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Town in Krabi Province
Photo: (WT-en) Jpatokal at English Wikivoyage, CC BY-SA 3.0 via Wikimedia Commons
Ao Nang (อ่าวนาง), colloquially referred to as "Krabi", is a sub-district and a resort town of the Mueang Krabi District, in Thailand's Krabi Province, about 15 km from Krabi Town. In high season, roughly 1 November-30 April, it is the busiest and most tourist-oriented beach destination of the province and consequently one of the most expensive places in Thailand outside of Bangkok. Price level is comparable to Phuket. On 1 May, the wrecking balls come out and many existing storefronts are demolished to make way for new ones. In low-season many places shut entirely, restrict their hours, prices revert to normal and the town is relatively deserted.
From the travel guide. Select a place for details, a map and what is nearby.
Su-san Hoi, literally "Seashell Graveyard"
This overblown tourist attraction has slates of compressed 40 million year old shellfish, which resemble concrete. There's also a small grubby museum and a huge slew of gift shops. This tourist trap is simply not worth the money unless you're a geology student. As the official Krabi tourism website (rather honestly) puts it, "Most are either engrossed to [sic] this or totally indifferent...".
Ao Nang Beach, lined with shops and restaurants, is more like a base for exploring Krabi than an important destination in itself. The west side of the beach is no great beauty, being heavily littered and ruined by the massive number of boats ready to take tourists to other beaches and to the islands. Most tourists spend the day on the east side of the beach, which is more scenic, swimmer-friendly, and contains some friendly monkeys interacting with visitors, although litter is a problem and the area is crossed by a putrid stream. At the eastern edge, a 10-15 minute trail leads to Pai Plong Beach. This is the most scenic and peaceful beach one can walk to, but has no infrastructure other than the Centara Resort. The trail itself is not particularly difficult, but still best avoided by the elderly, disabled, and small children.
Long beach at the western edge of Ao Nang, zoned as a national park. Nopparat Thara beach is effectively divided in two parts, separated by a river that hosts the Hat Nopparat Thara Pier, where longtail boats and speedboats depart to Phuket and other islands.The western half is located in the neighbouring Nong Thale sub-district. It is mostly surrounded by forest and a few resorts, and hence extremely quiet.The eastern half, located in Ao Nang, is lined with hotels, restaurants and shops, although not as much as Ao Nang beach. In the section of the beach closer to the pier, there are more businesses catering to Thai, rather to Western visitors, making it a good place to look for budget food. Nopparat Thara is a quieter alternative to Ao Nang and excellent for a morning stroll or watching the sunset, but the beach gets rather narrow at high tide, and it is a good idea to ask the locals if it is jellyfish season before plunging in if no one else is in the water. Near the river, during low tide you can walk up to some of the nearby craggy limestone islands like Kao Pak Klong.
Centara Resort
Centara Resort occupies a scenic little cove just around the headland from Ao Nang Beach. The resort is doing its best to give the impression that it owns the beach frontage. But beaches in Thailand are all public and the public cannot be denied their use. Security guards abound and you will be asked to sign in and out. The beach itself is small, with only about five metres of sand at high tide. But it's a cute, relatively secluded beach that is hands down better than Ao Nang or Nopparat Thara. Use this beach so it stays in the public domain. The resort is quite happy to have you sit at the beachfront bar and eat and drink. Great place to watch the sunset. The wooden walkway is lighted at night, so should be no problem negotiating it after dark.
Private, customised day trips and camping trips to many islands. They can also help plan individual itineraries, accommodation and transfers. Fast, helpful, English speaking service with emails answered within 24 hours. Highly recommended.
Khun Sow is the head honcha. Cooking classes are 3 hr. Fruit carving is an all day class and the most expensive course.
Thai fruit and vegetable carving is an art form. Basic courses are 3 hr long and the full-day course is 7 hours.
Experienced PADI 5-Star IDC dive centre. English, German, Swedish, French, Spanish, Russian, and Thai language dive guides. Dive trips by speedboat to Phi Phi and local islands. Weekly trips to Shark Point, Anemone Reef, King Cruiser wreck, trips also available to Hin Daeng, Ko Ha Yai, Racha Islands.
PADI 5-Star IDC dive centre . Their boats runs daily diving and snorkelling tours to Phi Phi Islands with weekly trips to Shark Point, King Cruiser wreck, Hin Daeng/Hin Muang.
English-run PADI dive centre with over 15 years experience diving in Ao Nang. Courses run in English and German, most European languages also available.
Friendly and individual dive centre that offers trips to Ko Phi Phi as well as to famous local dive sites, such as Ko Sii, Ko Haa, Ko Talu and others. They offer a big range of courses from beginners up to professional, fun dives, free-diving and specialties in different languages.
Finnish-run 5-star PADI shop; instruction also available in English. Good gear and an emphasis on safety.
PADI and SSI training facility. Scuba Addicts offers diving and snorkeling adventures for all ages and abilities, tailored to suit your individual or group needs.
