Our evenings at Klong Muang Beach in Krabi

After spending three evenings at Ao Nang, we moved to Klong Muang Beach. Compared to Ao Nang, Klong Muang is more secluded, quieter with lesser shopping, dining and nightlife. Perfect place to escape from the hustle and bustle of city life.

An excellent resort hotel located at Klong Muang is the Nakamanda Resort and Spa, our “home away from home” for the next 4 nights. Besides a boat trip to the islands located just off Klong Muang Beach, we spent most of our time relaxing at our luxury resort.

One of the highlights of a Krabi seaside vacation is spending the evenings watching the sun goes down as we strolled down the sandy beach, or on the lounge chair by the hotel’s pool or over a cold drink in one of the beach bars.

We did all three. Although some days were cloudy and on those evenings, we did not get to view the spectacular sunset that Krabi is famous for.

Here are some moments in the four evenings we spent at Klong Muang.

First evening

View of the small island and beach from the roof terrace at the Nakamanda resort. One could walk to the island at low tide but must make it back before the tide returns.

Watching the sun set on our first day at Klong Muang from the beach.

I was trying to capture our long shadows on the beach in front of Nakamanda Resort but the clouds caused our shadows to be slightly diffused.

Low clouds on the horizon.

Ao Nang has its Ao Nang Seafood Street, and Klong Muang has a row of bars and restaurants set right on the sand of Klong Muang Beach. Most of these bars cum restaurants were simply built with bamboo, driftwood, recycled materials and thatch.  Many would grab a beer or cocktail and have a relaxing time watching the sun goes down.

Row of bars and restaurants set right on the sand of Klong Muang Beach.

Pre-dinner passion fruit mojitos at the Sunset Bar on the beach. The passion fruit mojitos were great!

Deep fried sea bass with sweet and sour sauce at the Sunset Bar and Restaurant. The food and drinks at the Sunset Bar were good and reasonably priced too.

While we enjoyed our seafood dinner at the Sunset Bar, a performer was spinning a pair of flaming torches tied to a string on the beach just outside the neighbouring bar.

A drink and dinner on the beach during sunset is a “must-do” when in Klong Muang or Krabi. 

Second evening

On our second day at Klong Muang, we hired a private long-tail boat to take us island hopping. The popular Hong Islands are located just off Klong Muang Beach. We enjoyed the white sand beaches of Hong, Lading and Pakbia Islands before returning to Klong Muang by mid-afternoon.

We spent the rest of our day at the hotel pool and the evening on the beach. There were fewer clouds on the horizon and we managed to see the brilliant globe of the sun dropping slowly down below the horizon.

 

Long-tail boat at the beach next to Nakamanda Resort, Klong Muang Beach.

After the beach got dark, we went for dinner at the Baan Thai Seafood Restaurant, located just across the road from the entrance of Nakamanda Resort.

Grilled squid, Tom Yum Goong (Tom Yum Prawn) Soup and garlic fried rice at Baan Thai Seafood Restaurant.

We picked a medium sized squid displayed on a tray of crushed ice, got it weighed to confirm the price. We chose to have it grilled and served with the spicy Thai seafood dipping sauce.

This restaurant serves great Thai food and seafood at reasonable prices. We went back to this restaurant for lunch (pad thai and pork noodle soup) the next day.

Third evening

Our original plan for the day was to go hike the Dragon Crest or Tab Kak Hang Nak Hill Nature Trail  at Tubkaek Beach. We changed our mind due to the extra hot and humid weather that hit Krabi. We did a morning walk along the long stretch of Klong Muang Beach instead.

This was followed by a 2 hour massage at the hotel’s spa and a late lunch at Baan Thai restaurant.

Once again, the best place to be in the late afternoon, just before sunset, was by the beach.

After the sun had gone down, we went to explore the Beyond Krabi Resort, located next to our hotel. This hotel is very nice, seems larger than Nakamanda and seems to be popular with groups. They had a poolside restaurant offering buffet dinner with a live band on a small stage. 

Pool at the Beyond Krabi Resort at night.

We prefer a quiet place for dinner and chose to have seafood dinner at Bai Tong Restaurant, located on the main road opposite the Beyond Krabi Resort instead.

Don’t let the quiet and almost empty restaurant fool you. This restaurant serves some of the best Thai and seafood in Klong Muang. The food was just as good as the Baan Thai Restaurant a few shops away.

