Richard1148

The water is clean and a pleasant temperature. I snorkeled a bit and there are vitually no fish to be seen, just a lot of sand on the bottom. There are no rocks in this area of the beach either. When we were there, the surf was pretty calm and there were jetskis that you could rent for I believe the equivalent of $20 per half hour.

kimsygirl

I stayed there in March and there was a jellyfish warning, so you could not go into the water at all. (I tried and got badly burned). the beach is rather boring - no treas or anything (not comparison to Bali)

But nevertheless I love this hotel - beautiful facilities, spacious rooms and a pool you can get lost in!!!

500 miles at a time

Are there any tours or other sightseeing things to do around this hotel that anyone could reccommend?

Muerz

Right next to the Hyatt is a luxury spa-hotel called Chiva Som. Try it over there but don't forget to make arrangements before trying to go in since the hotel staff won't let anyone in who is not guzest of Chiva Som. Afaik, the Hyatt is constructiong a major spa right inside their property but it won't be operationnel till 2006. May I ask you when you will be there? I might go there too eraly June.

Moonlight

Just came back from Hua Hin. I expected a sleepy town and an average Hyatt, but was pleasantly surprised. For a property less than 3years (I think), the landscaping was great!

Talay Thai was certainly a good restaurant, but my favourite was the eatery by the pool, you can literally get up from the pool and have lunch, n jumped right in after.

My only gripe was the non-existent broadband access in the room. Sigh! I still have to reply emails even on my hols

I was tempted to get on the tours,esp to see the royal summerhouse, but time was not on my side. Am already planning another trip..soon

Muerz

Well... if June 04 qualifies as recent, then I am a able to give you some answers. I would not take reviews at tripadvisor for real. I have stayed at the hotel in Hua Hin and it certainly is one of the best resort hotels in the world... except for the rooms, which could be a bit larger, this hotel certainly has Four Seasons like quality. It is the crown jewel of all Hyatt South East Asia hotels and this is said by someone who, like you, always loved the Grand Hyatt Bali . It is low-key, more personnalized service and tranquility which makes this hotel as great as it is

I cannot comment on Regency Club Service since as a lowly Platinum member (did I ever say that I hate living where there are few to no Hyatts aka Europe ) I did not get access to it on my two week stay last summer (hotel was solidly booked during entire stay)

Muerz

Oops, forgot to tell you a few words about the Hilton: It's a highrise building which does not fit well with the rest of the town. It certainly has qualities (nice restaurants, location in the middle of the town) but this Hilton could also be a Miami hotel, it does not feature any local flavor. It is busy, it is loud, and it has small pools comapred to the Hyatt

Guy Betsy

To anyone who cares.. the Hyatt Hua Hin will be building an expanded spa to rival it's next door neighbour, the Chiva Som.

hyatt_otaku

I have a few photos which I took last April if anyone is interested.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/christe/sets/1118137/

peter42

We stayed there in August. We had a lengthy discussion at check in, since they first claimed, that no RC room was available, finally one showed up, that is really bad CS service IMHO!

To the RC question, they serve beer (local and imported) and wine in the evening (mostly australian and south african).

The Talay Thai was fine, but we liked the food at the night market too, that is much more authentic!

tinkybelle

Wow the rooms are VERY small.
How hard is it to get a suite upgrade using points?

Richard1148

Why not just use points for free night in a suite rather than for an upgrade? That's what I did. At only 8,000 points per night, IMHO it is a great deal. I was surprised that tripadvisor had bad reviews, so I read them. It appears that most of the bad reviews are about the room size. With the suite, we had plenty of room and all of the Regency Club amenities. We took a walk through the Hilton property and am glad we stayed at the Hyatt. The Hilton pool area was very small as compared to the enormous size at the Hyatt. I would stay there again anytime.

leisure warrior

I agree - lovely hotel. RC rooms are nice and adequately sized, and I've been upgraded to RC every time I've stayed there. I noted lots of comments on this thread about access from BKK. I've been brave/foolish enough to rent a car every time I've visited - driving in Thailand isn't too hard if one stays on the main roads/highways - which are well marked in English as well as Thai (but don't get lost!) Having a car in Hua Hin makes getting around a peice of cake and rental prices are very reasonable if you don't want a top of the line vehicle.

Moonlight

I tried to rent a car from on of the shops downtown Hua Hin. BIG mistake. Its obviously cheaper than the cars at the Hyatt. I insisted she show me the car that came with the price.

She was smiling (as they always do) and assured be that it will be a nice sedan. But you probably guessed it, what came the next day was a passenger mini van!!

I may want to try self-drive the next time. There were quite a few interesting places to stop along the way back to Bangkok. My fear is when I get into Bangkok. Suddenly all the signs are in Thai.

Your tips?

leisure warrior

I actually have started my rentals in BKK - either at the airport or the Hyatt (which is pick-up only - you have to return down the street.) Armed with a map book (cheap) and good basic directions, I've had minimal trouble. There's always a traffic jam at the bridge which goes across the river to/from downtown. THe highways are quite good and easy to navigate. Just be sure you've planned out your trip first and have double checked the directions (a navigator would certainly help in the passenger seat too.) Signs in BKK on the main roads and highways are usually in English too. Getting to and from the Erawan is easy, though sometimes can take a while due to traffic. Returning at the airport is even easier.