Rainy Days At The Beautiful Ao Nang Beach

Ao Nang beach in Krabi

After spending over a week in Phuket, we were ready to visit a more quiet area in the southern islands of Thailand during our second month of full time travel. Ao Nang in Krabi was the perfect place for us with its laidback feel. Despite the fact that Ao Nang is the busiest and most western region in Krabi, the area was still a stark contrast compared to Phuket.

We arrived from Phuket by bus after a long and crazy day (including hitching a ride from a kind stranger!) and decided to explore the area by foot. We were exhausted and hungry from what might be the longest commute ever.

There is one main road in Ao Nang. All you need to do is follow it to get to Ao Nang beach

Hair salon!

Colourful mosque starting to glow as night falls

The town itself is tiny and within walking distance and most places are situated along the main road that leads to Ao Nang beach.

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Why we chose to visit Ao Nang in Krabi

View of beautiful Ao Nang from our hotel at Centra by Centara Phu Pano Resort Krabi

We just about had enough with beaches after spending a month in Bali and over a week in Phuket. Initially, we thought about doing an excursion to Phi Phi Islands from Ao Nang but decided that our James bond Island tour gave us a good enough experience with island hopping in Thailand. We were looking for a place that’s quiet and chill, which made Ao Nang all the more perfect for us. We thought about visiting the other Thai islands, like Koh Phangan and Koh Phi Phi but later decided against it.

We did plan on visiting Railay beach at some point, which is best reached by taking a long-tail boat from Ao Nang beach. That was another important reason why we decided to stay in Ao Nang.

The weather in Ao Nang during the rainy season

We carried our umbrella and wore our bright yellow raincoats virtually the whole time when we were in Ao Nang

Unlike Phuket where we experienced almost no rain, Ao Nang was rainy and damp during our entire stay. That was a pain in the butt because I needed to dry out my Birkenstocks and it was a struggle when Ao Nang was so damp and humid. Long story short, my Birkenstocks got super wet. When I tried to dry them in Ao Nang, I discovered that mold was growing on my sandals! It was a complete bummer because we were taking a very long journey to get to Bangkok… with my moldy sandals in our suitcase. Gross.

The ultimate bummer was that my Birkenstocks developed mold after the first wear!

At the L Resort Krabi, where a little bit of rain is not going to stop us from going outside

Still, Ao Nang was very scenic and fun to explore by foot

Homes right in front of limestone mountains if you walk outside of the touristy area of Ao Nang. I spent a whole summer raising pet chickens and ducks in a home like this in Vietnam

If you can’t tell by now, I love visiting places where I can explore by foot.

Yay for big and clean sidewalks!

There are no shopping malls in Ao Nang, just small souvenir shops on the main street. If you’re looking for laundry, you have to look carefully for a laundry sign

The Ao Nang Merlin Statue along the beachfront

Railay beach was the highlight of Ao Nang

There’s a crazy story about how we got to Ao Nang! To be shared at a later date…

The highlight of our Ao Nang stay was definitely visiting Railay beach, where we lucked out with decent weather for a few hours.

This beach is stunningly beautiful

Food in Ao Nang

Fried rice at twice the price of what you pay in the rest of Thailand

We were not impressed with the food options available in Ao Nang. There weren’t any night markets, and all the restaurants were overpriced and touristy. In short, it was hard to find good Thai food. Because my stomach was still burning from that spicy noodle soup I ate in Phuket, I was on the hunt for congee. Sadly, the simple rice porridge was the same price as what you’d pay in Canada.

Same with the noodles

The town did not have many big restaurant chains. There was a Burger King, McDonald’s, and Starbucks, but the rest were local businesses.

Can’t say I wasn’t super relieved to find a Starbucks on the main street of Ao Nang

Ao Nang, a very chill and quiet place to visit

Goodbye Ao Nang beach! Time to head to Bangkok!

Despite the crazy rain in Ao Nang, we still enjoyed our visit and felt it was a nice contrast to Phuket. But at this point in our year of travelling, we’ve had enough of beaches (SAY WHAT? Yah, I know, I can’t believe I said that) and were ready to make our way to Bangkok!

Read Next: A short stopover in Bangkok before heading to Ayutthaya

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