moretimeoffguy

I'd like to do a week in Krabi > Phi Phi > Phuket. My interests are chiefly hiking, seeing the limestone formations (that's my #1 reason for going), and to a lesser extent snorkeling--possibly staying in some ocean front rooms. I'm not a beach guy but would love to see some beautiful beaches. I'm just not going to lounge around on the sand all day. I also like it relatively quiet and am not into party scenes at all.

How many days are advisable to stay in each area?

The Phi Phi islands catch my interest most so it would be interesting to stay a few nights there. But I've heard it's a Party Place. Is it a backpacker armpit and are there really no nice resorts in the Phi Phi islands?

Phuket doesn't much interest me, but I've been advised that a Krabi > Phi Phi > Phuket, then flying to BKK from Phuket, is a good route to take.

My hotel budget is USD $50 to $100 per night. Are there any bungalows available in this area and do they have air conditioning? I'm going to Thailand in April and have read it's the hottest month, with temps regularly over 100F.

bwiadca

I'm also going there in couple of weeks. Can't wait. I'm doing 9 days in Phuket and 7 days in BKK.
As usual we are staying at Dewa resort in Na Yang. About 5 minutes from the airport. My garden room (kind of like a one story townhouse) is about $70 a night. You can get pool villa for double that, but after getting it twice I don't think it's worth it. It's a nice place, but the 'pool' is actually soak pool. You can't really swim in it.
They have 2 huge pools on the property and decent breakfast.
If you are into hiking, you can do what I did. Its called Sirinat National Park, but not the North part next to the airport, it's about 20 minutes walk from the Dewa hotel and you start at the beach near Marriott resort.



National Park in Phuket

It's a place where not many tourist know about. Thanks to this you will not encounter them during your hike. I've run into couple of locals going/coming from fishing.
From Marriott to the small beach on the East side of this screenshot you would walk for about 30 minutes. You can practice your Thai reading skills as most of the trees have plates with the plant's names.
The hiking trail starts behind illegally built condos. It's bit hilly but the start is on the rocky beach. Bring a lot of water with you as there are no places past Marriott area to buy anything.


Hike

When I go to Phuket I don't go to the crazy areas. Been there so many times but never in Patong. Also I'm not a beach person, and the only time you will see me on the beach is when I'm doing plane spotting and they are landing from the Andaman Sea side. Na Yang / Mai Khao area is kind of secluded and quiet.
Lots of good places with great food! That's my 2 cents regarding Phuket Enjoy your visit!

Kacee

What time of year? The monsoon season (May-October) has a big impact on what you can do in this part of the world. Not just the rain, but the considerably rougher seas.

moretimeoffguy

April. So heat will be my main challenge.

moretimeoffguy

Thanks for much for the great info on Phuket! Ever been to Krabi or the Phi Phi islands? I'd really like to spend time viewing all the crazy limestone formations and see the James Bond film locations.

BinSabai

Phi Phi is closest accessible from Krabi. Krabi itself has a lot of limestone formations combined with white sand dunes or beaches (Railay, Thalee Waek, Chicken Island etc.)...you can hire your own long tail boat (for example from Nopparat Pier)
James Bond Island (ko tapu in Thai) is part of the famous Phang Nga Bay, which has the most lime stone rocks in whole Thailand. Easiest accessible form Phang Nga, for example from Surakul Pier, where you can also hire your own long tail boat

moretimeoffguy

Thanks so much BinSabai, that's exactly the type of info I need. Do you have any hotel recommendations in these areas or should I just browse Agoda.com? I always feel the most secure with personal recommendations from FlyerTalk SMEs. I leave for Asia soon, on April 8th, so I don't have much time left to book lodging.

moretimeoffguy

And can anyone recommend bungalow lodging in these areas or Chiang Mai (in the mountains or jungle would be a great contrast to the sea / beaches). Preferably with AC. One of my fondest travel memories was renting a bungalow in a rice field on the outskirts of Ubud Bali, long before Ubud was ruined by Eat, Pray, Love.

I stayed at Londo Bungalows in Penestanan and did little more than read books, journal, eat well, and attend cultural performances like dances / gamelan. A huge highlight was attending a cremation ceremony outside of Ubud. Really elaborate. Several families had jointly saved up for it.

https://londobungalows.com/Home_Page.html

Only cost USD $5/nt to stay there with free breakfast and all the tea I could drink throughout the day.

