Rest, Relax and Unwind.

Three weeks ago, I went on my very first holiday trip with 2 of my closest friends. We went to Krabi, Thailand. We had so much problems going in our daily lives that we decided that we need to step away for a while and give ourselves a break. Therefore, the purpose of this trip was to relax, unwind and enjoy.

Initially, we didn’t plan on going to Krabi. However, due to some issues (money wise, of course) we decided that Krabi was the best choice. There is another super famous Thailand spot called Phuket but we opt it out because we wanted to avoid congestion and noisy places.

For the 3 of us, this would be the first time we set foot in Krabi. In fact, it was our first trip to Thailand.

Since, it was our “virgin” trip, we booked and planned out our itinerary from scratch. We did ask around for help from other friends who had been to Krabi before, but mostly we relied on Google such as tourist reviews and travel websites.

In Krabi, there are lots of beautiful beaches surrounding it. The most popular one would be Ao Nang (a.k.a Ao Nam Mao) Instead, we went for Railay. 

Railay is completely cut off from the mainland and can only be reachable by a long-tail boat. Below is the map of Railay:

          

From the map, you will notice that Railay have a lot resorts. The one that me and my friends stayed was Sand Sea Resort. We booked it at Booking.com. and it was one of the cheapest resort (in terms of room per night) compared to the rest. 

If you noticed also on the map, Ao Nang is verily accessible by long-tail boat. It only takes about 15 mins to get there.

Do note that Krabi is predominantly a Muslim area. Great for my muslim's brothers and sisters to have a vacation here. According to a source by the the name of Jema, which I met on the trip, mentioned to me that most of Railay's resorts uses halal food. However, do not be alarmed if you see some of the restaurants selling alcohol! That is because they are catering to the Non-Muslims visitors. The resort that I stayed is owned by a Muslim and they don't serve alcohol.

Sand Sea Resort: 

So what did we do for 5 days 4 nights in Railay Beach?

Well, once we touched down in Krabi International Airport, we were ushered to our mini van (yes, the resort we stayed in provides to and fro transportation from the airport) that brought us to the jetty where our boat awaits us. We took the boat and reached Railay East jetty (15 mins to 20 mins boat ride)

Sand Sea Resort is located west of Railay therefore, we had to walked all the way to get to the other side. It only takes about 5 mins. Lucky us, the Railay Sand Sea Resort workers were kind enough to help carry our luggage :) 

Railay East Beach. Low Tide. 

Long-tail boats near the jetty

On the long-tail boat

Once we're done with the checked in, we went straight to the room and plonk on the bed ! We decided to laze around before we start exploring. Well, we did had a super duper early morning due to the flight schedule so lazing around for awhile was a good idea plus we need to wait for the extra bed to arrive as well.

Railay West Beach

After good 1 hour of rest, off we go and explore the beautiful Railay West Beach. The amazing limestone cliffs surrounding the sandy white beach. Compared to the Railay East, this side of Railay is cleaner ! 

When my feet touches the golden moist sand, I felt like I was in Paradise. Hearing the waves crashing onto the rocks and pounding on the shore, was so calming and soothing. Though it was scorching hot, the cool breeze made it better and the view was STUNNINGGGGGGGGGGGGGGG ! 

We, then had authentic thai lunch ! Pad thai and coconut drink for me !

Walking Street in Railay West

Inside Railay West, Walking Street.

Sand Sea Resort lobby area. 

Next, we roam around Walking Street to look at what they are selling and compare prices since we are not use to using Thai Baht. We then walked back to Railay East to get some necessities that we forgot to bring along with us for the trip. We ended our first day with a gorgeous sunset view, night swimming and dinner by the beach :)

Second day was the most exciting ! First and foremost, breakfast to start the day !

Next, we went for the 7 Island tour (incl of BBQ dinner) + Night snorkeling tour. We booked it on our first day when we were roaming around Railay West. It is very difficult to book a tour due to a lot of cheating going around however, the receptionist who is working at Sand Sea Resort recommended us to book under Sand Sea Resort tour booking facility. Thank god it was reliable.

Sadly, the tour that we are in does not cover the famous Phi Phi Islands and the "James Bond" island. Reason behind not choosing the Phi Phi Islands Tour was because it was expensive, it cost 1500 Baht (we had a budget and we had to stick with it ) and dinner was not provided, on the other hand, the 7 Island tour (incl of BBQ dinner) + Night snorkeling tour only cost 1000 Baht ! 

Below are different types of tour brochures that tourists can choose from (there are many but these are just a few that we picked up). Ouhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh don't forget to bargain !

Chicken Island and "Turtle" Island. I called it turtle because it's shaped like that and also I'm really not sure what it;s the actual name of it.  :(

Tup Island ( Halal BBQ and special fire performance by the tour guide and his crew)

I can't remember all the names of the islands we visited because I can't hear a single word that the tour guide was saying due to the loud engine noise coming from the long-tail boat. 

Throughout the trip we made some friends especially the lovely couple named Shaif and Jema (which I mentioned earlier on) whom became our 'guardians' there in Krabi. We had BBQ dinner under the stars and a cool fire performance by the tour guide and his lovely crew. After which, we proceed to do the Night Snorkelling and that was it!

Dinner: Halal BBQ specially cook by the tour guide and his gang. Delicious

Our 3rd day was filled with shopping madness ! We went to Krabi Town with Shaif and Jema. I was so glad that we decided to tagged along with them because 1. we can share the cost and 2. they can take care of us! The journey to the mainland took about 45 mins to an hour.

Another Walking street here in the mainland. It looks exactly like the wet market mix with pasar malam in Singapore.

Souvenirs shop for tourists 

Vogue Department Store

 We spent roughly about 2 hours at Krabi Town. We buy lots of souvenirs for families and friends. After which, we head down to Ao Nang because Jema wanted to go there badly. So the taxi driver whom initially didn't want to take us there because we are not willing to pay extra 600 Baht, reluctantly took us there after much negotiation.

Ao Nang shops

Ao Nang Beach

Personally I think, there are not much things to buy here in Krabi (even in Railay and Ao Nang) except to try Thai delicacies, snacks and going to their spa. I would say about 70% of the shops here are selling beach wear items and souvenirs. 

Our 4th day was free and easy. We sun tanned, swam and roamed around Railay East and West again. We even walked through a limestone cave that lead us to Pranang Beach. 

Lime Stone Cave

In broad day light the cave does not look scary at all. Do not worry much, you will see passerby here and there. I don't suggest walking through the cave at night because there are bats! We spent our last night by having dinner at other resort restaurant, had drinks (non-alcohol for me though) and ice creams. We walked at Walking Trip for last minute shopping and we got ourselves an Elephant bracelet as a token for the trip :) 

Last day in Krabi... how I wish I could stay there forever! We start our morning quite early than usual because we had an early flight to catch. We did last minute packing just in case we didn't leave anything behind and had our sumptuous breakfast. Shaif and Jema too had an early flight to catch so we all took the same boat back to the airport. 

Elephant bracelets !

My first ever trip with friends was a success! I'll definitely going to miss Krabi. It may be a short trip but I did enjoy it. Most importantly, I felt relaxed, calm and less panicky.  

See you soon, Krabi :) !

Photo credits: 

A few photos was taken from C's / J's photo album.