Fresh coconut drinks at the Bai Tong Restaurant.

Prawns with pineapple curry. Deliciously sweet and spicy!

Steamed Sea Bass with lemon and garlic sauce. This dish was so good that we looked up the recipe and tried cooking this dish back home. We followed the restaurant’s method and stuffed a few sticks of lemon grass in the fish’s belly for fragrance.

They sell the fresh seafood by weight, just like at Baan Thai. A sea bass would typically cost about 55 THB per 100g or about 300 to 350 THB per fish.

We enjoyed the steamed sea bass with lemon and garlic sauce. The Spanish family on the next table also ordered this dish. They liked it so much that they asked the restaurant owner for the recipe. The friendly restaurant owner actually invited them into the kitchen to see how the chef prepares the above dish and shared some tips.

Last evening

We spent most of the morning at our hotel villa and the afternoon on the loungers by the hotel’s pool.

View of the beach from the pool of Nakamanda Resort.

Once again, we took a walk on the beach to watch the setting sun and shoot some photos before dinner.

Enjoy a romantic stroll on the beach at twilight.

Pool at the Nakamanda Resort after sunset.

We were deciding between eating at the Kitchen Restaurant within the Nakamanda Resort based on the good reviews or to go across the road to the Bai Tong Restaurant for dinner again.

Bai Tong won.

Our dinner at Bai Tong Restaurant. Squid fried with curry powder, Tom Yum Seafood Soup and deep fried sea bass with pepper and other spices (Yes, sea bass again!)

Once again, we had seafood for dinner in Krabi.

And once again, we had squid and an entire sea bass. We just cannot stop eating the fresh and delicious Thai seafood while in Krabi!

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Our stay at Nakamanda Resort and Spa at Klong Muang Beach, Krabi

 

Nakamanda Resort and Spa is a small luxury hotel located on a beautiful private cove in the unspoilt Klong Muang area in Krabi, Thailand. This was our “home away from home” for 4 nights of our 8 days Krabi vacation.

 

Getting to Klong Muang and the Nakamanda Resort and Spa.

We hired a taxi for 500 THB from the taxi stand conveniently located just outside our previous hotel, Pakasai Resort and Spa, to take us from Ao Nang Beach to Klong Muang Beach.

For those travelling to Klong Muang Beach from the airport:  A airport taxi from the Krabi International Airport to a hotel along Klong Muang Beach would cost 700 THB/car (pre-paid, fixed rate fares). Klong Muang Beach is about 32 km from Krabi airport and the journey would take about 40 to 50 minutes. Alternately, pre-book the hotel’s own transfer service. We travelled to the airport in a clean, spacious and safe SUV provided by Nakamanda for 800 THB/car on our last day. 

Our accomodation at Nakamanda

There are less than 40 rooms in this resort, making it very tranquil, private and somewhat exclusive. Ideal for couples or honeymooners or those who are looking for a few days away from the hustle and bustle of the outside world.

All accommodations at Nakamanda Resort & Spa are one or two-bedroom villas with tropical garden views or sea views. These individual villas, set upon a green hillside, are connected by walkways and stairs.

Frangipanis, palms, tropical flowering shrubs, pots of water lilies and lotuses lined the walkways connecting the villas to the resort’s amenities.

Most common are the 56 square meter, one-bedroom Sala Villa, which are remarkably luxurious, even though these were the most basic or entry level villa. For a even more luxurious stay or for family groups, there are villas with a Jacuzzi or a private swimming pool.

Our Sala Villa is on the upper floor of a two storey unit located on higher ground, hence offering us partial sea view. The lower floor units would enjoy tropical garden views.

A lady staff escorted us to our villa after the paperwork of check-in was done. A flight of stairs led to a private semi-outdoor patio with daybed, ceiling fan, coffee table and day curtains.

A Sala Villa, located on the second storey, with private semi-outdoor sala terrace with sea view.

The private semi-outdoor sala terrace or balcony with daybed, ceiling fan, coffee table and day curtains.

 

From there, a pair of wood-framed glass doors slides open to reveal a spacious bedroom with a king-sized bed, writing table, mini-bar with complimentary tea, coffee, hot water air-pot, fresh tropical fruit on arrival and a daybed to enjoy the in-room entertainment system.

 

Elegant yet warm ambience of the one-bedroom Sala Villa.

The teak floors, cool grey sandstone and cream marble and sculptures give an elegant yet warm ambience. Therapeutic aromatherapy oils in a clay burner, warmed by small candles that were already lit, gave an extra relax feel.

