Where we stayed at Ao Nang – Pakasai Resort and Spa

During our 8 days trip to Krabi for a beachside vacation, my wife and I stayed 3 nights at Ao Nang and another 4 nights at Klong Muang Beach.

For a beach and seaside holiday with good access and day trips to the attractive offshore islands in the Andaman Sea off Krabi, the seaside town of Ao Nang would be the best place to stay instead of Krabi Town.

Ao Nang Beach is one of the most “happening place” in Krabi. The main road running along Ao Nang Beach is lined with shops, restaurants and tour desks. Ao Nang Beach is one of the places where visitors could board the long-tail boats to offshore islands like Tup, Poda and Railay Peninsula.

Long-tail boats at Ao Nang Beach.

Ao Nang Beach Road is lined with shops, restaurants and tour desks.

A tuk tuk passing by the Swordfish Statue along Ao Nang Beach.

If you signed up for a boat trip to the islands or a day tour to explore Krabi from one of the numerous tour agencies, you will likely get free hotel pick-ups if you stay at the Ao Nang area. Most tour agencies charge an additional fee of 100 to 200 THB per person for pick-ups from hotels located along Klong Muang beach or Tubkaek Beach. Hence Ao Nang would be a good place to stay when exploring the islands and attractions of Krabi.

Fits our Budget and delivers Value for money?

Since I was using Ao Nang as a base to explore the islands and attractions of Krabi, there is no need to splurge on a luxurious resort in Ao Nang.

On the other hand, I would need a hotel that is fit for use and delivers value for money.

I narrowed down my search to hotels that are conveniently located very close to Ao Nang Beach, with easy access to food, transportation and shops.

I shortlisted a few hotels and finally booked the Pakasai Resort and Spa based on the good reviews and competitive pricing.

I managed to book a Deluxe Double room, inclusive of taxes, breakfast and free Wi-Fi for 2115 THB per night.

 

Why I chose Pakasai?

When it comes to choosing a place to stay, its location is one of my most important considerations. Pakasai scores high since it is located within walking distance to 2 beaches, namely Ao Nang and Nopparat Thara. 

Just north of Ao Nang Beach is Nopparat Thara Beach. This is quieter than Ao Nang and ideal for those wanting a little more peace and quiet.

We walked to both beaches in the evenings to view the spectacular Krabi sunsets and have dinner at the seafood restaurants along the coast.

Ao Nang Seafood Street with plenty of seafood restaurants next to the beach.

Twilight viewed from Noppharat Thara Beach.

My experience at the Pakasai

From Krabi International Airport, it took us 40 minutes to travel by taxi to Ao Nang. Pakasai is well known locally and hence the taxi driver had no problem getting us to the hotel.

Seating area at lobby of Pakasai Resort.

Check-in was swiftly done by the English speaking staff and we were escorted to our room, located just above the lobby. There is no lift in this hotel, so I was glad our room was on the second floor.

Our Deluxe Double room was well furnished and spacious. What stood out was the bathtub at the balcony where we could have a semi-outdoor soaking. This is in addition to the usual shower cubicle with rain shower inside the room.

Spacious bath area with bathrobes, toiletries, ironing board, umbrella and picnic basket with 2 beach mats.

Bathtub at the balcony with table and sofa.

A picnic basket with two beach mats was provided. This was put to good use when we took a long tail boat to enjoy the white sand beaches on the Railay Peninsula.

The few things that were disappointing were the small size of flat screen TV (a 40 inch flat screen LED TV would have been great!) and the hard bed (which I found to be typical of hotels in Thailand). The air-conditioning unit in my room was also noisy.

Breakfast was served at a restaurant by a pond teeming with ever hungry Tilapia fish. It was nice to enjoy a casual breakfast surrounded by greenery, with rustling of leaves in the breeze, gurgling sound of the man-made waterfall amidst rainforest like setting with birds and cicada calls. Plus soft piped-in music from the restaurant. 

The breakfast spread was what you would expect from a decent 3 to 4 stars hotel. Nothing to shout about but enough quality and quantity to fill us up.

A brown clay pot with fish food was provided on the viewing platform by the pond.

Fish-feeding was quite popular with the hotel guests. A brown clay pot with fish food was provided on the viewing platform by the pond. There were also a few resident water monitor lizards living under the wooden platform. These lizards prey on the fishes occasionally. I saw a 1.5 meter croc-like monitor lizard grab a Tilapia and ate it in the bushes below us.

Kids will enjoy the playground and cute decorations in the garden.

 

The resort also featured a spa but we did not use. Instead we wandered and explored the beautiful tropical garden within the resort.

Pakasai is known as Krabi's Greenest Resort and the first to be presented with ASEAN Green Hotel Award 2014. The design of the hotel featured green gardens, preserving original homeland trees, minimizing impact on surrounding ecosystems and water resources whilst maximizing the use of open air spaces with natural lighting and fresh air ventilation.

There are also chalets located throughout the spacious resort with tropical gardens, rising up the hillside. Some chalets are located on higher levels, offering good views, but would need a bit of uphill climb to get to.

Climbing the stairs leading to hilltop chalets. No lifts!

View from outside of Chalet 501. One of the highest chalets located within the resort, offering exclusivity, privacy and good views of bay and karsts.

The beach at Ao Nang is not good for swimming or sun tanning because of the boat and human traffic. A good place for a dip and sun tanning would be the hotel’s pool. The Pakasai Resort has a saltwater rooftop pool which we used in the morning before we went for kayaking at Ao Thalane in the afternoon.

Rooftop swimming pool at 8 AM in the morning.  Pool towels provided here could be taken away for our boat trips to the islands.

Pool at 10.30 AM in the morning. Almost all loungers were occupied. Pool staff were friendly and attentive.

Overall, we had a pleasant and comfortable 3 nights stay at the Pakasai Resort and Spa located at Ao Nang. For the price we paid, it was certainly value for money.