Welcome to Krabi or one of THE MOST EXCITING CITIES of our 15 days girls trip with my Mum and me. Our third location! A paradise for water babies like us. We’ve stayed here at Krabi for the longest duration of our trip and then ultimately, heading towards the dynamic city of Bangkok.

Three ways to describe Krabi? – Relaxed. Chilled. Emerald Waters.

Day 1: Touching Base at Ao Nang beach, Krabi – A Laid Back Day!

Well, well, well! We were super excited to leave for Krabi but equally worried as to how we will pass the airport borders, without having to worry about excess luggage allowance 😂 We had far too much on us, yet we some how managed to get cleared and get on with our flight with AirAsia. This was by far the most expensive flight in our entire trip, with the cancellations and re-bookings etc. Too many complications. But finally, after boarding the flight we reached Krabi in barely any time.

I managed to grab a nap in the mean while. We started early morning. All exhausted but stoked!

We reached Krabi airport and we were treated with lush greenery, palm and coconut trees all around. Krabi airport is probably the smallest airport I’ve visited till date. It had only one operating terminal and that was about it. We quickly took our luggage and had to find the way to our accommodation at Aao Nang beach.

  Tip: The moment you step out of the airport, there is a bus/shuttle service which drops you closest to your location/drop off point. It’s extremely comfortable and affordable as well. I highly recommend it.  

It almost took us an hour and a half bus/shuttle ride to reach our hostel. We were put up at TAN Hostel x Cafe, Ao Nang Beach. The hostel is located on the main road, walking distance from the beach and the bus/shuttle service dropped us right outside our hostel. We reached the hostel around 12:30pm, before our check in time which was around 2pm. But it was a relief to just sit in shade with some food and good air conditioning, cause it was damn right hot! So so so hot! and we are talking December afternoons.. can you imagine? Crazy hot but with wonderful views.

TAN Hostel x Cafe, Ao Nang Beach was the most expensive hostel on our itinerary. Not to mention we were staying here for the longest duration ie. 4 days 4 nights. Also the fact that we were put up here around New Years hiked up the price a whole lot more. But it worth that bit of a splurge, we feel.

TAN Hostel x Cafe, Ao Nang Beach Review: Right! We had taken the 6 Bed Ladies Only dorm and we had a whole bunk bed to ourselves with the usual storage, charging points etc. The beds were nice and wide. Clean and well maintained hostel. It has this uber-chic/industrial hostel kind of vibe. Very relaxed and modern I would say. Also, there is a lounging area on looking the beautiful mountain range right opposite the hostel. A giant dinning table which was a functional library and games room, adjacent to a popular in house cafe with vegan treats and all sorts of delights. We would gorge on the food and smoothies there all the time! The only bummer for occasional late nighter’s like us, the cafe would close by 1 pm or 2 pm at the most. Following which, if you are a vegetarian like us it would get extremely difficult to find good, hygienic and relatively priced food on Ao Nang Beach.

Not So Fun Fact! – They would turn off the air conditioning in all dorms from 1 to 4 pm, flat out with only one fan in each dorm! So, after doing your morning activities if you come to crash at the hostel, you are pretty much doomed! Cause the heat is that bad. One fan can not be sufficient for 6 beds placed across the room at different heights. Nope! This was a major thumbs down for me. Other wise, the crowd was fab and over all it was a clean and nice experience for a centrally located popular hostel.

Rating: 3.5 / 5. (1.5 point less for the mad no air conditioning during afternoons! Brutal!)

Today’s day was just chill and relaxed after the continuous travelling. We were just settling into the vibe of Krabi. We did not do much or anything really, as our activities for the next three days were already booked. Early morning calls for each of them.

But, we just walked around, explored Ao Nang beach, found out information on local markets, massage parlous, how much would it cost to rent a scooty and all those basic things. Towards the end of the day we grabbed dinner at a local restaurant and called it a night as tomorrow we were lined up for our first activity here in Krabi!

It just felt really good to take that one day break. Not only did Mom get a breather but so did I… we were constantly walking or up to some or the other activity for the past so many days, from be it –

Unconventional Thailand – Chiang Rai

to Unconventional Thailand – Chiang Mai (Part I)

to Unconventional Thailand – Chiang Mai (Part II)

Day 2: Krabi 4 Islands Tour by Speedboat from Private Pier to Koh Gai – the Chicken Island, Phra Nang Cave beach, Koh Tub and Koh Mor Beach.

We were super excited about our first activity in Krabi. We had already booked all our activities for our entire trip through Klook (not sponsored). Hence it made our lives much easier. We saved some coin too because of the advance bookings, so that was great!

Speedboat Itinerary For The Day –

• 8:00 – 8:30 am : Pick up from hotel, transfer to private/public pier
• 9:00 am : Depart to Krabi 4 Islands by speedboat
• 9:00 – 2:00 pm : Island hopping, snorkeling, and sightseeing
• Railay Beach, free time for sun-bathing, swimming, photography, exploring
• Tup Island, ideal for easy snorkeling and exploring on foot
• Chicken Island, excellent snorkeling opportunities in warm, inviting waters
• Poda Island, lunch at the beach and break
• 2:00pm back to pier and transfer the customer back to hotel

Review: These are the most common islands which every one recommends you to visit, when you come to Krabi. Out of all the four locations – Chicken Island, Phra Nang Cave beach, Koh Tub and Koh Mor Beach, we only really enjoyed the last two.

