Redefine MICE in Hua Hin, Thailand

With the great excuse to attend Thailand MICE Forum 2019, I’ve been invited to further discover further new opportunities and redefine MICE locations & type of events in Thailand.
The first stop was Bangkok, in this link you can read my full experience. And for the second stop, we headed south with really comfortable luxury vans -with great wifi-: to Hua Hin!

Hua Hin is Thailand‘s oldest beach town resort. Situated on the west coast of the Gulf of Thailand and only 200 kilometers from the capital, Bangkok, it offers the ultimate getaway destination for the city’s elite. Hua Hin became popular with the Royal Family following the construction of the southern railway in the 1920’s, travel became more accessible and a demand for luxury resorts and hotels grew.
The first of these was the Railway Hotel which is now the Centara Grand Beach Resort & Villas,and this is were I spent two nights. I loved the hotel, for its historical charm and the friendly staff. I wish I had more time to enjoy its three amazing pools and facilities.
It has 207 guestrooms and suites in a range of six configurations, plus 42 luxurious villas, some with private pools. A consistent visual aesthetic of «Old Siam» is maintained across the property, including in more recently added wings. Part of the original Colonial Wing, now the elegant Museum Coffee and Tea Corner, the perfect place to feel in another time.
To see my pics of Centara Grand Beach Resort & Villas link here
To see my video of Centara Grand Beach Resort & Villas link here

Hua Hin is just three hours away from Bangkok. On our way we did several stops to redefine Thainess:
– Baan Thaka: located close to the Tha Kha floating market, we arrived there by boat:

There the whole commmunity of Tha Kha lives from the coconut (and its derivates) and from the floating market:

I have witnessed how they produce different types of coconut products and I was able to try making a few of them:

Like coconut syrup:

The artisan making handicrafts:

Pandan and coconut paste in the making:

And from the coconut leaves some hats and bags:

As you see, the coconut is a product like the pig: we can use absolutely every part!
– King Rama II Memorial Park: this was our second stop on our way to Hua Hin. 
We were so lucky to enjoy a private tour led by Professor Emeritus Siriwan Silapacharanan. This park was built to honour King Rama II and is run by a royalty-supported foundation. King Rama II was awarded the status of Person of the World by UNESCO for his contribution to the arts and culture of Thailand, and his achievements are celebrated in this compound. In addition, you can find the King Rama II Museum, composed of four buildings, houses artefacts from the early Rattanakosin era, King Rama II’s household furniture, and showcases the lives of Thais during the king’s reign:

There we were dressed up in a Thai costume from the period of King Rama II:

And we enjoyed a superb Thai lunch in the Puppla Rimnam Pavilion:

– Golden Windmill Salt Spa: this place is a simple nice spa using their own products made of sea salt from Petchaburi area. We all enjoyed a foot scrub and a facial with house blend herbs and natural sun dried sea salt.

and I also had the chance to try their salt scrub in a short facial treatment:

– Somdet Phra Srinagarindra Park to redefine my body: this agricultural park is managed by the Chaipat Foundation. 
Here we listened all about the foundation and its works to help the community and enhance sustainable agriculture:

And we also made some herbal compress balls with the local herbs, so much Thainess!

We also cooked (and ate) our own food according to our sign: I am water and my ideal food are pomelos, tomatoes, mangoes and pineapple. Actually very true!

Have you ever reforested with clay bullets thrown by a catapult? I have!

And lastly we planted rice, really! never done this before and I am so happy to have lived so many experiences in Somdet Phra Srinagarindra Park:

And back to the glamour, my two dinners in Hua Hin:
– In Hua Hin Marriott Resort & Spa “Redefine MY Perspective”: we arrived when it was already dark, so I missed to see the fabulous gardens with daylight, but I got to see the beautiful and modern conference and banquet rooms, truly top design and facilities

We enjoyed an exclusive dinner on the beach, white party dinner:

A truly amazing evening in the beach of the Marriott Resort & Spa!!!!
And the last day was also unforgettable, organised in The Museum at the Centara Grand Beach Resort & Villas. The theme was “Redefine ME2” for Farewell Dinner, “THE REDEFINEMENT”:

To finish this memorable evening, we all watched in the Centara gardens, the summary video of our full Thainess Redefine Experience:

I want to thank TCEB for the stunning week and the perfect organisation