There was no nightlife in Ubud in the late 90s which is one reason it attracted me. In my research I quickly learned Kuta Beach would be the stuff of my nightmares so I got as far away from the coast as I could.

Can I experience anything like this in Thailand?

bwiadca

Never been to Phi Phi or Krabi. Never enough time at Phuket to go somewhere else
This time we are going to Samet Nangshe Viewpoint in Phang Nga. If you like mountainous islands you should look for day trips with organized tours from Phuket ($30-$50 round trip in a boat to Kho Phra Wat Noi island).
The drive from Phuket airport area to that place is under an hour. I saw it on one of the videos and I want to go there just for the views
Search around and think about other islands where there are not many tourists. Like I've said, there is tons to do and see in Phuket and surrounding areas besides Bangla Road in Patong.
Keep in mind that in April weather in Phuket is unpredictable. It can be hot and stormy or just sunny and calm. I have booked private fishing trip with 3 or 4 'rain check' dates

SKT-DK

I know it is a bit out of the way, but if you want unspoilt peace and quiet, I would suggest Koh Mak off of Trat province. It is a bit like other parts of Thailand were 30 years ago. Or Rayong (east of Rayong city, mind you) - sound like you would like their botanical gardens for instance, which is the largest in Thailand. It has huge bodies of water within it, where you can paddle board around the whole area as a circular trip - very nice experience. It is only around 2.5 hrs from BKK.

BinSabai

Last time in Krabi we were staying in the Sofitel, which is probably a bit over your given price target. A very beautiful hotel built in colonial style with one of the largest swimming pool in Thailand... but there is a road in between the beach and the hotel. But this did not bother me as we were there with our own car and went ourselves for the best places and to rent a long tail boat
But Ao Nang and Nopparat beach have many hotels at moderate prices
the hike on Tiger Cave temple is another must do in Krabi

moretimeoffguy

I'm seeing decent prices at the Sand Sea Resort on Railay Beach. But evidently, half the property is on Railay West and half is on Railay East. Anyone know for sure how I can be sure to book a room on the Railay West side? (evidently the West is the more desirable side). Prices are around USD $59/nt to $150/nt.

Railay Bay Resort & Spa looks good too but rooms begin at USD $110/nt.

I'm thinking of spending 3 nights at Railay, then staying 2 nights somewhere on Phi Phi, then end in Phuket.

One glitch may be that flights from DMK to Krabi don't arrive until 6 pm or 7 pm in the evening. Is that too late to find transport to Ao Nang and then a longboat to Railay? I arrive at DMK from Siem Reap at 2:30 pm in the afternoon and can't find any flights into Krabi that arrive any earlier than 6 pm. Doesn't it get dark at 6 pm in Thailand in April? (probably most places in SEA). Will that be a safety issue or concern?

And BinSabai, is this the Sofitel you stayed at? It's running USD $139/nt to start. Would it be worth the money to stay here vs. the places I mentioned?

Sofitel Krabi Phokeethra Golf and Spa Resort

bwiadca

If you worry about the late arrival and transfer, why not stay one night in Bangkok? You could either stay by DMK airport or move to BKK and take flight from there,
It's $36 and up for flights leaving in the morning from BKK to Krabi
https://www.google.com/travel/flight...________wGYAQI
There are tons of hotels for ~$30 a night around BKK. Can stay on Lat Krabang street or on King Kaeo Road. (That's what I always do on my last day in Bangkok before flying back to US, I stay in one of the local hotels before going to the airport to catch 2am flight).
And there is plenty of local restaurants (I don't know how big you are on Thai food) and most hotels offer free airport transfer.

But if you decide to fly to Krabi you can get one night hotel somewhere in the city and transfer next morning.
It get's dark in Thailand around 6pm all year round And when you say that it may not be safe what do you mean by that? Not safe to be on the ferry after dark or are you talking about personal safety? If the second then I can tell you that Thailand is a very safe country even after dark. Not even once I felt unsafe and I was in dodgy Bangkok areas. The joke is that if you stay away from major university areas in Bangkok after dark, you'll be ok

moretimeoffguy

Thanks for the great info! Yes I mean personal safety. I wrote to one of the hotels asking about transfers to Railay from the airport after 6 pm.

I’d really rather fly directly from DMK to Krabi and not backtrack through BKK. As long as I can get to Railay that day I won’t worry about the dark.

Yeah I looked earlier and also saw flights for less than USD $40!

Forget if I already mentioned it but I fly into DMK on April 16th at 2:30 pm.

moretimeoffguy

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