Thailand (Lonely Planet, 13th Edition) - China Williams [586]
Forest Resort (08 9290 0262; bungalows 300-500B) Tucked up in the woods away from the fray and dangling climbers, this friendly resort has a cluster of basic bungalows scattered on a small hill. The on-site Indian restaurant is an added bonus.
Paasook (08 9645 3013; bungalows 500B) At the far western end of the beach, Paasook has basic bungalows with large picture windows.
Krabi Mountain View Resort (0 7562 2610; bungalows 1100-1900B; ) Cheery and immaculate with mint-green walls, tiled floors and crisp linen –these are Ton Sai’s best-value air-con digs.
Drinking
Although many of the resorts don’t serve alcohol, there are a few places on the beaches where you can celebrate the day’s climb with a frosty one…or seven…
Skunk (Hat Rai Leh East) Scratchy roots reggae is the name of the game as chilled-out locals twirl their dreads with their fingers.
Chillout Bar (Hat Ton Sai) Climbers like to chill here after a long day on the rocks. The place flies Rasta colours and serves cold beers as fast as you can drink them.
Stone Bar (Rai Leh East) Swig your Tiger beer in the rounded gazebo sitting under a massive climbing wall. The parties go late and buzz with ambient electronica beats.
Getting There & Around
If you’re not aboard the ferry connecting Ao Nang and Ko Phi-Phi Don, then the only way to get to Railay is by long-tail boat, either from the seafront at Ao Nang or at Khong Ka (Chao Fa) in Krabi. Boats between Krabi and Hat Rai Leh East leave every 1½ hours (or when they have 10 passengers) from 7.45am to 6pm (200B, 45 minutes).
Boats to Hat Rai Leh West or Ton Sai (80B, 15 minutes) leave from the eastern end of the promenade at Ao Nang during daylight hours. After dark you’ll pay 120B. If seas are very rough, boats leave from a sheltered cove just west of Krabi Resort in Ao Nang. You can be dropped at Hat Tham Phra Nang or Hat Ton Sai for the same fare.
During exceptionally high seas, the boats from both Ao Nang and Krabi stop running, but you may still be able to get from Hat Rai Leh East to Ao Nam Mao (90B, 15 minutes), where you can catch a ride to Krabi or Ao Nang.
KO PHI-PHI DON
Ko Phi-Phi is uncanny. One glimpse of the island’s otherworldly crests and cliffs will turn brutes into poets, and sceptics into believers.
A beacon for backpackers from all over the planet, this menagerie of towering crags sits frozen in a shimmering tapestry of emerald and jade, inviting daydreamers to idle in the shallow bays and climb the soaring cliffs. Viewpoints reveal soul-altering vistas of the sandy hourglass isthmus that plays host to these legions of visitors and their hedonistic pursuits.
Even though Ko Phi-Phi may seem a bit expensive compared to the rest of Thailand, if you compare it to other gorgeous islands around the planet, we think you’ll discover this paradise actually comes pretty damn cheap.
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Orientation & Information
Ko Phi-Phi Don (usually just referred to as Ko Phi-Phi) is part of the Ko Phi-Phi Marine National Park, which also includes uninhabited Ko Phi-Phi Leh next door ( Click here).
Ko Phi-Phi Don is actually two islands joined together by a narrow isthmus flanked by the stunning Ao Ton Sai and Ao Lo Dalam on either side. Boats dock at the large concrete pier at Ao Ton Sai and a narrow path, crammed full of tour operators, bungalows, restaurants, bars and souvenir shops, stretches along the beach towards Hat Hin Khom. The maze of small streets in the middle of this sand bar is equally packed and is known as Tonsai Village (or the Tourist Village). The swimmer-friendly Hat Yao (Long Beach) faces south and has some of Phi-Phi Don’s best coral. The beautifully languid and long eastern bays of Hat Laem Thong and Ao Lo Bakao are reserved for several top-end resorts, while the smaller bays of Hat Phak Nam and Hat Rantee play host to a few simple, low-key bungalow