Krabi, Thailand: A must-see Island Destination.

Sunday, September 01, 2013


Like most people often say, "It's better to be late than never.", so allow me to give you my detailed experience on my Krabi trip last year.

The cast for this trip were 4 people: yours truly, Albert my fiancé, Gian, his younger brother, and Melissa, Gian's fianceé. Couples' getaway, huh? :)

From Singapore, it will take almost two hour and forty minutes to reach Krabi, but since Thailand's timezone is Thailand Standard Time (UTC +7), you'll be reaching in an hour advance. (Singapore is UTC +8) 

We took a plane via Tiger Airways on our flight to and from Krabi, since Jetstar Asia only travels to Phuket Island, and at that time, Cebu Pacific Air is quite pricey. If you plan to go to Krabi, better check the availability of your preferred dates, as well as the promotional sales it offers.

Our hotel of choice is Mercure Krabi Deevana, a four-star hotel located in Ao Nang district. Details of the hotel will be discussed later.



KRABI

To briefly orient you with the destination, The province of Krabi by the way, is located at the southern region of Thailand and is the home for people who loves aquatic and terrain activities. The siamese word "krabi" means sword, and the townspeople believed that the land was named after it as they believe that there was this ancient, sacred sword used for founding the city capital, which bears the same name as well.

As the province is situated in the shores of Andaman Sea, Krabi is well-known for its limestone hills, caves that houses great formations of stalactites and stalagmites, and not to mention, their white sand beaches. If you must know, Phuket Island is just in the west side of Krabi, so most vacationers and rock climbing enthusiasts made their stay longer so that they can tour both lands.

As I've mentioned, Krabi is famous for its beaches, even before the tsunami way back 2004 has badly hit one of the most famous Ko Phi Phi Leh or Phi Phi Island. The said Island was also where the filming of the 2000 movie, The Beach, starring Leonardo DiCaprio took place.


The people

I've been to Bangkok 3 weeks ago (which I can share the experience with you in the next blog entries to come) but in Krabi, I must say that on my first day of stay, the people were very nice and friendly. They were all smiles and made me reminded of how the people are in Bacolod (Philippines) a few years back. The locals are very accommodating. At first, me and Melissa took mistaken as locals most of the time because of our looks and skin complexion.

Tourism is their biggest asset to keep the island governed orderly and peacefully. Because of their rich, local culture, good food, kind people and sightseeing spots, I can say that Krabi can be on par with the popularity of that of Bali in Indonesia, Coron, in Palawan (PH),  or even just the same as in Phuket Island nearby.

As I've mentioned earlier, We have arrived at Krabi International Airport at around 11AM and had an approximate 10 kilometers travel to the hotel. We were welcomed by a very nice open-concept hotel lobby of Krabi Deevana. Welcome drinks were served as well.

Mercure Krabi Deevana hotel lobby



They say,  Mercure Krabi Deevana was one of the latest, yet the most wonderful hotels in Ao Nang. True enough; the services are indeed satisfying. Below is our view from our balcony.



It was... jawdropping.



The room was lovely! Whenever I travel, I always program myself in a saying that "You'll know that you've picked the best hotel if their rooms-- even if it's not a suite or a premium quality--- still has a bath tub". I can even watch anything while soaked in it because of the clear glass wall right there! COME ON! I don't know about you, but that's how it should be! :)

After we unpack our luggage, the four of us decided to eat lunch at the Ao Nang beach front, where different kinds of Western and Thai restaurants are open. When we got there, I forgot my tripod back in the hotel so I decided to ride on a Tuk-Tuk instead of a 20 minute walk to retrieve it.


It was my first time riding a Tuk-Tuk! It's like the Pinoy version of Tricycle!

In the beach front, even street foods are already up and ready to sell out.




my trip buddies: Albert, Melissa and Gian  (at Jeseao's Resto and Pizzeria)

The food we ordered at the restaurant was yummy. I regret that I did not took a photo of all that we ordered but I got this stir fried prawns, squid, oysters and kangkong with this sweet-salty-spicy sauce that really caught my attention up to this day.



Albert ordered Pineapple fried rice, literally served in a pineapple plating!
(photo credits: Melissa)

After the yummy late lunch, we just spend the rest of the day at Ao Nang beach. It isn't as lovely as Boracay beaches though since it is not the major attraction yet, (it is not well-maintained to be honest) but I'll give credit to the nice cloud formations I saw that day. In fact, that was the nicest day in Krabi compared to the main event, the 'island-hopping' day (it was partly cloudy that time), so might as well appreciate the sky right there and then.



Biggs and Bert


Mel and Gian at Ao Nang Beach

We tried to eat dinner at the hotel restaurant (Kingfisher Restaurant), and it was yummy too!

(photo credits: Melissa)



 (above: stir fried pork cooked in coconut milk)
 (below: crispy beef dipped in sweet and sour sauce)


That was DAY 1, folks! Click here to direct you to the second day of our trip. :)

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