Centara Grand Beach Resort & Villas Hua Hin
King Rama VI's 1923 Railway Hotel, still shading Hua Hin's sands
About the Property
Commissioned in 1923 during the reign of King Rama VI as a railway hotel for the Bangkok–Hua Hin line, this Victorian Colonial property became the first resort destination for the Thai royal family and the Siamese aristocracy. Its whitewashed colonnaded facade, pitched Thai wooden pavilions and sweeping sea-facing verandahs have defined the aesthetic of Hua Hin for over a century — a living monument to the moment Thailand opened to modern leisure.
Original Purpose
Royal railway hotel
Highlights
History Timeline
The State Railway of Siam extends the southern line to Hua Hin, opening the fishing village to wealthy Bangkok families seeking sea air.
The Railway Hotel opens in Hua Hin during the reign of King Rama VI, built in Victorian Colonial style as one of Southeast Asia's earliest beach resort hotels.
King Rama VII builds Klai Kangwon Palace near Hua Hin, cementing the town's status as the royal family's preferred seaside retreat.
Hua Hin becomes the site of Thailand's constitutional revolution; King Rama VII receives the military delegation at his palace while staying near the Railway Hotel.
The hotel is extensively restored and rebranded as the Sofitel Central Hua Hin, with its Victorian topiary gardens and original wooden wings preserved.
Centara Hotels takes management; the property is renamed Centara Grand Beach Resort & Villas Hua Hin and listed on Thailand's registry of significant heritage buildings.