Full-service PADI Dive Center in the heart of Ao Nang. Offering all PADI courses, fun diving, and snorkeling packages. Daily dive trips to Koh Phi Phi and local islands.
Good, centrally located, albeit expensive, gym.
The Tab Kak Hang Nak Nature Trail is northwest of Ao Nang close to beaches/resorts, a couple of kilometres north of Klong Muang Beach. It will take you through the jungle and up to a peak with a fantastic view over Ao Nang and more. A sign claims the hike to be 3.7 km but it feels like more. That's because the trail is almost all up. Thai trailblazers don't do switchbacks. No mosquitoes. There is a small ladder that needs to be climbed, but the trail is an easy one if you have decent shoes. Don't try this in flip-flops as the trail is rocky. with exposed roots and where it is not, it is certainly a mudslide when the ground is wet. At the trailhead they ask you to sign in with departure and return times.
Weird name for a restaurant, but it doesn't matter as there is only one sign on the back wall of the restaurant's interior. Run by a lady (Noi?) from Issan. One of the cheapest restaurants in central Ao Nang. Simple Issan cooking. Large fish (tilapia?) seem to be the most popular fare here.
Very good restaurant for lunch and dinner with a romantic ambience and attentive service. Full bar, Western and Thai menu. Skip the breakfasts: the Engilish breakfast is a whopping 290 baht. The American breakfast, at 210 baht, is two eggs, two slices of toast, bacon (three slices) or sausage, orange juice, coffee. Free Wi-Fi.
Offers rather good Thai and Swiss dishes for approximately 100 baht. The home made Swiss muesli with yoghurt and fresh fruit is highly recommended. The pad Thai here is quite good! Go to Burger King if you need a toilet as it is out the back!
Known for delicious steaks, beef or lamb. Chicken, pork, and duck as well, all prepared to high European standards. Luckily, you can order the steak in a size to suit your appetite or your budget: 200-400 grams. Nice ambience. The boss, Gidi, is a friendly Dutch national who runs a tight ship to high standards. Huge wine and European beer lists.
Lovely views at sunset. They will arrange transport if you reserve a table.
At most bars in Ao Nang and elsewhere, you're served by a disinterested employee and lucky if you get a smile. At Rick's Bar you're served by two persons with skin in the game, the husband and wife team who run the place. A bit out of central Ao Nang, but worth the trip. Run by a courtly, knowledgeable, and affable Louisianan and his Thai wife, Rick's Bar is a comfortable place to drink. Nice ambiance, good music, no pressure. Prides itself on the coldest beer in Ao Nang. Sells pickled eggs, for chrissakes! Good selection of top shelf liquors. Pool table. Darts tournament every W night. Free Wi-Fi.
Ao Nang has some fairly well-hidden beer bars. The largest concentration is just off the main road on a soi with a big archway announcing "RCA" over the entrance. It has about 15 bars. A good place to go if you fancy a game of pool but have no partner. A bar hostess will be happy to serve as opposition (it is good manners to buy her a drink for doing so). No one seems to know what "RCA" stands for. It may be named after Bangkok's Royal City Avenue—more commonly known as RCA—the center of that city's club scene.
If you fancy a chilled out drink and few games of pool in a friendly location, go for a drink adjacent to Nopparat Thara Beach. There used to be several bars here. Now it's down to Sweet Bar. Excellent fireworks can be seen here at new year. Free Wi-Fi.
Ting Tong Bar, Part 2
Spacious, clean bar with good music at a level that permits conversation, and a good pool table. Run by the amiable At and her husband, Patrick. Free Wi-Fi.
Bungalows with private bathroom fan/air-con, 20 m from the beach. Owner is very helpful and friendly, speaks very good English. Has a super little restaurant.
Owner and the staff are very helpful and friendly. They can speak fluent English and can provide you with excellent tourist information. The bungalows have private baths. You can pick between the bungalows that have one king size bed, 2 twin size beds or 3 twin size beds. All of the bungalows/rooms come with private terrace, standard toilet/bathroom, and standard shower with hot water, air conditioning, multi-channel cable TV, coffee/tea pot and small refrigerator. 2 free bottles of water daily. Massage, spa, beauty salon, tour office service, bar, transportation services, tailor service, Thai restaurant, Indian restaurant, laundry/dry cleaning service, free Wi-Fi, motorcycle rental, car rental, bicycle rental, and private parking.
Clean, good value.
Can be expensive in high season as they all are, but normal off-season price is 940 baht. Breakfast is included, and there is a reasonable buffet choice. Hotel has a swimming pool, a travel agent is co-located, as are Internet computers. No lift.
Private bathroom, pool.
Great hotel. Spacious rooms. Good Wi-Fi and a desk to work from. No amenities such as restaurant or laundry or coffee, but perfect other than that. For those who watch TV, TV is not perfect, at least in Room 103. Clean, accommodating, great location next to three or four 24/7 convenience stores.
