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[grumpyoldman]

I think many people travelling to Krabi make a mistake by spending most of their time in Ao Nang.

For me, Ao Nang is basically Patong Beach Rd. Phuket, overpriced everything BK Burgers, MacDonalds, Subway, outrageously priced Indian Food, all goods sold on the street triple price.

For those of you travelling to the area, Krabi Town is interesting and just more reasonable. I eat lunch at a place across from Hollywood Hotel, I can't exactly remember the name, it's a number I think, like 49 or something, but a massive chicken breast or pork chop with salad sides and such for around 100thb. Cafe style place. You'll not find that in Ao Nang.

Anyway, point of the thread, for those travelling to the area, spend some time in Krabi Town, it's a nice change from Ao Nang and not so far away.

[smokie36]

Yes i always use Krabi Town as my base when I'm in the area. Hotels are a fraction of the priceand there is a decent range of food on offer at very reasonable prices...even for farang food.

Usually I eat at the night market...nice cool breeze there and excellent food.

[fasteddie]

Yeah Krabi town is great, loved it since I first came here in '94, even Ao Nang was nice then with very little between Krabi and Ao Nang, how times change eh!

[wellred]

How far is Krabi Town from Ao Nang? I've already booked my hotel, in Ao Nang. Basically I wanted to be close to the beach. But I would like to explore krabi town too.

[grumpyoldman]

wellred, on 2011-10-23 19:01:38, said:

How far is Krabi Town from Ao Nang? I've already booked my hotel, in Ao Nang. Basically I wanted to be close to the beach. But I would like to explore krabi town too.

Sure, roughly 13 Kms, 15-20 minute ride.

Explore the caves on the river, you can hire a boat for pretty cheap and then have some lunch or dinner at the restaurants there too. Nice change from Ao Nang but I too prefer the beach.

[pomchop]

fasteddie, on 2011-09-22 02:40:23, said:

Yeah Krabi town is great, loved it since I first came here in '94, even Ao Nang was nice then with very little between Krabi and Ao Nang, how times change eh!

Having been to a lot of thai towns/cities/villages for me two of my favorites are Krabi and Chiang Rai.  Both seem to be pretty well run and have lots of interesting artsy type decorations like the elephant head lightpoles in Krabi and tons and tons of gold plated stuff and flowers in the road medians in CR.  Both seem to be kept pretty clean and it seems to me that most everything works reasonably well.  Both towns seem like they would do just fine if another tourist never set foot in the city limits as the Thai people seem to all have other things/jobs etc than concentrating too much of the falangs. While of course there are exceptions to everything I really never felt ripped off in either Krabi or Chiang  Rai.  Two scenic cities that work.

Both good for a visit or even as a residence.

[grumpyoldman]

pomchop, on 2011-10-30 09:52:22, said:

fasteddie, on 2011-09-22 02:40:23, said:

Yeah Krabi town is great, loved it since I first came here in '94, even Ao Nang was nice then with very little between Krabi and Ao Nang, how times change eh!

Having been to a lot of thai towns/cities/villages for me two of my favorites are Krabi and Chiang Rai.  Both seem to be pretty well run and have lots of interesting artsy type decorations like the elephant head lightpoles in Krabi and tons and tons of gold plated stuff and flowers in the road medians in CR.  Both seem to be kept pretty clean and it seems to me that most everything works reasonably well.  Both towns seem like they would do just fine if another tourist never set foot in the city limits as the Thai people seem to all have other things/jobs etc than concentrating too much of the falangs. While of course there are exceptions to everything I really never felt ripped off in either Krabi or Chiang  Rai.  Two scenic cities that work.

Both good for a visit or even as a residence.

Great post !  

[redfish44]

yes, good post by pomchop!
they always seemed shocked to have a farang at tesco lotus, which is unusual for thailand : )

[ManInSurat]

Whilst Krabi town is nice, it's really not that amazing and very small. I think its most striking features are its cleanliness and for a small Thai town it's maintained relatively well.

The pier area is nice when the night market is out and yes I do like the lamposts and the statue. The river, caves and fishfarms are also really scenic, along with the Krabi's version of the Pillars of Hercules up near the Marina hotel.

Like pomchop said it really caters for Thais and a nice aspect of it is that is isn't infected with the shirtless oiks that tend to invade Ao Nang now.

I always chuckle to myself when I think about the countless number of people that must have tried to book a holiday in Krabi and land in Krabi town thinking "Where's the bloody beach then?" only to find out that what they've seen in brochures is actually 10kms away in Ao Nang.

I disagree with the comments about Lotus, if you mean the Lotus on the Thanon Sri Trang with Big C and all the furniture stores. It's always got foreigners in it. Lots of them.

I lived in Ao Nang for 6 months after living in Surat for 6 years, personal family matters brought me back to Surat, I don't miss Ao Nang at all.

