Some towns just get the idea of family–and Hua Hin, a few hours south of Bangkok, has gentle horseback riding on the usually calm beach, kitesurfing as you’ll see in another installment of this #TLKids series, multiple waterparks and skate parks… and a child-forward outpost of one of the world’s hippest luxury lifestyle brands. SO Sofitel Hua Hin offers ample scope for quality bonding time in some of the coolest, kids-considered surrounds.
BANGKOK, WHERE MY FAMILY is based, is unmistakably unwieldy. But it offers several excellent escape routes for this father and his energetic 6-year-old boy. A favored place to make a break for is the Hua Hin strip, which extends south for around 100 kilometres, starts in the town of Cha’am— site of the superb bub-friendly SO Sofitel Hua Hin — and runs through Hua Hin itself before meandering to a climax in Pranburi at the boundary of Khao Sam Roi Yot National Park. The destination offers a beguiling blend of city and sea. And its popularity with visitors extends back to the 1920s when Kings Rama VI and Rama VII built summer residences in the town. It may not possess the pizazz and picture-perfect appeal of other Thai beach resorts. But fun-packed boltholes and activities such as golf, watersports, and even a super cool Batcave make it the ideal locus for a father-son adventure.
First things first
Few things are more pleasing to a young lad with a big imagination and his Lewis Carroll-loving father than a bit of whimsy. And SO Sofitel Hua Hin is playfulness personified in resort form. A giant clock-wielding white rabbit greets guests, copper-coloured wild animals laze in a centerpiece reflecting pond, while other rabbit sculptures are scattered around the resort. Once these flamboyant touches enhanced a distinct party vibe. These days the resort revels in its family-friendly persona, highlights of which include an inflatable obstacle course in a giant pool, cycle tracks, and rental and mini-golf. Accommodations, meanwhile, include the SO Family Kids House which features an eight-square-metre kids’ cubby annexed off the main room, with supersized bunk beds, polka-dot duvets, teddies, and a TV.
Play for days
The adage of it being hard to leave a resort rings true at SO Sofitel Hua Hin. Even when I want to strike out, my son is reluctant to let me. His attachment is hardly surprising given the plethora of on-site activities at the property. My son is an enthusiastic mini-golfer and is a massive fan of the resort’s So Wonderland Adventure Golf — an 18-hole epic themed around witches and spiders. It’s also difficult to tear him away from the Witbit Adventure Float, a giant inflatable obstacle course that extends nearly the entire length of the resort’s biggest pool. Other highlights include cycling, football, and adrenalised activities like a Banana Boat. Thankfully respite for knackered fathers comes in the shape of the Kids Tent, where fun staff supervises play and cool art-focused classes.
Dad gets in the swing
So agreeable to Junior is the Kids Tent that it’s just about possible for Dad to indulge his golf addiction at a championship course like Black Mountain, the pick of the plethora of layouts in the vicinity. It is a testament to golf’s transformative properties that a chunk of land once carpeted in jungle and pineapple plantations has become arguably Thailand’s most prominent course. Holes such as the 7th, a par-4 that rewards those who can make a 230-yard carry over water with an easy birdie chance while making life much more difficult for shorter hitters, reflect its risk/reward quotient. The signature 11th, a par-three played to an island green, is also unforgiving.
To the bat cave!
My son errs toward Spiderman as his superhero preference. But Batman runs Spidey close whenever I take him to Cha’am. The reason can be witnessed a short drive inland at Nayang Bat Cave where nature puts on a daily show. Every evening around sunset a snaking column of millions of bats streams out of a giant fissure in a set of limestone karsts. The mass exodus of bats as they begin a long night of foraging for insects is an awe-inspiring sight that is as impressive for adults as it is for kids.
Food Glorious Food
SO Sofitel Hua Hin excels in its variety of culinary offerings. The main restaurant White Oven is especially strong on Thai flavours with highlights including a breakfast selection of curries like kanom jeen nam ya (fish curry with thin rice noodles) and flawless satay. With a focus on seafood, the oceanfront venue Beach Society is judiciously tailored for the superlative seaside setting. Further afield, Hua Hin’s famous night market is the perfect spot for introducing colourful Thai street life to a child and filling up on local seafood. Elsewhere, to the south of the town, on the beach of Khao Tao, Som’s Table, a new venue by acclaimed chef Jutamas “Som” Theantae — formerly of Karmakamet Conveyance in Bangkok — is proving a hit with gourmands.
To see the adventures of Duncan’s son at SO Sofitel Hua Hin and get his first-hand T+L Kids review of the family-friendly resort, watch the video here.
A new video drops every day, so be sure to bookmark us online and follow #TLKids on Instagram and Facebook to get more adventuring adorableness than you can probably handle. (Plus: add #TLKids and #globetoddlers to your social posts of your own children for the chance to get featured.)
DETAILS:
STAY:
SO Sofitel Hua Hin: The Family Fun at SO package is a great introduction to all the bub-friendly highlights at the resort. A SO Comfy room starts from THB4500++ per night and the package encompasses benefits including daily breakfast at White Oven, THB500++ F&B credit to be used throughout the resort, THB500++ spa credit and 50% discount on food & non-alcoholic beverages at SO Sundae or kids’ activities at the Kids’ Tent. Full details are available here.
DO:
Golf: SO Sofitel Hua Hin guests can take advantage of preferential green fee rates at nearby championship layouts including Black Mountain Golf Club, Banyan Golf Club and others. Rates start at THB2,900 net (USD85) per person. Full details are available here.
Images courtesy of SO Sofitel Hua Hin.
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