History of Real Estate Development and Condos in Hua Hin

In today’s day and age, Hua Hin houses, condos and hotels, restaurants and retail shops line the powdery coast of this small city, but this is a big change from the way Hua Hin used to be. As the oldest beach resort in Thailand, Hua Hin has changed dramatically over the years, developing and expanding on its commercial and residential real estate more and more each year for the past two centuries.

History of Hua Hin, by the Decade

1800’s

Hua Hin was once a completely undeveloped and remote beach town, covered in jungle and untouched beaches with hardly any evidence of a village. In 1834 a severe drought brought farmers further south until they found a new area along the coast to settle in. Hua Hin was then named “Samore Riang” which means rows of rocks. Hua Hin eventually turns into a fishing village.

1910’s

Prince Chakrabhongse traveled to the area on a hunting trip with Russian nobility and developed a liking to quiet and calm seaside village, so much that he decided to build the areas very first beach villa.

The Southern Railway was built during this decade with a station in Hua Hin. As word started to catch on that members of the Royal Family approved of this beachside destination, affluent Thais and aristocracy decided to build holiday homes here as here.

1920’s

This decade was Hua Hin’s golden time, as it was when King Rama VI built his own summer retreat there, and later King Rama VII followed suit by building yet another palace. This new palace was named Klaikangwon, meaning “far from worries.” Today it still stands and is where the Royal Family spends most of their time throughout the year.

With Hua Hin located right in the middle of the new Southern Railway, travelers started using it as an overnight resting area, however had a lack of comfortable accommodation. This demand was finally satisfied in 1923 with construction of the famous Railway Hotel in 1923, an elegant Victorian building that set the tone for much of Hua Hin’s architecture. The following year, Thailand’s oldest and most famous golf course was commissioned by King Rama VI to entertain hotel guests.

As the hotel began to regularly fill up with guests of travelers and affluent Bangkokians looking for a holiday retreat, more Victorian style bungalows were built to accommodate the demand.

1930’s

During WWII, Hua Hin’s reputation started spreading like wildfire as a peaceful safe haven and became filled with more Bangkokians seeking a place of refuge.  Hua Hin was renamed from its previous title of Samore Riang. Shortly after, Thailand was renamed from its previous title of Siam.

1940’s

After the war, roads and bridges began construction, making Hua Hin even more accessible from the big city of Bangkok, as the train was no longer the only way to reach the beach resort. New condos in Hua Hin began developing during this decade, as well as new real estate opportunities in surrounding areas such as Cha Am.

1970’s

The Thailand Condominium Act of 1979 suddenly made it possible for foreigners to own 49% of a Thai condo, which created a spring of new expats and foreign real estate investors in Hua Hin.

1980’s

The classic Railway Hotel was bought by the Sofitel Group, re-vamped and opened in 1986. The great success of this luxury hotel sparked a trend of more like-minded property developers to begin building more hotels, villas and condos in Hua Hin.

1990’s

Thailand gets more worldwide recognition as a backpacker’s paradise. Real estate and property developments soon started to catch on to the fact that there was an convenient main-land destination for tourists traveling from Bangkok just a few hours away by train, and even more hotels and condos in Hua Hin started to pop up along the coast.

2000’s
With the 2005 midnight closure of the bars (except for karaoke bars which stay open later), Hua Hin became less of a backpacker destination and turned into more of an expat community. Older foreigners started to see Hua Hin as a peaceful place to settle down and started purchasing more of the condos and houses in the area.

Today

Hua Hin as a destination as well as a place of relocation is as convenient as ever. Just a two hour drive or train ride from Bangkok, Hua Hin has calm streets, quality restaurants, luxury hotels, and a high society local and international community. Hua Hin condos are now hot in demand and the area is continually attracting new property developers .