KRABI (Page 2 of 2 - Go to Page 1)

Hover over the thumbnails to change the large picture
	Phranang Beach, Railay	Phranang Beach,Railay	Phranang Beach,Railay
	Phranang Beach,Railay	Phranang Beach,Railay	Lunch Phranang Beach
	Bamboo Island	Viking Cave	Maya Bay
	Maya Bay	Main Street, Ao Nang	Main Street, Ao Nang
	Main Street, Ao Nang	Ao Nang sunset	Hong Island

Railay

You just can't stay in Ao Nang and not go to Railay. Get a longtail boat (60B per person each way in December 2005 and 2006*) from Ao Nang beach and it just takes about 10-15 minutes. The boats used to just take you to West Railay which is a long beach, quite spectacular with high rocks around, but the sea isn't anything special. If you get off the boat at West Railay (most of the accommodation is there so if you are staying there, this is where you will get off) you have to walk through to Phranang which is by far the best beach. In December 2006, boats were taking people direct to Phranang. We had mixed feelings about this. It's good to be able to go there direct, but too many noisy, smelly longtails may spoil the beauty and the ambiance. It's a beautiful beach, as you can see from the photos above, with white sand and turquoise, clear, calm sea which is wonderful to swim in. Railay is also good for rock climbing. By the way if you're looking for shops, restaurants etc you have to go to West Railay although even it is very low key. All there is on Phranang is the 5* Rayavadee Resort (for residents only) and two or three longtail boats selling drinks and sandwiches. Railay, and particulary Phranang beach is a must visit.

Tours from Ao Nang

We went on a tour to Hong Island in December 2005. The weather had been fabulous and we were looking forward to snorkelling. However it was a cloudy day when we left Ao Nang and conditions got worse, so when we arrived at Hong it was decidedly chilly and not too appealing to go snorkelling. The beach was nice with white sand and the sea was very clear and a nice greeny shade (see photo above) but the chilly weather definitely spoilt it for us. A tip if you're thinking of doing the Hong Island tour and can't decide on whether to choose the option for snorkelling or kayaking. If you choose snorkelling, that's all you get to do and there wasn't a great deal of fish to see when we were there; if you choose kayaking you still have time to snorkel after lunch, so you get the best of both worlds. The huge monitor lizards on Hong Island are quite fascinating to see. The tour was meant to take us to a couple of other islands but we missed out because of the weather. Went to Lading Island which I'm sure would have been absolutely beautiful if the sun had shone.

 

In December 2006 we went on the Phi Phi Island tour by speedboat (1200B each*). We had stayed at Phi Phi in December 2002 and had actually tried to book there in 2006 but couldn't get accommodation. We wanted to see how it had recovered from the Tsunami and how it compared to before. The weather was great but the sea was really choppy, and it was a bumpy ride, particulary on the way back. Even if you don't usually get seasick, it's worth taking a motion sickness tablet if the sea is a bit rough. Despite the rough seas, it was a great trip, highly recommended and good value for money. First stop was Bamboo Island (see photo above) which was a beach stop - lovely white sand and turquoise sea. Second stop was the Viking Cave but we just had to look from the boat. It sounded as if you were usually taken inside the cave, but we couldn't do it because of the rough sea. Third stop was for snorkelling at Loh Samah Bay. It was good - warm, clear water and a lot of colourful fish. Next stop was the infamous Maya Bay (from The Beach movie). There's no double it's a beautiful beach with gorgous soft white sand and clear turquoise water, but there are so many people there because of all the tour boats, so it loses something. Still very nice and lovely to swim in the sea. Next stop was Phi Phi Don, the main island on Phi Phi where all accommodation is(see photos left). Had lunch then had some time for ourselves to have a look round. It was very busy, loads of shops, even more tour offices. Although it has been rebuilt, it still looks pretty much as it did last time we were there although some of it not surprisingly still looks pretty flattened and there is heaps of building going on. We didn't see enough of the island to be able to give an opinion, but it's certainly great to see it's doing so well and the locals are back on their feet again. There were two more stops for snorkelling on the way back - Monkey Bay and Kin Klarng but neither were as good as Loh Samah. Good trip though.

 

There are other tours such as the 4 island tour which goes to Poda, Tuk, Chicken Island and Phranang. There are waterfalls, hot springs, temples and lots more in the area. Krabi Town is the provincial capital and about half an hour from Ao Nang.

 

If you like cooking and like Thai food, we'd highly recommend the Krabi Thai Cookery School run by a lovely lady called Ya. Our course lasted from 2pm - 6pm and cost 1000B per person*. We made green, red, yellow and Penang curry pastes and then made curries using the pastes. We also learnt to make fried rice and Pad thai noodles, stir fried chicken, chicken and coconut soup, two spicy clear soups and spicy papaya salad and once you've made all the dishes comes the best bit when you get to sample everything! We got lots of useful tips and you get a recipe book to take away with you. You certainly don't have to be expert at cooking, it's just good fun, but we have been able to make really great thai curries since we got home! Highly recommended.

 

Transport from Krabi Airport

We paid 600B for a taxi from Krabi Airport to our hotel in December 2005 and December 2006*. This appears to be a standard fee for all taxis. They don't use meters, you can't negotiate and they will only allow 3 in a taxi. We have heard that metered taxis are planned for the near future but for now you have no choice but to pay the 600B. The journey takes about 30 minutes

 

Some useful sites about Krabi:

 

Your Krabi - Travel and Living Guide to Krabi province, with lots of useful information and reviews

Trip Advisor - Reviews from other travellers and a useful forum

Krabi.com - More useful information about Krabi

Hotels in Ao Nang and Krabi - Book hotels in Ao Nang and Krabi, read travellers reviews of those hotels and earn rewards worth 5% of your booking to use against other reservations.

Return to main Krabi page

 

*Note: Prices quoted above were accurate in 2006.