THE BEST OF KRABI THAILAND

The town of Ao Nang, Krabi is located on southern Thailand’s coast and is a beach lovers paradise. It has everything from snorkeling and kayaking and it makes a great base for island hopping.

My favorite thing about Krabi is being able to avoid Thailand’s most touristy islands, but if you still want to have easy access to the surrounding islands and beautiful backdrops then Krabi is the perfect island getaway. There’s a party scene, but it’s not over the top! The locals are genuinely friendly, the prices aren’t ridiculous, and there are tons of activities to choose from 🙂

With only 3 days it was hard to choose what I wanted to do and I definitely did not have enough time for everything!

1. STAY AT A COTTAGE IN THE JUNGLE

Waking up to this view of the limestone mountains felt like a dream. The rooms are beautifully nestled against the cliffs of Ao Nang. This hotel is close enough to the town of Ao Nang, but far enough away that you are truly able to unwind in peace and quiet. I stayed at Ban Sainai Resort in the Grand Pond Cottage which was unreal! The Cottage was huge and had a jacuzzi and our own private terrace. My favorite thing to do was sit outside and relax every morning.

Breakfast was included and was only a short walk from the cottage. I enjoyed fresh fruit, rotis, yogurts, and various juices and pastries. Everything was absolutely delicious! The staff was very humble and nice.

The hotel also has a lovely restaurant that is open for dinner as well. I enjoyed the Green Curry which was amazing every time. I could seriously could eat Thai food every day and be perfectly happy!

A Tuk Tuk shuttle is also available by the hotel to quickly get in and out of the town of Ao Nang when necessary. This was a such a great accommodation! You can also walk to the town if you want but it is a little far to do every day.

2. AO NANG BEACH & TOWN

Ao Nang is a relatively small town and is easily walkable. This town has something for everybody. You can grab a massage at one of the many places in the area, grab a bite to eat at one of the many restaurants or go shopping at one of their many shops!

Some may say the beach at Ao Nang isn’t as impressive as other beaches in the area but we fully enjoyed it.  Not only is it super convenient if you are staying here but it’s the perfect beach if you just want to enjoy a little sun and have a quick dip. I recommend walking as far to the left as you can (passing all the longtail boats) because the boat area is a little more polluted from the boat’s engines running all day. The views as we walked up near the limestone cliffs were incredible. A nice local worker also shared some fresh pineapple with us. We wound up going to her shop afterwards and enjoyed a nice massage and manicure. She was very persistent though!

3. THAI MASSAGE AND MANI

There’s no better place to experience a Thai massage than in the land where it all began! Massages can start out as a simple half hour foot massage and can go all the way to a full body massage with stretching (I have never felt so great as after one of these)! Your best bet is to ask the hotel where the best places are near you to get a massage, but there will be plenty throughout the town of Ao Nang! I booked one of the best Thai Massages of my life right at my hotel. It became a nightly routine of mine to end the night with a massage. Not to mention that nothing beats the price of a Thai massage in Thailand!

I also enjoyed a fabulous gel mani on the beach. A lovely young lady showed up on a scooter with a UV light machine and my nails looked fabulous for the rest of the trip. I never received a manicure with a view quite like this!

4. EAT A LOT OF GREEN CURRY

This is my favorite Thai curry and it’s one of the tastiest curries on the planet! It gets its name because of its bright green color from the amount of green curry paste that is added to it, gaeng keow wan kai. It also includes vegetables, chilies and chicken and is usually served with a portion of Thai rice on the side. I literally had this once a day. My favorite dish was at 11/thai around the corner from the Ban Sanai hotel. It was literally a man cooking in his home kitchen, and it was the most delicious curry I have ever tasted!

5. TASTE A ROTI

One of my favorite food discoveries from my trip is Thai Style Roti. It’s a banana crepe style pancake with egg that’s topped with condensed milk. This is a must try when in Thailand!!

6. ELEPHANT SANCTUARY

There are very few reputable elephant sanctuaries in Krabi and I was lucky enough to come across the Krabi Elephant Sanctuary. This was one of the best days and experiences of my life. I spent the day with these rescued elephants at Krabi Elephant Sanctuary which is a relatively new facility. We prepared food for them, fed them tons of bananas ? and gave them a spa mud bath. These creatures really are gentle giants, and each have their own personalities. It was amazing to donate money to help give these elephants a better life. This elephant sanctuary is cruelty and ride free. The elephants can live their best lives.

