Holiday in Krabi, Thailand

Krabi, Thailand

I went to Krabi in May 2009, and it was more beautiful than I could have ever dream of. I love beaches, for those of you who know me, you know I’m a sucker for the sea and the sun. While Malaysia has beautiful beaches that may rival Phillipines and Thailand themselves, I was stunned by the beauty of Krabi.

The beach and islands surrounding Krabi

I went with my mom, aunts, cousin and my sis. No men, came on this trip. It was pure relaxation and away from stress. It’s one thing to be swept away by the sheer natural beauty of the coast, its another to be stunned by the hotels beautiful chalet architecture and its beautiful surroundings. Now for ANY  anyone who is looking for a honeymoon, please go to this place. It is stunning. While the price may be a tad bit high for us Malaysian’s, but if your looking for a vacation with beach views, warm service, away from the concrete jungle and ultimate soul searching… this is the place.

The resort we went, Tubkaak Resort. We went for a package, though we had an advantage as there were 6 of us in total, we booked the deluxe rooms.

The deluxe room that we stayed :

The door handles are wooden and requires you to lock with a real lock, not those with the automatic cards. Now while you may be pondering how then, think of it as chalet style. Each room has a lanai, some may be indoor some outdoor.The rooms are well scented with aromatic oils the minute you enter, and the beds are heavenly. Our room had an outdoor custom made bath tub – shower indoor, while each room is actually designed differently, my aunt’s shower and bathtub was actually outdoor.The shampoos and soaps are handmade and you can tell, by the color and the scent that its from orchids.

If your a pool person – the pool is definitely worth a dip into when the sun is up. The cool water is simply delightful after your warm sun bathing.

If your a sea/beach person – two thumbs up!! They don’t have beach chairs but what they do have are these bean bag waterproof cushions that allows you to seat two persons comfortably or just be a glutton and take two of it – prop yourself under the sun. *drool* heaven.

Food is relatively good at the hotel, reminded me of Bonton. The warm and friendly service is definitely 5 star treatment, the free 1 hour massage was excellent. Everything seems too good. Now one must be wondering, what is there to do in this place?

Krabi and Tubkaak Resort

Shopping… dead as a fish

Unfortunately shopping in Krabi is OK only, not the best place to buy furniture’s or clothes, but maybe for some interior decorating. We went to Ao Nang, and we didn’t particularly bought anything except some ice cream while walking. Other than that, shopping in Malaysia and Bali markets is way better.

Krabi, Thailand is better known for their adventure trails and their diving sites rather than shopping and eating. Best save your shopping and eating in Bangkok. Otherwise, if your in for just some relaxing, adventure  and island hopping vacation, this is the place to go.

Hop hop hop around the islands…

Phi Phi Island sadly has lost its beauty due to the tsunami. The corals around are pretty much dead, and the water is not as blue as I used to remember from what everyone told me. Instead, the other islands around Phi Phi Island are way much better, the corals are more alive, more colorful fishes, the water is more clearer and bluer. You’ll be amazed by the beauty of it.

Rent a private boat and the captain will take you to at least 4 islands, price of it is definitely expensive hence its a better idea to go if you have a group of 8. There were 6 of us, but we had friends who were also there by chance but were staying on the other islands – which you can personally pick them up and you can dutch the price with everyone, ends up to be more worth it as you can ask the sea captain to take you to places that are non commercial and they provide food as well.

Food for thought…

Eating around Krabi, is nothing like eating seafood in Langkawi. The local food was disappointing and sadly was lacking the local Thai taste which we were so looking forward too. Instead, the upper class restaurants like ‘Pakarang’ proved to be delectable, delicious and hit the Thai taste criteria we were looking for. What was really weird though, was that asking the hotel for recommendations proved to be wrong thing to do, but asking the driver gave us better food choices. So keep in mind to ask the local drivers and not the hotel recommendations, as of most likely the hotel would earn 10% profit from tourist when asked to dine at these tourist restaurants. There was another excellent restaurant but sadly I do not remember the name of it. When I do I would jot it down here again.

On the other hand, for drinks I would recommend to try their ice blended coconut drinks, it is definitely worth a try. It will cool your body down anyway, so its good to have this after a hot sweaty day.

Kayaking… left, right, left, right

The hotel we stayed had free kayaking service which prove to be fun and exciting. You can kayak as far as you want, if your daring enough. It is probably one of the best activities to do, if you’ve got nothing else. Either way, have fun in Krabi and enjoy the unspoiled natural beauty of the island.

Tiger Cave Temple…

For those who would like to see some local monument, the tiger cave temple should be a place to go. Hike up the mountain or just walk around, and you can see and experience the spiritual side of Thailand. Monks and Buddhist alike give their prayers and respect to the gods in this cave. Folk legend goes that in this cave, lived many and is a sanctuary for the tigers. Hmm… another story though I’m not sure whether I could believe is that, the Thailand triad leader lived here to escape the law, as it would definitely be a place that law cannot touch. Who knows?

Other things to do that I didn’t get to do, are mountain hiking and climbing, elephant rides, bungee jumping and water rafting. I didn’t know there were these activities and didn’t have the gear, proper attire, or nobody wanted to do it with me. I would most likely go to Krabi again in the future and would definitely try out these things another time.

Island hopping and views of Tubkaak Resort

Have fun in Krabi, and by the way 3 -4 nights in Krabi is more than enough.

http://www.tubkaakresort.com/