After a stressful time at uni, I am finally back to write down my stories. Even though it is some time ago now, I would like to share my experiences I’ve made during my long weekend in the south of Thailand in the beginning of April. With the airplane we first went to Krabi, from where we went with the hotel shuttle directly to Ao Nang – the beach where we would spend two nights. We already rented bungalow at ‘Sunda Resort’ prior to our arrival. The resort was really nice and relatively inexpensive. The bungalow was clean and in natural surrounding with a really nice swimming pool on the grounds of the resort. The Thai food in the restaurant was also not too bad, the breakfast though not really recommendable. It was approximately 5 minutes to the beach with the shuttle offered by the hotel at any time the guest wants. We arrived in the evening, wherefore we only had one whole day at the Ao Nang Beach. As the beach was relatively close to the main road and seemed not quite idyllic at first sight, we decided to take a long tail boat to the Phra Nang beach. A ticket for that you can easily buy at a small ticket office next to the beach – the price was 200 Baht for a return ticket. At the beach you have to wait until there are enough people to fill the boat, same goes for the way back. The Prah Nang beach itself could be idyllic if there wouldn’t be that many people there. The complete beach was basically filled up with tourists, the seaside was seamed with long tail boats, and the climbing wall at the end of the beach attracted interested people. As the beach is relatively short and narrow, all these activities lead to a busy ado. The highlights of the beach were the long tail boats on which food was prepared and sold – you will look for a kiosk unsuccessfully. On these boats they sell different meals, drinks and shakes, to Thai prices with good quality. For dinner we went back to the Ao Nang beach. At the very end of that beach you can find the ‘Last Fisherman Bar’ at which you can enjoy the sunset in the evenings with a BBQ and a salad and dessert buffet – the 350 Baht are definitely worth it.
On the next day we went directly at 11 am with the speed boat from Ao Thalane to Ko Yao Yai, an island west of Krabi. The boat was booked from the hotel, but the sticker that we got it was directed to the company ‘Green Planet’. We already booked a bungalow at Esmeralda View Resort beforehand. The booking we made via a phone number which you can easily find on the internet, which was quite a challenge considering the bad English of the owner of the bungalow park. We booked a sea view aircon bungalow for 1800 Baht per night. The view from the bungalow was amazing, seeing the sea and the rocks for which the area around Krabi is so popular for. The bungalow was equipped really nicely and you could relay in the deck chairs on the terrace. The staff was more than hospitable and also picked us up from the ferry port, for approximately 200 Baht. The price for the bungalow also included WIFI and the breakfast, which consisted of a small buffet with different drinks, toast and various bread spreads. Additionally they served fresh fruits and different small dishes like pancakes and Thai snacks. The also offered delicious Thai dishes for dinner on their terrace. The stay at the bungalow park was especially pleasant as we were almost the only guests.
Both days in Ko Yao Yai we spent with a rent scooter – for 350 Baht per day – exploring the island with its many beaches. We drove through cashew and rubber plantations, saw water buffalos, and tanked up with petrol from bottles. From the beaches we saw – Loh Pared Bay, Bo Le Bay und Son Bay – Son Bay was the prettiest one. All beaches were completely lonely and you could see no tourists anywhere.
On the last day we already had our flight back at half past 1, wherefore we had to take the early long tail boat from the island back to the mainland – at 7 in the morning. From the ferry port in Ao Thalane there goes a pick-up truck to Krabi Town for only 100 Baht.From there we booked a Taxi to the airport in a travel bureau for 300 Baht. As we still had some time before we needed to go to the airport, we still explored Krabi Town a bit. The town itself was in my opinion really ugly, and definitely not advisable for spending a longer period of time there. There is nothing to do and everything looks really dirty and sad. As a comment by the way, there are unfortunately not many pictures of the vacation, as my camera got stolen – I hope nevertheless that the remaining pictures give a good impression.
Have you been in the surroundings of Krabi before? Do you have some additional tips concerning good beaches or near islands which are recommendable? I am excited to hear your tips and comments!
weltgereist 