Now that I’ve sat down to write this post (during our third lockdown), I’m wondering why I am about to torture myself and start looking at pictures of what I can only describe as paradise…in the sun…on a white sandy beach…with a cocktail in my hand.

I guess I’m maybe just thinking we’ll be able to do things like this again soon, and that if I write about it then things might get better…I mean they have to get better.

Right?

Yes?

C’mon… SURELY?

PLEASE TELL ME IT WILL GET BETTER!!

…….

(Calm down, Cara...calm down)

Back to the point…

Although I spent only two weeks in Thailand, I loved it so much that I want to share my experience with you.

I went in November 2018, and I would really like to recommend going at this time of year. It felt overall much quieter that I imagine some months can be, and the temperature wasn’t unbearable.

Over two weeks, my trip was planned to give about 4/5 days in four different locations across Thailand. First off was Bangkok, then north to Chiang Mai, before heading back down to Krabi, and finally Phuket. I hope to outline the best things to do at each place, and finally pull it all together in to one big itinerary that you might even take inspiration from one day!

I’ll start with Krabi, ‘cus that was my favourite place.

Krabi

You will find Krabi on southern Thailand’s west coast, in my opinion winning the title of most relaxing place in the world…if I can be so bold as to make such a statement.

With sheer limestone cliffs, dense forests, beaches with the most perfect sand you will ever see and feel between your toes, sea as far as the eye can see, and more than a hundred offshore islands…it truly is paradise. If you are looking to break up a hectic trip around Thailand, I would definitely add this to your itinerary.

I decided to base myself in the Ao Nang Beach area, after a lot of online research. It seemed to be well connected, and I’m not going to lie…I was sold after looking at about 3 pictures online.

Where I stayed

Andakiri Pool Villa, Ao Nang Beach

For any of you that have visited Thailand, you’ll know you can get some serious bang for your buck when it comes to accommodation, somehow making it possible to stay in what feels like a royal suite, for a price per night matching that of a flat pint in London.

Now thinking back to it, I still can’t quite believe how nice some of the places I stayed in Thailand were. If I were to stay in a hotel or self catering villa of the same quality somewhere in the UK, Europe or the US, it would be ££££s per night! It’s madness.

Andakiri was not as cheap as a pint to be fair, but it was worth every penny.

I stayed in this absolutely stunning villa, with panoramic views down to Ao Nang beach and beyond…even having my own infinity pool. It really was something to just be floating in your own private pool after a long day of hiking and exploring, watching the sky turn red, as the sun set…with a cold Chang in my hand of course.

I think my room (suite) was one of the more basic ones, but still had a full lounge, kitchen, huge bathroom, and of course the pool. Breakfast was served each day in the restaurant which sat at the highest point of the resort, with a selection of fresh fruit, eggs, juices and Thai cuisine.

And all I can say is…what better way to start or end your day, than sitting with these views, a good cuppa (or beer), hearing the birds chirping away.

I know this will sound cheesy, but I just couldn’t believe I was there, and could afford this pool, this room…this VIEW!

But I guess, at the same time, I could believe it.

I had to tell myself that it wasn’t just luck, or good fortune – “Cara, you deserve this, you’ve worked fucking hard for this!”

It really was a moment of pure joy after a pretty tough year at work. I had actually just handed my notice in the week before going away, and I can’t explain the freedom I felt on that holiday.

…Yes, I hear you wonder “was Cara a shitebag for handing in her notice and then escaping on holiday for two weeks?”

ABSOFUCKINGLUTLY.

I would highly recommend it.

Top 9 things to do in Krabi

(sorry I only have 9 things…the odd number is bothering me too)

1. Ao Nang – Daytime

Beach, swim, drink, eat, shop, eat, beach…repeat

During my time in Ao Nang, I pretty much hit up the beach at least once a day…mainly to top up my tan, but also just to chillllll.

With plenty of trees along the back of the beach for some much needed shade during peak sun hours, it was just perfect, and really not too busy. I don’t think it’s the type of place that many people spend all day at the beach, so it actually felt really peaceful.

With an abundance of beach bars, restaurants, massage beds and convenience stores never more than a 2 minute walk away, you really have everything you need at your fingertips, really just making life as easy as possible for you…the way it should be!

