Railay, Krabi

Railay
By Aubrey

I thought we should talk about Railay in Krabi because not only is it one of my favorite places in Thailand, but also one of my favorite places I've ever visited. I have visited Railay twice, once was with Parker during a four day holiday in February where Parker's friend Pat met us and the second time is when I took my six visitors from the States. We discussed back and forth which beach they should see, because Thailand has so many options of beautiful beaches, but after my trip in February I told them it didn't matter that I already visited it because I loved it and they needed to see it for themselves!

I will tell you a little bit about Railay...

To get there you fly into Krabi airport. From the airport you take the shuttle buses to Ao Nang, it is best to get there early in the day because you have to take a long tail boat from the Ao Nang pier to get to Railay. The first time Parker and I went we stayed the night in Ao Nang because for just two people for the long tail you have to take a private boat and pay the full price, but during the day many tourists take the boat to Railay so it is split and you are charged a flat rate. It is not a bad option staying in Ao Nang for a night either, there are plenty of delicious restaurants, bars and shopping to keep busy :)

The long tail boat to Railay only takes about 20 minutes from Ao Nang to Railay and is about 120 baht. When you drive up to Railay you notice right away the amazing limestone. It is very laid back and peaceful on the island with plenty to do and see for being so small. There are no cars on the island which gives it a really secluded feel as well.

Parker and I stayed at Railay Princess and it wasn't our first choice of hotels because it wasn't directly on the beach, but we went without a reservation and we were quite pleased. Railay Princess is a sister hotel to Railay Bay and we could use the Railay Bay pool which faced the best bit of the beach so we could switch from the pool to ocean in seconds! I would definitely recommend the second hotel I stayed at with my friends, Railay Village. The breakfast had the best banana pancakes I have ever tasted and our room even had a hot tub!

There are many activities in Railay for the laid back to very adventurous type. Parker and I like to think we are a little of both. We spent one day relaxing on the beach and exploring the island, but the next day we were off to rock climbing! Rock climbing was truly an amazing experience. I had NO previous experience in rock climbing so was a little bit nervous but we went through a great climbing school, Hot Rock (www.railayadventure.com) and our guide made us feel safe and helped us on our first climb. I was able to climb every rock, even the one I couldn't even believe we were going to attempt! The view of the beaches from the top were stunning! I loved it and would love to try it again in the near future.

Railay is divided into two sides, Hat Rai Leh West and Hat Rai Leh East. You can also walk to another beach called Hat Tham Phra Nang which is beautiful. It is a white sand beach with cliffs framing the sides. There is a path that leads up to a hidden lagoon called Sa Phra Nang and a viewpoint you can walk to as well. This is a very strenuous hike and while they are not required, tennis shoes are recommended and I would strongly advise them having hiked to the viewpoint and the lagoon myself. The picture on top was taken from the viewpoint and it is amazing to see the whole island from the top.

Parker and I went kayaking to a Hat Ton Sai, which is mainly backpackers. It had lively bars with a rustic feel and music. We spent a few hours there but headed back to Railay for our favorite part of the day; SUNSET!

The sunsets in Railay are enough of a reason to book a trip to Thailand! The picture Parker and I use on this blog, our facebook and even our video is taken from a sunset in Railay. I will include some more pictures to get a better idea, because it really is unexplainable.

The nightlife in Railay is very laid back, I basically just stayed in a bathing suit cover up and flip flops for my attire! There is a really cool bar called Stone Bar worth checking out which is literally sitting under a climbing wall! My favorite bar is at a restaurant called Flame Tree which is on the West side and come nighttime they set up mats on the beach with candles to enjoy the sunset and at night to gaze upon the stars. They have a great happy hour and it is a great place to meet other travelers!

There is hotel called Ravadee that you are not even allowed on the property if you are not a guest! The prices are outrages, but you are allowed to their restaurants. Most of our trip in Railay we ate very reasonably at the local bungalow restaurants on the beach, so we decided to try out the Ravadee restaurant and I definitely recommend it. They had a great pitcher of Sangria as well! It was not too expensive, however first priority goes to hotel guests so it can be hard to eat there. We were turned away the first night and had to come back because there were no openings, but I am happy we tried it out.

During sunset local Thai children play soccer on the beach, Parker included himself in the game a few times as well as his friend Pat who visited us. They became local favorites and the rest of the trip the children would wave to their new soccer friends!

Please check out our facebook page for more pictures of Railay, and message us at "Aubrey Parker" if you are interested in going there and have any more questions :)

All of the beaches in Thailand offer different things for different people, so it is important to look at what kind of trip you are interested in before booking a beach holiday. We will add our opinions on different beaches that we have loved as well!