The bath area is behind the bedroom, with separate “His” and “Hers” individual wardrobes and wash basins with toiletries for the gent and lady. There are separate shower and toilet cubicles and a large bathtub, flanked by pots of orchids, with a large skylight over it. The skylight provides natural lighting to the bath area and a chance to see the sky and stars while enjoying a soak. 

The daily turndown service would replenish the supplies of bottled water, tea and coffee bags in the mini-bar and fresh towels. Sweet good night notes with a orchid or a towel origami rabbit wearing one of our sun-glasses would be left on our beds.

The turndown service also includes making sure the aromatherapy oils in the room are heated up with new candles. 

Breakfast at the Nakamanda

Our stay included daily buffet breakfast, served in the naturally ventilated Kitchen Restaurant located next to the hotel pool and beach. The breakfast spread was what you would expect in a good hotel but nothing spectacular. The food was good enough to fill us out till lunch. One thing I like about having breakfast at Nakamanda is the location where the breakfast is served. By the beach!

 

Kitchen Restaurant located next to the hotel pool and beach.

View of the swimming pool while having breakfast.

Activities while staying at Nakamanda

Guests at the Nakamanda could potentially spend the entire day within the villa. We spent some time on the porch in front of our room. This is a perfect place to read a book, take a nap under the ceiling fan and/or listen to the chirping birds in the trees surrounding villas.

As the day gets warmer in the afternoon, we  watched TV inside the room in cool air-conditioning comfort. There are plenty of cable channels to choose from.

However, there are also plenty of activities in and around the resort to occupy us during our 4 days stay.  The following are some of the things we did:

Enjoy Klong Muang Beach

Nakamanda Resort and Spa is located by Klong Muang Beach. Swimming is possible in the sea at high tide but we prefer to swim in the hotel pool.

We did an early morning walk along the long stretch of Klong Muang beach on one of the days.

Our original plan for the day was to go hike up and down the steep Dragon Crest or Tab Kak Hang Nak Hill Nature Trail located at Tubkaek Beach, which was a short distance away from Nakamanda by tuk tuk or taxi. We changed our mind due to the extra hot and humid weather that hit Krabi and did an easy morning walk on the beach instead.

 

Morning walk along Klong Muang Beach. Nakamanda is on the right of the picture.

Klong Muang Beach is clean, more secluded and quieter compared to Ao Nang. And fewer boat traffic.  

Couple of friendly local kids enjoying a swim.

We saw the tracks of a snake on the soft white sand of Klong Muang beach. Must have be made during the night.

The low tide occurs twice a day and reveals a sand bank which stretches all the way to the small uninhabited island next to the resort. The adventurous folks could explore this island at low tide but should return before the next high tide.

Many visitors were also seen jogging on the firm wet sand at low tide. 

The beach just next to the hotel is a bit rocky. The small uninhabited island off Klong Muang Beach could be explored at low tide.

Long-tail boat parked at the beach next to the hotel.

The beach was even nicer during the cooler evening times. One of the highlights of our stay was evenings spent on the beach where we watched the sun goes down as we strolled down the sandy beach, or on the lounge chair by the hotel’s pool or over a cold drink in one of the beach bars along Klong Muang Beach.

As a photo enthusiast, I enjoyed the opportunity to shoot photos of beach scenes during sunset and twilight.

Once darkness sets in, we went for dinners at the excellent Thai and seafood restaurants that are within or just outside the resort. We enjoyed our dinners at the Bai Tong and Baan Thai restaurants, located just across the main road from the entrance to the resort.

Chill by the pool   

The hotel’s swimming pool is located right by the beach. Attentive pool staff will ensure we had the right amount of shade or sun as we lazed on the many loungers facing the pool or beach. 

The Kitchen Restaurant provides food and beverages to guest at the pool and beach.

The design of the pool is almost Greek or Roman like, with stone sculptures on the fringes of the pool and water flowing out of aqueducts from the stone walls.

Since the pool is by the beach, we could laze on the loungers and watch the sun set from the pool area.

 

Morning yoga

Morning yoga sessions were available on some days. We signed up for the morning yoga on one of the days.

The yoga is at Beginner’s level only. Although my wife had prior experience with yoga, this was my first experience. It was tough and strenuous for me even though what we did was quite basic and suitable for novice. Nevertheless, it was a good workout in the morning prior to breakfast.

