Five-star Hua Hin Beach, Hua Hin
Centara Grand Beach Resort & Villas Hua Hin
The Railway Hotel of 1923, white timber and red tile on Hua Hin beach, with a topiary garden, 13 hectares of gardens and 47 villas with their own pools or jacuzzis.
Opens the hotel's own website. We have no arrangement with the hotel.
- Opened
- 1 January 1923, as The Railway Hotel
- Rooms
- 251 guest rooms and 47 villas
- Grounds
- 13 hectares of gardens on the beach
- From the airport
- About 15 minutes from Hua Hin airport (our estimate)
The hotel
The Railway Hotel.
The State Railways built Hua Hin's first hotel beside the line that runs south to Padang Besar. Alfredo Rigazzi, the railway's Italian architect, drew a two-storey building of fourteen bedrooms; the first guests came in October 1922 and the formal opening followed on 1 January 1923. A wing of thirteen rooms was added in 1928, and the land is still leased from the State Railway of Thailand.
Sofitel took over in 1988, and the hotel became the Centara Grand in 2012. In 1984 it stood in for the Hotel Le Phnom in The Killing Fields. The resort has since grown to 251 rooms and 47 villas on 13 hectares. The fourteen original bedrooms survive, with shaded verandas, whitewashed walls and red-tile roofs, and a small museum keeps the photographs and memorabilia of the early years.
- The topiary garden Clipped topiary on the lawns of the old hotel, with four pools set among them.
- The Museum Old photographs and memorabilia of the Railway Hotel, and a café of the same name for snacks and drinks.
- The villas Forty-seven villas in the grounds, each with an outdoor jacuzzi or a private pool.
Rooms & suites
Verandas and pool access.
Rooms run from 37 square metres to suites of 170, several with direct access to a pool.
- Rooms Deluxe and Deluxe Pool Access 37 square metres, or 56 with direct access to a pool.
- Club Premium Deluxe Club King 58 square metres, with club access.
- Families Duplex Suite, two bedrooms 130 square metres on two levels, looking over the pool.
- Signature suite Royal Suite Ocean View 170 square metres facing the Gulf of Thailand.
Dining
Lunch in a railway hotel.
Venues as listed by the hotel. Shown for information.
- Railway Restaurant Restaurant Named after the hotel's first name
- COAST Beach Club & Bistro Barbecue and grill On the beach
- Hagi Japanese In the hotel
- The Museum Snacks and refreshments Beside the memorabilia
- Elephant Bar Bar Listed by the hotel
Recognition
A heritage hotel.
- CNN Travel Among the top heritage hotels in Asia, 2018
- Tripadvisor Travellers' Choice 2022 and 2023
Good to know
Before you go.
- Arrival Check-in from 3 pm, check-out by noon.
- Children Welcome, with a Kids' Club, daily activities and children's pools.
- Town The centre of Hua Hin is about 400 metres away.
Getting there
Flying to Hua Hin.
Most guests land at Suvarnabhumi in Bangkok and drive two and a half to three hours down the coast. Private jets can fly on to Hua Hin airport, about 7 km from town and some fifteen minutes by car (our estimate), after clearing customs at another Thai airport.
- Kuala Lumpur 1 h 45
- Singapore 2 h 05
- Hong Kong 2 h 45
- Malé 4 h 20
- Tokyo 6 h 35 long-range jet
Questions
What guests ask first.
- Is this the old Railway Hotel?
- Yes. The hotel opened as The Railway Hotel on 1 January 1923, and its original fourteen bedrooms are still in use.
- Was The Killing Fields filmed at the hotel?
- Yes. In the 1984 film the hotel stood in for the Hotel Le Phnom in Cambodia.
- How do I get to the hotel from Bangkok?
- By car from Suvarnabhumi, two and a half to three hours, or by private jet to Hua Hin airport, about fifteen minutes from the hotel.
- Can SkyCourtage arrange the flight to Hua Hin?
- Yes. We arrange Business and First Class seats on scheduled airlines and private jet charter to Hua Hin, with one final price, our margin included. The hotel is booked with the hotel or through our booking partner.
Also in Hua Hin
Other hotels worth the trip.
- V Villas Hua Hin, MGallery Villas of one to three bedrooms, each with its own pool, and a presidential villa on the beachfront.
- Chiva-Som Hua Hin A health resort founded in 1995 on its founder's own stretch of beach, with treatments and classes built into every stay.
- Anantara Hua Hin Resort Bill Bensley laid out 171 rooms in low pavilions around lotus ponds, like an old Thai village.
- Devasom Hua Hin Only 24 rooms and villas, all facing the sea on a private beach north of town.
- Aleenta Hua Hin Pranburi Whitewashed rooms and villas on Pak Nam Pran Bay, each with a pool or plunge pool.
Staying at Centara Grand Beach Resort & Villas Hua Hin?
Book the room, then the flight.
Rates and availability come from the hotel itself. For the journey to Hua Hin, a Business or First Class seat or an aircraft of your own: tell us the date and we come back with one final price, our margin included.
Opens the hotel's own website. We have no arrangement with the hotel.