There’s a particular kind of giddiness that comes with packing for a trip you’ve been dreaming about for three decades. Thirty years of marriage earns you a celebration, and my wife and I decided ours would unfold across Thailand — four cities, four chapters, and far too many photographs. This is the first.
The Long Haul East
We lifted off from Washington Dulles just after noon, settling into business class for the fourteen-hour Dreamliner haul to Tokyo. There’s no glamorizing a flight that long, but lie-flat seats, a glass of something cold, and the knowledge of where you’re headed go a long way. We touched down at Haneda with a brisk 4-hour layover to get through immigration, grab our bags and catch a 1.5 hour taxi to Narita for the final leg into Bangkok. Suvarnabhumi airport greeted us near midnight — that thick, warm Thai air hitting you the moment the jet bridge opens, the unmistakable signal that the vacation has officially begun.
A waiting Mercedes whisked us south through the dark. Hua Hin sits a few hours from Bangkok, and arriving by limousine in the small hours, watching the city give way to coastline, felt like the right way to start an anniversary trip. By the time we reached the Hilton Hua Hin Resort & Spa, we wanted nothing more than a bed — and we got something far better.
Room 1511: A View Worth the Flight
We had booked the Oceanfront Executive Suite with a king bed, which there are only two on each floor between the 12th and 16th. The team delivered beautifully. Room 1511 opened onto a sweep of the Gulf of Thailand that stopped us both in our tracks. Morning light pouring across the water, the beach curving below, the horizon going on forever. We stood at the window longer than two jet-lagged travelers probably should have, just taking it in.
Slowing Down: The Pool and the Spa
The first full day, we did gloriously little. The resort’s pool became our headquarters — long, lazy hours under the Thai sun, a book half-read, drinks appearing at exactly the right moments. After years of running our own travel business, learning to do nothing is a skill, and Hua Hin is the perfect classroom.
The highlight, though, was the couples massage at the spa. We chose the muscle-rejuvenation treatment, and after a fourteen-hour flight, it was nothing short of restorative. Side by side, the tension of travel worked out of our shoulders, we emerged feeling like we’d hit a reset button on our entire bodies. If you make one booking in Hua Hin, make it this one.
Evenings by the Sea: Dinner, Drinks, and the Night Market
As the sun dropped, Hua Hin came alive. One evening we dined at Chay Hap, where the Mediterranean menu surprised and delighted us — fresh, bright flavors a world away from home, all set to the rhythm of a live band. Good food, good music, and the kind of warm night air that makes a meal stretch on for hours.
Another evening took us up to the White Lotus Sky Bar, where we met friends for drinks high above the town. Watching the lights of Hua Hin flicker on beneath us, glasses raised to thirty years, was exactly the kind of moment this trip was meant to hold.
And no visit to Hua Hin is complete without the Cicada Night Market. We wandered the stalls for hours — sizzling street food, handmade trinkets, silks and souvenirs, the whole place buzzing with energy. We shopped, we sampled, we soaked up the chaos and color of it all, and walked away with bags fuller than they should have been.
Onward
Hua Hin gave us the gentle landing every long journey deserves — sea views, slow mornings, and just enough adventure. But this trip is only beginning. Next, we trade the coast for something entirely different as we head east to Sisaket. Stay with us.
— Part Two coming soon.