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Q: Suggestions for Krabi for CNY?
I wenI’ve never been to Thailand (I did Palawan in the Philippines last year) but I’m going with a few friends for about 10 days in February. The main focus of the trip will be Krabi as I really loved the diving/snorkeling/island hopping that I did last year. I don’t know much about Krabi but it sounds like apart from a day in Bangkok and maybe another day in Ayutthaya we will spend 8 days in Krabi province.
We will definitely start out in Ao Nang but I would really like to spend a few days out on another island. I’ve read about Koh Phi Phi but is looks a bit touristy. Anyone have any ideas of where to go and what to do? I’m there for swimming, diving and enjoying the scenery, not partying. If possible it would be nice to get to a more secluded, wilder spot if such exists. Since I have about two months (plane tickets are already booked) I definitely have time to research this but I need to book hotels soon. Thanks in advance for your advice!
9 years 16 weeks ago in Transport & Travel - China
I was there last weekend. Flew from GZ direct to Krabi town. I thought the town was okay as it wasn't very touristy! Some great food as well, especially in a big car park near the sports "stadium".
I then took the boat to Koh Phi Phi Don (the main island). Nice place but VERY touristy & expensive hotels (unless you stay in a small backpackers place). Day trips on the small boats were good if a bit rushed. Paid 650 baht (about 130 rmb) for a 6 hour trip which included about 3 stops for snorkeling. But it was like playing "follow the tourist" as all the boats seemed to do trips in the same order! If there are a few of you then might be best to hire a private long-tail boat for the day & then do what you want.
We stayed on Ton Sai bay which wasn't too noisy. The bay behind that was where all the young pissheads congregated & drank.
I mi didn't try Ao Nang but heard that you can only swim there during one time of the day due to tides. If you want a beach near Krabi where you can swim & snorkel at any time try Raylay (I think that's the spelling) though you'll need a boat to get you there from Krabi.
Maid go back to Krabi again (especially as my direct flight from GZ was 1000 RMB return!) but doubt I'd go back to Phi Phi again. Next time I plan to rent a motorbike & explore the Krabi area more inland, with a base in the town.
Sounds amazing man, what is a decent hote cost? We might d Ko Lanta just for the diving.
Hotwater:
Decent (small) hotels in Krabi are 300-400 rmb/night. There will be cheaper but I used Agoda & booked at tge last minute.
I stayed at the Apo hotel which overlooks the river & is reasonably well located. 400 rmb/night for the riverview balcony room. Lovely room, nice coffee shop on ground floor & pleasant staff. Only downside- it's on a main road so you hear the traffic from about 8am. The rooms at the back are cheaper & overlook a quiet car park. Very close to two good markets.
If if we go next time I'm going to book at a place called "Rooms at Krabi", similar prices but better & quieter location (but nearer to the open air restaurants in the car park I mentioned!).
Shining_brow:
What a coincidence! I was in APO as well! (but not last weekend). And on the road side (cos I like the balcony and view of the river/rocks).
I was in Krabi earlier this year, and for a bit over a week. As I said above, I stayed in APO hotel... friendly staff and all. And even let me keep my stuff in my room while I went to Koh Lanta for 2 days... for free! (no, nothing special left behind.. just clothes).
I went to Koh Lanta for a couple of nights, and even hired a car on the island to travel around for a few hours. I went up-market, but it was damn cheap! Something like 350RMB/night!!! (Umm... Lanta Crown, I think it was called). It's location was good, the room was great! but the weather sucked 
) You might want to check out locations if you go to Lanta... most of the other hotels were in really sucky places! The main shopping area of Koh Lanta is pretty small and basic - though touristy. The beaches weren't too bad though.
I did a day trip to Koh Phi Phi with snorkelling. As Hotwater said, very touristy!!!! But it was quite enjoyable! If you can't dive, I'd suggest staying a few days to learn there...
Or... go to the other side of the country. After a 3hour bus-trip, you can be on the east side, and you'll be across from the bay to take you to Samui and other islands. Again, learning to dive would be an option there. Prices will be a little higher... but compared to here, still pretty cheap!
