Krabi Getaway

For our third wedding anniversary, rif took me for a getaway in Krabi where we stayed at Holiday Inn Aonang. We usually try to squeeze in one beach vacation a year and this trip was a much welcomed retreat – business class flight and premier room with poolside view.

When travelling on leisure, I’m more carefree as I didn’t have to be on my toes when it comes to work travels and there was no need to remember to take note of all the important features of a hotel, like I always do when I’m on a hotel review. It doesn’t mean I find hotel reviews a chore – definitely not. But it just means I need to research and take note of important things to highlight or feature on the blog.

rif booked us a good room at Holiday Inn Aonang

Love the bathroom!

We had a private balcony overlooking the pool

Doing absolutely nothing while on this vacation was a bliss for me, as I didn’t need to blog or reply to any emails. We stayed in Aonang for convenience as getting around by foot was fairly easy plus there were quite a number of food stalls to dine at. If there was one thing I noticed, a lot of places in Krabi are halal.

Many restaurants in Aonang are halal or at least pork free

First meal in Krabi — seafood tomyam, pad thai and basil chicken with rice

Upon check in, we headed next door to the massage parlour for a full body massage before heading down the road for a late lunch. Tucked into a decent meal of seafood tom yum, pad thai, basil chicken with rice and som tam. It is a tourist area so prices are slightly on the high side and portions are smaller. We paid about 600baht for the above, inclusive of a drink.

Thai food at Wang Sai

Really good coconut shake

Dinner was better in terms of taste and value for money. We dined at Wang Sai, just a few doors away from the hotel and ordered a massive spread for two. They make really awesome coconut shake so if you happen to eat there, order it. For the amount we ordered, dinner was about 1,100baht.

Railay Island

Plenty of sunbathers

Great weather

The following morning, we took a longboat to Railay Island which was packed with sunbathers. It was a little tough to find a spot along the beach, let alone a quiet one. But we soon found one and hung around till slightly past one, before taking the longboat back to Aonang.

Best Thai dinner I’ve had in my life. We had all of this plus an additional order of salted egg squid and the bill was slightly less than RM100!

Excuse the blurry picture, for Anchali was dimly lit and flash didn’t do us much good.

rif hired a car (1,200baht) to take us to dinner that night. We initially wanted to dine at Ruen Mai but it was fully booked by a group of people on tour. So we had to pay the driver an extra 200baht to take us to Anchali, a place recommended by the manager at Ruen Mai. According to him, Anchali took over Ruen Mai’s former location and is managed by the former chef of Ruen Mai who decided to venture out on her own.

Salted egg yolk squid

It was the best Thai meal we’ve eaten. The ambiance was quite nice, save for the mosquitoes. Just remember to wear long pants or apply mosquito repellent when you go there. Prices are really reasonable – we had king prawn tom yum, red curry pork, salted egg yolk squid, fish, vegetables and an appetiser. All for just under 1,000baht. Cheaper than our car ride to town! 😀 #win

Boat ride to Hong Island

Perfect weather

Soaking up the sun!

Also full of tourists, unfortnately

We got an island hopping package the next morning, where the boat took us to a few smaller islands with Hong Island being the final stop. According to the locals, Hong Island is less crowded which was somewhat true, but not quiet enough for us. I guess Krabi is a popular destination especially towards the end of the year.

Dinner on our last night at The Hilltop

Food was decent, but nothing spectacular after we had Anchali

A reader recommended dining at The Hilltop restaurant, a fancy spot on top of the highest hill in Krabi. Of course, it comes with a heftier price tag. If you’re staying at Holiday Inn, complimentary shutter service is provided to the restaurant and back to the hotel. Our dinner was about double the amount of the meal at Anchali, and not as tasty.

Pretty good noodle soup from the hotel breakfast spread

View from our breakfast table

We paid a little extra for extended checkout at 4pm and went for another full body massage. For just 300baht per hour, it’s difficult not to be tempted. If I had more time, I would get two massages a day; one full body and one foot. 😛 Hired a car to take us to the airport and flew back via business class.

Love the pool at Holiday Inn Aonang

More tanning before heading to the airport

Service was good throughout our stay. The hotel staff were friendly and accommodating — our order of ice buckets took less than 5 minutes to be delivered and they were very helpful in recommending places to go to. Definitely one of the best holidays I’ve had! 😀