With its jagged limestone rock features and picturesque water, Krabi is not to be missed on any Thailand trip. However, I do want to preface with the reality that traveling to Thailand at the current moment is a bit dicey. Covid-19 quarantine procedures are risky for those without the extra time or money to deal with them, so please check out my experience testing positive for Covid-19 in Thailand before even thinking about planning a trip in the near future. But, I still wanted to share my Thailand travel guide and tips, so you can bookmark it and have a place to start planning when things get a bit more practical.
Arriving in Phuket
The Thai government had just suspended Test and Go right before I was supposed to leave so I was scheduled to enter the country under the Krabi Sandbox Program. Luckily, as of May 1, 2022, these programs have been suspended. Still, for me that meant I flew into Phuket International Airport (HKT) and then took a private SHA+ transfer to my hotel in Ao Nang. Now, while this was pricey for a single person, there is nothing like a private minibus to escort you to your far away hotel after a grueling 24 hour day travel day. So, if you’re looking for private transfer services from the Phuket Airport to anywhere in Phuket or Krabi, check out the company Klook. It was easy booking, even in the chaos of the Phuket Airport, where everyone was getting tested and sent off in their own private SHA+ transfer buses. It cost $97.25, which can be a bit steep for travel in Thailand. However, it allows up to three people, so for a few hour drive after a long-haul flight, I still think this would be a great option—even after Covid.
Ao Nang
Ao Nang town is a cute resort town with a few main streets that are lined with quirky shops, restaurants and travel and tour agencies. There is a main street that runs parallel to the beach, giving views of the beautiful limestone karst islands in the distance while strolling and shopping. Shop keepers sell kitsch, clothing, and art pieces, while tour guides offer various excursions to the many sites throughout this region. This area faces west, so you will definitely catch some epic sunsets over the Andaman Sea!
The main street area on the southern part of town is a bit touristy, however.
We found a few decent restaurants, mainly street food vendors. The rest of the eateries felt tired and definitely catered to an older, less adventurous type of tourist. Setting off onto the side streets definitely offers better restaurants. One amazing spot I found near our hotel was Ko Dam Kitchen. Although it is a bit of a trek from the main road, it is definitely worth the effort. It specializes in southern Thai recipes that taste authentic and are quite affordable. The whole restaurant has this cool tree-house vibe, as it sits in a lot surrounded by the thick Krabi jungle. The spot definitely gets busy at night, so make reservations. I found it was nearly empty at lunch and I enjoyed a cold beer with my reasonably priced lunch. We went back for dinner and had Tom Yum martinis that were quite delicious! Another good spot for meat lovers was Carnivore Steak and Grill. Although it lacks a beachfront view, the ambiance was still adorable with tons of plants adorning the patio area. The place specializes in steak, and although it was one of the pricier spots we eat at, it was well worth it!
Ao Nang town has a ton of great breakfast options, actually. One of our favorite this trip was Café 8.98. The patio is super cute, facing the main drag to make for excellent people watching. They have tons of healthy and glutinous breakfast options that made for a great hangover cure or tasty treats while working on their super-fast WiFi. Au Ha Coffee was right down the street from Ananta Burin, north towards Hat Noppharat Thara. While not as unique or tasty as Café 8.98. it has tons of room outside with good WiFi. The beautiful oceanfront views made for a perfect spot to work and plan our next adventure in the morning.
Things also get more interesting when heading north a few kilometers to Hat Noppharat Thara, which has a way more local vibe. Now, I think the coolest spots are on the northern end of the town that definitely feels more authentic. There are better bars, more local eateries, and even a skate park. We stumbled upon Thalay Buffet, this amazing seafood buffet that had nothing but local that is perfect for the adventurous eater. It is definitely not for the faint of heart, as you chose your own food options while they’re still squirming around in tanks, take them back to your table, and boil them yourself. Still, it was an interesting experience with good, cheap seafood.
Now, none of the resorts and hotels in Ao Nang town are really beachside. The main drag separates most of the hotels from the sand and so I honestly don’t recommend splurging too much for accommodations. Especially considering the fact that Ao Nang is more of a stopping point, where you tend to go off on day tours and adventures rather than stay in the resort all day. If you want that bougie experience, I’d say wait for my post on Koh Samui because the hotel we stayed at was epic! In Ao Nang, however, we stayed at Ananta Burin. It was empty for the most part, but really quite enjoyable. 10 out of 10 would recommend--but, it is definitely a children’s spot. So, in normal times—if they we ever get back to them—do prepare for screaming children in the pool. For about $35 a night, the rooms were nice and big, had wonderful hot water and super-fast WiFi. But, let’s keep it real, it was the water slide that got us. How often can you drunkenly enjoy all the accoutrements of a water park without children present?
