Anyone recommend Cha Am???

[captsensible]

Not much activity here, not a place to stay really. Its where all the f*#ked up farrang live.

If you want to get mugged or ripped of or here some hard luck stories then this is for you.

Anyone ever had a good night here????

[Bamboo Grove]

I've had several good nights there, but then again, they were drinking and playing darts with the local expats and Thais, not chasing skirts.

[butsudan]

Cha-Am is no different to anywhere else in Thailand.I've heard hard luck stories from Narithiwat to Bangkok to Chiang Mai. Likewise rip-offs.Can't say that I've ever heard of any muggings in Cha-Am though.

Cha-Am is a small town, and the night-life (such as it is) reflects that. Basically, it's a place that has a compatively few farang ex-pats who prefer the quiet life.

If you meet more with problems there.It's that just in a small town you're likely to meet those with problems. Especially in the bars.

[VincentD]

It's a nice weekend retreat from Bangkok with the wife and the kids, and maybe a few friends to boot. The hotels on the beach are reasonable, it's one of the few places left where the beach is still the beach (meaning no buildings, shops etc between the beach and the road - I remember Patong beach like that back in the early 80's). And I think they still have those tandem bicycles for hire.

Leave the kids with the wife at the hotel pool, cross the road, grab a beach chair, a couple of beers, sit back, relax, and let the world pass by. Ahh, the peace!

[happysnapper]

Business took me to Bangkok in Nov 04. I took some annual leave after and my wife and I spent a few days in Cha-Am.

We like small quiet places and we were there late Nov before the main season had really started. The hotels seem reasonable we stayed at the Methavali, cross the road and you are on the beach. Its towards the end of the main road in the town but still 'in town' and ideal for walking down the strip in the evening to find dinner.

So the big question would I recommend this place. If you like a smaller quierter place like we do then yes. We are planning to return this Nov and will stay for around 2 weeks quite possibly in the same hotel! Is that a reccommendation?

[Dara]

Cha-am has always been a quiet place and if one plans to stay there, it would be better to have transportation readily available. Speaking from a family-oriented experience, we have had holidays there where we just stayed put and enjoyed what Cha-am had to offer, but then there were times when we drove to Hua Hin practically everyday for breakfast, lunch and dinner. I agree with everyone here that if you want more "nightlife" Cha-am is not the place for it....

[Randy Cornhole]

Hmm Cha Am, went there once for the evening, never again.
I went to the 'chicken coop' and was approached by a lady boy and some fat old bird, there was no one else in the bar! Left there and walked to a few other bars - same story no girls or very few?
Hotel rooms are iffy as is the beach.
Crawfords restaruant is nice with
good food and guiness.
I cycle from Hua Hin every now and again and come back after an hour or so but won't go for a night out.
It is a Thai Town with plenty of beach shade and pickup parking spaces.

[captsensible]

Hmm Cha Am, went there once for the evening, never again.
I went to the 'chicken coop' and was approached by a lady boy and some fat old bird, there was no one else in the bar! Left there and walked to a few other bars - same story no girls or very few?
Hotel rooms are iffy as is the beach.
Crawfords restaruant is nice with
good food and guiness.
I cycle from Hua Hin every now and again and come back after an hour or so but won't go for a night out.
It is a Thai Town with plenty of beach shade and pickup parking spaces.

This is about it, the farang community have a great deal of problems, they will talk them over with complete strangers. Last stop before Cambodia then back to Blightey in a bedsit.

[linktolinh]

Chaam is great for family trip and honey moon (if ya have a jealous wife). We used to drive there every 3 weeks stay in Methavalai, very relaxing place, nice room, beauty view, big swimming pool. Yr children can enjoy hourse ridding or playing around the pool when you are having sun bath or reading,

The place is safe, the beach is so so, and it's OK to drive 20 mintute to get a Gokark

Only one thing disturb me there is too many hungry dogs wander around your chair to get some shade

Good destination for short - quiet weekend.

[shakin' boxcar joe]

This is about it, the farang community have a great deal of problems, they will talk them over with complete strangers. Last stop before Cambodia then back to Blightey in a bedsit.

Its a bit like bridlington or filey then , except there's nowhere to sign on.

It's got a decent beach with shade and restaurants that will feed you in your beach chair so it's a good place for an afternoons beach lazing.

Awful farang food , but decent enough stuff from some of the thai shops on the front.

Easy parking too.


For a tourist , its probably a good little town to get a taste of thailand without all the western trappings that have become normal in most thai tourist towns. Gets busy with thai daytrippers at the weekend.


It looks like a miserable place to have to live in though , its charmless , unless you can afford one of those huge compounds on the front to the south end of town.

Good barbecued chicken on the road in from phetkasem.

[/quote]

[caller]

I went to Cha am......once. It must have been shut.

[petermoylan]

I've been living in Cha-Am for two years only and although I'd say Hua Hin is an altogether more agreeable spot, ex-pat wise I think there are more 'individuals', proportionately, in Cha-Am and proportionately more 'boys next door' in Hua-Hin; that is to say there are more ex-pats again proportionately of the types I came to Thailand to get away from living in Hua-Hin than in Cha-Am - pick the bones out of that!

[ajarnfrank]

Not sure if I stayed in Cha Am that one night, or not. All we ajarns (39 Thais, an Englishman, and an American) rode down from the North and stopped at every wat and outlet mall along the way, after being originally promised we'd spend a whole day at the beach. Well, we got to Cha Am, supposedly, around 5 PM and left the next morning at 7 PM. The beach was about ten meters, the water was dirty, and the hotel was so memorable, that I forget its name. The food was typically Thai: atrocious and inedible. Hey, I'm glad I found Hua Hin.

Then again, maybe the bus driver missed a turn and took us to Pattaya again.

[mikepd]

how easy is it to get to/from Cha -am from hua Hin - any buses, or cost of a taxi ?


Mike

[dr dave soul monsta]

taxi or bus ,bus available outside poly clinic but stops around 10 pm about 30 thb
taxi is the better option make a deal for the chap to take you and pick you up later around 600 thb depending on your negotiation skills
if you take the bus and get taxi back you will no dount get vyour hat nailed on for the return journey

nb there is absolutly nothing to do in Cha Am, maybe pay crawfords Cha Am a visit thats all folks apart from a few almost bars
Ajarn frank seemed to enjoy his visit very much