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photos by fotoplushuahin.com

KHAO TAO a peaceful place in Hua Hin

Khao Tao is getting more popular both for vacation and living, a quiet and charming area, located 13 km south of Hua Hin. The village still keeps its profile as a peaceful fishing village surrounded by beautiful nature and many interesting tourist attractions. It is a small seaside village for those seeking an easy-going and rustic weekend experience and the hospitality of Thai fishing village life. Do not confuse it with the diving island of Koh Tao, which is far away south of Hua Hin and off Chumphon.

Khao Tao Lake was the first reservoir in Thailand, developed as a Royal Project. One of His Majesty the King’s earliest projects, The Hat Sai Yai Farm, set up in 1965 on a plot of His Majesty the King’s own land. It is an experimental farm that tries out different ways of raising livestock and cashew-nut trees, on arid, sandy soil. The offspring of the cattle, pigs, goats, sheep and poultry bred at the farm are distributed to nearby farmers. The Farm is important, as its purpose is to find a link between the right combination of water and fertilizers in order to grow crops under such poor conditions. The ability to grow kitchen garden crops and field plants, such as pineapple, corn and mulberry bushes is obviously a good example and encouragement for farmers. Her Majesty the Queen, who bought land at Khao Tao village, in order to restore the soil, initated Hat Sai Yai Forest Park in 1983. A Breeding and Propagation of Wildlife Project began in Hat Sai Yai Forest Park and the area was set up for breeding wildlife.

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Khao Tao Beach and Hat Sai Noi Beach are two famous beaches in this area and those are wonderful secluded beaches and exceptionally clean.

Khao Tao Beach is similar to Suan Son Beach but much more quiet. As with most beaches in this area, it’s very calm and the water is shallow a long way out from shore, so it is suited to relaxing, walking and cycling and other sport activities on the beach.

Sai Noi Beach is a small and secluded spot. Most people just visit Sai Noi Beach to unwind and soak up the relaxed and peaceful atmosphere. It is very small compared with the others, but it’s perhaps the nicest one where you can experience a quiet, uninterrupted day without having to do much. The sand is fine and deep, and the beach declines sharply so it’s ideal for swimming, as you don’t have to venture far from the shore. The beach lies in a small cove with rocks either side, so the sea views are quite limited but pleasant.

From Hat Sai Noi beach you can see two small islands, Ko Singto (lion island) and Ko Tao (turtle island). The villager’s main occupations are fishing and pineapple farming. Khao Tao got its name from a hill and a turtle-shaped rock (Tao means Turtle), which goes into the sea.

Apart from the delightful little bay and beach at Hat Sai Noi, Khao Tao also has an impressive temple complex with several caves, Big Buddha statue on the top of the mountain, shrines, fishing village, fresh water lake and lookouts.

There are also many small restaurants along the street and some on the beach. The food is mainly Thai with some European options. For small shopping, it is very easy to reach convenience stores such as 7-Eleven, FamilyMart and local stores.

Khao Tao has recently become well known as a nice new quiet vacation spot and a nice place to live of Hua Hin.

There are many new condominiums and housing developments in the area and small plots of land at reasonable price is getting more difficult to find. However there are some housing developments that offer a reasonable price of land and house with financing plan up to 100%.

Apart of well-known beachfront condominiums, there are many beautiful pool villa projects, which is more suitable for people who want to have more living space and privacy.

Here, we have a selection of “must see” pool villa projects in Khao Tao area.

Sivana HillsLocation: soi 126Characteristic: Tropical pool villa, each villa features a rooftop terrace.

Stuart Park Location: soi 126Characteristic: luxury pool villa, which is ideal for a quieter and peaceful living.

Villa VistaLocation: soi 126Characteristic: villa vista homes are designed with a focus on western-style livng in a tropical climate.

SearidgeLocation: soi 136Characteristic: Contemporary design with a luxurious, relaxed and tropical feel.

Marble homeLocation: soi 140Characteristic: Ultimate luxurious privacy living and is smartly designed to utilize available space, open to spacious terraces and the panoramic view of the surrounding mountains. * Financing up to 100% possible.

The Height IILocation: soi 156Characteristic: Luxury home with tropical garden.

Manora VillageLocation: South of Khao Tao areaCharacteristic: Fresh and unconventional design with panoramic views.

Panorama Pool VillasLocation: South of Khao Tao areaCharacteristic: Tropical Balinese style and has stunning panoramic views.

1. Sivana Hills2. Stuart Park3. Villa Vista4. Searidge5. Marble Home6. The Height II7. Manora Village8. Panorama

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