Ao Nang Beaches
Now, Ao Nang Beach itself is beautiful, but there are much more interesting beaches around the area. I would recommend heading north a bit, to Noppharat Thara. The far northern strip of this beach is where the boat tours leave to head out on the Four Island tour, tours of Phi Phi and other areas around Krabi and Phang Nga. It is actually an enjoyable beach in and of itself, with white sand and a great shade trees to provide much needed relief in the hot Thai sun. It is the launching point for a lot of the tours leaving Ao Nang, including the one we took to Koh Phi Phi that is next on this series, but is worth a trip in and of itself. Right next to the beach areas is Hat Napparat Thara-Mu Ko Phi Phi National Park. We didn’t make it there this trip, but it was on my bucket list because of the beautiful limestone mountains nestled in the jungle and estuaries. The park, like most Thai national parks, has a foreigner entrance price of 400 Baht per adult and 200 Baht per child.
Another chill beach away from all the touristy vibes is Ao Nam Mao Beach, just outside of Ao Nang town. It is a bit of a trek to get out there, but I think it’s worth a sketchy tuk tuk ride or two. We got there at low tide for some really interesting drone shots before a thunderstorm came in.
There is a chill little beach bar called Aqua Beach Club that is pretty off the beaten path with adorable installations that make for good Instagram shots! It has great drink and cheap food options, but make sure to bring the bug spray and watch out for the roaming pack of beach dogs that reign over the area!
Railay Beach Day Trip
In the middle of Ao Nang town is the Ao Nang Boat Collective. These are the go-to dudes for all the tours and boat taxis around Krabi. There are a ton of islands you can hit up for pretty cheap, including the Four Islands tour and the infamous Chicken Island! We headed to Railay Beach for the day, which was only 200 baht ($5.85). Railay is actually on the mainland not that far from Ao Nang, but you can only get there by boat. Hence the boat henchmen monopoly. It has three beaches, tons of cool cave features and a cute little town. Some people stay in Railay, which I think would be nice. But given the sea voyage needed to get there, me and my giant luggage did not think it was a good idea. A day trip will suffice if you travel heavy like I do.
The boat drops you off at West Railay beach, a beautiful stretch of white sandy coastline with epic views of the limestone mountains in the distance. You can grab a drink and enjoy the views of the longtail boats meandering about the coastline, or head inland.
Railay town features cute little shops and eateries. In all honesty, we went looking for Happy shakes, but the whole vibe felt way more resort touristy than backpacker and we doubted that they would actually contain any real psychedelics. Have any of you guys had a REAL happy shakes in Railay? Let me know in the comments.
Now, East Railay Beach is mainly a stopping point for boats coming into the resorts. We stopped on the path to watch a tractor sludge its way through low tide, carrying people and luggage back and forth. If you keep going down the path, things get really interesting. The path itself is super cool. There’s all sorts of crazy caves and limestone features and caves. There’s a super sketchy looking hike up the mountain to a viewpoint that is supposed to be amazing. However, with the amount of rainfall in Krabi for most of the year, it just looks like a mudslide so I don’t know if it’s really worth it.
The end of the path leads you to one of the most beautiful beaches I have ever seen. Phra Nang Beach is absolutely stunning. We chilled out here while I got some epic drone shots of the gorgeous limestone bluffs just offshore and of the famous Krabi islands off in the distance. There are more resorts along the beach, but plenty of space to just throw your towel down and relax.
To make this beach even more amazing, there is a cave full of penises ironically called Princess Cave. The story has it that the hundreds of small—and large—penises are left by sailors seeking love and fertility. It is definitely a hilarious stop and much needed shade to cool off from a day spent lounging on the beach. Oddly enough, small wood and rock penises would be become a staple of our trip. Penises and cocks in general actually. Make sure you check out the upcoming posts in this series to see all the phallic goodness the Thai islands have to offer.
Now, if you are not staying on Railay for the night, you best get your ass back to West Railay before 5pm. The boat collective has a monopoly on getting back to Ao Nang and will charge ten times the normal rate after hours to take you back. I would definitely recommend grabbing a beer before heading back because you’re going to wait. The boat drivers linger until every seat is full before taking off, which can take a while. We waited for about an hour or so. Still, a trip to Railay is a MUST-do for any stop in Krabi.
So that was my stay in Ao Nang! I hope you get some information that can help you plan your trip to Krabi! Definitely stay tuned for more Krabi adventures, as I still have posts coming up on our tour to Koh Phi Phi and the mangrove region on the border with Phang Nga! Thanks for reading!
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