None too shabby Krabi

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Krabi is not a beach destination itself but a good place to base yourself and visit the beaches at Ao Nang and Rai Leh. We stayed at A Mansion hotel (on Th Chao Fa) which was really good value and close to the river, the shops, the bus stop and long tail boats. The first day the rain absolutely poured down, it is monsoon season after all, so we stayed around town, did some shopping and our washing. There's enough to see around the town to occupy you for a day or so and you get more of a feel for Thai culture than in the resorts.

Each evening we ate in one of the two night markets, the one by the river or the other more central in town open on weekends. You can get a good pad thai and fruit shakes at half the prices in the beach resorts and on the weekends there's a mini concert in the central night market where the locals take their turns showcasing their talents. One chap, let's call him Thai Elvis, did a very memorable version of 'My Teddy Bear' complete with uh huh huhs, shaky leg, and hip waggle.

We visited Rai Leh beach for the day on long tail boat taxi. It's a stunning location, a peninsula only accessible from the sea, the Andaman coast at it's most splendid. A small string of hotels on the west side looked a little exclusive, more backpacker options on the east.

The beach on the east side is mostly mangrove and too shallow to swim. On the west we found that the bay is still a bit shallow and the sand a bit stoney, not the powder of Phi Phi Don. But the location with the cliffs either side was beautiful and if you're looking for a quiet hideaway this is the place.

The next day we took the bus to Ao Nang a bit further along the coast from Rai Leh. There we found a couple of coves accessible from the main town and also the main beach which is long and broad. On the walk back from the cove to the south we encountered a troop of monkeys making their way along the beach. It was a memorable encounter, watching the young ones wrestling with each other and rolling all over the place. A far superior experience to that of Monkey Beach on Phi Phi.

We liked Ao Nang, a resort but quite relaxed. If you wanted a mainland beach on the Andaman coast with easy access to Koh Phi Phi and Rai Leh, rather than staying in the town of Krabi which doesn't have a beach, this would be a good option.

The longtail to Rai Leh was 150 baht one way per person
The bus to Ao Nang was 50 baht one way per person
Hotel A Mansion 250 baht per night for a fan room
Pad thai and a shake at the night market was 50 baht

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Photos

West Rai Leh beach 1
Finally a new pair of swim shorts for Jonty

Ao Nang beach cove
interestingly shaped karst formation in the background