It’s so important not to ride elephants in Thailand, as the conditions needed to train them to accept riders are often cruel and inhumane. However, visiting one of the cruelty-free sanctuaries is an incredible experience that you don’t want to miss out on! Click here to reserve a spot while visiting Krabi.

7. RENT A PRIVATE LONGTAIL

If you are headed to Thailand, grabbing a ride on these beautiful long tail-boats is a must!  It was really a treat to ride in one of these. One of the main reasons to rent a longtail is to island hop to some of the most magnificent and unique places in Thailand.

8. ISLAND HOPPING

The coastline of Krabi is sure a treat for the eyes. It’s crystal clear waters and white sandy beaches will sweep you off your feet. I guarantee you will easily fall in love with this part of Thailand like I did. The landscape and limestone cliffs are absolutely incredible wherever you go!

9. HONG ISLAND

Since 3 days is such a short amount of time it was hard to choose which islands to visit among all the choices. After a lot of research, I choose Hong Island as our main destination. It was hard to pass up this island after viewing all the photos of its crystal clear water and white sandy beaches in a secluded lagoon.

I can guarantee I made the right choice. This was one of my favorite beaches that we visited. It was such a peaceful and tranquil island and the perfect place to relax, swim, float and best of all snorkel! There were so many fishes around the lagoon. This was our first stop on our private long tail excursion. Upon arrival I was greeted with the clearest water I have ever seen in real life. I was truly blown away by its beauty. I recommend arriving as early as possible to avoid the tourists. It quickly began to fill up during our stay.

If you’re planning on making a day trip to Hong Island (and its nearby islands), don’t forget to pack:

• Beach Bag
• Sunglasses
• Sunscreen
• Drinking Water (provided by our longtail boat)
• Towel
• Hat
• Snacks (if you think you’ll get hungry and your tour doesn’t provide lunch).

10. HONG LAGOON

After enjoying our time at Hong Island Beach, we headed over to the famous lagoon. Since the only way to get there is by boat, we jumped back on our long tail boat and cruised off to the lagoon. The entrance to the lagoon is so grand and beautiful. The first thing I noticed was the emerald colored water and massive limestone cliffs which was incredibly breathtaking. Our long tail captain was nice enough to snap some beautiful photos. This was a bucket list spot that I’ve been wanting to check off my list and was even better in real life that I could have ever imagined.

11. KOH PAK BIA AND LAO LANDING

This beach was truly picturesque. We stopped her for a short visit. I enjoyed staring at the unique limestone rocks. This beach is pretty rocky so please be careful, so wear flip flops to avoid cutting your feet!

At Lao Lading you can walk a short jungle path to a smaller beach on the other side of the island. This is neat to check out, but the main beach is best for snorkeling and swimming.

12. SNORKELING

Thailand has fantastic areas to snorkel. Our private island guide dropped us at this secluded spot where we got to see so many cool fish & sea urchins.

13. ENJOY SOME NIGHT LIFE

Krabi town is so vibrant at night. It’s full of live music, shopping and entertainment. Be sure to roam around the back sidewalks, as this is where we found places like hidden bars with live music. It was so chill and fun!

14. MONKEY TRAIL

Ao Nang is also home to a community of monkeys. This is a short little hike in Krabi that we really enjoyed. Do not get there too late or the monkeys will be sleeping. I tried going around 5pm the night before but did not see any. The next day I arrived around 10am and luckily there were tons of monkeys running around everywhere! I even got to see some babies with their mothers. Be careful if you have food or loose objects on you. They will try to take anything away! Keep your distance because these monkeys can be a little frisky. But it’s sure a lot of fun to enjoy their company.

15. MAI TAI ON THE BEACH

We discovered this lovely spot along the Ao Nang beach with beautiful sunset ocean views. We enjoyed delicious drinks and Thai food while people watching for hours! The mai thai is a specialty there and I enjoyed many.

16. WATCH THE SUNSET AT AO NANG

You can watch the sunset from many locations, but it’s hard to beat Ao Nang Beach for this. With such a huge stretch of sand and if the tide is low, your eyes are in for a real treat at this beach!

Krabi, and Thailand in general, has something for everybody, so I absolutely recommend you go see it! Perfect for any kind of vacation, and with less crowds than some of the more well known areas of Thailand, Krabi has a lot to offer.

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Let me know in the comments below if you are planning a trip to Krabi and tag me on Instagram @blondevoyagenyc so I can see your adventures.