It was difficult deciding what resort and/or island to stay on and once that decision was made, there were multiple beaches with different price accommodations to choose from. We picked the Sheraton Krabi Beach Resort about a 45-minute ride from the airport. The Sheraton had hourly transportation into Krabi Town (not free), big health club, extensive grounds, and we basically hung out around the pool under a big umbrella reading and taking walks up and down the long white sand beach. The fishermen brought in their daily catches on this beach with the women sitting on the sands drying them in the broiling hot sun. Fortunately, this particular area was downwind and some distance away from the Sheraton. IT STUNK!

The hotel also had excellent food. Gigantic breakfast buffets with everything imaginable and theme buffet dinners every night. You could also eat ala carte in one of their other restaurants. We dined…no, demolished…a seafood buffet one evening. This buffet had a gigantic bounty of seafood including rock lobsters that ex-Marine and I single-handedly and systematically ate our way through (at least 5-10 each). Along with that was an array of Thai food, soups, freshly carved meats and dessert buffet. We ate ourselves into a food stupor but it worth it.

map of Ao Nang beach area, Krabi, Thailand
The two main beach areas around Krabi itself were Ao Nang and Railay. Ao Nang has most of the restaurants, bar shops and hotels, all located near the beachfront. Buses to and from Krabi Town run along this main road and you can also hire tuk-tuks , sam lor (motorbike sidecar taxis), motorcycles, and longtail boats to get around. Most people just hang out working on their tans, and shop. Bargain for all the copies of Crocs, dvd’s, and everything “designer.”

beautiful Ao Nang Beach, Krabi, Thailand 

Ao Nang Beach, Krabi, Thailand
Railay Beach is part of the Krabi mainland but only accessible by boat. Catch one at Ao Nam Mao, Krabi Town and Ao Nang. This is the place to go for rock climbing. There are more than 600 bolted routes for beginners and pros. There are classes for children, 1/2 day, 3-day training courses and multi-pitch climbs offered by many tour operators. The backpacker resort beach of Ton Sai is a climbing and party mecca. Flyers for each night’s activities are handed out all over the place – fireshows, snake shows, live music and some all-night events. The West Beach has private villas and luxury hotels.

map of Railay Beach area, Krabi, Thailand
We did go into Krabi Town and Ao Nang twice to explore and eat dinner and were amazed by the number of Europeans and backpackers there. There was massage parlor after massage parlor along the beach…cheap, cheaper and cheapest…on a beach mat…or in small makeshift huts…

Massage parlor #1 in Krabi, Thailand 

Massage parlor #2 in Krabi, Thailand
…many restaurants, tour operaters offering to outfit you for rockclimbing and other sports, families with strollers and babies. Ao Nang beach area was a jumping little place and with hindsight, should have stayed around there but watch where you book. A lot of the guesthouses and smaller hotels front the extremely noisy Ao Nang beachfront. Wanna’s Place Andaman Sunset Resort fronted the main street but all rooms were tucked back in a quieter location. Wanna’s had really good reasonable food and we ate there twice. A big plus was they served all day…no waiting until 8:00 p.m. for dinner. Winter prices range around 2,000 Thai Bahts or $67 U.S. a night. Reasonable…yes?

one of the indoor version Massage parlors in Krabi, Thailand 

another view of Massage parlor in Krabi, Thailand
Most of the people we talked to were making the rounds of Thailand’s beach resorts. Spending some time on Phuket, Krabi, Phi Phi and others. That would certainly never get boring but I hate all the packing and unpacking. Easier to settle myself in one place. But you can see how many different options there are… One could be hiring your own long-tail boat…prices are fixed by the boatmen’s club – no bargaining…and visiting some of the other Krabi beaches. For example, up to Railay accessible only by boat with excellent rock climbing, and other places. The boatmen also rent snorkels and mask sets.

scuba in Krabi, Thailand
Krabi Province is just one of Thailand’s many resort locations. Look at all the possibilities and if you’ve already explored Phuket, Hua Hin, Koh Samui to name just a few, enjoy a reasonable or luxurious winter escape in Krabi Province…