Thailand (Lonely Planet, 13th Edition) - China Williams [582]
Tanta (0 7563 7118; dishes 180-350B; lunch & dinner) The thin-crust pizza is divine and not too doughy, and the service is discreet (you get your meal but aren’t pushed to order every 10 minutes). Tanta offers a great selection of Thai and international dishes. It’s a popular modern place with a raised covered terrace and wood accents.
Drinking & Entertainment
Have a drink – there’s no shortage of bars in Ao Nang.
Irish Rover Bar & Grill (0 7563 7607) Readers like this typical Irish pub specialising in draught Guinness and Kilkenny, along with brews like Singapore’s Tiger and Thailand’s high alcohol–content (but headache-inducing) Chang. Sports fans will appreciate the telly broadcasting English footy matches and South African cricket. The place also features live music, tropical cocktails and pool tables.
Encore Café (4pm-2am in high season) Very popular with holidaying Thais, this live-music club is a fun and modern spot. It has pool tables and special themed evenings – from ladies’ night to speed pool. Readers like the Tex-Mex pub food.
Aonang Krabi Muay Thai Stadium (0 7562 1042; admission 500B, ringside incl 1 beer 1200B) If you get tired of the beach-bars and pirated movies playing on the strip, this place has boisterous moo·ay tai bouts on multiple nights each week from around 8.45pm. A free (and hard-to-miss) srng·ta·ou runs along the strip at Ao Nang, collecting punters before the bouts.
Getting There & Around
A ferry service to Ko Phi-Phi runs year-round (450B to 490B, two hours) at 9am and includes a ride to/from the pier in nearby Hat Noppharat Thara.
Long-tail boats to the Hat Rai Leh area run daily in good weather and cost 80B (120B after 6pm). In bad weather head to Ao Nam Mao and then catch a long-tail boat (90B), which runs even in choppy weather.
A good way to get around is by srng·ta·ou. Destinations include Krabi (40B), Hat Noppharat Thara (10B) and Ao Nam Mao (20B). Look for them on the main road. Taxis from Ao Nang to Krabi airport cost 600B (though you can bargain down), but from the airport can cost up to 900B.
AROUND AO NANG
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Hat Noppharat Thara
About 4km from Ao Nang, at the end of Rte 4203, Hat Noppharat Thara used to feel like a completely separate destination; a quieter alternative to the touristy hub nearby. These days the casuarina-lined beach is a little suburb getting pulled in by Ao Nang’s magnet tourism energy. If you’re island-bound from Ao Nang, chances are high that you’ll pass through this little beach, as the headquarters for Ko Phi-Phi Marine National Park are located here. Several resorts falsely advertise a ‘central Ao Nang’ location – so if you don’t like reading fine print, you might end up sleeping out here (though most will argue that it’s better out in Noppharat Thara than sleeping next door to a McDonald’s in town).
SLEEPING
Laughing Gecko (0 7569 5115; bungalows 100-500B) One of several basic bungalow operators down a lane just before the national park office. It features beachy bungalows and an artistically decorated restaurant filled with chattering backpackers (the all-you-can-eat buffets for under 200B are a big hit with small wallets).
Government Bungalows (0 7563 7200; 2-6-person tents 300B, 2-person bungalows 600B, 6-8-person bungalows 1200B or per person 200B) Well-maintained bungalows come with fans, bathrooms and mosquito nets on the windows. Tents are also available if you want the full primitive experience. A small canteen serves meals in the evenings.
At the other end of the scale, Red Ginger (0 7563 7999; www.redgingerkrabi.com; r 5450-9450B; ) and Pakasai Resort (0 7563 7777; www.pakasai.com; r 6700-8000B; ) are excellent upmarket choices