From the beach, you look out to stunning rocky islands just off the shore, synonymous with this region of Thailand. The water is quite shallow, and very calm, so for someone like me who is not a hugely confident open-water swimmer, this was ideal.

2. Ao Nang – At night

Chill, and watch the most beautiful sunset in the world.

As day turned in to night, I would make sure to grab a front row seat at one of the many beach front bars, and watch the sun disappear beyond the horizon. Every night, without fail, the sky would turn pink as the sun disappeared, making me feel like I had been dropped into a postcard or an advert promoting Thailand’s beauty.

I had always assumed these adverts had been photoshopped to lure you in…but they are REAL.

After the sun went down, and after showering all of the days sand and sea off of me, I headed for dinner…and was never short of choice. As with accommodation in Thailand, the amount of food you could get for under a fiver was incredible. Whether right at the beach front, or up towards the main street, I think you could pop in anywhere and get some really tasty Thai grub. There were also lots of other cuisines to choose from, and I will admit to getting a pizza once after a heavy night out – sometimes you just need greasy food.

After eating, heading just maybe one or two streets off the beach, there is a strip (or more of a square actually), with loads of bars and clubs. I only went one time, but had such a laugh. There was a real mix of people in the bars and clubs, ranging from your gap year solo travellers out partying with their hostel group, to retirees who were just enjoying people watching.

3. Hire a kayak

Just don’t take any electronics….

Unfortunately, I lost a kindle to the sea during my kayaking adventure, but if i’m honest..it was worth it (and I’ve only got myself to blame).

I hired a kayak from a small place on Ao Nang beach, and as with everything I felt it was pretty cheap, and stress free. I hired for 2 hours, which cost just under 500Baht, which was around £10 at the time.

As I said before, the water was generally always quite calm, so I always felt pretty safe and in control. The water is also crystal clear, and it was just mesmerising seeing the most colourful fish swimming around underneath. I’m not an overly confident swimmer, so I was a little nervous about going out, but I am so glad I did! I of course also had a life jacket so if i went overboard, I would be safe.

I have absolutely no pictures from this activity, as I am the clumsiest person ever…and if my kindle disaster is anything to go by, I clearly made the right choice in not taking my camera out.

4. Railay Beach

Arrive early and beat the crowds.

Probably one of the most popular things to do when in the Ao Nang area, I took a day trip to Railay Beach.

And I have to say, I think this was my favourite thing I did.

Further down the coast from Ao Nang, Railay is actually only reached by boat, with lots of trips leaving throughout the day from the Ao Nang beach front. I had thought because it was only reached boat that it was an island…but it’s not!

First things first, I would highly recommend getting the boat as early as possible in the day, as Railay can get pretty busy. People day-trip here from many different towns, and for me it was worth getting there a bit early to get some beach time (and nice pictures) when there weren’t hoards of other tourists around.

You can buy tickets for long-tail boats along Ao Nang Beach at the corner where the roads ends and it’s just beach. A one-way ticket to Railay Beach was 100baht (just over £2) during the day and 150baht after 6:30 pm, it’s the same on the way back too. You can buy a return ticket for 200baht, but don’t worry if you lose your ticket, you can still buy one if needed on Railay Beach and it doesn’t cost you any additional money.

To get on the boat, you need to tread into the sea a little, and this is the same when you are getting off at the other end, so please be sure to wear appropriate clothes and footwear.

To be honest, I started to realise with any day-trips I was doing that I was just going to get wet, and a tiny wee wave could come at any minute (when I say wave, I mean a very slight movement of water…but if you are as a dramatic as me, it may as well have been the size of the wave that overturned the Poseidon).

The Long-tail boats are not exactly the comfiest mode of transport, but you can’t NOT go on one when in Thailand. So just do it. The boats drop you off at Railay West Beach, so there’s quite a bit of ‘traffic’ with day trippers, and with people getting dropped off at their hotels on Railay.

I had no specific plan when I got to there, other than just to walk around and explore…and then have a beer or 5 with some noddles. I would really recommend just doing the same.

I always came across some nice area to sit, or to explore, and didn’t feel like I missed out on anything by doing this. There are a few beach areas, and most are accessible by foot.

There were lots of caves to explore, and you can do this on foot (in the water), or of course by swimming.