All new Thai/Australian-run guesthouse with good service. Rooms have air-con and showers. Food both European and Thai is available all day, with an excellent English breakfasts. Free Wi-Fi and all the normal stuff in the room.
This small hotel beats PK Mansion hands down. Chinese-Thai-run hotel. Impeccably clean. Big rooms, big baths. Rooms in back have balcony that face a wall, thus are much cheaper than those in front which overlook a parking area. Free, strong Wi-Fi. Nearby is its sister hotel, J Mansion.
Run by a coven of wily little old ladies who don't miss an opportunity for a baht. Internet prices top out at 1,200 baht, but you may be asked for more. Centrally located accommodation, on a quiet street close to the beach. The large rooms have en suite bath, with TV, fridge, and balcony. The in-room Wi-Fi is poor with decent access an additional 50 baht.
All rooms equipped with king-size or twin bed, air-conditioner, 32-inch LCD TV, Wi-Fi, and coffee/tea maker. Swimming pool, Jacuzzi, and massage service, car rental, and laundry/dry cleaning service.
Well equipped with air conditioning, cable TV and Wi-Fi. Swimming pool, car rental and parking. Their website appears to be exclusively in Japanese, so perhaps they don't care so much about your business.
It offers 42 rooms, all of which have an air-conditioner, cable TV, hair dryer and a refrigerator. Some of its amenities are transportation services, games room, and high speed Internet access.
All rooms have air conditioning, minibar, cable TV, safe deposit box, hair dryer, DVD Player, Wi-Fi, swimming pool with water power stream jets and child pool, pool bar service, tour desk service, car and motorbike rental.
21 room accommodation, air conditioning, cable TV and Internet access, swimming pool, room service and restaurant, cafe, bar.
Krabi Villas
17 villas for rent nightly/weekly with private swimming pool on Ao Nang Beach.
formerly Wanna's Place
Views of the Krabi Mountains and the islands of Ko Talu and Ko Poda. All rooms include Wi-Fi, 40-inch LED TVs, air conditioning, mini-bar, safe, and breakfast.
Between Ao Nang and Nopparat Thara Beaches. Resort is 500 m from the beach.
Full-service banking including counter withdrawals with no ATM fees, plus two ATMs, deposit machine, and bank book update machine outside.
อ่าวนางวิสกี้
Alcohol is expensive in Thailand. Nonetheless, best selection of spirits, wines, and beers in Ao Nang. Probably the cheapest too.
Bulk foods and household, restaurant supplies. Best selection of fresh produce, meats, pasta, rice, charcuterie, and some Western foods, including cheeses. This is a small Makro. They do not sell pet food, for example, or much in the Western way of toiletries, or cookware. (The larger Makro in Krabi does.) Membership card is not required. No foreign credit cards.
Sort of a locally owned 7-Eleven chain, but bigger, better and costlier. This store opened on 15 October 2016. Meats, fruit, and veg, and good for wine. Do not seem overly concerned about selling alcohol outside of the permitted hours of 11:00-14:00 and 17:00-24:00. Has a full-service restaurant inside. It's open till 22:00. Bakery adjacent to the entrance. Accepts credit cards. Besides the store in Ao Nang, they have several other shops in the province. There is another smaller version in Ban Khlong Haeng, roughly opposite the 7-Eleven.
Another 7-Eleven-type store on steroids. Sells snacks, beach gear, cosmetics, souvenirs, luncheon meats, cheese, cigars, and lots of booze. One unusual souvenir item seen nowhere else: commemorative Thai coins and postage stamps. More expensive than 7-11.
Sells an eclectic mix of stationery supplies, art supplies, greeting cards, and assorted gee gaws. Have industrial copy machines on premises. Will send/receive faxes, but not to overseas numbers, which sort of makes the service worthless.
Smart
The shop is like an adult 7-Eleven, with a great selection of liquor and wine. Best selection of European beers and ciders in Ao Nang. Limited supply of cigars. An unbelievable amount of merchandise is crammed into this relatively tiny shop. The sell everything from beach balls to cutlery to snacks to tee shirts to flip flops to refrigerator magnets to sunglasses to snacks.
Standard Thai supermarket, but small, that must rank among the worst in Thailand. Sells beer, wine, and spirits. Very limited Western foods available unless you count packs of individually wrapped processed cheese slices.
By bus
The nearest inter-provincial bus station is in Krabi Town.
By boat
Rai Leh West and Ton Sai are only 10 minutes away while the less developed Had Yao (Long Beach) is 25 minutes away by longtail boat.
By songthaew
There is a songthaew (shared pick-up truck/taxi) service to Ao Nang from the Krabi Bus Station and Krabi town, which runs during daylight hours in low season and up to 22:00 in high season.
Songthaews run all across Ao Nang to Shell Beach and some all the way to Krabi Town, fares from 20 baht up depending on distance.
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