Glamping at Starlight Glamping Jeju

12 and 13 November 2022

We decided to experience glamping in Jeju on our last night instead of staying in traditional hotels. Glamping is a form of camping involving accommodation and facilities more luxurious than those associated with traditional camping. 

There are actually many camping and glamping sites in Jeju but most were in Korean languages making it difficult or impossible for us to make a booking easily. We booked 4 dome tents (one per couple) at Starlight Glamping through booking.com.   

Dome tents at Starlight Glamping.

We arrived at 6 PM, just as it was getting dark.

Our host Mr Han checked us in and showed us the facilities. He cannot speak English but uses Google Translate to communicate with us.

The shared common dining area where we could take our breakfast.

He was observant and noticed that we bought takeaway fried chicken. He enquired if we are eating together. We said “yes” and he helped bring chairs to the front of my dome tent where there was already a picnic table. We got the feeling that he did not want us to eat in the shared dining area for some unknown reason.

The glamping site provides guests with the option to cook food over a BBQ stove in front of each tent as well. BBQ stove and hot coals are available for 20,000 KWR. Our original plan was to do a BBQ but we found that it would be too troublesome. So we bought BHC Chicken, beer and soju for our dinner. BHC Chicken or “Better & Happier Choice” is one of most popular Korean Fried Chicken chains. 

Picnic table outside my done tent.  Our takeaway BHC Fried Chicken and drinks. We ordered a variety of flavours, which included Crispy Chicken, Soy Sauce Chicken, and Spicy Sauce Chicken.

Part of the glamping experience is to have dinner under the stars. It was a cloudy night but that does not dampen our spirit.

However, the rain did.

It started to rain just as we were getting started with our dinner. We had to shift to the shared dining area. Mr Han came to help us moved our stuff to the common dining room.

Common dining area that is rain proof.

Enjoying our fried chicken dinner in the shared dining area.

Mr Han and his family also stayed at the site and they had their dinner at the next table. Mr Han appeared stern but is actually very nice and helpful. He came to chat with us after his dinner, using Google Translate. They have a cute white Pomeranian which tried to steal some chicken from us but were unsuccessful. Somehow, the pet dog helped break the ice and we could chat better with the dog around.

Despite the rain, we saw (or smelled) one other guests (a young couple) cooking their dinner using the BBQ. We were silently glad that we bought takeaway chicken and beer instead of cooking our dinner over the BBQ stove.

The rain stopped before we finished our meal. Mr Han showed us where the rubbish and recycling bins are. Korea takes waste management and recycling very seriously.

Once the dining area was cleared up, we settled into our own tents for the night.

Night scene at Starlight Glamping. It was cloudy and no starlight could be seen.

I was quite satisfied with the quality and comfort of the accommodation. The dome tent is more spacious than it looked from the outside. There is an attached toilet with shower at the entrance. The tent has a maximum capacity for 4 adults. There is a queen size bed and a sofa bed.

Spacious interior and plenty of headroom.

There are space for a small kitchen with a toaster, a fridge and a dining area inside.

Sofa bed, coffee table, small TV and cabinets for wine glasses, cups and plates. 

The warm under-floor heating is good for autumn and winter. The room has air conditioning but this was not used in autumn and winter. We just need to open a small window by the toilet to cool the inside of the tent if needed.

The blue curtain separates the entrance area (with attached toilet) from the living area.

I watched live football games that night from my TV box.

The dome tent was actually quite comfortable. My wife fell asleep quickly while I watched live soccer games on the small TV.

It rained quite heavily in the middle of the night. Despite the strong wind, the dome tent did its job and weathered the storm.

We woke up early the next day. There was no sunrise to see due to cloudy sky.

Morning at Starlight Glamping.

We took a walk to explore the peaceful and quiet surroundings. There is an orange farm in front of the site and we could see the farmers unloading crates from their trucks. We could also see a bit of the sea in the distance.

There are tall buildings at the back. They did not bother us although it took away a bit of the “wilderness” away from the glamping experience.

