Seeking to escape the crowds of Beijing we went for a sunny beach vacation in Thailand. The trip was longer than we thought – five hours flight followed by three hours drive from from Bangkok to Hua Hin ! But having booked it through a very laissez faire (sp?) Chinese agency , I was just relieved that we made it every step along the way … relieved that our Thai Air tickets were there check-in, relieved at finding the shuttle in the Bangkok airport, relieved at finding seat belts that worked, really relieved (that the seat belt worked) once we started the crazy dash to Hua Hin and relieved at arriving at the Sofitel hotel to find our rooms ready and luxurious!
The Sofitel is a restored colonial style estate built in 1932. With old style houses and open veranda’s , it sat on 14 acres of beautifully manicured lawns, right next to a sandy white beach. The gardens had all manner of plants and trees, many of which I hadn’t seen since I was in Jamaica. Tamarind, coconut palms, frangipane, rubber trees, almonds, hibiscus, bournganvillas, orchids etc. Another garden had topiaries – elephants, flying geese, rabbits and more elephants.
The Sandy Chronicles 