Editor Pick
Starbucks
- August 17, 2008
- Rated 4 of 5 by
SeenThat from Tel Aviv, Israel
Luxury
Starbucks Thailand is positioned in the market quite differently than in the USA. Starbucks USA offers slightly expensive coffee but not excessively so. A Tall Americano does not compare in price to an average American meal. However, in Thailand, the parallel Short Americano costs two times as a regular meal at a food stall - the most popular meals in the country. Thus, this chain is defined here as an upmarket one; one of the most obvious consequences is that the coffee is served in china cups instead of the wasteful paper cups used in the US.
Location
Petchakasem is the main north to south road in Hua Hin; in fact this is part of the highway leading to Bangkok and is known also as Hua Hin Road. The stretch between Soi 70 and 76 delimits downtown Hua Hin; "soi" is the name given in Thailand to streets branching from main avenues, usually they are numbered. The location at Soi 73 means Starbucks enjoys a superb location, though it is not near the beach.
Setup
The store occupies a two floors building on the main avenue and features glass walls giving it an aquarium-like look. The counter is right by the entrance, along a narrow corridor leading to the seating area, from the last a staircase leads to the second floor, where more tables and the toilets are. Plenty of coaches are tastefully scattered around the slightly curved lines of the outer glass wall giving the place a soft and relaxing feeling.
Menu
Starbucks' menus are pretty much the same everywhere. It would be more useful at this point to give references on how it compares to the chain's American menus and to the local markets.
Hot drinks appear in three sizes: short, tall and grande. An Americano costs 65, 80 and 95 baht respectively, while a cappuccino is slightly more expensive at 75, 90 and 105 baht. For comparison, a regular Thai coffee costs just 10, and a dollar was worth slightly over 33 baht at the time this article was written. I had an Americano; its quality was good and equal to the served in the US.
Cold drinks are sold as tall, grande and venti. Iced coffee costs 75, 90 and 105 baht, a Caramel Frapuccino 115, 130 and 145, while the most expensive drink is the venti Green Tea Frappucino at 175 baht.
On the pastries front, a butter croissant costs 35 baht and a chocolate one 45; here they are heated with an oven.
Toilets
Reporting on a shop's toilets may be considered a touch of bad taste while speaking of coffee. However, most Thai coffee shops and restaurants lack toilets, even large chains usually lacks them; thus reporting on these rare, but necessary spots, is important. Starbucks toilets here were large and more sumptuous than the shop, featuring fancy lamps and mirrors.
Wi-Fi and Electricity Sockets
Thailand has been conquered by Wi-Fi technology; street signs in Bangkok advertise 64000 hot spots there, but - in a touch typical of the Thais - the small details do not always function.
Most Western-style coffee shops are connected, and that includes Starbucks. The branch in Hua Hin is not different in that aspect. Having arrived after a long trip, my first stop in town was at Starbucks, I needed a coffee before beginning what I knew would be a long and busy day. It seemed also as the perfect opportunity for recharging one of my gadgets that got tired along the way. After placing my coffee at a little table by a comfortable looking coach, I took the gadget out of my backpack and approached the only electricity socket in the customers area of the shop. It didn't work. The shiny shop was not made of gold after all.
The Wi-Fi service in Starbucks is provided by KSC. A single hour prepaid package costs 150 baht, roughly ten times the price of an hour at a Thai internet kiosk; a daily unlimited account costs also 150 baht. However, for 500 baht unlimited monthly access is gained; thus the last option is the only worthy one. Cards can be purchased at Starbucks.
Souvenirs
Starbucks Hua Hin cups are for sale; they feature the company's logo, the name of the location and some graphics. If buying one, the first coffee is on the house; if bringing it during future visits, a discount on the coffee is given.
From journal Hoo Hah, Hua Hin