Chicken Island is pretty much an island that looks like a chicken (as if you haven’t guessed that already) you see it while you island hop. It is not a destination for any activity. We didn’t get to and neither did we see anyone snorkeling there… may be because of the unpredictable weather. Not sure.

Phra Nang Cave beach was the first beach of our tour. The caves weren’t anything extraordinary to see to be very frank. But the water was crystal blue. We got to walk on the beach and just have fun around the beach. Not ideal for peaceful activities as such. Even if you go snorkeling there, go towards the deep water’s or else it gets too crowded at any time of the day. For a tick off of your h your bucket list, a visit is fine.

Koh Tub and Koh Mor Beach are two islands or you can say two side of a sand bar which are connected with each other. Meaning, you can walk from one island to the other right in the center of the ocean. They are beautiful, picturesque islands and perfect for snorkeling. We enjoyed snorkeling here in clear waters and did our fun photo shoot too. It is a good place to get your mat out, put on some sunscreen, wear your hat and get a book to read.. as you chill right by the ocean hearing the sound waves clashing on the shore. We also grabbed our lunch here, with chilled fresh fruits like water melon and pineapple in addition to rice and some Thai vegetable curry. Happy!

Rating: 3/5 stars. Over all it was a nice experience. The crystal blue, emerald waters just take your breath away. Therefore you can’t say much. But in order to have a great activity day, the weather God’s need to be in your favour. We had a 50-50 chance with the rains and hence, we couldn’t make the most of our day. However, snorkeling for an hour or so does count as a work out. The under water wildlife just amazes you! It’s a treat for your eyes. Absolutely gorgeous. But on the whole, I would say going for this particular tour with all the hype surrounding, isn’t really up to the mark. Krabi has far farrrrrr better islands and beaches which we were yet to explore in the up coming days. Their National Park and Wildlife Reserves in Krabi is BREATHTAKING.

Review: Oh my God! Absolutely spectacular. I have no words. Each of these lagoons and Islands were breathtaking. Emerald waters, incredible marine life, swimming in deep waters and glaring at beautiful corals, to swimming with purple jelly fish and just sooooo much fun over all! We were completely blown away.

Koh Hong islands are situated far deep in the ocean, away from Ao Nang beach. It does take a while to get there. But because these gorgeous islands are barely touched by human population and so very well protected that the experience itself is elevated to another level. We also had a relatively smaller speedboat for the day, which made the experience less crowded and more private!

Hong Island’s Lagoon is really beautiful. Swimming, snorkeling or even paddle boarding in the lagoon is so much fun because it’s almost as if you are playing hide and seek with the sunlight every minute you keep moving. The water is in pristine condition and there are so many guides and helpers with each tour that you do not have to worry about anything except your belongings. The lagoon is almost divided into two parts – one open to the ocean and the other closed and reclusive with a crescent like mountain range. I enjoyed both! It’s a must visit place in my opinion.

I’m not sure if we visited Pakbia Island because of the weather, but we did look past it. Far too many monkeys on most of these islands. You have to be careful if you are caring plastic bags! They will come right up to snatch them and yes! these monkeys know how to swim, jump, climb everything – they are indeed like James Bond in their own right (one of the films shot here I believe).

Lading Island is literally “the place” out of those Instagram posts which cause you serious envy and be like, why am I not there! It’s almost as if it is a private beach nestled between water mountains (yup! water mountain – I just made up this term). There is a swing, lots of places to just chill and relax. Very very soothing and also perfect for any snorkeling, swimming or paddle boarding. We grabbed our lunch here and unwinded with passing time. It was very relaxing and calm in comparison to our previous day – 4 Island tour. Really got to soak in the nature and the actual beauty of Krabi islands without the hustle bustle. Loved it.

Hong Island’s Bay I would say was the starlight of the tour. We jumped straight right into the ocean and swam like there’s no tomorrow. So close to nature and such clear water! You can not believe how glorious it was to swim with the fishes, to have them peck on your hands while feeding bread or just looking at the marine life. So colorful! Vivid! Almost as if a Disney Movie came true in real life. Absolutely fantastic! You almost go crazy and have a rerun each time you jump or do a somersault from the speedboat right into the ocean. CRAZY FANTASTIC! We spent plenty of time here, after a chilled relaxed time at Landing Island. An adrenaline rush like never before.

Rating: 5/5. This is what is the true experience of Krabi, Thailand Islands is supposed to be like. A dream. No kidding! We were so tanned by the end of it all, almost sun burnt even but nothing stopped us from getting into the water again. Our tour guide was fantastic and trust me after all that work out, when you get a chilled sliced of fresh watermelon and pineapple.. you my friend are transported to heaven! Love. Love. Love.

