Whale Hotel Hua Hin: Should you stay here?
Are you considering a stay at the Whale Hotel Hua Hin? Well, our Central Thailand expert Stephen spent a few days in Hua Hin last month and shares his thoughts on this 3 star hotel just north of the town centre.
I recently had the pleasure of staying at The Whale Hotel in Hua Hin, and it’s a place that I can’t speak more highly about. I found it by accident on a hotel booking app; it was in the location I wanted, a few km north of the city.
The hotel rates itself as a 3-star, yet the rooms, facilities and service scream 5-star. Here are all the reasons you should check in to the Whale Hotel in Hua Hin.
Location: How far is Whale Hotel from town?
I’ll talk about the location before I jump into how great the hotel is. The Whale Hotel is on the main road from Bangkok to Hua Hin, 5 km north of Hua Hin city centre. At seven stories high, it offers incredible views — I’ll get to those in a moment.
Seven hundred metres in either direction of the hotel, on the same side of the road, is a 7/11 convenience store. The hotel’s restaurant is amazing, but a local roadside steakhouse 400 meters to the north is also worth visiting.
The nearest swimming beach, Baan Suksamakkee Beach, is 650m away.
Getting to Hua Hin centre is a breeze. You can get a taxi or a Grab from the hotel — prices range from 80 to 100 baht for Grab, a little more for a taxi. There is also a regular free shuttle service offered by the hotel.
Songtaews go down the main road every 15–20 minutes and cost 15 baht per person; they stop at 8pm. If you plan to stay out late you will need to catch a taxi or Grab.
If you’re driving, the hotel has free private parking for hotel guests, just off the main road.
First Impressions of Whale Hotel
Going up the small flight of steps into the hotel, you first walk through the cafe/restaurant on the ground floor. Along the way, you pass a beautifully created tropical area with live fish and a water feature.
The light and airy restaurant, Humpback, welcomes you into the hotel. More on this amazing restaurant in a moment.
At the reception desk, we were welcomed instantly, as if we were long-lost relatives. The smile and enthusiasm weren’t faked, the staff were genuinely happy to have us come to the hotel. I apologised I didn’t have a reservation, and was told that wasn’t a problem and that they’d love to show us a room before we made a commitment.
The Rooms at Whale Hua Hin
There are 46 air-conditioned rooms with three room options at Whale Hua Hin, but that’s all that’s needed. After viewing the lead-in room type, the superior, it took me a nano-second to agree to stay there.
The superior room is large and has a very comfortable king bed (or 2 twins), a sofa, and a large balcony.
The shower room and toilet are separate — rare in Thailand — but the two things that won me over the most were the island basin with plenty of space to store bathroom items and the rain shower.
The added touch of the plush orca on the bed just topped off everything perfectly.
I didn’t see the other two rooms, but the Jacuzzi Deluxe room has a hot tub big enough for two people, and the Jacuzzi 2 Bedroom Suite can accommodate up to six people.
Room Amenities
Another aspect I liked was how thoughtful the hotel is regarding tech gadgets. There are multiple power sockets in the room to allow for many devices to be charged at the same time. There’s a workspace next to the TV with a comfortable chair.
There’s a small bar fridge that contains your two complimentary bottles of water; there’s enough space in there to keep other drinks cool.
I was impressed with the free wifi, there’s no password required, yet it was fast, I encountered zero drop-outs and watched streaming video without a hitch. That was only when I got bored with watching TV on the massive 42″ flat screen TV. There is also a safe deposit box to store your valuables.
Rooftop Pool and Fitness centre
The hotel has so many highlights for me, but it’s hard to top the rooftop infinity pool with views out over the ocean. There’s a bar on the lower level, and food can be ordered to be delivered from the restaurant on the ground floor.
If the infinity pool wasn’t enough, one extra flight of stairs takes you to another area designed for entertaining. We timed it perfectly as we got to watch an epic sunset behind the mountain. Having a 360° view of the sea and the mountains is rare, but this hotel’s rooftop offers both.
The fitness centre is small, but functional. With huge windows, you can work out while looking out over the sea and the mountains.
