Hat Yai is the largest town in Songkhla Province and the fourth largest in Thailand. It is frequented by many travelers passing through from and to Malaysia, lending it a cosmopolitan feel that is unique to the area. It is well known as a travel hub, a medical centre and a shopping haven for Thais. Hat Yai’s appeal is different from Koh Samui’s or Phuket’s and it is an extremely popular tourist spot for Malaysians and Singaporeans meaning that prices are subsequently high and that you won’t see many western faces here except as transit visitors.
Downtown Hat Yai is fairly unremarkable and is compartmentalized into shopping are entertainment areas. Getting around town is fairly easy and cheap by motorcycle taxi and even cabs are relatively cheap when compared to other tourist-orientated destinations in Thailand. English is not as widely spoken here as in say, Bangkok, and you will need a phrasebook or an English-Thai dictionary.