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