Wonderfully Tropical Escapism – Krabi & Koh Lanta
Krabi is located on the west coat mainland facing the Andaman Sea and and slightly further south of island of Koh Lanta which is linked by car-ferry and/or speedboat. Both are wonderfully tropical, with limestone islands emerging from the generally turquoise waters. Krabi is much more developed and has a lively nightlife scene at Ao Nang, although our featured hotels are located away from this.
Koh Lanta is quieter with just a couple of good hotels, glorious beaches and a real sense of escapism. There are regular flights Bangkok to Krabi (60 minutes). For Koh Lanta you travel on by road and/or speedboat for about another 90 minutes.
Weatherwise
Both are generally at their best December to May. The summer months are described as Red Flag season (maybe more aptly long face season), with higher sea swells and beach erosion.
Pleasures
Our three hotels in Krabi Provence are rated as amongst the best in the region (listed below), but with very different personalities and locations. They are wonderfully tropical, particularly Rayavadee, which must have one of the most photographed beaches in the world! Many of Krabi’s hotels, especially the newer ones, are not on the beach so you have to travel to find one. Not surprisingly many end at Railay Beach, location of the Rayavadee.
Koh Lanta, maybe because it is more of a longer experience to get to, has a wonderfully quiet and relaxing atmosphere, with extremely limited nightlife and shopping. It appeals to those seeking to avoid mass tourism. It is coming, but the beaches are rarely crowded even on the busiest days.
Both Krabi and Koh Lanta have an abundance of eco-adventures such as trekking and hiking, elephant camps (the fantastic Elephant Hills Jungle Resort is just 2 hours away), sea adventures and yacht hire. Krabi has a couple of fun golf courses – Koh Lanta doesnt!
There are now direct flights from Chiang Mai to Krabi, so twin or multi-centre options are very easy to arrange.
Realities
Many of the newer more moderate hotels in Krabi are away from the beaches, so day trippers will want to share your more upscale slice of paradise! Travelling to Koh Lanta can either be a chore or part of the unique holiday experience, but it tends to keep the crowds away.
“There’s no such thing as the best hotel, just the right one…”
Click for Booking Terms, Price Guides & Flight Information
All price guides are Per Person Sharing Double Room (Entry level), based on travel between May and/or June when prices are generally at their lowest and include promotional offers.
Supplements will probably apply at other times, particularly mid-summer in the Med, and for rooms and/or transfers arranged for single travellers.
For example, the Caribbean and Indian Ocean prices for winter can be approximately double the May – June level and about 50% more in Asia.
For the Mediterranean & Canary Islands, Caribbean, Arabia and the Indian Ocean (except Sri Lanka) price guides generally include airfare and transfers.
*For Sri Lanka and Far East we show a per person per night hotel guide, excluding air fare, as arrangements tend to be individually tailored multi-centre itineraries.
Please refer to Travel Advice on our home page or look at www.fco.gov.uk as the Foreign Office may have issued specific destination information on safety and terrorism.
Click for our CHIC Locations Booking Terms & Conditions PDF
