Boxing Day at Hua Hin Hills

Boxing Day dawned bright and clear, and I woke up to one of my favorite views: the clear blue waters of the Gulf of Thailand and Monkey Mountain in the distance.  The weather in Bangkok has been (slightly) cooler lately for winter, but in Hua Hin it's still sunny and warm.

Hua Hin, the royal resort town just three hours southeast of Bangkok, is one of my favorite places to spend a holiday. I had left Bangkok immediately after work on Friday, Christmas Day, heading for the coast.

Monkey Mountain in the distance

Hua Hin is quite unlike most other Thai beach towns. It's quiet, laid-back, tranquil, and fairly upscale. It's a far cry from the backpacker beaches and other tourist hotspots like Phuket or Pattaya. Hua Hin may not have the most beautiful beaches in Thailand, but it's the perfect place to relax for a few days.

looking out to sea

I didn't have any big plans for the weekend. Mostly, I thought I would just take the chance to escape the city and relax by the sea with a good book. By sheer coincidence, some friends of my girlfriend happened to be in Hua Hin for the weekend as well. They had a car and were planning to visit Hua Hin Hills Vineyard, and invited me along.

Hua Hin Hills Vineyard

The vineyard is about 40 minutes by car from Hua Hin, in the hills between the sea and the Burmese border. I last visited a vineyard four years ago in Stellenbosch. Unfortunately, there was no goat cheese at HHH like at Fairview. Instead, Hua Hin Hills had some pretty unique and delicious grape ice cream!

elephants at the vineyard

Besides just eating ice cream, we rented some mountain bikes to check out the trails amongst the grapes. I've always loved mountain biking, and even took it as a PE course in college. The hilly trails looked easy at first, but soon turned out to be a pretty good workout! The views were incredible though.

the vineyard

I would have never even known that the vineyard was there! Just looking at the scenery, I might not have even guessed that I was in Thailand. This country is often full of surprises. These things happen when you get off the normal tourist trails.

biking through the beautiful scenery

Cheers!