Sawadee Krabi!

Thailand has always been one of the places I've been looking to visit ever since I saw a twitter thread about the best holiday vacation in South East Asia. Alas, I have came across the opportunity to have a relaxing holiday away from work with my siblings. It was a 4 Days 3 Night trip full of amazing experiences. 

I've chosen Krabi, Thailand as our holiday destination considering Krabi has one of the nicest beaches and the expenses is considered cheap especially on foods.

Day 1

• Departure and arrival at Krabi Airport.
  • We took morning flights which is considerably much cheaper compared to later times and we are able to spend a full day in Krabi on our first day of arrival.
• Accomodation: Phranang Place, Ao Nang
  • We booked a room with 2 king beds for 4 people for the whole duration of the vacation. It only cost us a total of RM444 which is $105 for the accomodation (around $35 per night) including breakfast for everyone. 
  • The room was very spacious and comfortable. The hotel was strategically located which is accessible to nearby stalls and restaurant as well as tourist kiosk. Not to mention it is just a 15min walk from Ao Nang Beach.
• Transportation from Airport - Hotel / Hotel - Airport
  • Pre-booked with Phranang Place, Private Big Van for 4 people. It costs us a total of RM182 / $43.
• Activities
  • Free and easy, we spent the evening walking around the area near to the hotel to survey for island hopping tour package. We managed to get a Hong Island Package which includes a full day of island hopping around Lading Island, Pakbia Island, Hong Lagoon and Hong Island from Fareeda Travel & Tour (Along Ao Nang Beach main street, theres a lot of travel and tour kiosk which you can purchase your tour trips). For 4 people, the package costs 900 baht ($28) per person which includes the fee for national park entrance of 300 baht.
• Meals
  • Lunch - Restaurant Firdaus
    • Muslim-friendly
    • Serve great thai food with cheap price
    • Near Phranang Place
  • Dinner - Street Food
    • A mini night market located along the streets near Ao Nang Mosque.
    • Theres a lot of food choices including Pad Thai, Kerabu Maggi, Nasi Briyani and also the famous Banana Pancake.

Day 2 

• Breakfast:
  • Provided by hotel, buffet-styled with american styled breakfast.
• Activities: Island Hopping (Full Day)
  • Van pick up at Hotel to the assembly point for the activity.
  • 1. Lading Island:
    • Given 1 hour, we went snorkelling near the beach. Snorkeling gear and life jacket was provided.
    • There was a lot of fish activities near the shore. The beach was quite small and secluded but the water was very clear.
    • A lot of small fishes can be spotted especially the rocks and even at the shore.
  • 2. Pakbia Island:
    • We were given 2 hours to which we can snorkel around. This place was a bit different comparing to Lading Island where the beach is very long and wide.
    • Although the fishes here was not as much as Lading Island, it makes up for it by being a very good spot for taking pictures due to the beatiful scenery at the background.
    • This is where we had lunch which was included as part of the tour package.
  • 3. Hong Lagoon:
    • A spot for taking pictures. The boat stopped between two spectacular rock formation that look like a narrow entrance of a gate.
    • The boat stopped for around 20 mins to give a chance for tourist to take pictures on the boat.
    • They also provided free drinks which includes mineral water and sodas.
  • 4. Hong Island:
    • Given that this was the final destination of the island hopping trip, we were given 3 hours to spend time here.
    • This is the widest and largest beach throughout the trips.
    • The water here is the prettiest among the three and the water gives off a vibrant emerald green color.
    • This part is the best part for relaxing, sunbathing and also swimming.
  • The island hopping lasted around 6-7 hours (pickup at 9, dropoff at hotel by 5.
  • In the evening, we went back to Fareeda Tour to book for Hotspring and Emerald pool half day tour which costs us 600 baht per person ($19) inclusive of national park entrance fee.

Day 3

• Breakfast:
  • Provided by hotel, buffet-styled with american styled breakfast.
• Activities:
  • Hotspring and Emerald Pool halfday tour. This trip exclude lunch, but you can buy one with lunch provided.
  • Krabi Hotspring:
    • It was a 1 hour trip from Ao Nang Beach, pick up at hotel by van. We were given 1 hour at the hotspring to walk around and enjoy the spot.
    • The place is nice and the area is big, however, the hotspring itself is quite small and can be a bit crowded so people had to take turns to get into the hotspring.
    • Beside the hotspring, this place also has an area full of floras and faunas which makes a very beatiful spot for taking pictures.
    • Outside of the hotspring, there are a couple of stalls that sells street foods and drinks. There are also fresh coconut water as well as coconut shake being sold here.
  • Emerald Pool:
    • We were given 3 hours to spend here. The van dropped us off outside of the entrance. To get to emerald pool, it was a 20 minute leisure hike from the entrance gate.
    • The Emerald Pool was very beautiful, however, the surrounding area around it was very slippery as the authority was trying to keep the natural vibe of the pool hence there was a lot of moss forming on the rocks.
  • Krabi Night Market:
    • We booked a grouped van for our trip to the Krabi Night Market. It was a 30 minute ride from Ao Nang Beach.
    • We were given around 2 hours to shop around the night market and we bought our dinner there.
    • The night market has a lot of street foods, performance as well as souvenirs and gift are being sold here. The price here is considerably cheap.

Day 4

• Checkout:
  • We had an early checkout as we had morning flight back. The transportation was already arranged by our hotel and they also provided us with pre-packed breakfast.

Verdict

All in all, the trip to Krabi was very memorable and enjoyable for us siblings. Krabi is a muslim-friendly place where a lot of halal foods being sold here and for those who are not muslim, there are a lot of bars and cafes which makes it a good spot for chilling and relaxing along the beach.

Pro Tips:

• Buy a sim card with thai number to get free wifi. We bought ours at a 7Eleven shop near our hotel.
• The best thai milk tea is definitely the one sold in Family Mart and try to buy the CP Brand Shrimp Burger that are sold in 7Eleven.
• The banana chocolate pancakes are a must try if you ever come to Thailand.