Best Area To Stay In Krabi

My Experience Exploring Krabi

Before getting into the best area to stay in Krabi, it’s worth explaining that Krabi Province is much bigger than the three places I’m covering on this page. There are islands, quieter beaches and other areas spread across the province, but for this guide I’m focusing on Ao Nang, Railay Beach and Krabi Town. They’re all centred around the main Krabi area and for most first-time visitors, these are the three places I’d look at first. If you’re planning to explore elsewhere in the province, have a look through my main Thailand locations page where I’ll be adding separate guides as the website grows.

I’ve been back to the Krabi area multiple times now and stayed in different places on different trips. Ao Nang has normally been my base and I’ve stayed in a few different hotels there over the years. It’s probably the easiest of the three if you want a bit of everything. You’ve got restaurants, bars, beaches and loads of accommodation around you, but more importantly, it’s really easy to jump on a longtail boat or head off exploring somewhere else for the day.

I’ve also explored a lot of the area around Ao Nang by scooter. On one trip my partner and I hired a bike and spent our time riding around and stopping wherever looked interesting. On another trip one of my best friends came over from England and we did much the same thing, heading out to viewpoints, kayaking and just exploring without too much of a plan. That’s one of the things I really like about using Ao Nang as a base. You don’t necessarily have to spend every day in Ao Nang itself.

Railay Beach is a completely different story and is still one of my favourite places I’ve ever been in Thailand. The first time I visited, I stayed at Blanco Hideout and had one of the best periods of my first trip around Thailand. It was really sociable, there was always someone around for a beer and I ended up meeting an older traveller called Bob who was basically just a complete free spirit. We spent days drinking Chang, relaxing around the pool overlooking the sea, heading down to the beach and partying into the night.

Railay itself was what really stuck with me though. The limestone cliffs surrounding everything, monkeys wandering around, monitor lizards, little reggae bars and some parts that almost reminded me of an old shanty town from Pirates of the Caribbean. We even climbed up the rock face towards the viewpoint, which probably wasn’t the most relaxing activity after a few days of Chang, but it’s still one of the memories I have from that trip.

I liked Railay so much that when my friend later came over to Thailand, I wanted to take him there and show him why I always go on about it. We returned as part of an island hopping trip from Ao Nang, so that ended up being my second visit. My partner has also stayed on Railay twice, although she did it rather differently to me and stayed in some of the more luxurious hotels and resorts. That’s another reason I like Railay so much, you can experience it as a backpacker staying somewhere social or spend considerably more and turn it into a completely different kind of trip.

My partner has also stayed at Tonsai Beach and absolutely loved it there. It’s much quieter and more relaxed than Ao Nang and even Railay, with that feeling of being tucked away between the huge limestone cliffs and the sea. She stayed at Tinidee Hideaway Tonsai Beach and still talks about how peaceful it was, with beautiful views out over the water and plenty of wildlife around, including monkeys. She’s been trying to convince me to stay there with her next time we’re in Krabi and to be fair, after seeing the photos and hearing how much she enjoyed it, I don’t think she’ll have to try very hard.

Krabi Town is the one I’ve used more for convenience. My partner and I stayed there before flying back to Chiang Mai and for that particular trip it made complete sense. It’s closer to the airport, generally cheaper and feels much more local than Ao Nang or Railay. I wouldn’t personally choose it over the other two if my main reason for visiting Krabi was beaches and island hopping, but I can definitely see why someone travelling on a tighter budget or wanting a more local base would prefer it.

So when it comes to choosing the best area to stay in Krabi, I don’t think there’s one answer that works for everyone. Ao Nang is where I’d point most first-time visitors because of how convenient it is, Krabi Town has its place if budget and local feel matter more than being beside the beach, while Railay is the one that has always stood out to me personally. Below I’ll break all three down properly, including what each area is best for, transport, nightlife, beaches, atmosphere and the hotels I’d recommend staying at.