Anyone been to Krabi Thailand ?

Bald-Eagle22

Bald-Eagle22

Bald-Eagle22

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Guys

We’re in the throws of booking away a few weeks in Thailand next year and need some advice from any one that has stayed in the Ao Nang Region .

We are looking at staying for 6 nights in either Ao Nag itself or even Phi Phi Island , wanting to go fishing snorkelling and island hopping.

Budget is healthy so we are looking at a higher end hotel , where is best to base ourselves Aaron Nang or Phi Phi illness’s itself ?

Thanks
 
We stayed on Koh Lanta for our honeymoon. We didn't get out and about all that much (had a few days in Bangkok for a bit more action), so can't really advise on where to 'base' for wider exploration, but it was lovely there. Stayed at Layana Resort, which was top rated for the area (possibly for all of Thailand, I forget) on TripAdvisor at the time - about 10 to 11 years ago.
 
I have.

I didn't like Ao Nang much, it's extremely touristy (being a resort town), but the hotel we were in for 4 nights was nice - Ban Sainai Resort

However, just around the bay on the banana boat is Railay Beach, which is a different vibe, particularly at night.

We stayed for one night there at the Bhu Nga Thani Resort and Spa, and I wish we had stayed longer...
 
I have in about 1998. So it's probably too long ago to give any meaningful thoughts now. It was a lot quieter then and we even had to get a boat to the hotel (Dusit Rayavdee I think - changed now). I did like it a lot there at the time.
 
I have been about 3 years ago. Ao Nang is OK but as Vincent said, it's very touristy. Railay Beach was also quite nice and didn't take much on a boat to get there. Nice beach with a few nice eateries nearby. We also went on one of the speedboat tours for a day which went to a few different islands, i can't remember the names apart from one being called Chicken Island.

I only went there for about 5 days whilst I was in Malaysia. I don't know if I'd want to stay there for much longer. Also, buy a suit as is tradition. I think the place I stayed in was called Princeville Resort. It wasn't anything fancy but we only used it as a place to sleep and have breakfast.
 
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Brother stayed at Rayavadee resort

says it was really excellent and is booking to go back next year

he says watch for offers such as 5 nights for 4 or 7 nights for 5
 
Stayed in the Amari Vogue a couple of years ago over the New Year, a nice boutique resort. It’s a cab ride to Ao Nang but it’s not very expensive
 
Centara Grand Beach Resort & Villas was really nice, you have to reach it by boat or a narrow path through the hills which is quite eventful if your a bit tipsy. Nice private beach as well
 
Have a look at Koh Tao.

It's a small island (not near where your thinking tho) Very romantic and quite. Generally*

Some parts are loud where the bars are, but there are definitely quieter parts.
 
Ao Nang is fine if you get a decent hotel just a little out of town (e.g further up the beech in either direction)

This gives you the benifit of the stuff on offer in a town once you get bored of the stuff in the hotel, loads of stuff and trips to do that can be gotten to cheaply from town as well.

If you order a pizza in the Indian owned places on the strips - ask for it "happy", this will cost you bugger all extra but result in a lot of cannabis being liberally sprinkled over you purchase...
 
I've recently done a 3 month stint around Thailand and further afield.

It completely depends on what you're wanting to get out of the holiday, as different areas of Thailand offer entirely different experiences.

I would strongly suggest splitting the holiday into two; one week for exploring, one for relaxation. Thailand has some fantastic beaches, and who doesn't love beaches (my girlfriend, she hates sand in her toes) but without actually getting out of the main tourist areas you could be laying on a beach next to dozens of Europeans anywhere in the world and save the 12 hour flight.

Koh Lanta is around 1hr 30 from Krabi Airport, and will cost around £15 in a shuttle. In Koh Lanta everything slows down. You will see the best example (within easy access) of an unspoilt Thailand. Stay in a resort around Long Beach, you'll see fire dancers nightly, giant crabs and the best sunsets in the world (Google them, it's incredible). Hire a scooter and go exploring. The roads are empty and it's super easy. You'll find empty beaches (usually to yourself), waterfalls, caves, etc. You can then go sea kayaking, four island boat trip, and snorkeling. The night markets are fantastic and not to be missed.

Koh Lanta was one of our highlights.

You can then easily take a boat from Koh Lanta to Phi Phi, about 2hr and again, a few quid.

