I'm flying into Krabi (from Singapore on Tiger Airways) for 3 days with a friend.... and am debating how to split up the visit between Krabi and Phi Phi Island. Seems like one option is to spend 3 nights in Krabi and do a day trip to Phi Phi, another option is to spend the first night in Krabi (flight arrives a bit late), and then head over to Phi Phi the next afternoon for two nights, and then back to Krabi in the evening for our return flight.

The sense I get is that Phi Phi is a really beautiful island, but the resorts are really isolated, whereas Krabi is more developed - I like nice resorts for sleeping and relaxing, but like to be close to a "city" for dining and daytime activity options.

Also any suggestions on the Sheraton Krabi? I know it's pricey relative to other hotels in Thailand, but it's fairly cheap relative to Caribbean or Hawaii. ;-)

Any advice (or tips on good websites/guidebooks) is welcome!

It's not quite that simple. Krabi is an entire province, and while there is a Krabi Town in there, you probably won't even see it. Ao Nang is the most developed beach strip, while Rai Leh is a scenic headland nearby which is not reachable by road. Ko Phi Phi, Ko Lanta, Ko Jum etc are all parts of the province. An overview:

http://wikitravel.org/en/Krabi_%28province%29

For what it's worth, when I visited Krabi a while back, we stayed at Ao Nang (which had a good selection of hotels in all price ranges) and daytripped to Rai Leh (kayaking) and Phi Phi (diving). It worked out quite nicely. ^

Phi Phi is pretty overrun in the high season in my experience (there is one resort off on its own, can't remember which one). Should be fine now though.

If you're interested in nightlife, Phi Phi is your spot. Otherwise, here's an excellent resource to help you choose:

http://www.travelfish.org/
http://www.travelfish.org/location/t...nd/krabi/krabi
http://www.travelfish.org/location/t...abi/ko_phi_phi

Would you recommend staying away from the phi phi entirely because August is a complete wash-out? My husband and I are considering samui versus phi phi. We do not mind periodic rain, but are looking to relaxing on the beach and perhaps snorkeling here and there as well. Any recommendations?

You might want to determine the current diving conditions near each of those locations. Earlier this year, visibility was not excellent in general on Thailand's East coast- though Phi Phi was actually a bit better than other locations. Off the West coast, the area around Samui - or Ko Tao in particular - might be a better bet. As for the islands themselves - both are amazing, each with its own unique ambiance. Not sure what the rainfall comparison would be for August.

http://wikitravel.org/en/Ko_Samui
http://www.travelfish.org/location/t...thani/ko_samui