Ao Nang is on the mainland and is in the Krabi province. We visited Ao Nang after island hopping around Koh Yao Noi, Koh Yao Yai, Koh Phi Phi, and Koh Lanta.
Ao Nang is known for its long beaches and there are lots of hotels, restaurants, bars, and shops. Ao Nang is busier than the surrounding islands and it feels more touristy, but it isn’t on the same level as places like Phuket.
Here are some of the things we got up to and what I would recommend for your visit to Ao Nang…
How to get there-
We travelled to Ao Nang from Koh Lanta. We arranged the transfer through our hotel on Koh Lanta and it was very smooth. We had a private minivan that drove on to a car ferry and then to Ao Nang. This took about 3 hours in total.
If you fly into Krabi airport then it is only about a 45 minute drive to Ao Nang.
Where to stay–
Aonang Hill– we stayed in the Aonang Hill hotel courtesy of Jacob’s parents as they were out in Thailand visiting us.
This was a lovely hotel. The rooms were comfortable, a good size, and had a seating area out on the porch.
There was a great infinity pool which had the huge hills as a backdrop. There were lots of sun beds to choose from, and plenty of shade.
Breakfast was included and it was buffet style. It’s the best buffet style breakfast I’ve ever had. There was so much choice and it was all really good quality. We definitely enjoyed this.
Places to eat/drink–
Ma Der restaurant- this was just around the corner from where we stayed. We went twice and both times were the only people there! The food was lovely though, as were the fruit shakes so I’m unsure as to why it was so quiet. The staff very kindly took 10% off our bill when we visited the second time!
CRU kitchen & bar- you can sit inside or outside at this restaurant. It is quite noisy outside though because it’s on the main strip but that means there’s also a lot to look at! It was mainly western options to choose from but that made a nice change for us. I had a margarita pizza which was really nice. Pizza can be hit and miss over in South East Asia but this was great.
Railay bar & bistro- we went here for some lunch when we visited Railay beach for the day. There were lots of options, including lots of veggie choices. I went with the tofu burrito which was very nice but I was disappointed it didn’t come with fries. I did still feel a bit hungry afterwards.
Things to do–
Kayak through the mangrove forest- we booked our tour with a company called ‘Kayak’ through WhatsApp. The number is +66 93 728 1495. It cost us about £13 each for 2 hours of kayaking with a guide through the mangrove forest.
We started at about 9am which was perfect because it wasn’t too hot yet. It would have been really unpleasant weather wise to do it later in the day.
We stopped off at Monkey Beach (where there were no monkeys!) and then made our way to the mangrove forest. We saw a monitor lizard and lots of jellyfish along the way. I definitely didn’t want to fall in the water.
It was very peaceful kayaking through the mangrove forest until a monkey jumped onto the kayaks to drink out of a water bottle! It’s safe to say I was glad when the monkey jumped back into the trees.
It was a great experience and our guide was really good. We didn’t feel rushed and he explained everything really well. We were even given fresh watermelon afterwards. I would highly recommend doing this in Ao Nang.
We did decide to get a taxi there but then had a real problem getting a taxi back. I would recommend either going with the pick up option or just renting a motorbike.
Visit Railay beach- we almost didn’t bother going to Railay beach because we had seen lots of TikTok’s about how busy it is and that there are lots of jellyfish in the sea.
The jellyfish bit is definitely true so we couldn’t swim in the sea, but it wasn’t as busy as I thought it would be. It was nice to walk around and take in the scenery.
We did find a nice cafe to have some lunch (Railay bar & bistro) but I did find that lots of google reviews for places in Railay had food poisoning mentioned. Just keep this in mind when choosing somewhere to eat.
We got a long tail boat from Ao Nang which cost 200 baht (around £4.30) per person for both ways. It was very quick and easy. We didn’t have to wait very long at either end to get on the boat.
Wander round the night market- there was lots to see at the night market so it’s definitely a way to pass some time! I bought a bowl made from a coconut shell, and we tried out some different flavours of mochi and coconut ice cream.
Go to Kuam Nom Saow restaurant at sunset- we decided to get a taxi here because we planned on having a few drinks but we quickly realised they didn’t serve alcohol! Apparently you are welcome to take your own though.
Obviously make sure you get your timings right and get to the viewpoint before sunset. There are a few steps to climb and then you have a wonderful view of the sun setting behinds the mountains.
After sunset we walked back down to the restaurant and had our tea. I had a Pad Thai which was really good. The prices were also very reasonable.
I really wouldn’t recommend relying on a taxi because we weren’t able to get one back. The very kind man who owned the restaurant dropped us off at a 7 Eleven where we were eventually able to get a taxi. Just rent motorbikes instead.
Watch Muay Thai boxing- I wasn’t sure what to expect with this but I actually really enjoyed it. There were 9 different fights with boys and men whose age must have ranged from 7 to 25.
It was actually more violent than I anticipated but they were all so skilled, even the young boys. It was really impressive to watch and the whole crowd really got into it.
It was more expensive than I thought it would be. It cost 1200 Baht per person (around £26) and it lasted for 2 hours. It was very hot and the stadium was pretty run down but this all added to the authenticity!
Hong island boat tour- we did this as a private boat tour through Krabi Castaway Tours and for 4 of us it cost 12000 Baht (around £262). This was a lot of money and I wouldn’t say that we got value for money. It was nice having the boat to ourselves and it was a slightly comfier boat than others I’ve been on but this was as far as the private experience went.
We did the Hong Island sunset BBQ tour. We were picked up from our hotel at 1pm and taken to our long tail boat. We had a guide and the captain on board, both of whom were lovely.
We went to Hong beach where there is a viewpoint, Hong Lagoon, Lading Island, and Pakbia Island. None of the stops were jam packed with tourists but there were other boats there at the same time.
We weren’t able to go in the sea at all because of all of the jellyfish. We did actually see a jellyfish that our guide confirmed was poisonous so there was no way we were getting in the water!
We were the only ones on Pakbia Island at first so we thought we had our own private beach! This was where we were going to watch the sunset and have the BBQ. Unfortunately a couple of boats arrived after a short while and absolutely filled the beach. We were disappointed having paid for the private tour because it wasn’t a private experience at all. The sunset was still beautiful though.
The journey back was a bit rough. It took an hour and of course it was dark by this point. It was a bit scary being in a long tail boat in the dark so I’m not sure I would do that again.
I would recommend doing one of the boat tours but I wouldn’t bother doing a private one and I wouldn’t recommend the sunset tour if you would feel uneasy about being on a boat at night.
How to get around-
The best way to get around Ao Nang would be by motorbike. We regretted not renting a bike because the taxi fees quickly added up and we actually found it very difficult to get taxis in some places.
There is Grab available in Ao Nang but we seemed to have to wait quite a while for the taxis and there were none available in certain locations so keep this in mind.
You can walk around the centre of Ao Nang but to get further afield you need either a motorbike or a taxi.
How long to spend in Ao Nang-
We spent 5 nights in Ao Nang which was probably 1 night too much. I think that 4 nights would be the right amount of time to be able to do everything you want to do in Ao Nang.
I personally prefer being on the islands to the mainland so I would rather spend longer on the islands. However, if you like to be somewhere that is a bit busier and has more nightlife then you might prefer to spend longer in Ao Nang.
Down to Earth Travel 
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