Back in Krabi... as Hotwater said, there's not a lot in Krabi itself... nor Ao Nang.. very touristy... quite obviously more expensive (so bargaining down is harder). Ao Nang itself is basically one long road that starts next to the beach (not too bad) where one side is sand, and the other pubs... which then turns into pubs/hotels and shops on both sides... and that's it! (oh, and the girls... remember, prostitution is legal there, and there's lots of it!)
Krabi has 2-3 open air markets at night (most nights). Food is good! (if you like Thai food!!!)
Krabi to Ao Nang was about 20-30 mins by car.
One REALLY BIG THING you need to be aware of.... Spring Festival is also celebrated in Thailand! Plan accordingly (ie, look online for its impact)
Hotwater:
Great feedback!
I liked Krabi exactly because there wasn't much there! It was almost a standard Thai town...so real life without all the tourist bits!
I was in Chiangmai a couple of years ago during the 2-week CNY holidays & didn't notice much different there. Can't reme now if it actually over the new year holiday.
I I was in Vietnam for the 2014 spring festival & the only slight issue was no discounts on the long distance buses though u did get a dirt cheap flight from Nha Trang to Ho Chi Min on New Years day as no locals were traveling!
Wow great feedback here, I'm having a movie night but just wanted to say thanks for the advice. I'll respond with more questions tomorrow if you guys don't mind.
And of course up votes for all before anon gets around the down votes
A couple follow up questions if I may. Did you guys think going to Koh Lanta fo r a couple nights is worth it? My friends want to stay in Ao Nang and already have a hotel, but I kinda thinking that its not worth staying in a town with a crowded beach that's far from the islands when I could stay on an island anyways.
My current plan is to stay the first few nights in Ao Nang and then take my girlfriend out to one of the outer island (not phi phi) for another few nights. They can't dive but I’m certified and I’d use those days to do that. Beyond that I want to have a bungalow on a quiet, beautiful beach beach to have a relaxing time with the gf and it doesn't sound like Ao Nang has that. Ideas, thoughts?
Shining_brow:
"Bungalow"... hmmmmmm
Perhaps one in one of the resorts, otherwise you might not get what you're thinking. (ie, a small, skanky shack).
A couple of things not fully explained above - to get to one of these islands, you either take a ferry (for about 1.5-3.0 hours) or a fast boat. Either way, you'll likely have minimal transport once you're there (there should be a shuttle bus to pick you up and drop you off). So, once you're there, you're going to have to get some sort of transport - and if you're looking to go to Koh Lanta, that's realistically either a car, a motorbike, or bicycles. Bicycles are the least preferred, cos most things are a fair way off, and you'll really be going up and down a lot of hills for most places. The bikes aren't a bad option, but be aware that if you want to go to the rainforest at the southern end of the island, there again will be big hills - you['ll be able to do them, but it will take quite a bit longer. Hiring a small car is the smartest way to go (other than petrol costs).
This brings me to my 2nd point for this, which IS something I mentioned above... When I was looking for a nice resort, I finally found one that had a really good deal, so I chose it (not knowing much better!!) After having been there, and hired a car for a day, I'm REALLY glad I chose the place that I did, cos some of the other resorts, while perhaps really nice on the inside, would have been a MAJOR PITA to get to! Not only from a shuttle, but also in then getting other transport. By PITA, I mean resorts basically hanging of cliffs, or halfway up mountains (nice view, but getting up and down..!!)
The place I went to was on the western shore, on the flats, with beaches nearby, and near the main road, and fairly close to the ferry dock (which didn't matter, cos there was a shuttle bus organised for both ways)
I didn't arrange for any diving (scuba or snorkel) from Lanta - I had that going out from Krabi (shuttle from hotel to boats, then out, then back, then shuttle back to hotel).
Lanta does have some nice long, solitary beaches though. (NOT the best beaches I've ever been on, but still nice. From my personal experience, Australia has teh best beaches I've been to (as far as sand, waves, etc...) Koh Samui had some nice stuff as well - and without the high-rise apartments!!!)
Holy crap! Downvotes galore!!! Admin, pls look at who's doing these, and ban them!!! There's not a single, logical reason for this!
