A Room with a River View

(February 2009)

For my 1st trip to Krabi, I wanted a little more than the usual backpacker guesthouse or lodge.

After reading some favorable reviews, I booked a room at the Krabi River Hotel. The thing I liked most from the reviews was some of the rooms had balconies facing the river.

I thought that if I couldn’t stay in a place facing the sea, staying in a place facing the river which flowed into the sea was the next best thing.

I wasn’t disappointed. The view from the balcony was beautiful, especially if you could wake up early to see the sunrise.

The proprietor, Mr. Somchai, confirmed my reservation via email. The room was ready upon my arrival.

The place was more like an inn than a hotel. Except for the fact that there was no elevator, no cable TV, and no wi-fi, the place was clean and comfortable.

Mr. Somchai and his staff were always there to help with directions or with tour bookings.

Krabi River Hotel is about a 5-minute walk from the evening open food area and a 10-minute walk from the center of town.

If you want to save some money, you can go for the rooms without balcony.

Krabi Walking Street (weekend night market)

(February & October 2009)

 

Compare to the weekend markets in Bangkok and Chiang Mai, the one in Krabi is very small and tame.

The Krabi Walking Street is a 12 meter x 12 meter open market setup every Friday, Saturday, and Sunday between 5pm and 10pm. Some vendors start as early as 4pm.

 

Just look this open square behind the Vogue Shopping Centre in central Krabi town.

As usual, there are tons of food and drink stalls, such as the vegetarian dumplings and deep-fried shrimp fritters.

  

The charcoal grilled fish and satay (grilled meat on a skewer) stalls.

  

Grilled seafood.

  

Fried rice or porridge with various dishes.

  

Halal mixed rice stall.

 

Rice with chicken or pork.

  

Fruit and fruit juice stalls.

  

Local fruit wine.

Besides food and drinks, there are many other stalls, such as this plant-in-a-pot.

Handicrafts and jewelries.

  

Arts made from recycled plastic bottles.

 

Can you believe this is made from a 1.5 liter plastic bottle?

Collectibles and more.

Getting from Krabi Airport to Krabi Town

(February & October 2009)

 

The most convenient but also the most expensive is to rent a vehicle.

There are several vehicle rental agencies in Krabi International Airport, such as Avis, Budget, National, etc.

 

Price for a subcompact like Toyota Vios or Honda City ranges from 800 – 1,5oo Baht per day with insurance coverage but without petrol. Naturally, the rental price is towards the higher end during the high tourist season, which is between November and March.

I noticed Budget offered the lowest price of 790 Baht a day when I was there in October 2009.

If you don’t want to drive but can afford to pay for a private car or van with driver, you can go for one of the two taxi providers, which is situated when you walk out of the airport customs.

 

A car can take up to 4 persons while a van can take up to 9 persons. Some of the vans are super comfortable with big and plush seats. All the vans seem to have an extended roof which create more vertical interior room.

As you can see from the photo, the price for a private vehicle is quite affordable when you can share the cost among a few persons.

You can also rent the van for the whole day for about 2,500 Baht which includes the driver and petrol. This is a good deal as the cost from the airport to Krabi Town is already 1/5 of the daily cost.

If you are traveling alone and would like to save some money, go for the public shuttle bus, well, almost public.

You see, in most Thailand tourist destinations, there are buses which appear to be public but are actually commissioned by various tour agencies to ferry potential customers from the airport to the tour agencies to sign you up for accommodation and/or tour packages.

 

If you don’t need these services, they will send you off to your intended destination, normally by tuk-tuk. They are usually very polite and efficient during the transition. It’s just a little odd for first-timers who don’t understand why the bus would stop at a tour agency and ask everyone to get off.

Most tourists don’t mind as they understand this is a way for the tour agencies to earn some commissions.

You’ll also see the booth selling the ‘public’ shuttle bus tickets when you exit the airport customs.

Krabi Travel

 

Town/City	:	Krabi (甲必)
Country	:	Thailand
Other names	:
Province	:	Krabi
Nearest local airport	:	Krabi International Airport (KBV)
Nearest international airport	:	Krabi International Airport (KBV)
Airport tax	:	Included in airfare
Geographical orientation	:	Southern Thailand, Southeast Asia
Surrounding tour venues	:	Ao Nang, Koh Lanta, Phi Phi, Railay & Trang
Currency for payment	:	Baht
Currency for exchange	:	All major currencies, including MYR & SGD
		(higher exchange rates in MY & SG)
Entry Permit / Visa	:	Not required for MY & SG passport holders
Electricity	:	220 volts / 2-prong plugs

 

SEASONS

Jan

Feb

Mar

Apr

May

Jun

Jul

Aug

Sep

Oct

Nov

Dec

Peak

X

X

High

X

X

X

Low

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

Cool

Hot

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

Wet

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

Hot ~ low of between 20 & 24 °C / high of between 30 & 35 °C

 

TRANSPORTATION

Type	Rental Cost (Baht)	Duration (hour)
Bicycle	Not available	Not available
Mountain Bike	Not available	Not available
Scooter (auto)	200 - 250	24
Sedan Car (auto)	800 – 1,500	24

 

Krabi Town	From Airport* (Baht)	To Airport* (Baht)
Songthaew	Not available	Not available
Taxi	350	300
Van	600	500

* Krabi International Airport (KBV)

 

THINGS TO DO

• Island hopping

• Swimming & sunbathing

• Diving

• Snorkeling

• Sea kayaking

• Sea canoeing

• Hot spring dip

• Mountain biking

• Thai massage or spa

• Thai cooking class

• Krabi butter cake

 

PLACES TO VISIT

(City attractions)

• Wat Tham Seua – Tiger Cave Temple is a famous meditation center with a climb of 1,237 steps to a mountain-top shrine with a 360° view of Krabi.

• Weekend market – an open market in the center of town (Friday – Sunday)

(Out-of-city attractions)

• Sa Morakot – Emerald Pool is a popular spring water pool in the forest.

• Khao Phra Bang Khram – a nature reserve with natural hot spring ‘bathtubs’.

• Ao Nang beach – a popular beach venue 20 minutes from Krabi town.

• Phi Phi islands – a collection of islands which is packed with western tourists for snorkeling & diving.

• Railay beach – a coastal area of Krabi province which is popular for rock climbing, beautiful beaches & mesmerizing sunsets.

 

ITEMS TO BUY

• Krabi butter cakes

• Cashew nuts

• Local handicrafts

FOOD TO EAT

• Fresh seafood (salted-water fish, crabs, soft-shell crabs, etc.)