Huahin Grand Hotel & Plaza

The pool is a lovely 30 meters, and the hotel is close to Village Market for shopping and food. My room was comfortable and good value, with effective AC and a TV that had a few English-language channels. The only thing keeping this from five stars was the fitness room, whose equipment has fallen into disrepair.

You can walk to Village Market for food, and Hua Hin night market is about 15 minutes away on foot. The pool is nice, but the gym is terrible. Rooms are older and haven't been renovated, though they're large and clean. For $30 or less a night, it's a good budget hotel in a great location.

My first room smelled strongly of smoke. I complained, and at first the manager said by phone that they were full and couldn't move me. The manager then gave me another room, which fixed the problem. The room was adequate and the bed comfortable. It's a good hotel, though it is starting to look dated.

The staff were good, and the breakfast had hot eggs along with the usual wide selection of Thai buffet items. They also serve lunch for meetings. There are at least six good meeting rooms, two Korean restaurants nearby, and another banquet and meeting center next door. A hospital is just one block away. The location also puts you between Tops grocery, with its great deli and salad sections, and Villa Marketplace, with two nearby malls and the night market close in the other direction.