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Most alluring things to do in Krabi We often like to describe Krabi, located in the province of the same name, as Phuket’s little sibling. It’s smaller, quieter (although it doesn’t always feel like this!) and overall a more casual destination. A holiday in Krabi is often a more affordable destination versus Phuket and whilst it still reflects its backpacker origins the area now offers many mid-market and some up-market dining and accommodation options. Of course, this doesn’t mean to say that there is a lack of attractions, indeed quite the opposite when considering things to do in Krabi, and for many people on a once-a-lifetime holiday to the south of Thailand, it makes complete sense to combine both Phuket and Krabi in a single trip. When people say ‘Krabi’ most really mean ‘Ao Nang’. This town, and nearby beach villages comprise a strip along the West Coast of about 4km. The strip starts from Nopparat Thara Pier in the north and journeys to the commercial zone at Ao Nang beach in the south. It is along this coastal strip that most will source accommodation for a holiday in Krabi. There is also a huge range of restaurants and shops (but no malls). Krabi Province Krabi Province can be reached by road from Phuket (~2.5hrs) as well as by ferry (3 – 4 hrs) from Rassada Pier near Phuket Town. However, the quickest way from Phuket is via speedboat (1hr). This is best done via private charter and Simba Sea Trips offers a Krabi Boat Tour that is hard to pass up! Krabi has an international airport (30 to 40 minutes by taxi at 600 baht) with most flights from Bangkok although increasingly there are direct seasonal flights from the Middle East and Northern Europe. Once in town the travel options are very easy and cheap compared to Phuket – tuk tuk journeys about 30 baht per person and local buses range between 50 and 100 baht per journey. With respect to land-based activities in Krabi, we will repeat the advice we often provide our customers about the best way to get around for a day tour. Hiring a driver and car is often very affordable (2,000 to 2,400 baht for 6 to 8 hours) and very efficient as you can hit up all the key land-based attractions for a holiday in Krabi (sometimes in a single day) without having to plan for sometimes unreliable public transport. Just remember to make it very clear to the driver that you are not interested in a ‘city tour’ (aka shopping tour) otherwise you’ll find yourself being ferried from one overpriced souvenir shop to another. Krabi vs Phuket – Island OR City Before we dive into some of Krabi’s attraction it’s important to point out some key differences when considering Krabi vs Phuket: Top-end market offerings for accommodation, dining, etc. is relatively limited so don’t assume Krabi is a luxury destination (but nevertheless part of the charm when holidaying in Krabi) It is very compact and easy to get around (& cheaper!) but this can leave one with the impression that Ao Nang is busier than it actually is; and There are lovely beaches of very special quality in the immediate Krabi area and it is a very easy and cost-effective area to reach. * The best time to visit Krabi island differs significantly from that of Phuket. While Phuket is an all-year around the destination, the best time to visit Krabi island tends to be between November and March although there is no real issue with visiting at other times of the year. Railay Beach Without a doubt the standout attraction for your holiday in Krabi is Railay Beach. The beach and towering limestone cliffs on the west side are truly stunning and arguably the most picturesque site in the entire Phuket AND Krabi region. The surf is very sedate as Railay is a protected bay and it is unusual to suffer from crowds if you take an early tour such as those offered by Simba Sea Trips. A 5-minute walk takes you to the east side and whilst there are no beaches one can visit Phra Nang Cave and surrounding cliffs. This area is very popular with rock climbers and there is also a pathway to a viewpoint nearby. Be warned though, the ‘path’ is very steep, is rope assisted in places and does require a high level of agility. But of course, the fantastic views make it all worthwhile. Time permitting we’d recommend staying a night on Railay to soak up the relaxed atmosphere and experience the beach and its surrounds at sunrise. Boat Tours Ao Nang is well placed to provide tours into both Phi Phi and the eastern fringe of the Phang Nga Bay area. Word of note – we are not aware of any premium tour operating at Simba Sea Trips standard – rather the market is very much about budget speedboat tours and Long Tail tours. This can mean high passenger numbers per boat and basic food offerings, when comparing Krabi vs Phuket making a Simba trip ideal. Phi Phi is 40 to 50 minutes away (Phuket 60 to 70 min) and the journey is less exposed to the bumpy sea conditions that can sometimes be found between Phuket and Phi Phi. Tiger Cave Temple One of the great things to do in Krabi is to visit the Tiger Cave Temple which is located 18km northeast of Ao Nang. This temple is famous for the tiger paw prints on the cave walls and the amazing views for the broader Krabi area from the summit. Speaking of the summit, just make sure you have the necessary fitness to cover the 1,237 steps! As you can imagine well worth the effort given the quality of the views! Krabi Town Night Market If you have hit the night markets of Phuket this visit might not be essential, but if not we’d definitely recommend. Krabi Town is located some

The Best Restaurants in Thailand that are worth checking out What are the best restaurants in Thailand that are guaranteed to provide a unique dining experience? I will have you know that Thailand is loaded with restaurants that deliver incredible experiences that many visitors will never forget. From fine dining to local cuisines to street food, you’ll be mesmerized by the meals and the great service that is provided. It’s normal to hear visitors shocked at how little they paid for well-prepared meals. As for spots where you can spend lavishly, you are assured to get value for your money. Read on and discover some of the restaurants within Thailand that will deliver an experience unrivaled anywhere else on Earth. Places to eat in Phuket When looking for the best restaurants in Phuket, you really can’t go wrong with the following: Blue Elephant Found in the center of Phuket is the Blue Elephant specializing in Royal Thai cuisine. If you want to be treated like Thai royalty, eat here. It is an actual mansion of the old Chinese colony offering fine dining in retrospect. It takes you back in time with its lavish surroundings that reminds you of a more genteel era. It also has an epic underlit bar. Blue Elephant offers an amazing blend of traditional royal dishes which may been forgotten by many. They also refine some to appeal to those customers who prefer more modern tastes. Chef Nooror ensures that many uncommon, “forgotten”, and traditional Thai dishes that are no longer served in most Thai restaurants, are available here. You can start with a foie gras in a rich tamarind sauce often accompanied by fresh eggplant salad along with grilled scallops. Then we’d suggest moving on to the delicious chicken and cashew mix with steamed bass in lemon sauce combined with a green curry soup served with red or white organic rice of your choice.The Blue Elephant is an excellent place to dine. Panveree the Greenery Not only providing great traditional Thai dishes but in a setting that is to die for, Panveree the Greenery is a magnificent choice for a dining experience you’ll never forget. The appeal of this venue is that it is in the heart of Khao Sok amidst a floating resort. Of course, this makes it exceptionally hard to get to unless staying at the resort itself but there is another option for those looking to experience this unique dining experience… That option is to arrive via boat and Simba Sea Trips provides this stop as part of their Phang Nga Bay tour! Acqua The Acqua is a trendy, award-winning Italian restaurant that offers fine dining experiences in Phuket. Diners have the chance to enjoy a wide range of dishes from around Thailand and internationally. For starters, you can get grilled eggplant rolls stuffed with truffled ricotta cheese and asparagus on a roasted eggplant mash. You can also go for the paccheri pasta with lamb ragout cooked in Chianti wine. Brown lentil soup with pork guanciale and rosemary is another great choice. Or why not try South Italian style seafood soup with fresh tomato and Italian pepperoncino. To crown your dining experience, a vanilla flan with Moka caramel is available for dessert. You won’t be disappointed. Suay Restaurant Top notch meals at a reasonably affordable price is what you get at Suay. Found in downtown Phuket, chef Tammasak is the driving force behind this outstanding venue. Providing diners with a lovely ambience, this white and green, well-lit restaurant provides grilled sea scallops to braised beef served in tasty green curry. What makes this onto the list of the best restaurants in Thailand is that Suay has an ever-changing menu, as is common to many local restaurants, but its meals are well-cooked and it’s environment is neat and welcoming making it one of the best Thailand restaurants. Ka Jok See Restaurant Not a world-renowned restaurant but amazingly famous to those around Phuket. Hotels.com describes it as “unusual, yet successful.” On a fun night out, you can walk into Ka Jok See with its beautiful Thai-European look and low lighting to eat local Thai food while you meet and socialize with the locals. Be ready