Naga Spa

One must not miss experiencing the massage services when visiting Thailand. Massage services in Thailand are incredibly cheap and good. The most popular form of massage available is the Thai-style massage but I prefer the softer and gentler body massages with oil.

Although there are cheaper massage services available from shops outside the resort, we chose to do our massages at the in-house Naga Spa. The Naga Spa offers excellent spa packages for both in-house guests and visitors. We made use of the vouchers given to us at check-in and enjoyed the 2 hours Nakara Massage and Foot Massage.

The treatment included a refreshing cold welcome drink (Bael Fruit Tea).

We could select which aroma oils to use for our body massage using warm herbal oils. We were then given a quick foot bath and foot scrub and asked to change into bathrobes. Our massage was done in the cool comfort of a private treatment room with soothing soft music.

Post massage, we were served a pot of hot herbal tea made from lemon grass, ginger, galangal and pandan leaves. 

After the massage, we went back to lie on the daybed in the private balcony of our villa, feeling far far away from the stresses we faced back home.

Listening to the chirping birds on the terrace of our villa and feeling relaxed.

Visit the beautiful Pakbia, Lading and Hong Islands by long-tail boat

The Hong Islands are just off the coast of Klong Muang Beach. Although many tour operators offer trips to Hongs Islands from Ao Nang, it was faster and cheaper to visit these islands by private long-tail boat from Klong Muang Beach than from Ao Nang. 

Long tail boats at Klong Muang Beach with the Hong Islands in the background

We hired one of the many long-tail boats at the beach in front of Nakamanda to take us to Pakbia, La Ding and Hong islands on one of the days. A day trip to visit these beautiful islands with white sand beaches and crystal clear emerald green waters off the coast of Krabi for swimming, kayaking, snorkelling, picnic or just lazing on the white sand beach is a must.

Planning a day trip to the Hong Islands? Read our Trip Report here.

Overall, we had an relaxing and enjoyable stay at the Nakamanda Resort and Spa. This resort is ideal for those who prefers a quiet and romantic stay in a small luxury hotel by a beach. 

The Nakamanda Resort has special rates for different times of the year. We stayed in late March and the resort delivers excellent value for the price we paid. I booked my stay two months before my trip and this popular hotel was almost fully booked.

Pool of the Nakamanda Resort in the evening.

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Trip Overview – 8 days in Chiang Mai with old school mates

In one of my gatherings with some of my old school mates, I was given the task to plan an oversea trip within Asia for our travelling group of 3 couples during the January to February 2018 period.

I chose Chiang Mai to be our destination as the weather in Chiang Mai during this time of year would be nice and cool. A perfect getaway from hot and humid Singapore. Chiang Mai is also a relatively inexpensive travel destination, with delicious food and plenty of attractions and things to do within and outside of the city.

This was how we spent our 8 days in Chiang Mai:

Day 1  (6 January 2018)

We travelled from home to Chiang Mai by air, arriving in the early evening. Since we took different flights, we arranged to meet at the hotel.

We walked to the famous Saturday Night Market, a lively and fun night market that takes place every Saturday. It is along Wui Lai Road, starting from the southern gate of the old city walls to the end of the road. It starts in the late afternoon, after the road is closed to vehicular traffic, and continues until around 22:30 hours. There are plenty of stalls selling handicrafts, clothing, shoes,  food, wood carvings, ornaments, candles, housewares etc.

Our dinner was from the various street food vendors along the night market. We ended our gastronomical adventure with a round of brewed coffee in a nice cafe near the end of Wu Lai Road before walking along the same night market back to our hotel.

Where we stayed: Hotel De Nara, a small boutique hotel within the Old City that is within walking distance to the Saturday Night Market. This hotel is also convenient to visit the Sunday Night Market, which starts at ThaPae Gate and runs all along Ratchadamnoen Rd, for around one kilometre.

Day 2  (7 January 2018)

This was the first day of a  2 Days/1 Night private tour for my travelling group. 

The activities for this day were:

Visit Lanna Kingdom Elephant Sanctuary.

River Rafting down the Mae Teang River.

Visit a Karen Long Neck Village.

Dinner and evening activities (massage and releasing of sky lanterns) at the Tree House.

Where we stayed: Tree House Hideaway in Chiang Dao (booked as part of the tour).

Trip report - Visit Lanna Kingdom Elephant Sanctuary.

