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One night in Bangkok is, well, whatever you make of it. After which you may wish to escape to the sea for a day or three. Should the undoubted virtues of Koh Samui be too far and the dubious ones of Pattaya too close then consider the old royal watering hole of Hua Hin.

Some 190 km, or three hours by road or rail, south of Bangkok on the western shore of the Gulf of Siam, Hua Hin (pronounced "Hwa Hin") is a dignified escape. Perhaps because of its long association with the Thai royal family, Hua Hin has been spared the excessive "success" of other resort towns.

This is known as "the sunrise side" of the Gulf. The sea here is calm, as are the streets. It's an especially good place for golfers; in fact, in Hua Hin, history and golf are uniquely linked.

Few golf deals can match the one that was hatched on Royal Hua Hin course in 1932. In the middle of a game, King Prajadipok (Rama VII) was informed that a powerful alliance of bureaucrats and soldiers in Bangkok had demanded the replacement of the country's 700-year old absolute monarchy with a constitutional one. The King simply said to his golfing partners, "I told you so." His subsequent acquiescence was the beginning of Thai democracy.

For centuries Hua Hin had been a quiet fishing port. In 1910, Prince Chakrabongse, brother of King Rama VI, "discovered" this serene coast while on a tiger hunt. His boundless enthusiasm prompted the next king, Rama VII (Thailand's last absolute monarch), to build his Royal Summer Palace here, calling it Klai Kangwon, "Far From Worries". And perhaps the place really is, because the current king and queen still celebrate their wedding anniversary here each year.

Another royal retreat, the vast Maruekathaiyawan Palace, was built in 1923. This teakwood treasure (known for convenience as "The Wooden Palace") stands on Hua Hin beachfront and, now restored, is open to visitors. It is proudly billed as "The Longest Golden Teak Palace in the World" - might it be treason to ask what other contenders there are for the title?

In the 1920s, Hua Hin came into vogue with the Thai court and Bangkok society. A railway was pushed through from the capital. The exotic little Royal Waiting Room that was constructed still stands on the Hua Hin platform; it's a uniquely Thai creation, looking like a cross between a temple and a ticket office.

Just opposite the railway station is Royal Hua Hin golf course, Thailand's first, established in that same era. You can still step straight from the Bangkok Sprinter Train, cross the tracks and tee-off. The 18-hole championship course is extensively wooded, although sadly the caddies today no longer have to chase tigers off the fairways. Hua Hin and neighbouring Cha-am (25 kilometres north) now have seven courses - the region should be called The Golf of Siam. Hua Hin township (of around 60,000 people) goes about its business much as ever, leaving the denizens of its sleek new golf resort-cum-villa estates to imagine they are the occupants of yesterday's princely compounds.

Hua Hin is a good place for families and for visitors who hope to glimpse the "Thailand of the Thais". Beyond the fairways are sweeping beaches, Buddhist temples and a vigorously authentic (as opposed to desperately touristy) night market. The inland scenery is framed by the distant blue ranges that separate Thailand and Burma. Twenty-three kilometres south of Hua Hin is Khao Sam Roi Yot ("Mountain of Three Hundred Peaks") national park, with its forests, waterfalls, caves and beaches; the park is a sanctuary for deer, monkeys and many bird species.

Back in town, among the most distinctive digs are the Hotel Sofitel Central (formerly the 1920s Railway Hotel), a palatial, seafront pavilion of louvres, punkah fans and armies of gardeners. The old wing was one of the major sets - as the embassy - in the movie The Killing Fields. But the real scene-stealer is the grand topiary in the grounds - a wondrous, motionless stampede of green elephants and giraffes. (And that's what you see before you reach the bar.)

Should your work-wearied body feel it needs to be "reincarnated" now, rather than in some future life, the Chiva-Som Health Resort at nearby Cha-Am is devoted to exactly that sort of right royal refurbishment. The rates are quite regal, too, starting at US$420 per night, but in the tradition of a royal spa, there's an intensive focus upon your health and well-being. There are, of course, also plenty of good, modestly priced hotels in Hua Hin.

If you're driving to or from Bangkok, diverge for an hour and enjoy something unique. About one hour south of the capital, pull off the Petchaburi freeway and into the coastal time warp of Don Hoi Lord village. Its claim to fame is also its name - a tiny straw-like shellfish called hoi lord. Thais travel from afar to sup on this delicacy.

"This is the only place in world that you'll find hoi lord," says my companion, Pannada. She leads me along a row of bamboo restaurants perched high above the mangroves. Thai families are woofing down servings of roast squid, fish balls and sticky rice.

The waiter is surprised to see me. Tourists, touts and credit cards haven't yet reached this far. We start with a well-musselled seafood soup, then a dish that Pannada describes as, "Pregnant cuttlefish, with garlic, lime juice and chilli. And not chilly at all." She's right - but this is food worth burning for.

Don Hoi Lord's namesake crustacean is about four centimetres long and looks like a section of bamboo shoot. It's hard to say what the hoi lord actually tastes like, because mine is served stir-fried with fish, garlic and basil. This is followed by jackfruit and coconut juice. We finish off this culinary diversion with a short visit to Don Hoi Lord's wat, a temple tower that has gently tilted, à la Pisa, towards the sea, as though in homage to the ocean's generosity to this little village.

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