Orange farm in front of the site. 

In addition to the dome tents, this site has 2 caravans available for booking as well.

An American breakfast is served at the shared dining area.

Simple breakfast of toast with butter and jam, juice and coffee.

To add to the glamping experience, we got to cook our own eggs at the kitchen in the shared dining area.

Cook your own eggs.

We had arranged for a jumbo taxi to pick us up at 9.30 AM for transfer to the airport. We went earlier to the airport as we planned to take our lunch there before our flight. Jeju Airport has a many restaurants located on the fourth floor.

One last photo before taking the taxi to the airport.

Starlight Glamping is located near the airport (11km), so it took only 30 minutes to get to the airport.

This is good since one of my travelling companions left a mobile phone behind in the toilet and has to come back to get it before the flight takes off.

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Trip Overview – 5 Days at Krabi with stays at Ao Nang and Tubkaek Beach

Just after returning from a short but fun filled trip to Kota Kinabalu in Sabah, we managed to snag some good deals on flights from Singapore to Krabi, located in southern Thailand. Krabi is one of the most relaxing and beautiful places on Earth and hence worth visiting again and again.  My travelling companions would be my wife and son.

August is actually not an ideal time to visit Krabi as May to October is the monsoon season with rain forecasted on most days. In my previous trip to Krabi during June, we managed to enjoy good weather despite being in the wet season. So we were keeping our fingers cross for some good weather.

Good weather with calm sea at Ao Nang Beach in August 2022. 

We chose to stay the first 2 nights in Ao Nang Beach. Day 1 is arrival day, so we spent time exploring the Ao Nang Beach area. On Day 2, we took a short boat ride from Ao Nang Beach to the beaches of Railay Peninsula. There are four main beaches at Railay – Railay West, Railay East, Phra Nang and Tonsai. Phra Nang Beach, from my previous experiences, is the best in terms of water quality, scenic quality and attractions.

Since this was my third trip to Krabi, I wanted to check out the very quiet and exclusive Tubkaek Beach that we missed previously. Hence, we booked ourselves into the Amari Vogue Resort at Tubkaek Beach for 3 nights.

Tubkaek Beach is near to the start point of the hiking trail up the Dragon Crest Mountain to the Dragon Crest Viewpoint. It is also near to Hong Islands in case we chose to make a boat trip there.

These were what we did on this trip to Krabi.

Day 1 (14 August 2022)

This is the day we travelled from home to Krabi, arriving at Krabi Airport at about 12.15 PM. Immigration (including health checks for Covid certification) took almost an hour.  Fortunately the driver from Krabi Shuttle service that I booked did not abandon us and waited patiently for us to emerge from the arrival hall.

The journey by van took about 45 minutes. By the time we arrived at Panan Resort Krabi (our hotel in Ao Nang Beach), it was almost 2 PM. This was the second time we stayed at this hotel. It is well located within walking distance to Ao Nang Beach. In case the weather is not suitable for an outing to the offshore islands by long-tailed boat, this hotel has two swimming pools and with swim-up bar and a gym.

 Lobby and restaurant at the Panan Krabi Resort. 

 

Our triple Deluxe Room at Panan Krabi Resort.

We had late lunch at the Family Thai food and Seafood Restaurant. This small and not so prominent restaurant is located along a small alley off the main road of Ao Nang and it serves good value Thai food and seafood. This is a good restaurant in Ao Nang, worthy of a repeat visit.

 Crabmeat omelette, Tom Yum Goong and Stir fried Kailan. 

Deep fried Seabass with hot and sour sauce.

Thai Red Curry with Chicken 

After lunch, we did some shopping along the Ao Nang strip and bought some Hawaiian shirts and foodstuff.

Nice shirt with Monstera Delicosa prints. 

There are many restaurants at the Ao Nang Beach area but my wife wanted my son to experience the Hilltop Ao Nang. As the name implies, the restaurant is located on the top of hill in Ao Nang, offering dining with probably the best views of the Krabi sunset.