to party hard once it’s past nine. You find some people standing on the tables dancing their hearts out! These tables are covered with newspapers to be replaced often. So, don’t worry about eating and dancing on the same table. Just make sure you don’t have to be anywhere to be early the following day. Their dishes are served in large portions and are extremely affordable. Restaurants in Thailand with Great Views Bo.lan Found in Sukhumvit, Bangkok, the wonder couple Duangporn Songvisava and Dylan Jones promote the Thai heritage by creatively cooking tasty and delectable meals from fresh produce. The Bo.lan is well known for its Chao Pra Ya, a Thai spirit made from ginger, mandarin vodkas, sticky rice, and bitters. This is often taken alongside crisp chicken skin or pickles. Other exciting, topnotch, fun foods include pork ribs in a little peppery curry soup or chicken prepared in spicy turmeric soup. Meals at Bo.lan are not only adventurous but do tell a story about the Thai tradition in an exceptionally chic interior. It is easy to locate and the food is affordable. The restaurant obviously cares a lot about people’s different dietary needs as evidenced by their menus. Le Du Restaurant This culinary wonder is located in Silom, Bangkok, away from the hustle and bustle of busy roads. It allows you to have a meal in peace, quiet, and a stylish setting. Though it sounds French, it isn’t a French restaurant at all. It offers excellent Thai dishes in the most creative manner. Be ready to take your taste buds on a road trip with the restaurant’s innovative variations of traditional Thai dishes. You will also find a variety of intercontinental dishes prepared by chef Ton and his team. You need not worry about quality as chef Ton is

One of the most interesting places to visit on Phi Phi Island has to be Monkey Beach Thailand. You may also hear Monkey Beach referred to as its traditional Thai name which is Yong Gasem Bay or Ao Ling. Ao Ling is an exact Thai translation for Ling Ao, whereas Yong Gasem Bay is the area. It is also commonly called Monkey Island. This is an awesome break from the nightlife in Phuket. The Monkey Island Phuket Experience Monkey Island in Phuket is a small cove located on a peninsula on Koh Phi Phi Don, the larger of the two main Phi Phi Islands. This peninsula helps form part of Ton Sai Bay which is where the vast majority of boats coming and going from the busy tourist area of Phi Phi load and unload their guests. How to get to monkey beach Phi Phi Island Monkey Beach is accessible only by boat or Kayak from Phi Phi Don. There is no entrance for cars and an absence of roads leading to it. Our recommended method would be to book by tour boat, as the boat traffic levels are quite high in this area, in-experienced Kayakers may struggle with the constant wakes generated by boats, some of them being quite large and fast moving. The bay is quite a small area of sand and it can also get quite busy so it is best to head there in the morning before all the speedboats start arriving. You could also go later in the afternoon which may be a good idea as the friendly monkeys will be well fed by then and a little less aggressive. You are not allowed to feed the monkeys but sadly many people do. Unfortunately, you will find all sorts of scraps left over that people have taken to feed the monkeys on Monkey Beach.  As mutual lovers of our natural environment please help us care for it as if it was your own backyard. Monkey Island in Phuket – Once in a lifetime experience You may be wondering if it is worth all the effort in getting to Monkey Beach? We can assure you that it is but if you are scared of monkeys then it’s probably not advisable to paddle here on your own. In this case, it would be best to stay with a tour such as one of our Phi Phi Island tours.  Safety in numbers! Our Ultimate Phi Phi Sunrise tour has developed worldwide acclaim as a trusted high-quality tour out of Phuket.  Don’t take our word for it though. View what other travelers are saying about Simba on Trip Advisor.  No other tour boat company in all of Thailand has such a strong and consistent customer satisfaction profile as us. Book a Phuket boat tour for an unforgettable experience! Monkey Beach Thailand is the place to be for animal lovers If you’re an animal lover like me and visiting Phi Phi Islands on a tour out of Phuket, then Monkey Beach adds a great point of difference to the day. A break from marveling at the stunning geological formations or admiring the beautiful and frantically busy underwater ecosystems. We suggest viewing these guys from the safety of our boat. Watch this interesting troop of our cute little relatives go about their daily life in paradise. Monkey Beach Thailand – Who is it for? This destination is perfect for people who like to have fun whenever they are travelling and in