Ao Nang has really really gone down in my estimation in recent years. In fact, I went over the weekend preceding HM's birthday and the thing I enjoyed about it most was the drive in from Krabi through the limestone karsts along that lovely twisting road. I still say that's the best drive you can do in the whole of Thailand. (Even bette on a bike!)

Ao Nang itself is a dive and it's getting worse. The Nepalese seem to be infesting the main drag and my Mum & Dad were told to "f@ck off" and "yet mae" by one of the vendors there last year and my parents are really polite people. They made the cardinal sin of picking something up and deciding not to buy it as its Chinese/Indian crap. Fortunately my wife was there at the time and the guy nearly got a kicking from the Thais I had with me for being so disrespectful. I can't stand the Nepalese and the Indians in Krabi and wished they really weren't there. They ruin the place. I feel like punching all the suit vendors in the face whenever they call me "Boss." and even when they don't.

It's getting more aggressive and more Americanized. As GOM said, McDonalds, Sevensens, Pizza Co., Burger King, Mexican Restaurants on Walking Street, The Irish Rover, all within spitting distance of each other. I'd even go as far as to say they over shadow the Thai restaurants and if you spent your holiday without finding the nice seafood restaurants at the opposite end of Ao Nang beach, you'd have seriously missed out.

Luna Bar really used to be a great great nightspot and somewhere you could actually dance on the beach in the moonlight with other peopl. The ownership have totally arsed that place up. It has all the atmosphere of a morgue now and there's never anyone in the place.

The 4 Island tours run by the Thais are, very sadly, total garbage designed to give you as little for your money as possible in the shortest amount of time possible.

Another recommendation would be Captain Yum Yum's 7 island tour. That is possibly the last highlight left in the Ao Nang area. He's a big dreadlocked Saffer who really knows the area well and his tour is very very very good and runs totally out of synch with the Thai tours so you miss all the crowds.

If you're looking for somewhere that's much more down-tempo and relaxing, if a little isolated from society, head to Khlong Muang.

It appears to me you have to travel further and further south now to find the more idyllic places. Trang & Satun are really really nice. It won't be long though until these places are turned into mirror images of Phuket & Pattaya.

Sorry this turned into an epic, it appears I had a lot to get off my chest about Ao Nang. Feel much better now.

[grumpyoldman]

ManInSurat, on 2011-12-09 14:16:28, said:

Sorry this turned into an epic, it appears I had a lot to get off my chest about Ao Nang. Feel much better now.

No way ManinSurat, no reason to be sorry, I quite enjoyed reading that and agree. Good post.

[doggie888888]

ManInSurat, on 2011-12-09 14:16:28, said:

.... It won't be long though until these places are turned into mirror images of Phuket & Pattaya.

Did you know that from time to time other provinces arrange for their city planners and administrators to travel to Pattaya to "learn about town planning and management".  I kid you not,  I remember reading about such visits a few times in the local press in the last 3 years eg  "City Administrators from Nakhon Nowhere to learn from Pattaya".  The report basically lauds Pattaya's successes and how eveveryone else from Nakhon Nowhere comes here to "learn".  God help Thailand, I thought.

[trashy]

Krabi town very nice.  Clean and just about K9 free, a real treat in Thailand.
As people have said Ao Nang has beautiful scenery, but is crap otherwise.  Far more expensive than most of other areas in Thailand.

[grumpyoldman]

doggie888888, on 2011-12-10 12:20:38, said:

ManInSurat, on 2011-12-09 14:16:28, said:

.... It won't be long though until these places are turned into mirror images of Phuket & Pattaya.

Did you know that from time to time other provinces arrange for their city planners and administrators to travel to Pattaya to "learn about town planning and management".  I kid you not,  I remember reading about such visits a few times in the local press in the last 3 years eg  "City Administrators from Nakhon Nowhere to learn from Pattaya".  The report basically lauds Pattaya's successes and how eveveryone else from Nakhon Nowhere comes here to "learn".  God help Thailand, I thought.

That's definitely some disturbing news. Pattaya really has to be the armpit of Thailand (choosing that anatomical area over another as to not be toooo disgusting).

Ao Nang ends up like Patters........?.....I don't think so, not enough space. Krabi Town....?.....I don't think the local Thais would let that happen either.

Pattaya Russians mistaking ladyboys for actual women......priceless, probably has happened at RCA as well, so maybe Ao Nang is closer to that end than I think.

[Golden Nugget]

ManInSurat, on 2011-12-09 14:16:28, said:

Another recommendation would be Captain Yum Yum's 7 island tour. That is possibly the last highlight left in the Ao Nang area. He's a big dreadlocked Saffer who really knows the area well and his tour is very very very good and runs totally out of synch with the Thai tours so you miss all the crowds.

I've seen many tour brochures, but have never come across Captain Yum Yum.  How can he be contacted?

I prefer the quietness of Krabi Town to Ao Nang even though Krabi Town is rather boring.  From Krabi Town, it's simple enough to rent a motosai and drive to Ao Nang.

