A guide to Krabi tonight - including hotels, guest houses, restaurants, bars, night life, massage

Krabi holidays - hospitality

The ‘wai’ - a greeting you will become very familiar with in Krabi

With its unbeatable scenery, safe beaches and good tourist infrastructure, Krabi is a popular place for holidays. The province boasts some of Thailand’s biggest attractions yet remains unspoilt by tourist development. Krabi is a family-friendly holidays destination with lots of day time activities and little of the night-time sleaze found in some of the other places.

For this reason some visitors to Thailand spent their holidays in Krabi time and again and it’s particularly popular with Scandinavian visitors. During the winter Krabi is an ideal escape from the cold climates of Europe, with its temperate and reliably sunny weather over the Christmas holidays. Visitors have been coming for more than two decades to Krabi and an excellent infra-structure has evolved, boasting some five-star resorts, affordable bungalow guesthouses, plenty of seafood, Thai and international restaurants, and lots of useful services such as spas, massage, internet cafes and photo shops. There is also a large range of tour agents in Ao Nang and other areas offering a wide choice of day trips and activities, from diving to kayaking, rock climbing and more.

For Krabi holidays, hotels are most concentrated at Ao Nang, with a few exclusive and affordable options on the secluded Railay Beach. Phi Phi Island is still recovering from the Tsunami and therefore capacity is limited, but for a quieter alternative there are plenty of resorts on Lanta island, 90 minutes south of Krabi. Restaurants and beach bars of all kinds are found in all the tourist areas, so you’re not confined to your resort. You can even choose to share a bowl of noodles with the locals on the street-side; Thais are always friendly and welcoming. Ao Nang also has a small night-life with some discreet ‘girlie bars’, but generally it’s a relaxing place where beers are enjoyed at sunset on beachside bars and you can retire later for a traditional Thai massage or spa treatment. There’s even good shopping, if you’re looking for souvenirs, clothing or tailored suits.

The famous welcoming Thai ‘wai’ is offered as a greeting of hospitality everywhere you go, along with the warm smile for which the people of Thailand are so famous for. In this respect, Krabi can be far more and down-to-earth genuine that neighbouring Phuket, especially if you spend a little time among the locals in Krabi town.

Krabi holidays - hospitality

Hotels

Restaurants

Bars

Spas