Krabi is located on the west coast of Southern Thailand, with over 100 islands in Krabi Province, it’s full of gorgeous beaches, beautiful scenery and fabulous night life.
My pre-visit research mainly consisted of deciding whether to stay in Ao Nang (mainland Krabi) or on Railay, which is a peninsular only accessible by boat (about 15 minute boat ride away). I finally decided that even though Railay looked more picturesque, it would be better to stay in Krabi as all the amenities were there and then we could just hop on a boat to Railay as and when we wanted to for the day. Rather than being stranded on a beach in the evenings – it just seemed a better way round. We stayed in a great hotel in a fabulous location so keep reading to find out where we stayed and some top things to do in Krabi….
1. Visit Railay beach
If you’re an adventurer or rock climber then this beach is perfect for you. But equally, if you’re a nature lover and beautiful landscape appreciator (like moi) then Railay is also a must see for you. We caught the longboat from Ao Nang (watch the water when you’re wading out there – I scraped myself on something in the water as the sea isn’t too clean in Ao Nang) and headed sailed over to the cliffy rocks of Railay. When you turn the corner and the long stretch of beach appears you instantly see why it’s such a talked about place in Krabi.
I was so surprised at how empty the beach was compared to the islands (I’ll go into that shortly). There are some lovely hotel restaurants along the beach which is the vibe that I love, so after a spot of sunbathing we grabbed a Thai dish and a delicious smoothie to cool us down. Make sure you ask the time for the last boat back to Ao Nang so that you don’t get stranded for the night (although I’m sure it wouldn’t be the most awful thing! 😉
2. Eat at Umberto’s Cuisine Italian
After Tripadvisoring restaurants, we found Umberto’s Italian restaurant had fabulous reviews and realised it was on the same road as our hotel (see below). So we dressed up for date night and got our free taxi shuttle there (a very unique but fun shuttle). This meal was so delicious it was the one moment in our whole trip around Asia that gave us a hint of Europe – it was so deliciously traditional Italian, such amazing service and a fabulously elegant ambiance. An absolute must if you’re looking for a delicious and relaxing restaurant to eat at and a little time-out from (although very scrummy) Asian food.
3. Visit the islands
This was one of the parts of our trip that we couldn’t really make our minds up on; we were originally going to stay on various different islands in the Krabi Province but then due to some illness in Vietnam, we had to cut our Thai islands trip short as we arrived much later than originally planned. But hey – that’s travels for you and nothing always goes to plan! Long story short we ended up just staying in Krabi and doing a day trip to the different islands.
I have to say that this boat day trip was one of the highlights from my whole Asian adventure! It was so so much fun and so cheap! We booked it through our hotel and opted for the Bamboo Island, Maya Bay, Koh Phi Phi trip. It wasn’t just the islands that were magical – the boat trip itself was incredibly fun! We were sat on the front of the boat (there are only a few spaces there so I highly recommend you get to the front if you like a bit of a thrill on the boats). They drive quite fast and when it’s wavey – it honestly felt like a rollercoaster (although I am not a funfair lover – but this was just brilliant!). We took our headphones and were just listening to our favourite tracks whilst sailing through the waters soaking up the sun. Absolute heaven!
Now, back to the actual islands… Bamboo Island was the first stop and like all of these stops you’ve just got to overlook the massive amounts of tourists there. Imagine the places with no people and you have sheer paradise. The sand was pure white and super soft and the sea so turquoise it was beautiful. Maya Bay was just out of this world and if no-one was there, you could imagine that there’s no better place on this earth and it’s not surprising that ‘The Beach’ was filmed there. But again, you’ve just got to accept the sea of people. So if you are someone that can look past the crowds, enjoy the boat ride and soak up some sun – 100% don’t miss out on this day trip, but if you’re someone that doesn’t enjoy a huge amount of people in one place then this is seriously not for you. Oh, and the hosts were fabulous!
I would say if you do have time to actually stay on the islands to soak up the incredible nature, beautiful beaches and relax without seeing so much in one day…. however if like us you’re limited on time then this is the next best thing.
4. Party your way around Krabi
The great thing about Krabi is that it holds all of this beautiful scenery and gorgeous beaches, but it also has a fabulous nightlife! Nothing too swanky, but you can expect a good hub of clubs, bars and pub crawls. I have to admit that I didn’t fancy a big night during the short amount of time that we were there but head to Ao Nang Center Point for a crazy fun atmosphere.
5. Stay at Hula Hula resort.
We got an absolute bargain on booking.com for Hula Hula Resort so it was pleasantly surprising when we arrived to see that the hotel was just as nice as the photos. The restaurant is quite luxurious and the pool is delightful. The staff were very friendly and the rooms were large and modern so it ticked every box. Behind the pool we saw some villa type of accommodation too so it seems to cater for different budgets.
They also offered a free shuttle into town on the side of a bike, which was hilarious and so fun! The one disadvantage was the walk back up from town, but just hop in a taxi if you don’t fancy the hike.
So there you have it, my top 5 things to do in Krabi – a beautiful mixture of beach, food, accommodation and party! Have fun!
Love
Girl Going Global xx
these photos are making me so jealous! love it
xx
gosh, I wish I could afford this on a daily basis 🙂 http://www.georgyana.me
Author
Aww thank you for your comment Paulina – it was so beautiful and so much fun! Have you been to Thailand before?
Author
Hi Georgyana, I wish I could afford to be here on a daily basis too 😉 I miss Thailand so much and south east Asia! Thank you for your comment x