Trip report – River rafting and visit to Long Neck Village.

Day 3  (8 January 2018)

This was the second day of a 2 Days/1 Night private tour for my travelling group.

The activities for Day 2 were:

Jungle trekking to a waterfall.

Lunch at the Tree House.

Visit the beautiful Wat Ban Den temple on our way back to Chiang Mai.

Dinner at the Dash Restaurant, opposite our hotel.

Where we stayed: We returned to Hotel De Nara, a small boutique hotel within the Old City of Chiang Mai.

Trip report - Jungle trekking at Chiang Dao from the Treehouse Hideaway.

Trip report – Wat Ban Den.

Day 4  (9 January 2018)

A day out from Chiang Mai to Doi Inthanon National Park, home to Thailand’s highest peak. We hired a private car with guide/driver for the day and go hiking on two of the most popular nature trails, namely the Pha Dok Siew and Kew Mae Pan nature trails.

Where we stayed:  Hotel De Nara, a small boutique hotel within the Old City of Chiang Mai.

Trip report - Hiking the Pha Dok Siew and Kew Mae Pan nature trails at Doi Inthanon National Park

Day 5  (10 January 2018)

Some free time to enjoy a massage or go explore the old city and visit at least one of its historic temples. Two couples walked to Wat Chedi Luang in the Old City and one couple went for a massage near our hotel.

Wat Chedi Luang in the Old City.

Later in the afternoon, we shifted to our next hotel in Chiang Mai, so as to try a different hotel and also be closer to the famous Chiang Mai Night Bazaar which operates every night.

After a morning of exploring the Old City and shifting hotels, it was time for some soothing massages (a must when visiting Thailand!) in the afternoon.

We went to the Fah Lanna Massage along Loi Kroh Road, which was a short walk from our new hotel.  

We had dinner and did some shopping along Chiang Mai’s Night Bazaar.

Where we stayed:  Movenpick Suriwongse Hotel. This hotel is ideally located next to the intersection of Chang Khlan Road and Loi Kroh Road which is right smack in the center of Chiang Mai’s famous Night Bazaar.

Trip report – Wat Chedi Luang

Day 6  (11 January 2018)

We hired a car with a driver cum guide to bring us to a few places outside of Chiang Mai City.

Visited Wat Phra That Doi Sutep (also known as Doi Suthep Temple) in the morning.

Mom Cham

Had lunch at Mon Cham, relaxed and enjoyed the views and fresh air at Mon Cham.

Bua Thong “Sticky” Waterfall

We then spent some time at the Bua Thong “Sticky” Waterfall in the afternoon before returning to Chiang Mai.

We ate excellent pad thai (Thai style stir-fried rice noodles) at a small nondescript restaurant called Eat Pad Thai before exploring more of the Night Bazaar. Eat Pad Thai is located along Chiang Moi Road, between Warorot Market and the eastern moat of the Old City. 

Where we stayed:  Movenpick Suriwongse Hotel.

Trip report - Day trip out from Chiang Mai to Wat Phra That Doi Sutep, Mon Cham and Bua Tong Sticky Waterfall.

 Day 7  (12 January 2018)

This was a lazy morning in Chiang Mai where we did little but explored cafes in the Nimmanhaemin area, known to be the chic and trendy part of Chiang Mai.

The Nimman area includes the main Nimmanhaemin Road, which runs south from Maya Shopping Mall on Huay Kaew Road, cutting through the city’s bustling university area towards the airport, plus all the small Soi or side lanes along the Nimmanhaemin Road.

The afternoon was spent catching the giant Mekong Catfish at Bo Sang Fishing Park, under the guidance of a fishing expert.

We ended the day with a casual dinner at the Green Chilli Thai Restaurant and a soothing massage at Fah Lanna Massage, both places near to our hotel, Movenpick Suriwongse Hotel.

Trip report - Cafe hopping at Nimmanhaemin.

Trip Report - An afternoon of fishing at the Bo Sang Fishing Park. 

Day 8  (13 January 2018)

We catered some free time in the morning of our last day in Chiang Mai before taking the afternoon flight home. Four of us went to continue exploring Chiang Mai’s Old City which included a visit to Wat Phra Singh temple, Fern Forest Cafe and Khao Soi Khun Yai (tasting the best Khao Soi in Chiang Mai).

Trip report - Wat Phra Singh temple, Fern Forest Cafe and Khao Soi Khun Yai.

 

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