Thailand Hotel recommendations

[J012E]

Going to Thailand in March and visiting Krabi, Phi Phi, Koh Samui and Ko Tao. Have got accommodation in Bangkok sorted so looking for hotel recommendations on the islands.

We are 4 guys wanting a mixture of touristy activities, nice beaches and a bit of night life. Don't want to be in party central but don't want to be totally secluded either.

Budget wise, we aren't looking for high end but also not wanting hostels so mid range really.

[rich85uk]

For Koh Tao have a look at the Blue Diamond resort and see if the big 2 storey family bungalow is available, perfect size and pool/grounds is clean enough but the other detached bungalows will be fine, Mae Haad bars etc are 2 mins away, but the next beach on is much more lively and 30 min walk.

There is a scooter rental place almost next door that is £3 a day and they wont try and con you

where abouts in Krabi are you looking to stay?

[Corpulent Tosser]

We are going to Krabi tomorrow, staying at the Krabi Resort in Ao Nang, I will give feedback on it in a couple of days.

[gadgetmac]

Corpulent Tosser said:

We are going to Krabi tomorrow, staying at the Krabi Resort in Ao Nang, I will give feedback on it in a couple of days.

I'm also going to Krabi tomorrow, Ao Nang too. Please post up if you find any nice restaurants to try out suitable for 4 adults.

Have a great holiday.

[J012E]

Thanks for the help. Any suggestions for Koh Samui?

[J012E]

Rich,

No idea where I want to stay in Krabi, just been told I've got to see the place so I've booked my flights. Will look up the hotel both the above had suggested. Are there good and bad places in Krabi?

[rich85uk]

Cant help on Samui but my mate who went quite a few times was always fairly close to Chaweng beach. For Krabi its generally recommended to stay away from Krabi Town as its boring and has nothing for tourists, i stayed in Ao Nang for 4 nights which has a good beach, Railay beach (fantastic) is only 20 mins boat ride away and its a good location for going to Phuket, Phi Phi, Lanta etc, the airport is only 30 mins away incase you need it.

You might want to head to Phuket instead though, Ao Nang is nice but on the quite side in terms of nightlife and more aimed at families/couples with plenty of restaurants and endless souvenir shops but thats about it. Patong has literally everything you will want/need including the mental nightlife on Bangla Road but it feels more like a city (if that will put you off) and the beach will be rammed, Karon is the next resort on and much more chilled if Patong gets too much. Ao Nang,Railay, Lanta are all fine for couples or families but 4 blokes will be better off in Phuket

[HotJambalaya]

J012E said:

Thanks for the help. Any suggestions for Koh Samui?

You do want to be in Chaweng, it is party central, but if you're anywhere else it will be too quiet and you'll be spending most of your time going there anyway.

Look at the map of Chaweng, and pick at either end if you don't want to be too in the middle of it.

I think I stayed in the Amari Villas in chaweng and it was very good. For much cheaper and right on the beach I stayed at the OP bungalows, but they're very basic, but fine for me.

[chip*]

gadgetmac said:

I'm also going to Krabi tomorrow, Ao Nang too. Please post up if you find any nice restaurants to try out suitable for 4 adults.

.

We just got back yesterday and some restaurant feedbacks below:

Bussaba - they excel in charging top dollar for really bland Thai food. How they got such a high TripAdvisor rating puzzles me! Seriously, don't bother.

Jenna Bistro - we were thai'd out and fancied 'normal' food so we went to Jenna's. The burger and chips was very good and my OH had a very tasty pasta. Nothing amazing, but just well cooked and tasty grub. Recommended.

Carnivores Steak and Grill - I had the tenderloin / fillet steak which was pretty average / bland. OH had the burger which was over cooked wrapped in some weird dried bun. Very disappointed, but maybe I am unfairly comparing to UK steak standard.

'Food Center' - just pass Holiday Inn hotel there is a foodcourt with a mixture of Asian cuisines (Chinese/jap/Korean/Thai). Great little place for lunch (or dinner if you wish)serving tasty grub. Worth trying the korean bbq if you have a group together. Just grab your beer/drinks from the Family Mart next door to complete the meal.

If you visit Krabi town at the weekend (we caught the local bus to visit the Tiger temple), they have a market there with a wide selection of food stalls. The market is just the usual tats, but the selections of food stalls was very good.

[kiethton]

Corpulent Tosser said:

We are going to Krabi tomorrow, staying at the Krabi Resort in Ao Nang, I will give feedback on it in a couple of days.

Was there last year, a decent one half way down the main strip (well the smaller beach closer to Krabi), no idea on the name but it was on the corner and had orange signs above with (IIRC White) writing

[coopedup]

OP when you are in Koh Tao can you see if the Yao bar is still going? It is above the MOOV club a couple of minutes walk from the main pier. Just interested as I used to part own it and lived there!

[Corpulent Tosser]

G

gadgetmac said:

Corpulent Tosser said:

We are going to Krabi tomorrow, staying at the Krabi Resort in Ao Nang, I will give feedback on it in a couple of days.

I'm also going to Krabi tomorrow, Ao Nang too. Please post up if you find any nice restaurants to try out suitable for 4 adults.

Have a great holiday.

No shortage of good restaurants, off beach road there is a lane called Seafood Street, it doesn't look like much but at the end of it is around eight restaurants all overlooking the beach, a great place to watch the sunset. At the other end of the beach road is The Last Fisherman, another great place to watch the sunset, we had a great lunch there and a mediocre dinner.

[Corpulent Tosser]

OP. We are just back from Krabi (ao Nang) we really liked it, but as someone said before, four guys might find it a bit quiet, depends what you are looking for though. Great base for long tails or other boats to the islands and for trips to mainland attractions, the sleazier side of Thailand is there if you go looking but it is not in your face like Patong, Pattaya etc.
The Krabi Resort where we stayed was certainly a family place, good quiet location but a couple of minutes walk into bars, restaurants, shops, you would maybe prefer Railey, seemed to be a younger crowd there.

Hope you have a great holiday.

[Nobby Diesel]

J012E said:

Thanks for the help. Any suggestions for Koh Samui?

I can help you out with KS.
PM me with your budget, your list of priorities and how long you'll be on KS.
Also, if this is your first time to Thailand, let me know and I'll offer some thoughts on what to do and what to avoid.