Trip report: Back at the Hilltop Ao Nang

We ended the day with drinks at the Boogie Bar. I actually wanted to have drinks and watched the live telecast of the EPL game between Chelsea and Spurs at this bar. I quickly forget about the soccer game as the excellent live rock band in this bar was so entertaining.  

Three hours of non-stop, lively performance at the Boogie Bar. This Band really Rocks!

   

Day 2 (15 August 2022)

We took the long-tail boat “taxi” from Ao Nang Beach to Railay Peninsula. We landed at Railay West Beach but went to swim at Phra Nang Beach.

     Long-tail boats at Railay West Beach. 

Trip Report: A day on the beaches of Railay Peninsula at Krabi

After spending a fun day at the Railay Peninsula, we went back to our hotel in Ao Nang for a dip at the hotel’s pool.

We had a good chat with friendly bartender at the pool bar who introduced us to some local rum and whiskey.

Since this is a day with nice weather, we made it a point to arrive at Ao Nang Beach by 6.30 PM to enjoy the Krabi sunset. This was the best sunset we saw on this trip. No thanks to the “not-so-good” weather on the other days.

Sunset at Ao Nang Beach.  

From Ao Nang Beach, we took a short walk to the Kodam Kitchen, located in the back streets of downtown Ao Nang. Kodam Kitchen serves delicious, authentic Thai cuisine in the outdoor alfresco style seating area.

Trip report: Evening at Ao Nang Beach and dinner at the Kodam Kitchen.

After dinner, we took a songthaew to the Reggae Bar for some drinks and live music.

Reggae Bar at Ao Nang.

After our experience at the Boogie Bar, it is hard for the band at this bar to wow us.

   

Day 3 (16 August 2022)

This was the day with the promised wet weather in August. The wind and rain in the morning was quite alarming.

View of the storm from our room at Panan Krabi Resort. 

There was not much to do except having a sleep in and late breakfast at the Panan Krabi Resort.

Fortunately the rain stopped by lunch time and we managed to walk out to Thanya Kitchen for some Thai food.

The classic Thai Basil Minced Pork at Thanya Kitchen. 

Must eat in Krabi or Thailand – the mango with sticky rice.

This was also the day we shifted from Panan Krabi Resort in Ao Nang to the Amari Vogue Krabi at Tubkaek Beach. Getting from Ao Nang Beach to Tubkaek Beach by Krabi Shuttle service took about 20 minutes. The journey was quite scenic.

Amari Vogue Krabi located at Tubkaek Beach. 

Amari Vogue Krabi is a luxury resort located on the unspoilt and private Tubkaek Beach, lined with other beach resorts.  This was our “home away from home” for the next 3 nights of our 5 days Krabi vacation.

     Our room at the Amari Vogue Krabi. 

After check-in, my wife and I went for a 90 minutes massage in the resort Chaonang Spa while my son went to take a nap in the hotel room. 

Unlike Ao Nang Beach or Klong Muang Beach, there is almost no local restaurant outside the hotels. There are quite a number of excellent resorts along Tubkaek Beach with beachside restaurants that are opened to the public.

The Di Mare Italian Trattoria Restaurant serves excellent pizza.

Since the evening weather was good, we took a walk down Tubkaek Beach and had dinner at the Di Mare Italian Trattoria, located at the Tubkaek Krabi Boutique Resort, followed by drinks at the Arundina Restaurant.

Day 4 (17 August 2022)

It was drizzling a little in the morning. After breakfast, the sun came out and this enabled my son and me to proceed with our plan to hike up Dragon Crest Mountain, while my wife enjoys the facilities at the resort.

We completed our hike in about 5 hours.  Approximately 2 and half hours to go up,  2 hours to come down and 30 minutes to enjoy the views at the top.

At the peak of Dragon Crest Mountain, with views of Railay Peninsula, Ao Nang Beach and Nopparat Tharat Beach in the background. 

