Hua Hin - Water Park, Beach & Night Market

So what did you guys think of my first post?

I first heard about Hua Hin, Thailand through an ex colleague of mine, she told me that Hua Hin has some really nice beaches, resorts and night markets. After doing my own research, three things caught my attention: 1. Vana Nava Hua Hin Water Park

2. Horse riding on Hua Hin beach

3. Hua Hin Night Market

Vana Nava Hua Hin Water Park:

The water park was the main reason why we decided to go to Hua Hin. When I was researching about the water park I realized that it's quite similar to Korea's Caribbean Bay. Since I hadn't had a chance to go to Korea's Caribbean Bay, Vana Nava was definitely not to be missed!

Vana Nava Hua Hin Water Park

129/99 Soi Moo Baan Nong Kae, Nong Kae, Hua Hin, Prachuap Khiri Khan 77110

Vana Nava Hua Hin Water Park is approximately a 3 hour drive from Bangkok. The water park is quite new and also very big. There weren't many people when we arrived and it remained that way throughout the day, we suspected that it could be because it was a weekday but we weren't complaining as it meant no queues!

You can start your day on some "easier" water slides (just like what we did). The "easier" water slides are the Inner Tube, Rattler, Master Blaster and Super Bowl. These slides are all situated right next to each other. I personally wasn't a fan of the Super Bowl; spinning around in circles and waiting to fall into the hole was quite nerve racking. I was also worried we'd fall into the hole the wrong way!

I preferred the Rattler and Master Blaster. If you guys are up for something a bit more exciting, then you should certainly try the Master Blaster. I would describe the Master Blaster as a "roller coaster on water" as there were quite a few ups and downs which will keep your heart pumping fast throughout the whole ride.After warming up with the "easier" water slides we proceeded to the Aqua Loop and Free Fall.

The Aqua Loop (blue slide in the picture below) was something I was looking forward to (I recall Khuntoria (K-Pop reference) going on a similar ride whilst making the advertisement for Caribbean Bay).

You stand in a capsule and when it's time the plastic you are standing on that's holding you up suddenly collapses and you immediately drop!

When you first stand inside the capsule (photo: courtesy of Google) you hear a voice counting down for the drop "3... 2... 1..."; the countdown builds up the suspense (I must admit during those 3 seconds I wanted to run out of the capsule).

The drop is fast and the momentum pushes you up and around the loop, it's very hard to open your eyes during the ride and before you know it you're already out the other end. One bad thing about this ride though is it hurts your back, you can feel the little increments of the slide brushing against your back throughout the ride.

Next the Free Fall! Looking at the Free Fall (yes g=9.8!) I was worried I'd fall out since it was not enclosed. Mr Wang bravely went first. The drop is super fast and the water just keeps splashing on to your face and in your eyes. This ride also hurts your back for the same reasons as the Aqua Loop.

Although both rides were scary I'd still say that the Aqua Loop and Free Fall were the highlights of the water park!

After some exciting water slides you can lounge around on the Lazy River or hop on an inflatable twin ring at the Wave Pool. You can also grab a drink at the Infinity Pool or start a water fight at the Aqua Course (I think I looped around the course 4 - 5 times shooting Mr Wang in the eye!).

The Abyss (green and blue stripes) and Boomerang (yellow and blue stripes) looked breathtaking but unfortunately the Abyss was closed when we visited. We went on the Boomerang twice. You need at least three people to go on the ride. Both times we went down as a group of 6 on a huge inflatable donut. The ride is fast and you can get a spectacular view of the water park just before the big drop happens.

Lastly, you can grab a bite at the cafeteria or stop by a food stand, they are scattered around the water park and serve a variety of food.

We stayed at the water park for approximately 4 - 5 hours before heading over to the beach. There are plenty of other rides and things to do at the water park that we didn't go on. However in my opinion Vana Nava has been the best water park I've been to so far.

Hua Hin Beach:

Hua Hin Beach is approximately 10 - 15 minutes drive from the water park. The beach is beautiful and the sea was tranquil.

There's a lot of banana lounges and restaurants set up on the beach however you need to pay to sit on the lounges! There's also many street vendors selling coconuts and food along the beach.

The beach does however have a funky smell due to all the horses doing their business everywhere. There were quite a few people riding the horses with the instructors either pulling them along or in some cases running after the horse! Mr Wang and I decided to give horse riding a pass but instead we sat down on the sand and enjoyed the view whilst sipping on our sweet coconuts.

Hua Hin Night Market:

Hua Hin Night Market is right opposite Koti Restaurant (As I mentioned in my last post).

The Night Market opens between 5PM - 12AM, it's approximately 2 blocks long and there's definitely lots to see and lots to eat!

There's stores that sell beer singlets, t-shirts (see ours below!) and even several stores that sell personalised key-rings some of which are unique to Hua Hin!

There's also many restaurants on the side selling fresh seafood. We came across these massive tiger prawns (too bad we had no room in our stomach for them)!

You'll also see many stands selling fresh fruits such as mangoes, durians, dragon fruits, mangosteen and much more. I'm a huge fan of mangoes and there were many stores selling young green mangoes with different types of sauces, such as sweet shrimp paste, that you can dip the sliced manages into! It's quite a unique taste, however a bit sour and salty for my liking but it's quite common in Hua Hin.

I ended the trip by buying a huge fresh mango smoothie to have on the road back to Bangkok!

We loved Hua Hin so much that we rocked the singlet and t-shirt the next day in Bangkok!

Hua Hin definitely made our trip to Thailand a lot more memorable. If you're not looking to go too far out of Bangkok then I'd highly recommend going to Hua Hin, we only spent a day there and did a fair bit!