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Odin Bar
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Guest House
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Omkring Cha-Am
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email: odinbar-cha-am@hotmail.com
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Welcome to the Odin Bar About Cha-Am Page
Cha-Am is the twin town of Hua-Hin. The two are connected by a
vast beach area which is the most popular new destination in Thailand.
Cha Am & Hua Hin town centres are only 30 minutes apart, HuaHin being
located to the South in Pretchup Kiri Khan province. ChaAm is located in
Phetchaburi province, about 2 ½ hours South of Bangkok International
Airport. You can take the train, mini bus, air conditioned bus or taxi direct
from Bangkok to Cha-Am.
About Cha-Am
ChaAm has many endearing features. For example, Cha-Am has a 5km golden sand beach with the Phuratat mountain range providing a beautiful
backdrop. The Plaza area has a vibrant night life; there is a large fishing village providing fresh fish, crabs, prawns & shell fish of endless variety. Main road
& rail links from Bangkok to Malaysia pass through the outside of central Cha-Am but are close enough to be just a 5 minute taxi ride from the beach.
Cha Am beach runs continuously along the coast to Hua Hin beach forming one of the longest unbroken beaches in the region. As you look out to the
seamless continuum of the sky meeting the sea you can catch the sun rising above the horizon at dawn and the sun set in the evening. These are beautiful
spectacles for those who love the romance of a paradise.
Cha-Am was originally a small fishing village which became part of the oldest beach resort in area Thailand. After a new Royal Palace was built in
nearby Hua-Hin by King Rama VI (moving His Majesties summer residence from Phetburi in the 1920s) Cha-Am & Hua-Hin became 'in vogue' with
the elite of Thailand.
Located on the sunrise side of the Gulf of Thailand, Cha-Am is a quiet relaxed coastal paradise, perfect for family vacations. In contrast to Pattaya Phuket
& Hua-Hin, Chaam keeps away from the international playground scene & instead rewards you with a charming & quiet retreat with genuine Thai identity &
culture. There’s a small community of us ‘farrangs’ (as the Thais call us) who are lucky enough to stay in this paradise all year. Most come for a 2 to 4 week
stay, with November to March being the peak season. Cha-Am is never over-run by farrangs, the cultural balance is maintained perfectly. So often tourist
destinations get over-run with foreigners & lose their identity, turning into ‘ghettos’. Cha-Am feels like a big village most of the time.
Cha Am has an almost unique climate created by the constant breeze from the Gulf air rising up off the sea onto the nearby border mountain range. It has
lower than average rainfall & gentler temperatures whilst the rest of this region of Thailand endures temperatures normally 35°C or above.
Shopping in Cha-Am
There’s a thriving day market in central ChaAm.It’s ideal for picking up fresh fruit,
vegetables & meat all for a very good price.
Cha-Am also has 3 night markets per week. On Mondays, it is located near the Sports Village on the
Sriskhunthai Road, on Wednesdays the market moves to the grounds of Cha-Am municipality centre
(near the train station) & on Friday the market can be found near the beach road entrance to Cha-Am
fishing village. A wide variety of goods can be bought here at very cheap prices: clothes, shoes,
batteries for the camera, DVD’s and CD’s, leather goods, electrical equipment, local arts and crafts,
authentic Thai cuisine, you simply have to go there & try it!!
The Wednesday market is very popular with those who live ‘out of town’ to come in & have a beer & a chat about the weeks events at one of the alfresco bars.
For those city dwellers who simply can’t live without the trapping of home, it’s all here too. There are 24-7 convenience stores all over town selling the
usual fizzy drinks, sun tan oils, beer, cigarettes, 2 am hot dogs & the ‘oh, I need it now!’ items.
The cities of Hua-Hin & Phetchaburi are about 30 minutes in either direction & provide great shopping for those who like to do it on an industrial scale.
You will find all the usual American fast food restaurants, cinema plex & super stores like Tesco & BigC, though with a little effort most things can be
found in Cha-Am & all at a very good price.
Activities in Cha-am
There are many easily accessible activities in & around Cha Am. The beach provides water skiing jet ski &
banana boat rides or fishing trips for the more leisurely. Cycling has become popular for those who want to
keep fit: the roads are flat in town, but if you want a challenge, the mountains are only about a 4km ride
away! There’s a run organised by the ‘Hash-Harriers’ in a different location every week; competitors range
from 30+ to 70+ & it’s often won by the more senior competitors. There’s a privately run gymnasium up on
the main road & a number of swimming pools in town, one of the best being located in the SportVillage. For
those who want to get a sun tan & relax in this little paradise, it’s always easy to find a nice spot on the 5km
beach & enjoy some of the many delights from passing vendors.
ever-greens that line the beach. There’s a newly made promenade with public seating between the beach & the road; nice for relaxing day or night.
Activities nearby Cha-Am
Cha Am is perfectly located as a base because there is so much available in a
short distance out of town.
For those who love golf, Cha-am is perfect. There are 11 international class golf
courses in a 10km radius with very affordable course & caddy fees.
There’s a driving range within walking distance of our guest house on the Narathip
road too.
Going up the coast road to the North you will find a number of charming beach villages, notably Puk Thien & Had Chow Samran.
There’s a Buddhist temple that resembles Noahs’ Ark on the way too.
About 7km North from Cha-Am are the Bat Caves. Bats fly out of the mountain side in their thousands as the sun sets; a spectacle not to be missed.
Also to the North (about 30 minutes) is Phetchaburi. The city is a cultural hot spot with a mass of Buddhist & Hindu temples all in close proximity.
It was the home of King Rama VI of Thailand & there’s a cable car ride up the mountain to the former kings old colonial style residence & temples.
Chan National Park & lake resort area with all the usual water sports & excellent
cuisine by the lakeside.
Going South on the Cha-Am by-pass, you can find the Pala-U waterfalls & Country
Park,about 40 minutes from ChaAm. It’s a great place to picnic, camp, revitalise in
the cool mountain springs or go off for an adventurous hike. There’s also an Animal
Sanctuary, Elephant safari, Lion Park, Boat trips to the Coral islands with diving & a
Go kart track all within easy reach of Cha-Am.
There are a number of night-life hot-spots in Cha-Am. The big
international hotels provide their usual brand of night
time entertainment.
There are many Karaoke bars on the Narathip Road for those
who fancy a ‘sing-a-song’. If you want to dance or listen to a good
live band, watch some exotic dancing or play a game of pool with
friends, the Plaza is the place to be.
It’s the heart of Cha-Am nightlife!
Alternatively, there are a number of reasonably priced restaurants
serving good quality Thai & western dishes, ideal for making new
friends & sampling some delicious food.Throughout the year there a number of Thai long weekends with festivals, for example: Loy Kratong &
Song Gran. The Thai’s love to come to Cha-Am whenever they get the chance & hold their celebrations here. They know the magic of Cha-Am,
it’s why Cha-Am is the no.1 destination for Thai people on holiday! In a nut-shell, ChaAm will provide you with everything you want for a safe
relaxing & enjoyable holiday in paradise. Its location is perfect to get the best of everything without all the noise or expense of the big resorts.
Cha Am will reward you time & time again becoming an entwined part of your life. That’s why so many of us keep coming back year after year
making it our home for the cold miserable months of the European countries we come from.
Please email us now at: odinbar-cha-am@hotmail.com or call us on one of the numbers below:
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