I ended up seeing a sign for a beach called Tonsai beach, and headed round to it. I would really recommended trying to get round here, as the beach is just so much quieter, and you really feel like you have the place to yourself – it really was breathtaking. Be prepared for a climb to get here though…I found myself scaling the side of a cliff (in flip flops) to get there. There was likely an actual path I could have taken, but where would have been the sense of achievement if I had not felt like I could have broken my ankle at any moment?!

There are also lots of places to eat and drink, in and around the different beaches. There are boat stalls selling all kinds of fresh fruit, juices and cooked goods. On the walkway in between the East and West Beach, there is a small street of restaurants, as always, serving up really cheap and delicious food.

You can also visit the Diamond Caves, which are thousands of years old, with beautiful rock formations. This was nice to do while walking off some lunch, allowing me to explore a bit inland, and stay out of the sun for a while.

5. Krabi Town Night Market (weekend only)

Eat everything in sight, you won’t regret it.

Visiting the Krabi Town Night Market is a MUST.

It is only a weekend market, and is open Friday-Sunday, from 4-10pm, so make sure to you plan your trip around being there over a weekend…you will not regret it I promise!!

Getting there is really quite easy from Ao Nang. You can hire private taxis or private tours, however I opted for the less comfortable, but much cheaper public Songthaew. These are a very common sight around Thailand, being what I can only describe as a big pick-up truck and used as a shared taxi or bus. They are constantly driving up and down the main street in Ao Nang, with their route printed in Thai, and thankfully for me in English, on the side. A one way ticket from Ao Nang to the Krabi Market was 50baht.

Although like the long-tail boats, this maybe isn’t the most comfortable mode of transport, it gives you a chance to meet fellow travellers. Without fail, you always end up chatting to the other groups on the bus, swapping stories about where you have been, where you are going next, and just generally finding out about their lives. As my friends will know, this is one of the things I most love about travelling…and really gives me a free and effortless chance to learn as much as I can about other cultures.

YAYYYYY for shared transport!

Walking around the rows of stalls, I couldn’t quite get my head around the different foods being sold, and just how incredible it all tasted. And it was SOOOOOOO CHEAP!! I grabbed some steamed veggies here, a chicken skewer there, some noodles here, and a bun there…and then went round again! It’s not just food either, with clothes, bags, shoes, pottery and everything else under the sun also being sold. A hoarders dream I would say.

There is also live entertainment on a main stage, and despite looking around and seeing loads of tourists, it actually had quite a local/community feel to me, which was nice. There were loads of families around, with grandparents dancing sweetly with their grandkids, and it just really felt like it gave me an insight in to southern Thai life, and for that alone, I was thankful.

6. Boat Tours

Take your pick!

Ao Nang in particular is a popular setting off point for boat tours to the hundreds of small islands off the coast.

There is absolutely no shortage of choice of tours, with stalls along the beach, and online, offering amazing rates for full or half day boat tours. Some of the most popular from here are:

• Phi Phi Islands (I did this tour, but actually left from my next destination, Phuket, so I won’t talk about it in this post!)
• James Bond Island Tour (yea, you heard right!)
• Sunset Tours
• Four Island Tour...which is what I did
• …..and many more.

The four island tour worked best for me and my itinerary, and I would definitely recommend it. On a traditional long-tail boat, I spent the day with a group of about 10 other travellers hopping from island to island, jumping in to the crystal clear water at each stop.

My tour, cost about 700-800Baht (about £18) for the day, and as with most other tours, included in the tour you also got:

• A life jacket
• Water/juice on the boat
• A lunch stop in the middle of the day (which consisted of the freshest Thai vegetables and curry)
• Snorkelling gear if you wanted it!

Each island felt like it offered something completely different, each having their own personality I felt.

The tour guide on my trip was really knowledgable and talked us all through the history of the islands, while also explaining things about Thai culture and its history in general.

Similar to what I was saying earlier, all of these trips are a great way to get chatting to others as well – as being stuck on a boat with them all day means you really don’t have a choice! You just have to hope you have some decent people along for the ride with you.

7. Emerald Pool & hot springs

A natural swimming pool

Deep within a dense forest about 50km outside of Krabi, you will find a beautiful natural pond, called the “Emerald Pool.” A popular attraction when visiting Krabi, the clear water is awesome to see – with fish even swimming with you!

