Is Krabi over rated ?
When hearing about Thailand and it’s beautiful beaches, one place in particular stands out - ‘Krabi'. A place which is advertised as one of Asia's finest destinations as well as being rated as the best beach in Thailand.
Prepared and anticipating a hype, as we expected tourists from around the world flocked to shore.
Fortunately for us, living in China as expats has given us the opportunity to travel many South East Asian hotspots. However, having traveled throughout Thailand several times we have seen how greatly tourism has increased over the past 3 years.
Departing in February we arrived in Krabi and stayed in the town of Ao Nang on the first night. This commercial town borders the beach which is only accessible by boat. It is filled with bars and restaurants catering to Western standards and even has a great gym we regularly utilized. In the evening we were approached by a lovely group of lady boys who courteously invited us to their cabaret, politely we declined as they seemed more interested in snatching me away from my girlfriend and stealing a cheeky kiss, than entertaining us with their performance.
We set off the next day and were excited to see the famous Railay beach which was only accessible by boat (as it is closed off by the cliffs surrounding it), making it feel almost like an island.
As we arrived to shore we were struck by a vast amount of tourists flocking the beach, which distracted us from the scenery. Taking a photo had become a complication as this paradise did not feel tranquil in the slightest.
Escaping the crowd we decided to walk through the village where we met extremely hospitable Thai locals. They advised us to hit the beach during the early hours of the morning before the tourist boats arrived to shore. We took their word for it and managed to capture the island at its finest.
We rose early the next morning having spent the night in a exquisite yet pricy hotel on the main beach of Railay. Walking through the backroads we were greeted by a group of monkey’s trying to score their breakfast, fortunately for us the wheatgrass shake i had prepared in an old water bottle did not appeal to them.
Arriving on the beach we were rewarded with a spectacular view of an ever long sand bank surrounded by incredible cliffs. It was truly a sight to behold and definitely proved that Krabi WAS everything it has been made out to be.
Making the most of our time as castaways we watched the sunrise greet us to another beautiful day in Thailand, unfortunately a couple of minutes later our paradise was tainted by the flocking tourists in the horizon. We were grateful for our brief moments of solitude on the Island, but felt it was time to move on to our next destination.