Humpback Cafe and Flow Bar and Restaurant
As I mentioned earlier, the lobby dining area, appropriately named Humpback Cafe, is Korean Fusion. It’s a bit pricey, but for the portion size, the incredible taste and the fantastic service I didn’t begrudge a single baht.
While most of the menu items are Korean, there are some western options like pizza and pasta. I got the pizza and wine special, 299 baht for a glass of house wine (and no, it wasn’t icky; in fact, it was so good I ordered another) and a full-size pizza.
I decided to forego the breakfast buffet to eat at my favourite local restaurant, but after seeing the menu, I will definitely order it on my next visit.
Free Shuttle Bus Service
The hotel has a free shuttle bus that operates every two hours from 8 am to 4 pm, then every hour after that, and it takes you to the Hua Hin Night Market (my favourite night market in all of Thailand) or to Hua Hin Beach.
It’s a 15-minute ride to the city centre. At quarter past the hour, the bus makes a return journey for any passengers who want to return to the hotel.
The Service
If the gorgeous room, fantastic rooftop, and delicious food and beverage weren’t enough to make me want to return, the service nailed it.
It wasn’t just the reception staff that was warm and welcoming; every single member, from the manager to the shuttle bus driver, went out of their way to ensure we had the best stay.
Not long after we checked in, we went to the rooftop pool. The lady behind the bar was so eager to take care of us, made us our complimentary welcome drinks and suggested the best table for the optimum view. All night, she ensured we didn’t go without a thing.
I only stayed at the hotel for one night; my mother stayed for a week. During her stay, she unexpectedly fell ill and went to reception to ask them to call a taxi to the hospital for her. The reception staff could see that she wasn’t well enough to go alone, so the duty manager drove her to the hospital and arranged for her to jump the queue to be seen immediately.
The manager returned to the hotel but arranged for the shuttle driver to pick my mother up a few hours later. When she returned to the hotel, the kitchen made her a non-menu item of rice soup to make her feel better.
This level of service goes above and beyond anything I’ve ever seen at a Thai hotel, and I’m eternally grateful to them for taking care of her. I’d already fallen in love with the service before this situation developed, but I wanted to tell you what they did.
Getting to Hua Hin
Fly: Hua Hin airport is the nearest airport. Domestic flights from Chiang Mai land twice a week. You can book an airport shuttle directly with the hotel.
Train to Hua Hin from Bangkok
There are 14 train services to Hua Hin from Bangkok each day. The 7.30am special express train is the fastest, taking 3 hours.
- The Ordinary Train – these take about four and a half hours and make many stops along route
- The Rapid Train – there are 4 rapid trains each day. These take about 3 hours and 40 minutes.
- The Special Express Train – there are 5 special express trains. These take 3.5 hours.
Many of these trains start at the new terminal at Krung Thep Aphiwat although some leave from Thonburi or Hua Lamphong. Trains from the latter two stations generally have more stops and take longer. The best source for local train information is Richard Barrow’s train guide.
Bus services to Hua Hin
- You can take a bus directly from Suvarnabhumi Airport to Hua Hin. The trip in a large comfortable coach takes about three to four hours.
- Most buses depart from the Southern Bus Station at Ekkamai – this trip takes 3-4 hours depending on traffic.
- Mini buses also make the journey, but they are no faster and nowhere near as comfortable.
You can book bus tickets online, however, there are many buses each day so you can just turn up.
Private Transfers
If you want a hassle free service, especially after a long international flight, these are quite affordable.
Should You Stay at The Whale Hotel?
The answer to that question is a resounding YES! This 3-star hotel is so great in every way and at such an affordable price. It’s become my go-to hotel in Hua Hin, and I can’t wait to stay there again.
Whale Hotel Hua Hin – Need to know
Where: 32/112, Hua Hin 8 Street, Petchkasem Road Hua Hin, Prachuap Khiri Khan
When: Check-in from 14:00 to 00:00 Check out time: 12:00
About the author: Stephen left Australia in 2016 with a one-way ticket to Thailand
and hasn’t been back since. Seven years later, he’s “living the ex-pat dream”, married and settled down; he and his partner travel across Thailand competing in half-marathon running events and sampling coffee at cafes.