The main port side of Phi Phi is a ghost town during the day (once you've broken off from the hoards of backpackers and got lost in the rat Warren of streets) with very little to do aside from the usual one or two boat trips (the plankton is fantastic, snorkeling cool too but stop offs very busy) hiked to the view point and you've about exhausted all the attractions.

With that said, you'll likely be nursing a hangover from a c. £3 bottle of rum & mixer bucket, until around 10pm when everything starts over. Great for a few nights, wouldn't recommend more than 3. However, if you take a long tail boat around to the other side of the island, you can find nice resorts on private beaches with literally zero amenities, except the beach and sea. This was too quiet for us though, felt slightly trapped.

You can then get a boat into Krabi and onto Ao Nang.

Avoid Krabi Town, nothing there. Tiger cave temple is cool, as is emerald pool but they're a distance out of the centre.

Ao Nang is nice, but after we'd been to Koh Lanta and various other islands, it was too busy for our liking. Not much to do other than beach, and drink. Nice for a week relaxing though. Not too dissimilar to any other beaches in Europe.

Not exactly the advise you were after but this is my experience, hope its useful.
 
Been many times - as recently as last November. Make sure to check when it's best to visit the islands - half of the year it's best on Phuket/Phi Phi/Krabi the other half it's best Koh Samui/Koh Tao side.

How old are you and what do you want? I've probably been about 10 times either with girlfriends or friends so i've been all up and down Thailand.

Krabi - Ao Nang nice but touristy
Phi Phi - Party island. Go here to drink, get your end away, do some boat trips. I actually really like Phi phi for 3/4 nights as a blow out.
Ko Lanta - Nice place - rent a scooter and explore. Khlong Chak Beach had the right mix of fun and beauty.

As other have said you can split the holiday out. In November I had two weeks and we did Phuket > Koh Yao Yai > Phi Phi > Ko Lanta > Bangkok. It's so easy to get around in Thailand.
 
Vanilla said:
Been many times - as recently as last November. Make sure to check when it's best to visit the islands - half of the year it's best on Phuket/Phi Phi/Krabi the other half it's best Koh Samui/Koh Tao side.

How old are you and what do you want? I've probably been about 10 times either with girlfriends or friends so i've been all up and down Thailand.

Krabi - Ao Nang nice but touristy
Phi Phi - Party island. Go here to drink, get your end away, do some boat trips. I actually really like Phi phi for 3/4 nights as a blow out.
Ko Lanta - Nice place - rent a scooter and explore. Khlong Chak Beach had the right mix of fun and beauty.

As other have said you can split the holiday out. In November I had two weeks and we did Phuket > Koh Yao Yai > Phi Phi > Ko Lanta > Bangkok. It's so easy to get around in Thailand.
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Thanks Vanilla , I’m actually having a weeks fishing in a place called Ghillams , very well known in fishing circles it’s in Krabi but well north of `Ao Nang . I’ll be by myself for a further 6 nights before I travel to Pattaya to meet my buddies for a Stag week ( not mine ).

I’m looking for a mix of relaxation, swimming , snorkelling and island hoppping , oh I’m 50 so late night partying every night is a bit beyond me now .
 
I've just come from staying in Ao Nang and Phi Phi. Phi Phi is lovely and for me, the nicer of the two places to stay. Great views from Viewpoints 1 and 2 and from the much quieter Viewpoint 3 you can get the sunrise and best sunset. (about £1 to get into Viewpoint 1 & 2 and then an extra £1 for the bar where Viewpoint 3 is)

It is more (south) central for getting around but it's harder and longer to get to in the first place. Ao Nang is only 35min drive from Krabi Airport. Whereas Phi Phi is a 1.5 - 2 hr ferry from anywhere. (plus the journey from whatever airport you land in to the nearest ferry port.)

Ao Nang is good from the point that it is livelier and much busier, too busy for me. Plus it is just a 10 min long boat trip from the very nice Railay Beach and Ao Phra Nang Beach with it's penis cave (I kid you not).

We landed in Phuket Airport from visiting Bangkok and started our stay on Phuket Island (Surin Bay) then stayed in Phi Phi then ended in Ao Nang before leaving for Malaysia from Krabi Airport.

Check out and read reviews on the Phi Phi CoCo Beach Resort, it's away from all the noise in Phi Phi and sits on a lovely quiet beach with great masseurs and the clearest waters - something you can't say about the waters around Ao Nang.
 
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