the meantime, love seeing animals in their natural habitat! The nice and friendly monkeys can even have some human interaction. Take photos of the monkeys and keep the memory forever and also share it online! Not to mention the fact that you can do this while also admiring the horizon and the merge of nature and the blue crystal waters of the island. Monkey Facts The fascinating Long-Tailed Macaques clamber down the rock face to come and greet the boats and tourists, hoping to get something to eat. This species of Macaque is also known as the Crab-Eating Macaque as they are often seen foraging for crabs. This is actually a little misleading as this breed of monkey is actually about 80% reliant on fruit in their diet. So if you must feed these guys, then fruit is probably the least problematic to sustaining their foraging style of survival. Personally, these guys rank pretty highly on the cute scale of wildlife. They are one of the much smaller sub-species of Macaques so are a lot less intimidating than the larger bodied groups of Macaques you see throughout other parts of the world. Their youngest baby monkeys are incredibly cute at around the size of a small domestic kitten, at this age usually seen clinging to their Mum’s back or drinking milk.  While the adults’ bodies are the size of a large domestic cat or small to a medium-sized breed of dog such as a Pug. They predominantly socialize in groups of adult females and young monkeys.  I enjoy watching them interact with each other and enjoy the very human-like mannerisms they exude. Particularly the more active young monkeys, constantly clowning around until they drop!  As these guys are wild, there is no script to follow. On any given day you may see this family living in blissful harmony, whilst other days you may witness a dramatic power struggle developing amongst the maturing young males. Human Interaction The interactions with humans are always interesting viewing also.  In the human world, our social cues are very different to these primates. We all can’t help smiling and showing our pearly whites at our cute little furry friends. I personally find myself making eye-contact with them, only to have them abruptly look away.  In a Monkey’s world if I’m showing my teeth to someone that’s a sign of aggression, likewise making eye-contact. So they also must view us as similar creatures to themselves! You do need to be quite cautious about your belongings and the monkeys like to take anything they can

The Best Island Restaurants in Phuket If you’re lucky enough to be chartering one of our private charter boats then you may want to consider visiting some of these fabulous island restaurants that you can only reach by boat if you are staying on Phuket Here’s our favourite selection on Kho Yao Noi La Sala Restaurant – This hidden gem dishes up some amazing, authentic Thai food. It is located with Pavilion Resort so if you are staying there it will be easy to find. Our favourite dish was the Pomelo Salad. It was full of juicy prawns and tangy pomelo. Chaba Café and Gallery – If you’re looking for something on the healthier side then this is the place for you. The café serves up not only nutritious but delicious food too. They have plenty of options for the vegan traveller. Our top picks were the Buddha bowl and the coconut ice-cream, yum! Our top pick for Koh Yao Yai Baan Rim Nam Restaurant – Perched on stilts over the water at Koh Yao Yai, this unassuming little restaurant could be easily missed. It doesn’t look like much but boy does it deliver! Amazing bbq seafood is what is on the menu here. Note, they don’t serve any alcohol due to religious reasons. For more information on Kho Yao Island reach our dedicated article. How about Rang Yai Island Rang Yai Island is a private island with only the one restaurant and bar. The prices are quite high but that’s completely understandable considering they need to bring everything in by boat. The food is good Thai but what makes this restaurant so special is the fact that it is a private island. You can sit on a beach chair under the shade of a tree whilst sipping on a cocktail and eating a Phad Thai. It doesn’t get much more relaxed than that. Finish off the combo by taking a dip in the sea. Then There is Koh Naka Noi Situated on this lovely island is the 5 star resort, The Naka. This is certainly not a cheap option but definitely worth the extra money. The food here is gourmet Thai and presented beautifully. The pomelo salad there is to die for. Big juicy pieces of pomelo tossed with toasted coconut and topped with big prawns, doesn’t get much better! No matter where you are thinking of heading, there are some terrific options for island restaurants on the list provided above. But this is merely a taster of what is available throughout the wide-range of eateries on islands throughout Phuket.