Trip Overview – 3 days in Krabi with extended family

Krabi is one of the most relaxing and beautiful places on Earth. It is known for its steep, limestone karsts, and offshore islands with white sand beaches and clear emerald waters. Being close to Singapore and well served by budget airlines, it is a good destination for a short trip during the June school holidays for families with kids.

My wife and I were tasked with organising a 4 days/3 nights trip for the extended family to Krabi since we had visited Krabi in 2018. My travel group consists of 17 persons, including kids and a granny.

My itinerary included a day out on a long-tail boat to visit some the offshore islands. We also included a free and easy day where individual could choose to go shopping, swim and relax by the pool in a resort quality hotel.

Krabi is hot all year round, with a rainy monsoon season which runs from May to October, and a dry season from December to March. So, June is not the best time to visit due to unpredictable weather. We could get rain on some days but also days with excellent weather. Even if it rains, it only rains for an average of an hour or two each day, often late in the afternoon.

However, there are some advantages in visiting during the rainy season. The temperature would be slightly cooler during the day. Hotels and tourist-related services also offers steep discounts during the rainy (low) season.

We had the whole beach on Poda Island to ourselves.

For me, I find the biggest advantage is that there would be much lesser visitors at the beaches and restaurants. The beaches could be unbearably crowded during the peak season (December to February).

Where we stayed in Krabi

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 places where visitors could board the long-tail boats to offshore islands like Tup, Poda and Railay Peninsula.

Swimming pool of Pranan Krabi Resort.

While there were many hotels offering deals during the low season, Pranan Krabi Resort was selected due to its convenient location in Ao Nang town, good reviews, excellent facilities including two swimming pools and competitive prices.

This is the overview of our short stay in Ao Nang, Krabi.

Day 1 (15 June 2019)

This is the day we travelled from home to Krabi, arriving at Krabi Airport at about 11 AM. From the airport, it took us 40 minutes to travel by 2 vans booked via Krabi Shuttle to our hotel in Ao Nang.

After checking into our hotel at 2 PM, we had lunch at the Thanya Kitchen restaurant. Although it was past the normal lunch hour, the owner of this small restaurant, located just outside the hotel, welcomed us warmly and served up some delicious Thai food to our hungry group. The dishes that our group had included pad thai, tom yum seafood soup, beef/pork/chicken noodle soup, pineapple rice and popular Thai desserts like mango with sticky rice.

Mango with sticky rice – a  “must-eat” Thai dessert especially during the mango season.

It was free and easy at the hotel till it was time for dinner. Some of my travel companions went to explore the main street of Ao Nang, lined with shops, restaurants and tour desks. 

Nice views from Hilltop Ao Nang Restaurant.

We had dinner at 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.

We ended the day with a simple foot massage at Atta-rak massage and spa, located just outside our hotel.

Trip report: Dinner at Hilltop Ao Nang.

Day 2 (16 June 2019)

This was the day forecasted with good weather, despite the rainy season.

Beach on Poda Island.

We did a full-day boat trip by private long-tail boat to 4 islands off Krabi namely Chicken Island, Poda Island, Tup and Mor Island plus Phra Nang Cave Beach located on the Railay Peninsula.

We had dinner 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. 

Trip report: 4 Islands Tour - day trip by private long-tail boat.

 

Day 3 (17 June 2019)

This was a day that we planned to stay and enjoy the facilities in our hotel.

We were notified by the hotel that whole of Ao Nang would have power outage from 9 AM to 5 PM as the Provincial Electricity Authority is performing some upgrade on the power grid. As a result, the hotel would be running on emergency generators and only basic level of electricity would be available for the elevator, internet and pools.

Pranan Krabi Resort.

This did not stop us from having a good time at the hotel’s swimming pools. The hotel did well to provide complimentary cocktail party with drinks and snacks in the afternoon for all the guests.

It was also a day for some shopping along Ao Nang Beach for local products.

We ended the day with a walk along Noppharat Thara Beach at sunset and dinner at a seafood restaurant located along the beach.

Trip report: Evening at Noppharat Thara Beach and dinner at Noppharat Seafood.

Planning a trip to the islands off Krabi? Here are some tips to share.

• Getting on and off the long-tail boats requires wading into the sea as there are no jetties. Many wore sandals or flip-flops. We wore aqua shoes. i.e shoes that are designed for water activities. 
• Protect your electronics, e.g. phones and cameras, with a waterproof bag or waterproof casings for your mobile phone. This are sold at many shops along Ao Nang Beach Road.
• Bring beach mats or pool towels.  Alternatively buy a beach mat at one of the shops along Ao Nang Beach Road.
• No need to bring snorkelling gear for trips to offshore islands. The tour operators typically provides them. In any case, snorkelling at Krabi is disappointing.
• There are few restaurants selling food and drinks at the offshore islands. It is best to arrange for packed lunch to be provided by the tour operator or bring your own. You may get decent food and drinks from the “food boats” during the peak season but there is no guarantee these would be available during the low season.
• Bring a hat, sunglasses and plenty of sunscreen. 
• Go on a weekday and go early in the morning to enjoy the beaches without the crowds.
• Preferably hire your own long-tail boat for your own private boat trip to the offshore islands.
• If going only to the beaches on Railay Peninsula, there is no need to pay any National Park fees.
• If going only to the beaches on Railay Peninsula, there is also no need to join a tour. Take the “water taxis” (the long-tail boats to and from Ao Nang to Railay) from Ao Nang Beach. Buy return tickets instead of single trip tickets. With a return ticket, you may have the option to board a boat at Phra Nang Beach back to Ao Nang. I did see any ticket booth at Phra Nang Beach. The regular boats operate from 8 AM till about 6 PM (before sun down). Thereafter, you may have to pay more or charter our own long-tail boat back to Ao Nang. In terms of water quality, I think Phra Nang Beach is the best beach that is on the Railay Peninsula or even the Krabi mainland. Do not miss and it is best to go during the low tide where more of the white sandy beach is exposed. See my trip report: Day trip to Railay Peninsula in Krabi from Ao Nang.
• Tup island is best visited during the low tide. If chartering a boat for the day, your boatman would know when is the best time to go.