7-Day Itinery to see the best of Krabi and Phuket

First things first : “Budget”

  • Time : January-February in 2018 (Peak season!)
  • TIP: Plan ahead!! Book your stay and flight about 3 months prior – which helped us a lot in saving the fixed cost of our trip
  • Duration: 7 days
  • Places visited : Krabi and Phuket
  • Total cost : 1.7 lakhs for 2 people including flights.

Itinerary:

Our Amazing journey to Thailand began on 28th January 2018.

Krabi : 3 nights

Day 1:

Flight from Kolkata -> Krabi

We took Air Asia flight from Kolkata around 2 am in the morning (This flight did not provide free water!). The Flight was via Bangkok. In Bangkok, you will have to go through the immigration process. If you are travelling with Air Asia, once you land in Bangkok, look for a person holding the Air Asia placard indicating your transfer flight or destination.

In Bangkok, we had only 2 hours for the immigration formalities and there was a long queue. It was complete chaos and unorganized. The Visa Officer was trying his best to remain calm with the people and get things done.

After wasting about 30 minutes in the chaos, we finally found an Air Asia representative looking for people for the transfer flight holding a placard with “Krabi” written on it. Soon after, she found five more poor souls like us in the chaos for transfer to Krabi. She helped us immediately with the entire immigration process by cutting straight through the queue and we got our On-Arrival Visa in about 40 minutes.

Then, after security check we ran to our Gates for our Krabi Flight. The Bangkok Airport is a huge one. By luck, our next flight was delayed 😉

Reached Krabi at 12 noon

In Krabi, we booked our stay at Beyond Resorts Krabi which is secluded from the tourist hotspot area with a pristine private beach.

TIP: We booked the resort from the Hotel website and not through third party website. Advantage : We got free couples massage and also 10% discount on food and beverages at the hotel-owned restaurant by the beach.

Hotel Transfer

We got a free hotel trasfer!!!!

TIP: You get a free hotel transfer, if you plan to book your day-trips in Krabi with :
https://www.jctour-krabi.com/

  • The Day-trip operator

JC Tours :
https://www.jctour-krabi.com/

Before we reached Thailand, we had booked the day-trips in Krabi and Phuket online. They have the option to pay later and they accept only Thai Baht cash. So, what they do is – they will offer you a free ride to your hotel from Airport in a good, air-conditioned car where they will have all the receipts of the tours you have booked online. We just have to pay them in cash during the transit to hotel and everything is settled!! It’s pretty smooth and easy!!

Krabi Resort Check-in

We checked into our Resort and the view from our room was amazing! We booked a Sea-View Room with Balcony and it was the best money we spent for a luxurious stay in a semi-luxury budget. 🙂

Resort :
https://www.beyondresortkrabi.com/

Beyond Resort Krabi
Source : https://www.beyondresortkrabi.com/content/uploads/2018/09/Sky-camera_Beyond-Resort-Krabi-low-1400×800.jpg

Enjoying the local Krabi town on first day

After checking in, we immediately freshened up and went down to the beach restaurant for some food.

We ordered Pepperoni Pizza since we were starving and to my surprise it was really yummy and cheesy. Thailand does have some good pizzas ;).

Another must try is Pad Thai noodles – an authentic Thai dish. It was like a burst of flavour in my mouth. We had ordered Pad Thai noodles with Shrimp and the dish was amazing.

  • Pepperoni pizza and Red wine
  • Pad Thai

In the evening, we walked by the beach. The sunset was amazing and the colors in the sky transported us to a fairy-land.

We went outside the hotel and explored the local shops and had a peaceful evening.

Later at night, we had dinner at the beach restaurant and called it a day….

  • Chicken skewers and Chang Beer

Day 2:

Phi Phi Island + Maya Bay + Bamboo Island

We booked this tour with JCTour :

https://www.jctour-krabi.com/nature/index.html

The tour operator picked us up from the hotel and dropped off at Aonang Bay. All the people were gathered here and safety instructions were provided before we hopped on to our speed-boat.

