Pranburi was a pretty unknown spot for kiters not too long ago but that has changed now. This year saw a lot more people going down there for kite surfing although Pak Nam Pran beach (or "Packers" if you want to call it like the local kiters do) has kept its original charme. The beach is still wide and long and the "kiters per square meter of beach relationship" is still extremely low, perfect for kiting. Nothing to compare with Hua Hin where, for my taste at least, it is just too crowded.

The newest school in Pak Nam Pran (Pranburi) is called Airstylers kite school. It is located at the lower end of the beach on the grounds of Chatelet bungalows. It is really the perfect spot as the beach at that spot is the best and also Chatelet has a beach restaurant which is perfect to hang out when not kiting. Prices of food are cheap. For drinks and food for a whole day of kiting I normally paid in the range of 150 Baht maximum.

Airstylers chill hut at the beach:

To get around you can (should) rent a motorbike which sets you back 200 Baht per day. If you feel like more action at night you can quite easily go to Hua Hin which is just a 20 minutes drive away from Pak Nam Pran beach in Pranburi.

Kite Beaches in Pak Nam Pran, Pranburi, Thailand:

If you are thinking about learning to kite then the best place to start is a 3-day beginners course that goes for very reasonable 11,000 Baht. This gets you 3 long days with a professional instructor that will tell you all the ins and outs of kite surfing. On the third day, most people already start practicing water starting with a board.

If you are not sure yet if kiting is somethign for you, you can start with a one day course to test things out. This will set you back 4000 Baht.

One thing I really like about the Airstylers Kite school is that there are always friendly people around every weekend and also during the week. There is always a bunch of surfers coming down every weekend so it really doesn't matter if you come to Packers with friends or by yourself. Yo will always have people to hang out with at the beach.

To contact Airstylers you can go to their website or call them directly on mobile at (+66) 851833808. The Email address is info (at) airstylerskiteschool dot com. Colin, the school owner will be glad to help you with any inquiry about kiting in Pranburi.

A confirmation for the growing popularity of Hua Hin/Pranburi as a kite surfing location was that it was 2010 for the first time included in the Asian Kiteboarding Tour. Last month the event was held in Hua Hin and as this city is just about 20 minutes away from Pranburi, some of the participating kiters came over to Pranburi before the event and you could watch some action on the water. See some pictures of it below:

There are plenty accommodation options available in different price classes, bungalows up to 5-star hotels. One of the hoels that has special deals for kiters available is "La Kaza" which is located 50 meters away from the beach where the Airstylers kiteschool is located at. So it provides a great combination of value and great location. A double room was 1200 Baht for kiters the last time I was there. Normal rate runs at 1700 if I remember right. The hotel manager was also very kind I want to add and didn't mind us checking out late the next day at 17:00 in the evening! So we could take a shower before we left. That is not the norm to Not get charged half day for a late check out like that.

Of course there is always Chatelet where the Airstylers Kite school is located at. They have bungalows on offer that are real nice. They have large front windows and are modernly equipped and come with aircons. These are upscale bungalows, not the cheapo types you often find in other places. Chatelet also has a "family bungalow" that is directly at the beach front which offers an even better deal if you are a larger group of let's say 4-6 people.

La Kaza and Chatelet are located here:

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La Kaza:

Chatelet:

If you have a limitless budget and only wan the best you can stay at the Evason hotel that belongs to Six Senses and has all the amenities you would expect from a 5-star hotel. It is on the other side of Pak Nam Pran though and you will need some kind of transportation to get down to Airstylers. You can find the Evason also on the above map. Just scroll up the coast line from the Chatelet and you can spot the Evason after a while.

How to get there:

When you come from Bangkok the easiest way would be a rental car. You will be able to reach Pranburi within 2:30 hours. You just follow the way to Hua Hin which is the bigger city and from there it is only a twenty minutes way to get to Pranburi.

If you take the bus the most convenient way is to take a Mini Bus from Victory Monument in Bangkok. Victory Monument can be reached by Skytrain or Taxi. Taxi would be preferable if you haven't taken a bus from there yet as the taxi can drop you at the right spot. Vistory Monument is a hub for Mini Bus companies. They will leave every hour so you don't have to book ahead. Just go to the station and get your ticket. There will be people from the bus companies that speak English. Ticket price is about 300 Baht, depending on where you get dropped off. Only think to watch out for is that you make sure they have to drop you off at Pak Nam Pran in Pranburi.