Edited by Golden Nugget, 2011-12-11 13:48:06.

[fasteddie]

ManInSurat, on 2011-12-09 14:16:28, said:

Whilst Krabi town is nice, it's really not that amazing and very small. I think its most striking features are its cleanliness and for a small Thai town it's maintained relatively well.

The pier area is nice when the night market is out and yes I do like the lamposts and the statue. The river, caves and fishfarms are also really scenic, along with the Krabi's version of the Pillars of Hercules up near the Marina hotel.

Like pomchop said it really caters for Thais and a nice aspect of it is that is isn't infected with the shirtless oiks that tend to invade Ao Nang now.

I always chuckle to myself when I think about the countless number of people that must have tried to book a holiday in Krabi and land in Krabi town thinking "Where's the bloody beach then?" only to find out that what they've seen in brochures is actually 10kms away in Ao Nang.

I disagree with the comments about Lotus, if you mean the Lotus on the Thanon Sri Trang with Big C and all the furniture stores. It's always got foreigners in it. Lots of them.

I lived in Ao Nang for 6 months after living in Surat for 6 years, personal family matters brought me back to Surat, I don't miss Ao Nang at all.

Ao Nang has really really gone down in my estimation in recent years. In fact, I went over the weekend preceding HM's birthday and the thing I enjoyed about it most was the drive in from Krabi through the limestone karsts along that lovely twisting road. I still say that's the best drive you can do in the whole of Thailand. (Even bette on a bike!)

Ao Nang itself is a dive and it's getting worse. The Nepalese seem to be infesting the main drag and my Mum & Dad were told to "f@ck off" and "yet mae" by one of the vendors there last year and my parents are really polite people. They made the cardinal sin of picking something up and deciding not to buy it as its Chinese/Indian crap. Fortunately my wife was there at the time and the guy nearly got a kicking from the Thais I had with me for being so disrespectful. I can't stand the Nepalese and the Indians in Krabi and wished they really weren't there. They ruin the place. I feel like punching all the suit vendors in the face whenever they call me "Boss." and even when they don't.

It's getting more aggressive and more Americanized. As GOM said, McDonalds, Sevensens, Pizza Co., Burger King, Mexican Restaurants on Walking Street, The Irish Rover, all within spitting distance of each other. I'd even go as far as to say they over shadow the Thai restaurants and if you spent your holiday without finding the nice seafood restaurants at the opposite end of Ao Nang beach, you'd have seriously missed out.

Luna Bar really used to be a great great nightspot and somewhere you could actually dance on the beach in the moonlight with other peopl. The ownership have totally arsed that place up. It has all the atmosphere of a morgue now and there's never anyone in the place.

The 4 Island tours run by the Thais are, very sadly, total garbage designed to give you as little for your money as possible in the shortest amount of time possible.

Another recommendation would be Captain Yum Yum's 7 island tour. That is possibly the last highlight left in the Ao Nang area. He's a big dreadlocked Saffer who really knows the area well and his tour is very very very good and runs totally out of synch with the Thai tours so you miss all the crowds.

If you're looking for somewhere that's much more down-tempo and relaxing, if a little isolated from society, head to Khlong Muang.

It appears to me you have to travel further and further south now to find the more idyllic places. Trang & Satun are really really nice. It won't be long though until these places are turned into mirror images of Phuket & Pattaya.

Sorry this turned into an epic, it appears I had a lot to get off my chest about Ao Nang. Feel much better now.

Got to agree with you there, Ao Nang has definitely got pricier since the Indians invaded, the prices have rocketed, an English breakfast is more expensive than England. Back in the early nineties I used to stay at Pine Bungalow and just dirt bike it to Ao Nang for a night out. Used to spend the days on my dirt bikes riding the dirt tracks through the jungle up past  the Andaman resort to Tub Kaek beach which was just jungle and beach, for a swim, and up as far as I could get in the national park and behind the quarries exploring every little track I could find. Nowadays all the beach side jungle has gone to be replaced by a concrete one, you can't even see the beach from the road now. Can't really agree with you about Khlong Muang anymore though, just overpriced restaurants and resorts though I still take a ride up there on occasions to see old friends.
Krabi town on the other hand, though it has definitely grown a lot, still retains it's old charm and has reasonably priced accommodation and food and is still my favourite place to stay in Thailand.

[Jingthing]

If you stay in Krabi, is it easy to go back and forth by songthaew to the beaches? Group truck or taxi? How much?

[smokie36]

Jingthing, on 2011-12-11 19:43:55, said:

If you stay in Krabi, is it easy to go back and forth by songthaew to the beaches? Group truck or taxi? How much?

45 mins by boat to Railay beach....I think its 300 Baht. More if you leave it late returning....

Edit: Better you go to Koh Jum....

Edited by smokie36, 2011-12-12 03:27:37.