Viking Cave
  • Firstly, they took us to Maya Bay. They decide this depending on the tides on that particular day so that they can pick the correct time for snorkeling. On the way, we visited the Viking cave.
  • In Maya Bay, we had enough time to explore and take pictures.
  • May Bay : It is a small cove in the Phi-Phi stretch. “The Beach” starring Leonardo Di Caprio, was shot here.
  • Pileh Cove : A small beautiful trail through the forest leads to the back of Maya Bay to Pileh Cove. This is were millions of fish gives birth.
  • After about 2 hours, we hopped on to our boats and head towards Phi-Phi Island.
  • Lunch was included in the tour and the guide took us for a lunch buffet!!
  • Interesting fact: You need to take off your shoes and wash your feet before entering the buffet place.
  • There was widespread options for non-veg. Not sure about the veg options. Everything on the spread was very much local food and with authentic taste.
  • After lunch, we did bit of shopping, had ice cream. It was very sunny and humid, so after about 2 hours we were tired of the sun and were resting under a tree on the beach-side, waiting to be picked up on our boat.
  • Then, they took us to Bamboo Island and Loh Sama Bay for snorkeling.
  • Lunch Buffet place
  • Bamboo Island
  • Good for snorkeling at the shore

Day 3:

4-Islands Tour by Speed Boat

We booked the Tour with JCTour :
https://www.jctour-krabi.com/4island/4island.html

Poda Island : It is a pristine beach with white sand. There is no house/restaurant on this island, so the beauty is untouched. Visit early in the day to take your Instagram shots with nature.

Thale-Whake (Separated Sea): The sea is separated by a white-sand pass from one island to the other during low tides. You can walk the pass but come back before the tides rise again!! 😉

Chicken Island: From far, the island looks like a chicken. This is the best place for snorkeling. It is home to millions of colorful fish and coral.

Pra-Nang Bay : There is a story that a princess escaped with treasure from Palace and stayed in a Cave in this Bay. It is called the Princess cave or Phallus Cave now.

  • Princess Cave
  • Phallus Cave
  • Pra-Nang Bay
  • Rock climbing sport

Both the days, the tour ended around 4 PM. So, our evenings were free. We indulged in couples massage in the evening which was very relaxing after a long day. Besides, your Thailand trip is never complete without a Thai massage 😉

The private beach at the Resort was the best part for a lazy evening.

Thai-Food is to die for !!

We found a small eatery nearby the Resort which was perfect to explore authentic Thai dishes at a nominal price. On an average, you can expect to spend at least 600 THB for 2 adults for a fulfilling meal.

  • Crab cakes
  • Chicken Green Thai curry with Shrimp fried rice… luvvvv!!
  • Shrimp in batter with fries
  • Chicken and Tofu Pad Thai noodles.. yummyyy!

Day 4:

Transfer from Krabi to Phuket:

We booked a ferry with JCTour help. They support customers also through WhatsApp and so it was very easy to communicate. They even offered free pick up from Krabi Hotel and free drop to Phuket hotel.

We had our lunch and then it started raining heavily. The view from hotel was awesome.

  • Shrimp fried rice
  • Coconut ice cream
  • Rainy day in Krabi
  • Air-conditioned Ferry

Reached Phuket

We booked Holiday Inn Express in Phuket which was around 5 minutes walk to Patong beach and close to Bangla Road as well.

We explored the notorious Bangla Road at night and tried out the various grilled meat options with a bottle of Chang beer. There is a food-street in the corner of Bangla Road which was booming with food stalls. The place was divine!!

Bangla Walking Street

  • Mouth-watering chicken skewers..yum!
  • Sea food Fried Rice and Noodles!! … with purple octopus! 😉
  • Almond coconut vanilla icecream….from a food truck..
  • Which one do you choose?! 😉
  • Customise your Pad Thai toppings!!!
  • Pad Thai Noodles and fried rice with beer-battered Chicken…

Day 5:

James Bond Island trip

We booked again with JCTour as they had exceeded our expectations already :).

We even got a chance to try out canoeing which was fun.

Day 6:

Local sightseeing in Phuket city

After our breakfast at the hotel, we set out in a minivan for local sightseeing.

TIP: If you are planning to visit Big Buddha, ensure to cover your shoulders and knees. You can also put a scarf around.

Simon Cabaret in the evening:

The lady boys dance to the music and look so glamorous and stunning in their costumes!!! Even they danced to “Delhi wali girlfriend song”… which was shocking but truly amazing!!!

Day 7:

Last day of the trip 😦

Our Flight was in the afternoon from Phuket to Kolkata via Bangkok.

In the morning we had time to explore Patong Beach and hog on the delicious Thai food while still we had some time in this country. 😉

  • Chicken in Green Thai curry!!
  • Bangkok at night!
  • Catching transfer flight in Bangkok!!
  • Bye bye Thailand 😦

Thailand is a country which never fails to excite. It is an amazing country with very kind and helpful people. And, of course, the Food is so delicious and healthy as well.

Hoping to visit this beautiful country again some time…….!!

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