We ended the evening with drinks and dinner at Marcos Restaurant in Amari Vogue Krabi.

Trip report: Hike up the Dragon Crest Mountain in Krabi.

Day 5 (18 August 2022)

This was the day that we set aside for a boat trip to the Hong Islands, if the weather is good. Private long-tailed boat to Hong Island could be hired on the beach at 2300 THB for a half day trip. This price is controlled by the boat association and posted on the signboard on the beach.

Long-tail boat at Tubkaek Beach, with Hong islands in the background. 

As my son was feeling a little under the weather, we decided to abort the boat trip and just spent a day lazing by the hotel’s swimming pools. There are 3 swimming pools at this hotel, including a jacuzzi pool.

     

Trip report: Our stay at Amari Vogue Krabi at Tubkaek Beach.

 

Our last dinner at Tubkaek Beach was at the Arundina Restaurant, located at the Tubkaek Krabi Boutique Resort.

Trip report: Our evenings at Tubkaek Beach in Krabi (including places for dinner).

Day 6 (19 August 2022)

Our flight home was scheduled at 1.25 PM, so we spent the morning packing and chilling in our room.

The best way to get to the airport was by the reliable Krabi Shuttle service.

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Back to the Hilltop at Ao Nang

14 August 2022

When visiting places like Krabi which faces the Western coast, a dinner with views of the setting sun would be one of the highlights. The Hilltop Ao Nang restaurant is located on the top of hill in Ao Nang, offering dining with probably the best views of the Krabi sunset.

We had dined at this restaurant in one of our previous trip to Krabi and my wife wanted my son who is visiting Krabi for the first time to experience the Hilltop Ao Nang.  

We made reservations and also arrange for free shuttle pickup in advance at their website. We planned to arrive at least 30 minutes before sunset to enjoy the fantastic views from the restaurant. Travel to the restaurant was by songthaew (covered pickup trucks used as taxis in Thailand) and we were picked up promptly from our hotel in Ao Nang.

The weather was good so the restaurant set up tables for alfresco dining. We were the early birds.

After ordering our drinks, we went to shoot some photos. The panoramic views from the restaurant were quite nice. 

There is a new feature for visitors, especially couples, to enjoy  – beanbags on the net.

View of the Ao Nang country side and Dragon Crest Mountain (with a sharp pointy tip) in the background.

Although we were still quite full from our late lunch, the restaurant manager insisted that we ordered our food sooner than later. 

 We ordered our favourite Thai dishes instead of grilled or BBQ seafood.

Gaeng Poo Bai Chaploo - Southern Curry with Crab Meat and Local Herbs. This was the curry dish recommended by the restaurant manager. This very spicy dish was quite interesting to eat. Soak the rice noodles in the thick curry loaded with favourful herbs and sweet crab meat before eating. Thai version of the laksa, perhaps. 

  Deep fried squid in salt and pepper. 

Duck The Hilltop Style - Deep fried duck breast served with tangy orange sauce. My favourite dish on this day. 

 Stir fried mixed vegetables. 

The classic Thai pineapple fried rice with prawns, cashew nuts and pork floss. 

With the gorgeous views of the sea and the ambience, the prices charged were higher compared to the other local restaurants in Ao Nang.  Thankfully the food was good. I think it was worth it to spurge a little for the experience while visiting a foreign country.

      

      

We enjoyed the light show in the sky at dusk while we dined.

While eating, I asked one of the staff about the live band that played during our last visit. I was informed that since the Covid-19 travel restriction, the live band was no longer performing at the restaurant. Maybe, the live band performance would resume when business picks up in the future.

No live music, but the experience of quiet dining under the stars after the sun set was quite nice.

Would I be back at the Hilltop again?

No, if I were to travel to Ao Nang again by myself.

Yes, if I am travelling with friends who are visiting Ao Nang, Krabi for the first time and I wanted to introduce them to a place with nice food, gorgeous views and stunning red sun sets.

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