Casuarina Resort, Pranburi / Hua Hin
Thailand, East Coast and Islands

The Casuarina Resort is a luxurious yet laid back boutique resort on Cha-Am beach to the north of Hua Hin. Set amongst huge landscaped tropical gardens the resort consists of 34 one and two bedroom villas, all with en-suite bathrooms. Trendy and contemporary in style, the spacious villas are designed with polished cement floors and walls and ambient lighting. The colour pallets are subtle and compliment the feeling of peace and tranquillity which surrounds the resort. Life moves slowly here.

The Garden Villas look out onto a large well-kept lawn, whilst the remaining villas look out to the beach and sea. The hotel is lucky to have a wide beach frontage and Cha-Am has been lucky to avoid the development that nearby Hua Hin has experienced. The beach is quiet and largely deserted and good swimming is possible from in front of the hotel.

Additional facilities include a spa, conference room and breezy seaside bar. The hotel has one main restaurant - 'The Bambu', elegantly designed and furnished with wooden chairs and tables and pretty hanging lanterns, it hugs the beach and looks out to sea. A variety of cuisine is served although the Thai dishes are the speciality.

The resort was extensively refurbished in 2005. An unusually designed swimming pool overlooks the sea and is surrounded by sun loungers and shady areas for food and drinks. There are also sun-loungers on the 'wet-terrace' which sits submerged in the pool itself.

Whilst being luxurious and elegant, Casuarina retains an understated feel... A distinctly Thai flavour is present and the resort is popular with Bangkok types and holidaymakers alike. A relaxed, boutique option less than three hours drive from Bangkok and within easy reach of the attractions of Hua Hin but with added tranquillity that will appeal to many.

Comfort - This is what we would describe as our standard category. These will be decent 3/4* hotels providing a really good level of service. We would generally expect them to be providing a little something extra, whether it is character, service or excellent facilities.

Our rating system explained...

• 3+ Specialist Restaurants
• Beach Bar
• Beach Frontage
• DVD Player
• Golf Course Nearby
• Meeting / Conference Facilities
• Swimming Pool
• Varied Local Excursions