Review: Phi Phi islands was one of the most popular and a dream destination on our list. We were so looking forward to the day. It was a long journey from Aonang Beach to Phi Phi islands. Water travel on speed boat for long duration during high tides, gets to you. Especially in deep waters. But when you are there, you are there.

Every single beach was beautiful and spectacular. After visiting Hong Islands, Phi Phi Islands experience was the same. No one is complaining about that! The beaches were absolutely spectacular and every water mountain, the natural reserve was beyond pristine. Every location we enjoyed snorkeling and swimming. Didn’t have the time or the means to paddle board though.

One of the highlights of this tour was our wonderful lunch at Phi Phi Cliff Beach Resort, Ao Nang, Krabi. It just set the tone for the rest of the day. We were full and really enjoying the beauty surrounding us. Extremely relaxed and zen.

Maya Beach, the famous movie setting of Leonardo DiCaprio’s – The Beach, was unfortunately closed during our tour. So that was a bummer! But apart from that, every island we visited, every mid ocean activity we did was super fun! Baring the crazy Monkey Bay. God lord! We could not bare to see any more monkeys. Just no. Absolute NO!

We only visited and saw the Viking Caves and Pileh Bay from our speedboat itself. We did not get into the waters. This was more like a site seeing only. We mainly went snorkeling at the gorgeous Lohsamah Bay. We did do some more at Bamboo Island too. But the scorching heat and burning white sand made us seek for shelter in a nice shadowed patch, spread out our mats and just dose off for a bit.

Rating: 4/5 . The reason why I am not going in detail about Phi Phi Island tour is because it felt same as Koh Hong Island tour. This one was more lengthy with a lovely dinning experience, but equally beautiful. Phi Phi Islands are spectacular and there are so many places for water sports and activities. It wasn’t a let down, let me tell you that. It lived up to the hype to a certain extent. But the fact, that we had just visited Koh Hong Island just the day before it felt almost like déjà vu in a good way. I would still go to Phi Phi, but may be not do these both tours back to back. That’s all. We loved it on the whole!

Day 5: Krabi to Bangkok

There isn’t much to our last day in Krabi. We were sad that we were leaving, but were looking forward to our next destination. No place was going to beat Krabi for us, and we knew that. We had breakfast and scheduled the same bus/shuttle service to take us to the airport. However, this time around we had our own private shuttle which took us back to the airport in a very comfortable fashion and air conditioned vehicle. We reached the airport and boarded our flight to Don Mueang International Airport, Bangkok, Thailand as scheduled.

– Other Must Do Activities When In Krabi –

Krabi is a gorgeous city, not just full of beautiful islands but it also has amazing geographical demographics. You’ll find hills and mountains almost touching the beach. The further you go away from the beach, the more you feel like you are getting into a lush green forest. It is gorgeous. The population isn’t as dense as other cities, but filled with tourists, that I won’t lie about. The best way to explore Krabi in a very unfiltered way is to rent a scooty for yourself! We went for the trusty Honda Scoopy for a whole day and it was a fantastic decision.

Everyday after we’d come back from our activities, we’d fresh up and rest for a bit. After which, we would explore the city. We wanted to do some shopping and get ourselves some lovely swim suits. Instead of purchasing from the overly priced stores at Ao Nang beach, we went to Krabi Town Night Market and Ao Nang Night Market.

The ride to and fro these markets is super fun. The roads are massive and very easy to ride with comfort. No matter how many shopping bags hanging from the scooty handles.

NOTE: Internal transportation in Krabi is extremely expensive. You are better off hiring a scooter any day than choosing for any other mode of transport. You can count my word for that!

 Tip: If you are looking for some authentic Italian food, you can check out this restaurant called Spaghetti House on Ao Nang Beach road. It is expensive, but worth the indulgence for one night. After a point, you get really bored of having Thai food, pizzas and bubble tea! 

 Tip: Do not go for Indian restaurants on Ao Nang Beach. They are not good. This is a warning if you will. An absolute a waste of your money.    Tip: Ao Nang Beach in itself is gorgeous. We didn’t get the chance to enjoy the beach because everyday we were out. But you should definitely, just walk on the beach or just chill there. Relax.  

Review of Krabi:

Krabi is a beautiful city, absolutely no doubt about that. So many activities to do! So much fun. We are really glad that we decided to stay at Ao Nang Beach, it made things extremely accessible for us. We didn’t have to worry about ATM’s, super markets, chemists etc. Everything was right there.
Also the fact that all our activities pick up-drop to our hostel made our life easier. We enjoyed our stay all through out. Not to mention my Mum had lost her phone in the shuttle bus, and we managed to get it back. Thai people are really sweet that way. I almost drowned my iPhone 7+ and lost it to the ocean with all our memories in it and no back up. But my Mum saved it! Haha
This city was mad and full of exciting adventures. I would definitely recommend Krabi to all. If this is the kind of adventure driven time you want to have, then go for it! We did not get the chance to stay longer. Had that been the case we would have stayed for 10-15 days and got trained in scuba diving. It is THE location for that. So yes, it’s a big YAY! From our side. Krabi = Many Many Fond Memories.

Follow my next blog post to read about our last destination

Unconventional Thailand – Bangkok