off to the left (north) of the palace past a statue of Rama V1 gazing out to sea, is a wonderful teak house which used to be used by his aide-de-camp. A lamp signalling system told him when Rama V1 was getting dressed for dinner, when His Majesty was already at the table, etc.

Surrounded by frangipanis and a sprawling lawn and overlooking the ocean, this double storey tropical mansion would have real estate agents salivating and struggling to come up with suitable descriptions if they had to write an ad for it.

Garrulous groups of more interested tourists pose endlessly in front of it. This way and that. In fact, it strikes me that posing for photographs is a, or perhaps the, national sport in Thailand. Ok, one, two, three, peace sign, click. Ok, one, two, three, peace sign, click. Ok … thousands and thousands of variations of the same photo. Thank Buddha for digital cameras.

We eventually find absolute tranquility in a wooden walkway constructed through the mangroves. We dismount, and walk hand-in-hand, observing large herons and creepy salamander-like amphibious fish which slither and slide across the mudflats. It is positively pre-historic. The pathway eventually brings us back full circle to our bike.

We cycle it back to the rental shop, hoping they don’t notice the dings, scratches, and tell-tale bits of shrubbery collected in the spokes along the way.

Cha-am -- Courtyard by Marriott: a playground paradise

Thinking of a great beachside holiday spot for the family in Thailand? This is it. A futsal set and snooker table in the Havana lobby lounge set the tone for family fun. Then there’s the massive pool right by the beach with its serpentine slides and Kid’s Club. It’s all here: arts and craft studio, science lab, a ‘dress up’ area, mini-ball pit, video games, and a movie theatre. This is the most comprehensive and impressive set up for kids I’ve ever seen. Anywhere.

In most hotels, this sort of thing is a token gesture bolt-on. But not at the Courtyard: it's purpose built. Hey, hold on, I wish I was a kid again!

It’s imposing all right. You can see the Courtyard miles away poking way above everything else (which is admittedly not much, apart from low-rise blue-roofed houses and seafood restaurants) in the area.

The hotel is large and airy, and even when fully booked, it seems fun, active, but never crowded because it sits on a large long block, with the pool and Kids Club and Momo Café separated from the main block by an elaborately landscaped and ponded, well, courtyard.

From rooms in the main wing, you get stunning views out the front and the back: so take your pick according to your mood … gaze out over the silver mirror of the ocean, the breakwaters and the fishing boats, or let your eyes take in the verdant panorama of the 180-degree mountain range behind towards Burma (Thailand is very skinny at this point). Lovely! Plus you get sunrise and sunset all in one place. Jing jing!

A couple of interesting things about this hotel: I was surprised that our junior suite – a very large room indeed, with separate lounge, tv, bar counter, etc didn’t have a bathtub – only a shower. And while there’s a fridge in the room, there’s nothing in the mini bar. But this I saw as a positive. They openly state that ‘rather than fill your fridge with items you don’t want …’, head down to Momo 2 Go in the lobby and buy your own supplies ‘at prices much less than the usual mini bar price’. Bravo! Bravo!!!

If you want to get out and about the Adventure Club can arrange excursions for you to take in nearby ATV tracks, karting, waterfalls, Thai boxing,etc.

So there’s lots to rave about with the Courtyard Hua Hin at Cha-Am Beach. C’mon kids, once more down the big slide. Last one in is a rotten egg! Woohoooooooooooooooooo!!!

cha-am -- Alila, where less is more

Alila is minimalistic with a lower case ‘m’ because to use a capital letter would be just a little bit too much for it.

It strives for --and reaches -- a state of Zen. The bare concrete bunker-like walls are rough screed with nary a picture nor photograph for relief. Wood is used heavily. The tones are earthy, muted. And water, in pools and ponds, is everywhere. But in strict rectangular formats. Even the pot plant – yes, singular – in the room is a dried brown arrangement.


But maybe it’s this very visual vacuum that allows the imagination to roam, and the senses to fill themselves in other ways.

This way you notice the jazztronica lounge music seeping from the waterproof Bose speakers outside Motion restaurant. Or you indulge yourself fully in the 3000-inch TV in your room, with your choice of dozens of movies and hundreds of pre-loaded songs on Apple TV. I never appreciated lounge music before – found it aimlessly meandering,frankly – but at Alila it makes perfect sense. It’s a tailor-made musical score.

In the room with its soaring ceiling height, and all the furniture and fittings being floor-to-ceiling heighten that spatial effect, the rain shower is a joy. Liberation at the turn of a tap. It becomes a makeshift dancefloor where you can groove to the music which – a rarity in a hotel – actually goes to ‘11’ so you can revel in it. Jing jing!

What about your neighbours? At Alila, everything is solid, so you don’t seem to need to worry about noise. The walls seem metres thick. The feature furniture is huge chunks of timeless timber.

At Red Bar finally I find some colour: you guessed it, red. And then the LEDs change to yellows and blues. I sink into the sofa and soak in the pool scene: all young couples. All paired off. An over representation of young Thai men. All paired off.

A spa treatment continues the languid sensory indulgence. The signature here is a combination of Thai and Balinese strokes. I sleep through much of it such is my soothed state. Zen bliss.

