Hua Hin beach at sunrise

Hua Hin's beach faces east, which makes it a sunrise town: the sand runs for kilometres along the bay, and the first light comes in low off the Gulf, straight onto whoever is standing at the waterline. The first half-hour gives you two pictures a west-facing beach cannot — a couple or a family in silhouette against a sky going from pink to gold, and then, as the sun clears the horizon, warm light on faces. The sand is long, flat and wide: room to run, room for a toddler to wander off and be followed, room for a group without strangers in the frame.

Riders lead ponies along the tideline, and they belong in the picture — a pony walking past in the background says Hua Hin as clearly as any landmark; ask before photographing a rider up close. A short walk away, the old fishing quarter stands on the water, with wooden piers and buildings raised on stilts over the sea, and makes the second half of a morning while the sun is still low enough to reach under the boardwalks. It is a working waterfront where people live: stay on the walkways and keep off the boats unless someone invites you.

The light turns hard quickly — an hour after sunrise the best of it is gone — which suits families with early risers: a session at first light, breakfast afterwards. The town fills with weekenders from Bangkok, so a weekday is calmer. Hua Hin gets less rain than most of the coast, but its wet months come late, heaviest around September and October, and those are the ones to keep a spare day for.