Recharging in Krabi
Clarification: Krabi is the Province in Thailand where the town of Ao Nang is located. Most people call the place Krabi rather than Ao Nang and we use them interchangeably in this context.
Once Ryan was finally well enough to make the 3 hour drive from Phuket to Krabi we hailed a driver to take us there. A pleasant ride with some nice views, albeit a little crazy driving. Had we had more time we would have loved to have explored Phang Nga Bay a little more but not this time.
We specifically picked our hotel in Krabi because of proximity to the beach and sunset view, and we needed an easy trip after the week we just had. We were not disappointed. A five minute walk to the beach and a rooftop infinity pool were perfect for watching the sunset and all the massive bats (flying foxes) fly out of the caves at night. This stop was pure tropical vacation mode and we were able to spend the week resting and recharging.
We did a few really cool things in Krabi and because we were two days delayed we wound up extending our stay by another 3 days. There was definitely still more to do, but we were taking it slow. Here are the highlights:
Railay Beach: This beach is only accessible via boat because of the towering limestone cliffs that surround it. We rode over on a traditional Thai longboat which was an experience in itself (basically if a boat was designed in the Mad Max universe). The area around Railay includes the main beach and a winding beach town that resembles the Texas Ren Fest (booths of bars with happy hours, food and snacks, and of course weed shops on both sides of a winding path). We went to the far side of the peninsula where there are many caves, rock climbing spots and beaches to swim.
Boat Day: We did a full day boat tour of some of the main islands around the Phang Nga Bay/ Andaman Sea area. Stops included the famous Maya Bay, Phi Phi Don, Phi Phi Lee, Koh Poda, Bamboo Island and others. Overall the topography of Thailand is BEAUTIFUL but tours like this really emphasize the tourism focus of Thailand. Every stop was crowded and you could see hundreds of boats of all sizes and shapes giving tours of various combinations of these hotspots.
It’s best to do your research and pick the tour that offers the most comfortable experience you can get (boat ride and amenities). We opted for a faster and larger speedboat for ease and comfort. We saw some tours that seemed way less comfortable than we were and others that were over the top fancy. Regardless we all waited in the same crowded spots to see the same beautiful sights.
Phi Phi Don is the larger of the Phi Phi islands. It is full of resorts of all sizes and was an absolute madhouse when we arrived. Between people staying on the island and the thousands of day trippers it was akin to herding cattle rather than a nice visit. Not our vibe at all, as nice as the water was, we would not go back.
Maya Bay was a similar cattle herd to get there but we found the beach truly beautiful and somewhat worth the hype. Pro tip if you ever go, walk literally just 30 yards down after the entrance to the beach because everyone seems to gather for their instagram pictures right at the entrance to the beach, ignoring the whole rest of the beach cove. We walked a little ways down and had a much more enjoyable and peaceful visit.
Sunset Vibes: Mostly we just made sure to be well positioned for sunset each evening which included catching it from the rooftop pool, the beach by our hotel, and even a beach bar featuring some amazing live music from an awesome and soulful band.
Overall, per our post about Phuket, we highly recommend if you are coming to southern Thailand to avoid, or limit your time, in Phuket and spend as much time as you can in the Krabi/ Ao Nang area. Yes, it was still fairly touristy but sometimes you wanna sit at a beach club with a live band and a piña colada watching the sunset, and this is THE place to do it. Also its proximity to some of the most amazing crystal clear waters and islands is everything.
Side note- we eat a LOT of Indian food on the road. We have always loved it but never really ate it in Houston. It is now probably our most eaten cuisine besides that of wherever we are at the moment (it basically replaced latin food). We must shout out some of the best Indian food we have EVER had at Tandoori Night’s Restaurant. Their cheese naan was the stuff of dreams and the whole menu was 🤤
Planning a trip to Thailand? Here is our travel map of things we researched for our trip.