I like hatyai very much and recommend you to ...
See
Chinese Temples - notably the Kuan Im temple up on the hill behind Hat Yai Municipal Park.
The reclining Buddha at Wat Hat Yai Nai.
Tone Nga Chang Waterfall.
Songkhla Zoo
Ko Yo
Do
Visa Run - If you need to extend your stay in Thailand another 30 days, you can cross the border at Dannok, near Sadao. Getting there from the airport is easy and takes about 2 hours. From the airport walk straight out into the parking lot to the parking lot ring road. You can wait here for a light blue songthaew to take you into town and get dropped off at The Plaza for 13 baht. The ride takes about 20-30 minutes. You can also take an airport taxi into town. At The Plaza, you can find a van waiting just across from the TOT office, which makes regular trips to Dannok. If you can't find it, just say "Sadao" or "Dannok" to people till they point you the right way. The trip is 50 baht, and vans leave once they are full. The trip should take about 1 hour 30 minutes. It will drop you off near the border at Dannok and you can just walk to exit Thailand. You will be approached by motorcycle drivers who will offer to take you to the Malaysian side. Walking takes about 10 minutes, so it could be worth it to pay 20 baht each way if you are in a hurry. If you have time, a stop at the duty free shop is worthwhile. Minivans returning to Hat Yai depart from outside the 7-Eleven store in Dannok.
Thai Massage - No trip to Thailand would be complete without a Thai massage and Hat Yai is one of the places to get them. One good place would be Hai Yai Central Hotel. The rooms are nicely decorated and provide a soothing environment to go with a good massage.
Buy
Lee Garden Plaza - The most popular mall for Thai teenagers. Restaurants include Sizzler, Swensens, McDonalds and Fuji among others. Shops inside sell books, clothes, mobile phones and souvenirs. There is a multiplex cinema and a games complex which also includes Karaoke booths.
Odean Shopping Mall - Mostly clothes.
Diana Shopping Mall - Clothes, mobile phones, restaurants and a bowling alley.
Tesco Lotus - Located near the Prince of Songkhla University, a large supermarket that sells food, clothes, household items and lots more. There are also a number of restaurants and smaller shops just outside the main supermarket.
Carrefour - Very similar to Tesco Lotus.
Central Department Store - Probably Hat Yai's most upmarket store. Clothes, cosmetics, books, household goods and there is a TOPS food supermarket in the basement.
Eat
Although not in the same league as Bangkok, there are a lot of different food options on offer in Hat Yai. Typical Thai street food is abundant almost everywhere. Big, international chain restaurants have branches in town offering Japanese and Western food. Ethnic Chinese from Malaysia and Singapore make up the bulk of Hat Yai's tourists so many restaurants and hotels cater primarily for them. Just opposite Lee Gardens (next to the Regency Hotel) you will see a restaurant which spit-roasts suckling pigs every day. Large, open-air seafood restaurants are also popular with Chinese visitors and the quality of seafood available in Hat Yai is good. Behind Regency Hotel and Lee Garden Hotel is a Vermicillin Store with a Teochew speaking lady boss. The store opens from 10pm-6am. Its beside the street Thanon Duangchan. For those who likes to eat pork ribs soup or "Bak Kut Tea", you can find this place called "YA LUN ROU KU CHA" with telephone no. 01-6082829 There is also a large resident Muslim population and some visitors from Malaysia are also Muslim so finding Halal food isn't a problem. Across the street from Lee Garden hotel there are a couple of Muslim restaurants, Hamid restaurant is not too bad. Nice clean and good food. There are several small ones nearby. Certain Chinese are vegetarian and the town has a good selection of small vegetarian restaurants that offer tofu and soy meat substitutes.
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