The water was a really nice temperature, and I just couldn’t believe that this was a totally natural body of water….it seemed too perfect to be!

There doesn’t seem to be a bus or such like that stops here, so you will have to go as part of an organised tour, or do what I did and make it a stop on your hired taxi ride for the day/half day. It should be fairly easy for you to find a way to get there, with this attraction being a popular trip on the tour stall/stands throughout the tourist resorts. There is an entrance fee of 200Baht, as the pool is inside the Khao Phra Bang Khram Nature Reserve.

There aren’t any changing facilities or places to leave bags, so I had to make sure to have my swimming stuff on underneath my clothes…and also be prepared to find a place to change on the sly after coming out. Thankfully my taxi driver was pretty chill and was happy as long as I sat on my towel and wasn’t dripping wet.

There are lots of short walks within the Nature Reserve as well, making you feel like you are on some kind of jungle adventure. With long boardwalk paths throughout….this also helped with the drying time!

Also a short walk from the emerald pool you will find the “blue pool” below, which as you can see…is actual jaw dropping beauty. You can’t go swimming in this pool however #sad.

After a dip in the pool, and after drying off a bit, I took the short ride (in the taxi) to the hot springs, which I think I preferred over the Emerald Pool actually!

The water here comes from thermal springs, originating underground in volcanic chambers. Similar to the Emerald Pool, the springs are located deep in the jungle, and are basically natural ‘bathtubs’ filled with fresh running water…feeling hot enough to be like a jacuzzi! After a soak, it was refreshing to plunge in to the cool river below.

To get in there was a 100Baht entrance. I didn’t get any pictures here….as I was basically too damn HOTTTT to think. Just google for some pics of what it’s like.

8. Tiger Cave Temple (Wat Tham Suea)

(don’t be put off by this vile picture taken of me when I reached the top of the 1,237 steep steps …)

Yes…this one is NOT for the faint hearted.

But it’s worth it. See for yourself.

The Tiger Cave Temple is a Buddhist temple northeast of Krabi. Known for the tiger paw prints in the cave, and tall Buddha statue 309 metres up, it’s a must visit if in the Krabi area.

The stairs up to the Buddha statue at the top are an absolute KILLER, but with these breathtaking views to look at while you recover, who really cares.

The stairs are really, really steep, but thankfully there are lots of resting areas at various intervals where you can laugh with other tourists about how much you are all sweating! I met loads of lovely people on my way up, who were on their way back down, giving me much needed words of encouragement to reach the top, where they promised the view was worth it. And they were right.

I had actually hired a taxi for a day when I went here, visiting some other sights in the same day. Before going to Thailand, I had read a lot about how if on a limited number of days, this is often the most time efficient way to get to see what you want. I hired a taxi for half day and it cost me about £30 (for 2 of us). This might seem a bit steep, but when I weighed up the cost of joining a tour, where you are constrained to the times of the tour, and rely on other people keeping to the schedule as well, this felt like the best option. I did this when I was in Phuket as well, and really enjoyed chatting away to the driver, finding out about his life and what it’s like to live there. With this option, the taxi basically waits for you, meaning you can take as long as you want at each stop. It was well worth it in my opinion.

9. Thai Massage on the beach

Does exactly as it says.

There’s not really much detail I can go in to here. It is what it is…

As with so many areas, places offering Thai Massages were a plenty in Krabi. There was one particular area along the end of Ao Nang beach, where you could take a well deserved break from sunbathing, swimming (all the really hard stuff in life), and get an hour long massage. With the sound of the calm sea and quiet beach helping you melt even further in to the bed, you were sent in to a deep state of zen, with not a single care in the world.

With prices starting from 200-300baht per hour for a Thai Massage (yes that’s right, around £5 for an hour!!), massages could end up being a daily occurrence…and I know that was the case for many people.

All I can say is…do it, do it again, and do it 5 times more, because when you return to the UK and want one, and then remember that it’s about £30 for just a half hour here…you’ll realise that this luxury can only come once every few months instead of every single day.

So there you have it, my top 9 things to do in Krabi!

Have you been to Krabi, or has this maybe inspired you to go?

Let me know!

Cara.