Truth be told, Hat Yai may well be one of the least interesting cities in Thailand. It's a relatively modern invention resulting from the construction of the railway linking Thailand to Malaysia and Singapore in the nineteenth century. Hat Yai is where the two lines running up either coast of Malaysia meet to form the single line up to Bangkok. It remained not much more than a rail yard until the 1960s, when its proximity to the Malaysia border made it an important trading town.
Street food for more adventurous dining
Given its lack of any historical or cultural sights, it's somewhat surprising to find that Hat Yai boasts a large number of hotels and hosts hoards of visitors each year. Many of these visitors come from Malaysia. Each weekend the town fills up with weekenders who spend much of their time in the city's many markets and restaurants.
Despite the lack of any significant sights of its own, Hat Yai's central location, plentiful hotel rooms and wealth of transportation options make it a reasonable base from which to explore the deep south. The town does have a certain buzz, especially at night when all the tourists are out shopping, and you will find a large number of travel operators who can help you to get anywhere you want to go.
Hat Yai a fair selection of hotels, but most of what it has are decidedly budget class tourist hotels that cater to the hordes of Malaysians who cross the border on weekends. They may be acceptable for a night, but don't expect anything fancy. I've made a couple of selections below.
Centara Hotel Hat Yai Centrally located in the middle of town. Within walking distance of most of the sights, such as they are.
Street food for more adventurous dining Hat Yai can be a great destination for foodies, as just about every type of Thai, Malay and Chinese food can be found here. However, as with the hotel scene, you won't find much of anything that's very fancy. Most of the food options are food carts and street stalls, many of which are concentrated in a few areas around town.
Kale and northern sausage over rice at Boat Bakery With most of the food scene on the street, there are very few restaurants I can actually recommend.
For some, the shopping in Hat Yai is a paradise. For many, it has all the charm of a Walmart with broken air conditioning.
What's on offer is mostly inexpensive casual clothing. If you're on a long trip and getting tired of your clothes, then Hat Yai is a good place to get replacements. You can actually find just about anything in the town's three main markets, including guns and pornography.