And Zen, sorry, then move up to the Clouds loft for dinner, where the view back over the rooftop pond to the open air lobby at the other end is almost transcendental. The chef produces a gourmet feast of Mediterranean-style dishes here. Beef fillet topped with lobster. Seared tuna. Ravioli with prawn. Heavenly.

I can see why people come back to Alila so often. I fully get it. Who wouldn’t want more of this? With a lower case ‘m’ of course. Because less is more here. And Zen is now.

Cha-am -- Veranda's tropical chic

The whole design ethic of Veranda screams minimalist tropical chic. Except ‘screams’ is not the right word to use here. Veranda is cool, laid back and tasteful. It states things quietly; it doesn’t – and wouldn’t – scream.

Tucked away down a quiet seaside lane, it is the perfect easy getaway from Bangkok. Where the stresses of the working week can be checked-in at the gate. Its shingled angular roof. Its groves of banana and wild ginger plants. Its ponds and pool that provide a soothing soundtrack of water on the move. Gently chiming music.

At just 118 rooms it is boutique-sized. (They’ve also added another block behind, which has large all-in-one family sized rooms, especially popular with Asian families). But what really gives it that delightful tropical chic edge is the pockets of charm dotted here and there – a bar with bright red high-backed chairs – another bar with blue-and-green striped lounges and hanging basket-like chairs. On the deck above the ‘modern Thai’ i-Sea restaurant are white plastic chairs that more resemble metamorphosing amoeba under a microsscope, jing jing!

These all give it an edginess. But it’s all about casual comfort …

Our seaview suite was a marvel of creature comforts creatively configured into a suitable space. The bed (with bench and plasma TV at the foot) gazed out to the palm trees and ponies on the beach. The massive bathroom, dominated by a self-standing tub, was a centerpiece not an afterthought.

A spa and fitness centre complete the offering here, along with chic retailer Ginger. (The resort’s owner has interests in construction, fitness, etc.) But you’ll find just about everyone horizontal in the sun beds around the freeform pool, where a mini slide keeps kids busy, while three large wooden frames rain water down on those who want to have their heads and shoulders massaged by cascading water.

Veranda's slogan is Hip and Cool (it’s sister property in Chiang Mai operates under High and Cool). That it is. And hip and cool people don’t scream. They just exude.

Cha-Am -- a charming seaside town

Where the hell is Cha-Am? is a reasonable question. You see I’d been travelling to Thailand for about 20 years before I ever even heard the name much less visited the place.

To break the suspense, it’s about 130 km south west of Bangkok; about 30 km north of Hua Hin. Got it now?

In fact no one is quite sure where Cha-Am finishes and Hua Hin starts. They sort of blur into one, sharing the same local attractions between them. But Hua Hin is the bigger of the two, having started way back with the Royal summer resort connection and the fabled railway since 1911.

‘Hua Hin seemed to get the high end, and Cha-Am the cheap end of the market,’ says Khun Panit, manager of the Veranda resort in Cha-Am, ‘but that’s all changing now.’ He talks of how the Dusit, the Sofitel were already in Hua Hin 10 years ago when he first arrived, then came the Hyatt, the Hilton, now the InterCon ‘and the new brand names are still coming.’

He points out that the trend in Cha-Am is now towards the more upscale market ‘with a lot of boutique resorts like Alila moving in’.

Ironically the Veranda calls itself Veranda Hua Hin Cha-Am. ‘We push it to the border,’ laughs the amiable hotelier. ‘Customers overseas know where Hua Hin is. But in fact Cha-Am has better beaches.' The Courtyard by Marriott similarly bills itself as ‘Hua Hin at Cha-Am Beach’.

The beach in fact is a long beautiful stretch that goes on endlessly, with deckchairs and umbrellas, and blue wooden fishing boats sitting high and dry at the high water mark.  Strolling along the beach front road, fishing nets and paraphernalia are strung out, and there’s a rather pungent smell of fish in the air. A sure sign of the freshest seafood, ironically ...

A popular strip of restaurants is a magnet, especially for Bangkokians at the weekend. While the Horny Gecko restaurant does a roaring trade (more to farangs with its more polished appearance – it has walls and a roof for instance), those in the know head to Sung Wean, an authentic seafood restaurant right in the sand. Hundreds of tables are plonked on the beach, shaded by seemingly thousands of red, blue and green beach umbrellas. This is fine when it’s sunny, and just a little humorous when the monsoon rains come sweeping in … and torrents of leaking water force diners to stand on their seats, shielding their main courses from the drips.

But the food … steamed fish, grilled prawns, steamed green-lipped mussels (a whole dish for only 80 baht). Oh, to die for! And mains cost between 100-250 baht only. ‘The portions are massive and incredible value for money,’ enthuses Panit. ‘There’s a waiting list every weekend.’

Same for Platoo restaurant, in the vicinity of Marriott. A barn of a place facing the beach, but with real walls and a thatched roof and everything. Great seafood at the same prices. But bigger. Think tour buses, and staff calling through orders on wireless radios. Not as charming but the food is mouthwatering.

And at the northern end, hundreds of umbrella-covered deckchairs. Beyond the beach and the boats, the breakwater keeps the ocean at bay, providing a charming safe haven where kids fly kites and ponies wait for pint-sized passengers.

If you haven’t heard of Cha-Am before – or even if you have – you’re going to be hearing a lot more of it from now, jing jing.